The classic Inca Trail, hiked at a human pace with your own guide and team from Lares, and finished the way it deserves: a hot shower, a long dinner, a real bed, and the citadel the next morning.
3 nights camping, 1 at Inkaterra
KM 82 to Machu Picchu
Dead Woman’s Pass, the high point
Private. Never mixed with strangers
per person, parties of 4 to 8
An ancient royal journey, lined with ruins most visitors never see, climbing through the Andes to the greatest wonder of the world. You don’t arrive at Machu Picchu. You earn it.
Over four days you’ll hike original Inca paving, climb two high passes, pass through a tunnel cut by Inca hands and camp above the clouds. Your guide knows every site on the route and the stories behind them. Your porters and cook, from the Lares valley, are ahead of you all day, so camp is up and dinner is on when you walk in.
Then, instead of a 3:30 alarm and a crowded dash to the Sun Gate, we split the last day in two. Night four is at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo. Day five is Machu Picchu with your guide, rested, and the train home.
Distances and times are typical for a fit group at a comfortable pace. Your guide sets the rhythm around you, not the other way round.
We meet at our Cusco office at 6 pm the evening before the trek for a briefing with your guide: the route, the weather, your duffel and what to leave behind. Questions welcome. Early night recommended.
Private transfer from your hotel to the trailhead at KM 82 on the Urubamba river. An easy first day up the Cusichaca valley, past the terraces of Llactapata, your guide reading the landscape as you go. Camp is already up when you arrive.
The hard one. A long, steady climb through cloud forest and puna to Warmiwañusca, the highest point of the trail, then stone steps down to camp at Pacaymayo. Take your time; the team has all day. Cold night, clear sky, the Milky Way overhead.
Over a second pass at Runkurakay and on to Sayacmarca, then through a tunnel cut by Inca hands along the finest stretch of original paving on the trail. Camp at Phuyupatamarca, the town above the clouds, with sunrise over Salkantay the next morning.
Down thousands of stone steps through the cloud forest to Wiñay Wayna, then along the last stretch of trail to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, for your first view of Machu Picchu in the afternoon light. Continue down to Aguas Calientes. Tonight: a hot shower, a dinner to celebrate and a real bed at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo.
Back up the mountain by bus with your guide for an unhurried tour of the citadel: two to three hours among the temples and terraces, with the story of the place from someone who has walked here a hundred times. Train to Ollantaytambo and private transfer to your hotel in Cusco.
Your last night is at one of South America’s most awarded hotels: 80 whitewashed adobe casitas set in 12 acres of cloud forest at the foot of the mountain, with the world’s largest native orchid collection on the grounds and 317 bird species overhead. A hot shower, a long dinner, and a bed with the river running past. Then Machu Picchu in the morning.
native orchid species on the grounds
of protected cloud forest
above sea level, at the foot of Machu Picchu
Your proposal lists exactly what’s in and out for your party, so there are no surprises later.
The price covers a private team that works only for you, the permit, Machu Picchu, the train, the transfers and a night at one of the best hotels in South America. Prices are in US dollars, per person.
Solo travelers and parties of nine or more: tell us who’s coming and we’ll prepare a tailored proposal.
The best value. Bring your family, your friends or both.
The same private team and the same finish at Inkaterra, for a smaller party.
Send your dates and questions. A real person replies with a proposal. Nothing is charged.
Per person, by secure link, once you’ve accepted your proposal and chosen three start dates.
The rest is due 60 days before you travel. Book in the US, with a US phone number that a person answers.
The Inca Trail is not a walk with nice views. It’s four days at altitude on uneven stone, with one brutal climb and a lot of steep descent. It’s for fit people who want to earn Machu Picchu and have a good time doing it. We’ll help you prepare, and we’ll never leave you behind. But we won’t tell you it’s easy.
Arrive in Cusco or the Sacred Valley two or three days early so the altitude has time to become normal. We can plan those days for you.
of hiking on day two, with 1,100 m of climbing to the pass
stone steps down on days three and four. Poles help, and we have them to rent
in Cusco or the Sacred Valley first, so the altitude has time to become normal
is the dry season and the most popular. The trail closes every February for maintenance
You carry a daypack with water, layers and a camera. Everything else goes in the duffel we give you at the briefing. Full packing list and weight allowance come with your proposal.
Short answers to the questions hikers ask most are on our Inca Trail questions page. Anything else, call or write. A real person answers, from Cusco or from Salt Lake City.
$2,995 per person for private parties of four to eight, and $3,395 per person for parties of two or three. Solo travelers and groups of nine or more receive a tailored proposal. Prices are in US dollars. Your proposal sets out the total for your party, including any extras you choose.
Send your preferred dates, group size and questions. There is no payment to make an inquiry. We'll talk through the trek with you and prepare a personal proposal. Once you've accepted it and chosen three start dates in order of preference, we send a secure link for a $500 deposit per person, so we can buy permits the moment they open. The balance is due 60 days before travel.
Permits for the following year are released by the Peruvian government in the fall, and the dry-season months of May to September sell out first. Once you accept your proposal we secure your permits the day they open. The trail closes every February for maintenance.
Hard. The second day climbs to Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 m (13,828 ft), and days three and four have thousands of stone steps down. The five-day pace gives you more time than a standard four-day itinerary, and your guide sets the rhythm around your group. Arrive in Cusco two or three days early to acclimatize; we're happy to plan that time.
On night four you stay at five-star Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo in Aguas Calientes, with a celebratory dinner and a proper night's rest. Your guided visit to Machu Picchu follows the next morning, after which you travel back to Cusco by train and private transfer.
Your private team sets up camp before you arrive: premium tents and sleeping pads from the United States, a dining tent with tables and chairs, and separate private restroom tents for women and men. Hot water for washing and boiled drinking water each morning and evening. Camp is in the sanctuary's designated sites at Wayllabamba, Pacaymayo and Phuyupatamarca.
Your guide is licensed by Peru and has hiked this trail many times. Your porters and cook come from the Lares valley and have worked with us for years. They carry the best gear we can buy them, and they are the reason camp is up and dinner is hot when you walk in.
Yes. Destination Peru arranges hotels, transfers and experiences across the country before or after your trek, quoted as additions so nothing is charged twice.
Inca Trek is the trekking brand of Destination Peru, a Peruvian and American family company licensed by the Peruvian government to operate the Inca Trail ourselves. Your trek is run by our own guide and team, not subcontracted.
★★★★★
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
Permits for 2027 open this fall and the best months go first. A real person replies within one business day, from our office in Cusco or from Salt Lake City.
