All Peru was once criss crossed with Inca and pre-Inca highways, which were paved with thick interlocking blocks of stones, variating in quality and width. On the plain uplands the stones could be up to six meters wide; in the mountain the width usually was less than a meter. The Inca roads used to follow the valleys, but just as often they traversed the high mountainsides, tracing the impossible pathways and following narrow ledges above the bottomless gorges of the Andes. The trails were built for men on foot and lightly burdened llamas. Frequently their gradients gave way to stairways, tunnels and long zig zag trajectories down the steep mountains.
The Inca trail is the most interesting and accessible trail going to the enigmatic Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. The best time to hike the Inca trail is during the dry season between May and September. This season is not absolutely dry, gentle rains or showers can occur, however they are not strong enough to cancel the hike. To do the Inca trail it is necessary to get the right camping equipment. Machulas journey organizes excursions and provides all equipment and knowhow necessary to experience an unforgettable trip.
By booking your Inca Trail with Machulas journey you are choosing the best company.
We will depart from Cusco at 4:30 a.m. in a private transport and head toward KM 82. First we will stop at Ollantaytambo where we will have breakfast and then continue driving until Km 82 to start our hike. At the entrance gate you will have to shown your passport and entrance ticket which we have already bought for you. During the first couple of hours we will be hiking over flat Inca paths until we reach the Inca site of Llaqtapata. This is where you will get first information about the Inca culture and Peruvian history. After your first Inca lesson we will hike for another hours until we arrive at our first lunch place where your porters will be waiting with a delicious organic buffet lunch. After lunch we will have a relax of 15 to 20 minutes and then continue hiking for another couple of hours until our first campsite at Ayapata. In all day we will be walking 14 km in about 7 hours and arrive at the campsite at approximately 5:00pm. we will have an amazing dinner at night and talk about the next day’s hike.
We wake up early to begin our ascent to the Dead Woman’s Pass, and we will have breakfast at 6:00 a.m. and then we will leave. The second day is considered as the hardest day of the Inca trail because we will hike up to the two highest summits of our trip. The Dead Woman’s pass (4215m / 13828ft) and Runkurakay pass (4000m/13123ft). These spots are perfect to enjoy the view and to take beautiful and unique photos. We will also visit the two beautiful Inca sites Runkuraccay (means: round shape area) and Sayacmarka (means: stand upright area). At both Inca remains we will find a variety of plants and different kind of highland animals like the Patagonian humming bird and the white tailed deer. Finally, around 5.30pm we will reach our campsite in Chaquiccocha. During all day we will have spent around 10 hours and 16 kilometers of walking. Once arrived we will have a delicious dinner and then fall asleep like baby alpacas.
After we had made it through a challenging day, our today’s hike will be much easier and we will walk through some of the most beautiful sceneries that the Inca trail offers. We are sure that the third day will be your favorite because in this section we will enjoy spectacular views of the Andes. Arrived at the pass of Phuyupamarca (3870m/12696ft) we will be able to see Mach Picchu and Huayna Picchu mountain. Here is the beginning of the amazon jungle. Once arrived at the archaeological site of Phuyupatamarca you will get interesting explanations about the Incan culture and the Spanish invaders. After that we will continue hiking all the way down, enjoying the rain and cloud forest until we arrive at our campsite. On the way we will visit Intipata (a sun terrace), from where you will have a beautiful view through the valley of Urubamba and on Vilcanota river. We will arrive in the earlier afternoon at our campsite, have lunch and then visit together with your tour guide Wiñaywayna inca site, where you will get a lot of information about the place and Inca history. In the afternoon we will get back to the campsite to had the las dinner. After that farewell our amazing porters and show our appappreciation with a tipping if you want. Tipping is customary, but not compulsory and you should never feel pressured to do something you are not comfortable with. For more information, check our helpful tip section.
Today is a very important day because we will visit one of the Seven wonders of the world, Machu Picchu. We wake up at around 3:00am. You can have breakfast or take a snack box along the way. We start our hike so early in order to be one of the first visitors at Machu Picchu. From the camp site we just walk 5 minutes to the check point.
Once we have passed the check point we will hike for 2 hours until we get to the citadel of Machu Picchu. One the way we will visit the sun gate from where we will be able to see Machu Picchu in distance. Here we will have a short break to take pictures and then continue our way to the lost city of the Incas. At the main entrance point you will have to show your original passport and your admission ticket which your tour guide provide you. Finally, we will enter the citadel of Machu Picchu and our tour guide takes you on a 2 hours guided tour, visiting the most important places such as temple, plazas, palaces and altars. After the guided tour you will have free time to explore Machu Picchu by yourself.
If you booked either Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu mountains you can climb them now. In the afternoon we will catch our bus from to the town of Aguas Calientes. If you want you can have the last lunch in one of the restaurant together with your guide:
Note: the last lunch is not include in your trip. Then you will go to the train station and take your train back to Ollantaytambo, where our minivan will be waiting for you to take you back to your hotel in Cusco.
We offer daily departures from March to January. This tour can be done any day of the week and 11 months a year except in February because the Inca trail is closed. We recommend you to book the Inca Trail at least 5 months in advance because there are only limited spaces available.
