The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is Peru's number one route. The 5 Day Inca Trail is an excellent alternative to avoid most of the crowds found on the Classic Inca Trail. Between the first and third day of the Inca Trail 5 day trek, you will have the opportunity to take in all the sights and experiences of the Inca Trail hike at your leisure. Staying at campsites and enjoying the beautiful views of the mountains and seeing the sunsets and sunrises in peace and tranquility.
On the fourth day, we reach Machu Picchu through the sun gate, and you have time to explore the site on your own. If you like you can meet up with the rest of the group and have lunch in the picturesque town of Aguas Calientes. It takes an hour on foot to get to town. It’s a lovely descending walk in which you have the chance to take some beautiful pictures. Alternatively, you can take the shuttle bus, which takes 30 minutes. You also get the chance to visit the local hot springs (just what you need after a 5-day trek!). On the fourth night, you spend the night in a comfortable hotel, where you can enjoy a hot shower.
On the fifth day, we simply take a shuttle bus and finally arrive at Machu Picchu very early. You will get a guided tour of the `Lost City of the Incas’, and get free time to walk on your own or climb up Huayna Picchu and take some panoramic pictures!
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Tour Location: |
Sacred Valley of Cusco |
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Type of Tour: |
Hiking/Trekking, Cultural, Adventure |
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Service Level: |
Superior service all inclusive, extra horses for your equipment and private transport. |
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Requirement: |
2 participants as minimum |
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Cultural rating: |
♦♦♦♦ |
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Wildlife Expectation: |
♦♦♦◊ |
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Departure Point: |
Cusco - We pick you up from your hotel. |
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Briefing Point: |
Our guide will visit your hotel 2 or 1 day before the trek return return return return, |
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Return Point: |
Cusco - Our driver will drop you off in your hotel or Airbnb departments, |
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Size of Group: |
Min: 2 - Max: 8 |
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Age requirement: |
1+ / All travelers under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult. |
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Duration: |
5 days / 4 nights, |
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Difficulty: |
♦♦♦◊ |
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Physical Rating: |
♦♦♦◊ |
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MaxiMaximumitude: |
Abra Warmiwañusqa 4,200 m (12,630 ft) |
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Season: |
From March to January |
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Accommodation: |
3x Campsite, 1x Hotel. |
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Camping equipment: |
Included on the tin price of the trek: double tent, sleeping bag, therma a rest mattress, pillow and band blanket |
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Meals: |
4x breakfast, 4x lunch, 4x dinner, 4x afternoon tea (Please allow USD 10-15 for meals not included). |
| Transportation: | Transportation by private van, 1x train (Expedition Class). |
Day 01: Cusco - Km 82 - Llullucha Pampa
Day 02: Llullucha Pampa - Chaquicocha
Day 03: Chaquicocha - Wiñay Wayna
Day 04: Wiñay Wayna - Machu Picchu - Aguas Calientes
Day 05: Machu Picchu - Cusco
Picture: Inti Punku(sun's gate), View to Machu Picchu entrance.
Do I need to book it in advance? 5 day Machu Picchu tour has departures guaranteed, but Inca Trail permits, train tickets, and entrances to Huayna Picchu Mountain are subject to availability! For that reason, we HIGHLY recommend booking it well in advance to ensure you receive exactly what you want!!
PLEASE NOTE: May, June, and July are peak months of a HIGH TOURIST SEASON in Cusco. It means that Inca Trail permits are SELL OUT MANY MONTHS IN ADVANCE!!
Please fill in your personal details in our booking form at the following link: Booking Inca Trail Online to request a reservation.
Please note: You must complete all information correctly to obtain your Inca Trail permits and Machu Picchu tickets! Except for this, please do not forget to read and accept our service policies before clicking on the Registration & payment option. Please call us at (+51) 997434941 with any questions or to confirm availability over the phone.
One of our Trip Coordinators will contact you, often within two business hours, to confirm the availability of the trip and/or provide you with other options. Once availability is established, we will ask for a deposit of 50% of the total amount to confirm your spot on the trek! The remaining balance can be paid in cash upon your arrival to Cusco.
To pay your deposit, you can choose one of the following methods:
Early morning, we pick you up from your hotel and take you by private transport to the point we will start the Inca Trail Trek 5 Days - Piscacucho, also called Km 82 (2,350 m). Once there your tour Guide gives you a briefing about your Inca Trail 5 Day Hike, and after that you cross the checking point of the Inca Trail hike. Then you hike along the Urubamba River visiting the Incan archaeological sites of Willca Raccay and the enormous Llactapata. Later on, you continue up to the Cusichaca River Canyon offering magnificent views of the Cordillera Oriental; particularly, the Veronica Mountain (5,850 m). You have lunch in Chamana to later continue the Inca Trail Trek 5 Days along the Cusichaca River observing several Incan agricultural stepped terraces and irrigation channels until reaching the picturesque village of Wayllabamba. Thereafter, you start ascending while experiencing various eco-systems along the way. Later in the afternoon, you get to the village of Llullucha Pampa (3,850 m), our first campsite. There you have dinner and a rest afterwards.
Estimated trekking time: 7-8 hours
Trekking distance: 17 km
Max. elevation: 3,850m (12,630 ft)
Min. elevation: 2,600 m (8,530 ft)
Difficulty: Moderate to challenging
Early after breakfast, you continue ascending towards the highest point of the trail - Abra Warmiwañusqa (= Dead Woman´s Pass) at 4,200 metres passing through the cloud forests of Yunkachimpa and Corral Punku offering excellent views of surrounding snowcapped peaks. From Warmiwañusqa, you descend to the Pacaymayo Valley (3,300 m), where you have a lunch break. Then you walk the Inca Trail through the valley until you get to the Inka´s ruins of Runkuracay where a guided tour follows. Afterwards, you climb up and get over the second pass - Abra Runkurakay (3,860m) walking on this "Royal Inca´s Highway" down to the next Inka site - Sayacmarca. On the way, you pass the Yanacocha Lake. In the end, we get to our second campsite - Chaquicocha (3,670 m).
Estimated trekking time: 7-8 hours
Trekking distance: 12 km
Max. elevation: 4,200 m (12,630 ft)
Min. elevation: 3,500 m (11,480 ft)
Difficulty: Challenging
Today, we start hiking passing through lovely subtropical vegetation and many important archaeological sites. Before we reach the first site, we get over Phuyupatamarca Pass (3,670 m) and just behind it we can see the Phuyupatamarca Inka complex (3,600 m), one of the best preserved and most completed sites of this trail. The complex is located on the top of a mountain and it corresponds with its Quechuan name that means the "Town above the Clouds". After a guided tour, we have lunch there. Then we start a steep descent via a cloud forest offering an opportunity to see beautiful orchids and different bird species on the way to our last campsite at Wiñay Wayna (2,700 m). There, we have a guided tour of the same-named impressive archaeological complex consisting of a religious sector, urban sector and an agricultural centre with lots of stepped terraces. Afterwards we are served dinner and then we go to sleep.
Estimated trekking time: 5-6 hours
Trekking distance: 10 km
Max. elevation: 3,670 m (12,040 ft)
Min. elevation: 2,700 m (8,860 ft)
Difficulty: Moderate
We continue the Inca Trail 5 Day Trek early morning after breakfast. We first climb ancient steps to Inti Punku (the Sun Gate) to see the sunrise above the long-awaited sight of Machu Picchu citadel! Then we spend the rest of the morning exploring the Inca citadel on our own. For those interested, we meet up in the below town of Aguas Calientes to have lunch together. To get to Aguas Calientes you can either take a slow descending walk (recommended to take some lovely panoramic photos, it takes about an hour) or a shuttle bus (approx. 20 minutes; it costs $9.50 which is not included in the package). Later you can visit the local hot springs (entrance fee of 10 Soles is not included in any of our Inca Trail packages). You spend the night in a comfortable hostel where you can enjoy hot shower!
Estimated trekking time: 3 hours
Trekking distance: 4 km
Max. elevation: 2,700 m (8,860 ft)
Min. elevation: 2,400 m (7,875 ft)
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
This morning we simply take a shuttle bus up to the mysterious city of Machu Picchu. The bus leaves us in front of the gates of the ancient site, which we enter for the best early morning photo opportunities! Then you enjoy a 2 and a half hour guided visit the "Lost City of the Incas"! Afterwards you have an opportunity to climb either the peak of Wayna Picchu (45 minutes up and the same time back) or Machu Picchu Mountain (1 hour, 30 minutes up and down) on your own to take some panoramic pictures of Machu Picchu Peru! The Inca Trail 5 Days 4 Nights finishes with an afternoon descend to the town of Aguas Calientes, here you can enjoy some Inca leisure activities; and after take the train back to Cusco.
Meal budget: Please allow USD 20-50 for meals not included.
Solo Traveler: Please note that if you have booked the "Solo Traveler" option for this trek, you also receive your own single tent.
Local flights: No local flights are included in any of our Inca Trail packages!
Extra Porter for your Inca Trail: On the Machu Picchu trek has included a personal porter, our super porter will carry 7 kg of your personal belongings including the sleeping bag (2 kg). In case you want to take extra personal equipment, you can rent an extra porter, its cost is the following:
Inca Trail Machu Tour operator will provide the double tent. Our tents are of the brand TIMBERLINE SQ 4XT TENT designated for 4 seasons. We provide 4-person capacity tents; however, just 2 trek participants use them! In this way, we provide you with more space and comfort. In case of a single traveler, we provide a 2-person capacity tent. After each trek, we carefully check our tents and fix them if necessary Inca Trail Machu will provide a clean Sleeping bag, Inflatable pillow, and blanket. Our porters will leave inside your tent. Once arrived at the camping, you will find inside your all camping equipment.
The last night you spend at a small hotel in Machu Picchu Peru. All of the hotels we reserve for you are located within walking distance of the train station and are safe and comfortable with friendly and very helpful staff. They have private Twin, Double and Triple rooms, with small private bathrooms and a hot gas water system. Also, this hotel is located 10 minutes walk from the hot springs pools.
We try to include an economical accommodation option for this trek to make it accessible for everyone but if you would like to stay in a Hotel 3 star or more, you have to pay extra. Please request this at the time of booking.
The following hotels are used to accommodate you during your tour:
All Inca Trail Machu travel groups are accompanied by their Inca Trail Machu tour guides, a representative or our personal staff. The aim of our Tour Guides is to take the hassle out of traditional trips and have the best trip experience as is possible. The Tour Guides provide information on places visited, offer suggestions of what to see and do, recommend a good place to eat and introduce to his/her colleagues. The Guides have a broad general knowledge of each country visited during a tour, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. We also work with local Tour Guides in the tours where we think that more specific knowledge could help to add more enjoyment to the visited places.
Our guide will take the oxygen tank, first-aid kit, and portable communication radios. These portable radios are to contact the trekking chef and porters. We use these radios to coordinate your food, campsite, and any emergency during the hike. Also, these radios are programmed with the Sernanp and Ministry signs.
Please note that we do provide a daily morning snack and our meal service is very complete and well supplied. This recommendation applies to all clients being used to a specific snack, as it may happen that it is not included in our selection. Also, we provide filtered boiled water, which is safe to drink and has not reported any health problem
Here is everything you need to know about Machu Picchu Trek, one of our most impressive routes.
"Machu Picchu" means 'Old Mountain' in the indigenous Quechua language. "Machu Picchu", the lost city of the Incas, is an unprecedented historical, natural and architectural complex, a tourist destination that has earned the category of inescapable.
The Inca Trail is located in the heart of the Peruvian Andes, between Cuzco, the Capital of the ancient Inca Empire, and the citadel of Machu Picchu Peru. The alternation of mountains and valleys along the walk offers incredible and diversified landscapes.
During Inca Trail, we will find the following altitudes:
The Inca Trail is considered an intermediate level trek. Since it does not include rock climbing, or hiking on snow, isn´t required previous experience. The most difficult part comes the second day, when we climb a number of stairs and start from 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) to climb to more than 4000 meters (13,123 feet) walking through a small space, later things become more easy as the road continues downhill. Keep in mind that you will carry your personal items, which may include clothing, camera, water, camp equipment, etc; which may add difficulty to the trek because of the weight.
If you are an experienced hiker, you may want to go hiking to the Inca Trail on your own, without a tour operator, without a guide, without a carrier, just you and the way. However, that is NOT possible. Government regulations do not allow it, since 2001 hiking independently on the Inca Trail is prohibited. The regulation states that each hiker must be accompanied by a qualified professional guide. The UGM (Management Unit of Machu Picchu) is the regulatory entity that supervises companies fulfill certain requirements to operate this route. The license of each company is renewed annually, likewise, the list of authorized guides and agencies is published on the official website: www.machupicchu.gob.pe
We are sure that completing the Inca Trail 5-Day Hike to Machu Picchu is a life experience and represents the fulfillment of one of your personal ambitions. The satisfaction of having completed the 43 km walk and visiting the spectacular Inca city of Machu Picchu is difficult to overcome. However, this feeling is even better if you know that all the goalkeepers who helped you along the way have been treated well and with the respect they deserve.
Inca Trail Machu DOES NOT ALLOW this exploitation! We guarantee that our chargers carry only an amount given by Peruvian law!
So when you book with us, you not only ensure an unforgettable travel experience, but you can also be sure that you are helping the porters to bring extra money to their homes and that they are valued as the fundamental pillar of our company.
It is very important to carry ADDITIONAL MONEY. You must take at least 200-300 soles of emergency money:
In case there are no more spaces left for the Inca Trail Trek 5 Days, you can still enjoy one of our amazing alternative walks to the Inca Trail!
If you want to do a short version or a classic trail, we recommend you the following Inca Trail treks:
If the Inca Trail is sold out, don´t worry, you can choose the best alternative hike to Machu Picchu:
