Ultimate Inca Trail, 5 Days
The quiet right bank first, then both passes in one day
- 5 days
- 4,215 m max
- Challenging
- Cusco to Cusco
Most groups cross the river at Km 82 and turn left. This one turns right, onto the quiet bank, past Salapunku, Machu Q'ente and Wayna Q'ente — more than a dozen Inca sites in five days — before joining the classic trail, crossing both passes in a single day and reaching the Sun Gate.
Almost every Inca Trail itinerary starts at Km 82, crosses the Urubamba and turns left onto the classic route. This one turns right.
The right bank is quiet, largely unrestored and strung with Inca sites that most visitors to Peru have never heard of — Salapunku, Machu Q’ente, Wayna Q’ente. You walk them on day one, cross to the main trail on a hanging bridge, and walk through Patallacta on day two instead of looking down at it from above.
The price of that is day three, which crosses both high passes in a single ten-hour push. It is the most demanding day on this site and it is the trade the itinerary makes deliberately. If you came to Peru for the archaeology rather than the exercise, it is a trade worth making.
What you'll see
The bank nobody walks
Salapunku, K'anabamba, Machu Q'ente, Q'oriwayrachina and Wayna Q'ente, all on the first day, on the side of the Urubamba that standard itineraries never touch. You cross to the classic trail on a hanging bridge built on Inca foundations.
You walk through Patallacta
Everyone else looks down at it from the viewpoint above. On day two you walk through the site itself.
More than a dozen Inca sites
More archaeology than any other route to Machu Picchu, which is the point of the whole itinerary.
Machu Picchu twice
Circuit 1 through the Sun Gate in the afternoon light on day four, then Circuit 3 the following morning after a hotel night.
Both passes in one day
Because days one and two bought you the hidden side, day three crosses Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 m and Runkuraqay Pass in one ten-hour push. It is the hardest day on this website.
The Vistadome is included
The panoramic train back down the valley is in the price, not sold as an extra.
Ultimate 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 Chamana, along the right bank
Thirteen kilometres and about seven hours on the quiet side of the river, visiting Salapunku, K'anabamba, Machu Q'ente, Q'oriwayrachina and Wayna Q'ente. Camp near Chamana at 2,200 m, close to Patallacta.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Camping at Chamana, 2,200 m
Day 2
Through Patallacta and up the Cusichaca valley
Twelve kilometres and eight hours. You walk through Patallacta rather than past it, then follow the narrow Cusichaca valley and climb through cloud forest to Llulluchapampa at 3,800 m, under Huayanay mountain.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Camping at Llulluchapampa, 3,800 m
Day 3
Two passes, one long day
Twelve kilometres but ten hours, and the hardest day of the trek. Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 m, then Runkuraqay Pass, taking in Runkuraqay, Sayacmarca and Conchamarca before camp at Phuyupatamarca.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Camping at Phuyupatamarca, 3,680 m
Day 4
The most scenic day, and the Sun Gate
Eleven kilometres and seven hours through Phuyupatamarca, Intipata and Wiñay Wayna to Inti Punku in the afternoon light. You enter on Circuit 1, then descend to a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes
Day 5
Machu Picchu up close
Back up early for the guided visit on Circuit 3, with fresh legs and a guide tying five days of walking into one story. Then the bus, the Vistadome train and a private van to your hotel.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- 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 and return to your hotel door in Cusco
- Certified bilingual guide, with a second guide for groups of nine or more
- All transport across the five days
Permits and entries
- Inca Trail permit and Machu Picchu entrance on Circuit 1
- A second Machu Picchu entrance on Circuit 3 for the morning visit
Camp and crew
- A personal porter carrying up to 7 kg of your gear
- An experienced mountain chef travelling with the group
- Three nights of camping with high-quality equipment, spacious tents for every two
- Dining tent with tables and chairs, and private portable loos
- Pillow, sleeping mat, rain poncho and hand towels
- Satellite phone, first-aid kit and oxygen carried throughout
- A porter team with responsible welfare standards
Beds and meals
- One night in a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes
- Every meal except lunch on the final day
- Drinking water after the first lunch, and daily snacks
Getting home
- Return on the panoramic Vistadome train
Not included
- A sleeping bag, an inflatable sleeping mat and trekking poles, all available to hire
- Lunch on the last day, in Aguas Calientes
- Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain
- Travel insurance, which for this trek you really should have
- Tips, which are genuinely optional
Ultimate Inca Trail, 5 Days: prices and options
Add-ons
- +£15
Sleeping bag hire
Rated to -10 °C. Llulluchapampa at 3,800 m is the cold night.
- +£15
Trekking poles
A pair for the whole trek. Day three is where they matter.
- +£60
Huayna Picchu
Two hours there and back, on the morning of day five.
- +£60
Machu Picchu Mountain
Three hours there and back, on a broader path.
What to bring
Papers and money
- The original passport your permit was issued against
- Cash in soles in small notes, for tips and the last-day lunch
- Your medication and any personal first aid
- A head torch
On your back
- A daypack of 20 to 30 litres
- A refillable water bottle
- A camera and a power bank
- A quick-dry towel
Clothes
- Walking boots, broken in well before you fly
- Thermal base layers, trekking trousers and hiking socks
- A fleece and an insulated jacket
- A waterproof jacket, a warm hat and gloves
- Camp sandals and a change of clothes for 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
Which five-day trek should I take, this or the slow version?
Ask yourself what you want from the extra day. This one spends it on archaeology — the quiet right bank and half a dozen sites almost nobody sees — and pays for it with a ten-hour day over both passes. The slow version spends it on recovery instead, crossing one pass a day and giving you time to sit at the ruins. This is the trip for people who came for the Inca sites. That one is for people who came for the walk.
How hard is day three really?
It is the hardest single day we sell. Twelve kilometres does not sound like much, but it takes ten hours because it climbs to 4,215 m, drops, and climbs again over Runkuraqay Pass. You should be genuinely fit before you book this rather than hoping to get fit on the trail.
What is actually on the right bank?
Five Inca sites within the first day — Salapunku, K'anabamba, Machu Q'ente, Q'oriwayrachina and Wayna Q'ente — strung along the river below the main trail. They are unrestored, quiet, and most visitors to Peru have never heard of them. You cross to the classic route on a hanging bridge built on Inca foundations.
What are the two circuits at the citadel?
Circuit 1-C on day four, arriving through the Sun Gate, which gives the upper observatories and the panoramic views. Circuit 3-B on day five, for the lower citadel — the Temple of the Sun, the Twelve Niches, the storehouses, the Temple of the Condor and the water mirrors.
When do I have to book?
Four to six months ahead for May to September. Permits are named and non-transferable, tied to a single date the Ministry of Culture will not change, and only 500 people may start the trail each day including all crew.
Is the trail ever closed?
Every February, for maintenance, across the whole network.
How much do I carry?
A daypack. A personal porter takes up to 7 kg, and the camp is the crew's. Your main luggage stays in Cusco.
Ask us about Ultimate 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.