Inca Trail Alternatives: Lares, Choquequirao, Ausangate and More Compared

Every season we get the same email from somewhere in the US: "The Inca Trail is sold out for our dates. Is the trip ruined?" It isn't. Some of the best hiking around Cusco happens off the permit system entirely, on routes where you share the trail with llama herders instead of hundreds of other hikers. This guide compares the five Inca Trail alternatives we actually run, Lares, Choquequirao, Ausangate, Ancascocha and Cachicata, so you can pick one based on your fitness, your dates and what you want to feel at the end of each day.

Why look for Inca Trail alternatives at all?

Three practical reasons. First, Classic Inca Trail permits are capped and the popular months go early; if you are reading this in late 2026 for a May or June 2027 trip, check our Inca Trail permits 2027 guide before you give up. Second, the trail closes every February for maintenance. In January 2026 the press confirmed a full one-month closure with specialists working on the route, and in 2025 heavy rain stretched the closure through March 31. Third, some people simply want something wilder: more altitude, fewer people, more contact with Andean communities.

None of the treks below need an Inca Trail permit. The ones that finish at Machu Picchu only need a regular Machu Picchu entrance ticket and a train seat, which are much easier to secure.

Inca Trail alternatives compared

Altitudes are the high points on our own routes and are approximate; variants exist for almost every trek.

Lares Trek: the cultural one

Lares runs through the high valleys between the Sacred Valley and the Lares hot springs. The landscapes are big, but what people remember are the villages: women weaving in front of adobe houses, kids herding alpacas home at dusk, potatoes drying on the grass. On our Lares Trek to Machu Picchu 4 Days you soak in the hot springs on day one, cross the high pass on day two, and finish with the train to Aguas Calientes and a guided visit to Machu Picchu. There is also a 5-day version with a full Sacred Valley day at the start, the Sacred Valley & Lares Trek.

It is the gentlest of the five, and the one we suggest most often to families and first-time trekkers.

Choquequirao Trek: the hard one

Choquequirao is an Inca site on a ridge above the Apurímac canyon, and the only way in is on foot. The trail drops into the canyon and climbs back out, roughly 1,500 m (close to 5,000 ft) down and up again, in heat that surprises people who packed only for the Andes. Excavations began in 1993, and official figures quoted by the BBC put annual visitors at around 9,800, compared with over a million at Machu Picchu. A cable car has been in the news for years; until one exists, you earn every terrace.

Our Choquequirao Trek 5 Days is a round trip from Capuliyoc. The 8-day version continues over high passes and links up with Machu Picchu, for people who want the longest walk we offer.

Ausangate: the high one

Ausangate, at about 6,384 m (20,945 ft), is the highest mountain near Cusco and a sacred apu for the Quechua communities around it. Its circuit passes turquoise and red lagoons, glacier tongues and herds of alpacas, and much of it sits above 4,500 m. Nights below freezing are normal. Our Ausangate Trek to Rainbow Mountain 4 Days ends at Vinicunca from the quiet side, before most day-trippers arrive. This trek does not go to Machu Picchu, so plan that separately. Read our Rainbow Mountain guide for what that last morning looks like.

Ancascocha and Cachicata: the quiet ones

Both start near the village of Soqma, about an hour and a half from Cusco, and both end with the train from Ollantaytambo.

Ancascocha

Five days, two big passes, the higher one Huayanay at about 4,650 m, and views of Mount Veronica most of the way. On day four you descend past the Inca site of Paucarcancha and reach Km 82, the very place where Classic Inca Trail hikers start. Our guides like that moment: you finish where everyone else begins. See the Ancascocha Trek to Machu Picchu 5 Days.

Cachicata (Inca Quarry Trek)

Four days, one pass at about 4,450 m, a visit to the Inti Punku above Ollantaytambo and the Cachicata quarry, where the Incas cut stone for Ollantaytambo's temples. Half-cut blocks still sit on the slope. It is the best fit if you have limited days. You will find it, with the rest, on our alternative treks page.

How to choose: a quick decision guide

• You want Machu Picchu at the end and culture on the way: Lares.
• You have only 4 days: Lares or Cachicata.
• You run marathons and hate crowds: Choquequirao.
• You want the most dramatic mountain scenery and can handle cold: Ausangate.
• You wanted the Inca Trail specifically: Ancascocha, then read our Inca Trail vs Salkantay comparison, because Salkantay is the other big option. Our Salkantay Trek guide covers it in depth.

Whatever you choose, plan two or three nights in Cusco or the Sacred Valley first. The CDC recommends limiting the gain in sleeping altitude to about 500 m (1,640 ft) a night above 3,000 m, and every trek here crosses passes well above where you will be sleeping in Cusco. All five are on our alternative treks page, and they are the Inca Trail alternatives we know best because we walk them every month.

FAQ

Do alternative treks to Machu Picchu need permits?

Not Inca Trail permits. You need a Machu Picchu entrance ticket and train tickets, which we book for you as part of the tour.

Which is the easiest alternative to the Inca Trail?

Lares is generally the most manageable. Cachicata is shorter, but its pass is still high.

Can I do these treks in February?

Yes. They stay open while the Inca Trail closes for maintenance, but February is the heart of the rainy season, so expect mud and cloud.

Are these treks camping or lodges?

Our versions are camping treks with a cook, horsemen and pack animals, plus a hotel night in Aguas Calientes on the routes that end at Machu Picchu.

Not sure which one fits your group? Tell us your dates and fitness level through our contact page or on WhatsApp and we will give you an honest recommendation, even if it is a different operator's specialty.

Sources

• La República — Confirman cierre del Camino Inca de Machu Picchu por un mes (January 2026)
• BBC News Mundo (via 24horas.cl) — Cómo es Choquequirao, el otro Machu Picchu de Perú
• Wikipedia — Ausangate
• CDC Yellow Book — High-Altitude Travel and Altitude Illness