Luxury Inca Trail, 5 Days
Five days on the classic route, three luxury camps and a four-star hotel
- 5 days
- 4,215 m max
- Challenging
- Cusco to Cusco
The classic trail walked over five days instead of four, starting from Km 88 past the quiet Inca sites, with luxury glamping camps, hot showers, massage and a four-star hotel in Aguas Calientes before the final guided visit. The most comfortable way there is to walk to Machu Picchu.
This is the most comfortable way to walk to Machu Picchu that we know of, and the fifth day is what makes it work rather than the cots and the hot showers.
Four-day luxury treks still put Dead Woman’s Pass on day two and still finish at the citadel straight off three nights of camping. Here the pass falls on day three, the first day starts lower down at Km 88 among the quiet Inca sites, and night four is a four-star hotel in Aguas Calientes. You walk into Machu Picchu on the fifth morning having showered and slept in a bed.
The trail does not get easier for the money. What you buy is recovery — three camps with proper beds and hot water, a massage after each day, and food good enough that people talk about it more than the tents.
What you'll see
Five days, not four
The extra day buys pacing. You start at Km 88 on the quiet stretch, cross Dead Woman's Pass on day three rather than day two, and arrive at the Sun Gate with something left.
Camps with cots, showers and massage
Spacious glamping tents with queen or twin luxury cots, warm blankets and pillows, hot showers, private toilet tents and a massage service after the walking.
A four-star hotel before the citadel
Night four is El Mapi or similar in Aguas Calientes, so the main guided visit happens on rested legs rather than at the end of the trek.
The quiet Inca sites of day one
Salapunku, K'anabamba, Machu Q'ente, Q'oriwayrachina and Wayna Q'ente, before you join the route everybody else is on.
Ten kilos carried, and a table in camp
A duffel of up to 10 kg goes with the porters. Chefs cook fresh Peruvian food, with drinks at lunch and selected drinks in camp in the evening.
Lunch at Tinkuy on the last day
The buffet at the restaurant beside the citadel, then the panoramic train back down the valley.
Luxury Inca Trail, 5 Days: day by day
Times are what we actually aim for, not a best case. Traffic into Cusco and the train timetable move them by a little.
Day 1
Cusco to the Patallacta area, from Km 88
Private pickup around 05:00 and breakfast in Ollantaytambo, then onto the trail at Km 88 past Salapunku, K'anabamba, Machu Q'ente, Q'oriwayrachina and Wayna Q'ente, to the first luxury camp.
- Meals
- Lunch, tea and dinner
- Night
- Luxury camp near Patallacta
Day 2
Up the Kusichaca valley to Llulluchapampa
Following the Kusichaca valley past more Inca sites, lunch at Wayllabamba, then a steady climb to the high camp at Llulluchapampa with Huayanay mountain above it.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner
- Night
- Luxury camp at Llulluchapampa
Day 3
Dead Woman's Pass, then the city above the clouds
The hard day — Warmiwañusca at 4,215 m, the highest point of the trek, then Runkuraqay, Sayacmarca and Qonchamarka before camping at Phuyupatamarca, the best viewpoint on the trail.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner
- Night
- Luxury camp at Phuyupatamarca
Day 4
Wiñay Wayna, the Sun Gate, and a hotel bed
Sunrise in the mountains, then Intipata and Wiñay Wayna and the walk to Inti Punku for your first view of the citadel. Down to Aguas Calientes and a four-star hotel.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Four-star hotel in Aguas Calientes
Day 5
Machu Picchu, Tinkuy, and the train home
Back up early for the full guided visit on the best route available, then the buffet lunch at Tinkuy beside the citadel and the panoramic train and private transfer to Cusco.
- Meals
- Breakfast and lunch
- Night
- Not included — you are back in Cusco
What the price covers
Before you set off
- Safety briefing the day before the trek
- Collection from your hotel on the morning of departure
- All transport for the five days
- Your Inca Trail permit and Machu Picchu entrance
- Highly trained professional mountain guides
The camps
- Three nights of camping with luxury equipment
- Queen or twin luxury camping cots, warm blankets, pillows and sleeping bags
- Large sleeping tents and a comfortable dining tent
- Hot showers and private toilet tents
- Massage service in camp
- A duffel of up to 10 kg carried by the porters
The table
- Experienced chefs and porters travelling with the group
- All meals on the trek, made with fresh local ingredients
- Selected drinks at lunch, hot drinks at tea time and special drinks in camp in the evening
- Buffet lunch at the Tinkuy restaurant beside the citadel on the last day
Beds, safety and home
- One night in a four-star hotel in Aguas Calientes, El Mapi or similar
- First-aid kit, oxygen cylinder and satellite phone
- Bus down from the citadel to Aguas Calientes
- Panoramic train on the final day
At the citadel
- Circuit 1-C on arrival, with the observatories, the Sun Gate and the panoramic views
- Circuit 3-B for the lower citadel — Temple of the Sun, Twelve Niches, Temple of the Condor
Not included
- Breakfast on the first day and dinner on the last
- Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain
- Drinks not specifically listed, and personal spending
- Travel insurance, which for this trek you really should have
- Tips, which are genuinely optional
Luxury Inca Trail, 5 Days: prices and options
Add-ons
- +£60
Huayna Picchu
About two hours there and back on day five. Subject to entry time and train schedule.
- +£60
Machu Picchu Mountain
About three hours there and back, on a broader path. Same timing caveats.
What to bring
Papers and money
- The original passport your permit was issued against
- Cash in soles for tips and the last evening
- Your medication and any personal first aid
- A head torch
On your back
- A light daypack for your camera, water and layers
- A refillable water bottle
- A power bank
Clothes
- Walking boots, broken in well before you fly
- Thermal base layers, trekking trousers and hiking socks
- A fleece and an insulated jacket for the camps
- A waterproof jacket, a warm hat and gloves
- Something comfortable for camp evenings and the hotel night
Sun and cold
- High-factor sun cream
- Sunglasses with UV protection
- Lip balm
- Insect repellent for the cloud forest
Questions we get asked
How is this different from the four-day luxury trek?
Pacing, and the ending. Four days crosses Dead Woman's Pass on day two and finishes at the citadel on day four, straight off the trail. Five days starts further down at Km 88, takes the pass on day three, and puts a four-star hotel night in Aguas Calientes before the main guided visit — so you walk into Machu Picchu having slept in a bed. If your budget stretches to either, this is the more comfortable trip.
Is it still a proper trek?
Yes. Same route, same 4,215 m pass, same stone staircases. Graded moderate to challenging, and challenging mostly because of altitude. The luxury is in the camps, not in the walking.
What is included in the camps, exactly?
Walk-in tents with queen or twin cots, warm blankets, pillows and sleeping bags, hot showers, private toilet tents, a dining tent, and a massage service after the day's walking. The crew moves ahead of you so that it is all standing when you arrive.
How much do I carry?
A light daypack. A duffel of up to 10 kg goes with the porters — more than the 7 kg most operators allow — and everything else is the crew's.
Can I add Huayna Picchu?
On day five it is sometimes possible, unlike the four-day version where it rarely fits. It depends on your entry hour, your circuit and the train you are booked onto, so ask us when you enquire and we will check it against your date rather than guess.
When do I have to book?
Four to six months ahead for the May to September window. Luxury departures need exactly the same government permits as everyone else, and only 500 people may start the trail each day, crew included.
Is the trail ever closed?
Every February, for maintenance across the whole Inca Trail network. The citadel itself stays open.
Which meals are not included?
Breakfast on day one, before you are collected, and dinner on the final evening once you are back in Cusco. Everything else is on the trail, plus the buffet lunch at Tinkuy beside the citadel.
Ask us about Luxury Inca Trail, 5 Days
Tell us your dates and we'll come back with availability, the circuit we'd recommend, and a firm price. No deposit to ask, and we answer within one working day.