Classic Inca Trail Machu Picchu (4 Days)

Our team will pick you up from where you are hosted either in Cusco, Urubamba or Ollantaytambo. In Cusco, we pick you up at 4:30 am, In Urubamba at 5:30 am and if you are in Ollantaytambo at 6:30 am. The schedule will be confirmed in your briefing as it may fluctuate according to the place where you are staying.

In Ollantaytambo you have time for any last-minute shopping or to have breakfast, Then, we go to the km 82 by car, arriving at approximately 7:30 am.

To start our hike, we will pass by the first checkpoint of the Inca Trail. The first 2 hours of the Inca trail are relatively easy until Patallacta Inca site, which is an old checkpoint of the Incas. From Patallacta we have a 2-hour hiking to our lunch stop in Hatunchaca.

After lunch, we will hike 2½ hours to reach the first campsite at Ayapata (3300 masl). In this last stretch, we’ll pass through 2 small communities. If you want to buy energy drinks or snacks, you may do so here, you can also buy any essential items such as batteries that you may have forgotten.

Our staff will wake you up early in the morning with a hot coca tea to start the day, today is the longest day and we should start early. We’ll hike for about 4 hours up to the highest point (Abra Warmi Wañuska 4215m).

When reaching the pass, we will stop to take a short break and enjoy the views before starting again to descend to Pacaymayu (Hidden River) for another 1h30 for lunch and to refill our water bottles.

After lunch, we will start to climb again to the second pass of the Inca Trail. It is a 2-hour hike to the pass; on the way we will stop at a small Inca site called Runcu Raccay (round construction) where our guide in going to explain about this place.  and we’ll enjoy the two beautiful waterfalls located on the opposite side of the valley.

After the second pass, there’s another down trek in order to reach the magnificent Inca site of Sayacmarca, here we stop to rest and get a quick tour of the site and enjoy the sunset over the Vilcabamba Mountain Range.

Then we will continue for another 20 more minutes approximately to the second campsite at Chaquicocha (Dried lake, 3600 meters above sea level). After dinner, if you’re not tired, we can appreciate the fascinating Inca constellations in the magnificent sky of the Southern Hemisphere, far from any artificial lighting.

We start early again, waking up at 5:30 am. to begin what is commonly considered the most beautiful day of the whole Inca Trail. Here we start hiking for 2 hours along what we call “Plano Inca” (graded slopes) until Phuyupatamarka. As we hike, we will have the opportunity to see the majesty of the Salkantay, the second highest mountain of Cusco, and the fantastic panoramic view of the Vilcabamba Mountain Range.

From Phuyupatamarka, we start walking down for about 3 hours along a path of stairs towards our last campsite at Wiñay Wayna the most spectacular Inca site on the trail after Machu Picchu. While descending, we will visit 2 more Inca sites, Phuyupatamarka (Town in the Clouds) and Intipata (Terraces of the Sun).

We are arriving to our camp at around 2:00 PM for lunch, and then there is some time for relaxing a while to be ready for the last day in Machu Picchu. Around 4:00 pm, your guide will give you brief information about this Inca site of Wiñay Wayna, spending approximately an hour and a half visiting there.

In the evening we have a goodbye celebration. It is a tradition on the Inca Trail to organize a celebration to introduce the team to the tourists once again and to thank them for the great job done. It is recommended to go to bed at a reasonable hour to get up early and arrive to Machu Picchu at sunrise expecting the weather to gives us a beautiful sunrise over Machu Picchu.

This day, we have to wake up at 3:30 am, have breakfast at 4: 00a.m, and approach to the checkpoint to be one of the first to begin the hike when they open the doors at 5:30. m. We will hike to the Puerta del Sol (Sun Gate) for about two hours, from here we have spectacular views of the mountains and Machu Picchu in all its glory. Then, it is only one hour walking down to get to the Lost City of the Incas. As we get closer, the views of the city will become more impressive.

At approximately 7:40 AM, we arrive at the final control point and enter Machu Picchu to begin our guided tour of 2 hours. After the tour, you will receive the bus tickets to go down to Aguas Calientes and you will have plenty of free time to explore on your own the rest of Machupicchu or climb one of the nearby mountains of Machu Pichu or Huaynapicchu if you booked.

Your guide will offer you the option to meet with you in the village of Aguas Calientes to enjoy the last lunch in a local restaurant. This is optional and not included. During lunch, he will hand out the train tickets.

Be sure to be at the train station with at least 30 minutes in advance of the departure time. This journey by train is about 2 hours to Ollantaytambo, where a driver will meet you to take you back to the city on our bus, then we will leave you at your hotel. This is the end of your marvelous Inca Trail Tour.