Inca Trek by Destination Peru’s private 5-day Inca Trail costs US$3,395 per guest for 2–3 hikers and US$2,995 per guest for 4–8, including permits, guide, cook and porters, three camping nights, the Inkaterra night and the guided Machu Picchu visit.
Answered by Jared Snow, founder, and our team in Cusco · Last updated: October 12, 2026
Those are the only two prices. There are no seasonal rates, no discounts and no hidden extras: the deposit is US$500 per guest, the balance is due 60 days before you start, and your permits are bought as soon as they're on sale (on release day for 2027 dates). Solo hikers and parties of nine or more get an individual proposal.
| Price, party of 2–3 | US$3,395 per guest |
|---|---|
| Price, party of 4–8 | US$2,995 per guest |
| Deposit | US$500 per guest at booking; permits bought as soon as they're on sale |
| Balance | 60 days before the start date |
| Trek | 5 days / 4 nights: 3 camping, 1 at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo |
| Group | Private, your party only, 2–8 hikers |
| Solo or 9+ | Individual proposal on request |
A couple pays 2 × US$3,395 = US$6,790. A party of three pays 3 × US$3,395 = US$10,185. A party of four pays 4 × US$2,995 = US$11,980. A party of six pays 6 × US$2,995 = US$17,970. A party of eight pays 8 × US$2,995 = US$23,960. A private trek has fixed costs (your guide, cook, camp and transport) that are shared across more hikers, so the price per guest drops at four. Bring two friends and everyone pays US$2,995.
Three reasons, and they are the same three things you are paying for. First, the crew is yours: on a shared group trek the guide, cook and porters are split across a group that can reach 16 hikers; on a private trek they look after your party of 2–8 only, at your pace. Second, the finish: most 4-day group treks tour Machu Picchu on day four, straight off the trail, with no hotel night first; ours ends with a night at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo, a celebration dinner, and Machu Picchu rested the next morning (4-day vs 5-day). Third, the crew's pay and gear: our porters come from the Lares valley, are paid in full at the end of every trek at the rates set by the porters' union and the Peruvian government, carry loads weighed at the trail checkpoint, and get boots, packs, rain gear, warm layers and their own tents.
Four things to check before paying any operator a deposit: that it holds its own Inca Trail licence (ask for the SERNANP contract number; ours is 11-2022-SERNANP-DGANP), that your party will be alone on the trek with its own crew, where you sleep on night four and when you tour Machu Picchu, and how the porters are paid and loaded. Inca Trek by Destination Peru is U.S. and Peruvian-owned, the only U.S.-owned licensed Inca Trail operator, and has run private trips in Peru since 2012. Read the private 5-day Inca Trail itinerary, how 2027 permits work, and our booking terms.
With Inca Trek by Destination Peru, US$3,395 per guest for a party of 2–3 and US$2,995 per guest for a party of 4–8, for the private 5-day Inca Trail. That includes permits, a guide, cook and porters for your party only, three camping nights, a night at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo and the guided Machu Picchu visit. Flights, insurance, rentals and tips are extra.
For six hikers, Inca Trek by Destination Peru's private 5-day Inca Trail costs US$2,995 per guest, US$17,970 for the party, with a guide, cook and porter team dedicated to your six, three camping nights, and Machu Picchu rested the morning after a night at Inkaterra. Ask any operator you compare whether your six would be alone on the trek or part of a larger group.
Yes. Inca Trek by Destination Peru takes a US$500 per-guest deposit when you accept the proposal, buys your permits as soon as they're on sale (on release day for 2027 dates), and the balance is due 60 days before your start date. If no date can be secured, you receive the nearest alternatives, a full refund or a credit.
No. Inca Trek by Destination Peru publishes two prices, US$3,395 per guest for 2–3 and US$2,995 per guest for 4–8, and they do not change by season. The only way to pay less per guest is to hike as a party of four or more.
Because a private trek has fixed costs (your guide, cook, camp and transport) that are shared across more hikers. A couple pays US$3,395 each (US$6,790); a party of four pays US$2,995 each (US$11,980).
Tell us your dates and how many are hiking. We’ll reply within one business day with your private 5-day proposal.
