Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

The day before the tour starts, you will meet with the guide and the rest of your fellow adventurers to prepare for the tour. You will be given the indications you need and any questions will be answered so that you can enjoy the experience to the fullest. In addition, you will be given the bag in which you will store the luggage that the porters will carry each day (maximum 6 kg). Now yes, let's start!

📍 Pick up in Cuzco - Ollantaytambo - Km 82

The 4 day Inca Trail tour starts with pick up from your accommodation in Cuzco around 4 am. The guide and the porter leader will take you and the rest of the group by minibus to Ollantaytambo, where you will have breakfast and meet the porters (honestly, the real heroes of this adventure). You will continue in the minibus a few more kilometers until you reach the beginning of the Inca Trail: Piscacucho (also known as Km 82). At this point, at an altitude of 2,700 meters, is where the adventure really begins.

Llactapata - Ayapata camp ⛺

This first day is one of the least demanding of the route, both because of the altitude and the distance covered, which does not exceed 14 km. You will start by walking a flat stretch along the Vilcanota river valley, you will pass through the last village you will find on the entire route and you will enter the road. Gradually you will gain altitude and two hours later you will reach the viewpoint of the Inca site Llactapata (Patallacta), where you will make a stop to appreciate it while the guide explains its origin, use, etc. Start the immersion in the Inca culture!

You will continue walking for 2 hours, stopping for lunch to face with energy the slope that will take you to the 3,300 meters of altitude of the Ayapata camp, where you will arrive at 5 in the afternoon. As every day, when you arrive at the camp, the porters will be waiting for you with the camping area ready, a hot drink and some snacks. You will have time to rest and around 7 p.m. you will have dinner in the dining tent with your group - you will be surprised how well the team cooks!

Ayapata Camp - Abra Warmiwañusca (Dead Woman's Pass)

Days on the Inca Trail begin early, with one of the porters bringing you a hot drink at the door of your tent. You will have breakfast and start the longest and most demanding day of the Inca Trail. In the first 4 hours you will cover less than 4 km and it is a stretch with lots of stairs to help you climb the almost 1,000 meters of elevation gain to the Dead Woman's Pass, the highest point of the trail. You will take advantage of this time to rest, have a snack and above all enjoy the views on both sides.

Runccuracay Pass - Chaquiccocha Camp ⛺.

You will descend more than 500 meters to the Pacaymayu valley, where you will have lunch and take strength for the second climb of the day: 2 hours of ascent to the Runkurakay pass. On the way you will visit the Runcu Raccay Inca area and the village of Sayacmarca while the guide explains what you have before your eyes. Finally you will arrive at Chaquicocha camp, where you will spend the night at 3,600 meters altitude.

Chaquiccocha - Phuyupatamarca

A new day begins, much less demanding than the previous one. Although the first part of the route is a very gentle ascent to the Phuyupatamarca peak (3,600 meters altitude), the rest of the day is downhill. Little by little you will enter the cloud forest, you will see and feel the change of ecosystem, a more temperate zone with much more vegetation.

The City above the clouds ☁️ - Wiñaywayna⛺ Camp.

You will continue the route passing through an Inca tunnel until you reach the archaeological complex Phuyupatamarca, which means "city above the clouds", an archaeological zone nestled at the highest point of the mountain. You will continue the hike through the long descending stone steps until you reach Wiñaywayna, where you will find an impressive Inca complex where they dedicated themselves to agriculture. You will arrive at lunchtime and have the afternoon free to rest and prepare for the big day: the entrance to Machu Picchu. It will be your last dinner with the group and the cook always surprises ;) . In addition, you will take advantage of this afternoon to chat a little with the porters and thank them for their work, at this point of the route you will have already realized why we say that they are "the heroes" of the Inca Trail.

Sun Gate - Machu Picchu

It will still be dark, but shortly before 4:00 you will be walking to the checkpoint to be one of the first groups to access the trail that will take you to the Sun Gate (Inti Punku). At this point you will have to wait a little over an hour as it opens at 5:30.

Finally you will pass the checkpoint and in just over an hour you will arrive at the Sun Gate, you will see how the clouds leave, the sun begins to enter and you will live a unique moment in Machu Picchu, the sacred citadel of the Incas.

💬 Howlanders Tip:

We know that an hour of waiting during the morning can be hard, but it has its explanation: it is done this way to be among the first groups to access and live a better experience with much less people at Inti Punku (Sun Gate). Open yourself well and live it with a good attitude, the time will fly by!

Guided tour of Machu Picchu

Afterwards, you will descend to the citadel itself and take a two-hour tour with your guide and the whole group, you will have already seen that he is an expert in Inca culture, but in Machu Picchu he will surprise you even more, he is the icing on the cake, he will make you enjoy it to the fullest!

Once the visit to Machu Picchu is over, you will take the bus back to Aguas Calientes, where you will have lunch at a local restaurant. Normally the whole group gets together to share this last meal and celebrate the adventure.

Return to Cuzco 🚂

Later, you will take the panoramic train that will take you back to Ollantaytambo. Upon arrival, the minibus will be waiting for you to take you to the center of Cuzco, where this 4-day Inca Trail adventure ends.