The Inca Trail, the way it was meant to be hiked.

Hike an ancient royal route through the Andes with your own guide and trekking team. Four days on the trail, three nights camping and a night at Inkaterra before exploring Machu Picchu the next morning.

More than 1,000 travelers with Destination Peru

Inca Trek by Destination Peru

A great hike deserves time to enjoy the finish. Reaching the Sun Gate is a moment worth taking in. On our five-day itinerary, you finish the hike, spend the night at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo and return to Machu Picchu with your guide the next morning. The trail and the visit each get their own day.

4 days

of hiking on the classic Inca Trail, on original stone paths and steps

4,215 m

Dead Woman’s Pass, the highest point of the route

3 + 1

three nights at camp, then one night at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo

Our way

Private. Unhurried. A team who knows the trail.

Your own group, your own team

Hike with your partner, family or friends, supported by a guide, cook and porters dedicated to your party. We don’t combine your booking with another group.

Unhurried, by design

The Inca Trail is much more than a route to Machu Picchu. Explore its archaeological sites with your guide, take breaks along the way and give yourself time to appreciate the mountains you’ve come to hike.

Camp taken care of

While you hike, our crew handles the camp and prepares your meals. Tents, sleeping pads, a dining tent and private restroom tents are part of the support that makes several days in the mountains more comfortable.

A team we work with year after year

Our guides, cooks and porters know the route and know each other. Many have worked with us for years, and that experience shows in the way the trek comes together.

Our itinerary · 5 days

Four days of hiking. A fifth day for Machu Picchu.

Follow the classic trail with three nights at camp, then spend your final night at Inkaterra. You will have a separate guided visit to Machu Picchu the following morning before returning to Cusco.

Day one

Into the Cusichaca Valley

Set out from KM 82, follow the river valley and pass the terraces of Llactapata. Your first camp is at Wayllabamba, where the crew prepares dinner after your first day on the trail.

Day two

Across Dead Woman's Pass

The longest climb takes you to the trail’s highest point at 4,215 m. From the pass, descend the stone steps to Pacaymayo and settle in for the night.

Day three

Inca sites and cloud forest

Explore Runkurakay and Sayacmarca with your guide, then follow the old stone trail toward Phuyupatamarca. This is a day to pay attention to the engineering as well as the scenery.

Day four

The Sun Gate and Inkaterra

Hike through Wiñay Wayna and continue to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate. After finishing the trail, head to Inkaterra in Aguas Calientes for a shower, dinner and a night in a bed.

Day five

Explore Machu Picchu

Return with your guide for the included Machu Picchu visit. Afterward, travel by train to Ollantaytambo and continue by private transfer to Cusco.

Night four

You've finished the hike. Enjoy the evening.

After three nights camping, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo is a welcome change: a hot shower, a comfortable room and dinner to celebrate the trek. Your stay is included on night four, before your guided Machu Picchu visit the next morning.

The hotel is in Aguas Calientes, surrounded by gardens and forest. You don’t have to choose between hiking the trail and enjoying a good hotel at the end.

Night 4

at Inkaterra, included in your trek

Dinner

to celebrate finishing the trail

Day 5

guided Machu Picchu visit the next morning

From Jared Snow, founder

Why I wanted to run this trek ourselves.

My connection to Peru started with a trip Paola and I took for our first wedding anniversary. I’ve spent years helping people travel here, and the Inca Trail is still one of the experiences I most love sharing.

It’s a demanding hike, and the team makes a real difference. I wanted our guests to have guides we know, a camp they can look forward to reaching and time to enjoy Machu Picchu after finishing the trail. That’s why we earned our own license and built Inca Trek around a private, five-day experience.

I’d love to help you decide whether it’s the right trip for you.

— Jared

The trail

Taking care of the trail and the team.

Our crew comes firstOur responsibility starts with the people who make the trek possible. We provide our crew with the equipment and camp arrangements they need.
Cleanups, every yearWe manage the waste from our treks, join the SERNANP cleanup and organize our own cleanup work.
No single-use plastic on the trailRefillable bottles and reusable dining equipment. What we carry in, we carry out.

Read this first

A challenge worth preparing for.

This is a demanding mountain hike, with long days, steep climbs, uneven steps and high altitude. You’ll need good hiking fitness and time to prepare. Your guide and crew will support you along the way, but the hiking is yours to do.

Not sure how your experience compares? Tell us about the hikes you do now and the people coming with you. We’ll talk through the route and preparation before you book.

Plan time in the region before the trek to adjust to altitude. We’ll help you arrange those days; a clinician can advise on your individual health and altitude considerations.

6–8 h

of hiking on day two, the long climb to Dead Woman’s Pass

4,215 m

the highest point of the route. Poles help on the descents, and we have them to rent

2–3 nights

in the region before the trek is a common starting point for adjusting to altitude

2 to 8

hikers per private party. Solo hikers and larger parties, ask us

What our guests say

In their own words.

Posted on Google by people who hiked with us.

★★★★★

Going on big trips is scary. It is hard to find a company that you can trust and that cares about you and your experience. I’ll never use anyone else.

Mark WintertonGoogle review

★★★★★

You develop an amazing connection with nature, Peruvian culture and yourself. The food was delicious and full of local ingredients, and the guide was always on point, with fascinating stories about the Inca Empire.

Junior Alfonso Lopez TorresGoogle review

★★★★★

Inca Trek took care of all the logistics and went over the top to make sure we were comfortable in every aspect of the trek. Fantastic hospitality.

John RasmussenGoogle review

Plan your trek

Tell us your dates and who's coming.

Tell us when you’d like to hike, who’s coming and what you’re wondering about. We’ll help you assess the trek, check the next steps for permits and put together a proposal for your group.