Join Us On Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Hiking Tour
Trek into an era bygone - Machu Picchu, the glorious remnant of an awe-inspiring civilization. The Four day trek will offer an unforgettable experience for the adventure lover in you. Prior to the Inca Trail, we will take two days preparatory hikes in and around Cusco to acclimatize.
Duration
9 DaysPassport
Required with Peru VisaMinimum Age
13 years oldActivity
TrekkingAccommodation
3-star and up Hotels
- All accommodation: hotel in Lima / Cusco, Aguas Calientes, tents during Inca Trail
- All transportation: airport pickup and drop in Cusco, transportation during day tours, transport from hotel to trailhead and back for the trek
- All breakfasts, lunch and dinner during the Inca Trail. Breakfasts for hotel stays in Cusco and Aguas Calientes. Bottled or boiled water safe for drinking is provided for treks and day trips
- All park and entrance fees. Two way bus tickets from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. Train ticket from Aguas Calientes to Cusco
- Duffel Bag where you can put personal items you need for the trek, this duffel bag will be accessible at night at campsite, for things that you need during the day you need to have a day back
- Porters / mules – you only carry small daypack
- Information sessions and trip preparation assistance

- International flights to Lima. Domestic flights between Lima and Cusco
- Lunch and dinner at hotels
- Gratuities
- Visa and other travel related expenses
- Travel insurance
- Personal gear and equipment including shoes and sleeping bags
You will need to arrive early to Lima to take a domestic flight to Cusco on the same day. There are flights available from Cusco to Lima until evening. We suggest that you are scheduled to arrive Cusco in the afternoon so that there is some safety margin against delays and connection issues. We will pick everyone up from the airport and will be waiting just outside the airport building with a Miyar Adventures sign. Then we will take you to your hotel where you have the rest of the day to take it easy and get acclimatised.
Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire until the Spanish founded Lima. In Cusco, we will explore several Inca sites including the Koricancha Temple (Temple of the Sun) and the fortress of Sacsayhuaman. Next we will visit Qenqo, a site built in a natural rock formation which was created to represent the Andean constellations and the concept of the three worlds. After that we will travel to Puka Pukara, which was a shelter for travelers coming to Cusco from the Amazon. It was also a military center and used to protect the nearby temple located at Tambomachay. Our last stop is Tambomachay, known as the Temple of Water, where the Incas practiced religious traditions tied to water in order to rejuvenate the land. After that we are dropped back to the hotel.
We will spend this day on a local tour of Ollantaytambo. The town has been continuously inhabited since Inca times and houses many structures from its distant past. We will also make an excursion to the Pumamarca ruins. We will also have a briefing session for our Salkantay trek post dinner.
On the first day of the hike, we will pick you up at 6:00 am from your hotel in Cusco after you have had breakfast. We will drive for about 2 and a half hours total,going through the Sacred Valley. We will first stop at the town of Ollantaytambo where you can buy any last minute supplies for the hike. Then we will continue until we arrive at a site called Kilometer 82 where we will begin the hike. The altitude here is 2,673 meters (8,770 feet) and on this first day we will hike about 11 km (7 miles). The first part of the hike is relatively flat, and we will trek for about 3 hours to our lunch site, starting in an area that is dry with cacti and arriving in a green valley where we will visit our first archaeological site called Patallaqta. The name means “City over the Terraces” in the Quechua language, and here we will be able to explore the ruins and also look down and see more located in the valley. Then we will hike 20 minutes more until we arrive at our lunch site located at Tarachayuc. After enjoying a filling lunch, we will start the next stretch of the hike to our campsite which will take 2 hours. This part of the trail has small ascents and descents, and we will hike through a wooded valley until we reach our first campsite, Wayllabamba which is at 3,000 meters, or 9,842 feet..
The second day is the most challenging since we will climb over 1,200 meters (3,940 feet) to reach the highest pass and will hike 12 km (7 miles) in total. After having breakfast, we will start our uphill hike which will take about 5 hours to reach the pass. On the way, we will pass through different climactic and ecological zones as we climb higher and higher. We will start in green mossy forests and will end in the grassy highlands where there are no trees. Once we reach the highest point of the trail, known as Dead Woman’s Pass at 4,215 meters (13,828 feet), we will take a well-deserved break and will be able to enjoy the amazing view of both valleys below. Then we will start our descent to the campsite which will take about an hour and a half. We will climb down Inca stone steps heading down through the highlands until we reach our campsite called Pacaymayo which is at 3,630 meters or 11,910 feet. Here we will have our lunch, then have time to rest and explore the area before having supper in the evening.
On the third day we will hike the farthest distance (16 km or 10 miles) and will also see the most archaeological sites along the way. After waking up early and eating breakfast, we will hike up the opposite side of the valley to reach the second pass which will take about 2 hours. About halfway up we will see a small, round, roofless stone building, known as Runkuracay. This building was a shelter and a checkpoint for travelers following the trail to Machu Picchu. After our history lesson here we will continue to the second pass, Runkuracay, at 3,941 meters, or 12,800 feet. Then we will descend for about 2 hours to our lunch site, stopping first at another Inca site called Sayaqmarka, translated to “Town in a Steep Place.” Here, we will see an important temple for the Salkantay mountain, which is the highest mountain in the area. Then we will arrive to our lunch site and once we are full will continue hiking 4 more hours to our last campsite. The first part of the trail will involve little ascents and descents until we reach the next archaeological center called Phuyupatamarka which means “City above the Clouds.” Here, we will see where the Incas took their final baths before reaching Machu Picchu. This location is also a second option for the last campsite. After our tour, we will hike downhill and will visit the farming terraces at Intipata. From there we will continue to our campsite called Wiñaywayna, which means “Forever Young,” and is located at 2,650 meters, or 8,694 feet. This is our last night camping, and in the evening after supper we will get to thank our amazing porters for their hard work. *Please note that in the event that there is no availability in the Wiñaywayna campsite on the last night that we will camp in Phuyupatamarka which will change the itinerary slightly for Days 6-7.
Today is an optional rest day in Cusco that you can use for sightseeing and shopping. It is also possible to plan your return flight on this day. Casual sightseeing and shopping in Cusco would be a relaxing way to end your Machu Picchu adventure. You hotel is covered for the night. Should you decide to return on this day, your trip cost would come down by the hotel price for this night.
For the more adventurous, Rainbow mountain is an interesting day hiking option. Rainbow mountain is a strikingly scenic mount at 16338 feet (4980 meters) formed of colored sediments that lends a unique character to it. To climb Rainbow mountain we will start from our Cusco hotel around 4.00 am as we have a four drivers south of Cusco to the trailhead. We will follow the highway before following a mountain road that passes through traditional villages and fertile valleys. We will have a boxed breakfast and hot drinks at the start of our hike. Please note that Rainbow mountain hike is not covered in your standard package rate.
Rainbow mountain can be done as a one day trip. Given the altitude (17000+ ft) we need to be properly acclimatized for this trip. It is possible to do this after the Inca Trail if the group is feeling healthy and have appetite for more climbing.
Amazon Jungle trip is not covered as part of our itinerary. We can however coordinate with a reliable local agency to facilitate this trip extension. You would need to fly to Puerto Maldonado from Cusco and then the jungle trip will happen in the Tambopata reserve. Depending on room and amenities chosen, this would work out $400-600 per person (excluding domestic flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado) for a 2N / 3D trip. From Puerto Maldonado you can directly fly to Lima for international departure. Please note that Miyar will just coordinate this and pass on the costs directly to you without any markup (and consequently any responsibility) at our end.
- Plastic bags (to keep your clothes dry if it rains).
- Light long-sleeves shirts.
- T-shirts. and shorts (for day).
- Trekking pants.
- Socks
- Long Johns
- Strong footwear, ideally trekking boots.
- Tennis shoes or light sandals for after the day hike.
- Warm clothes (jacket, fleece, sweater, wooly hat and gloves).
- Small towel.
- Sleeping bag (if you prefer we can rent it).