Classic Inca Trail Trek

Our trekking team will collect you from your hotel in Cusco at 4:30 a.m. If you're staying in the Sacred Valley, like Urubamba or Ollantaytambo, we’ll pick you up a bit later, after 6:00 a.m. The drive will take about 2.5 hours to reach Km 82, the village of Piscacucho, where we’ll start our 4-day trek to Machu Picchu. First, we’ll stop in Ollantaytambo for breakfast and to grab anything you might need for the Machu Picchu trek.

We’ll arrive at the Km 82 trailhead by 8:00 a.m., where you’ll first meet our incredible team of chefs and porters. Next, we will prepare and head to the checkpoint, where you will show your passports at the main entrance, and then we’re ready to start our adventure to the Lost City of the Incas.

The first day of the Inca trail is quite easy with a 3-hour hike that covers several villages until Llactapata Inca Site. Here you can visit the Inca complex of Willkaraqay and get a wonderful view of Patallacta from a lookout point. This is followed by a 1-hour walk to the village of Hatunchaca, where our chefs and porters will prepare a delicious meal of fresh products.

After lunch, we’ll continue with a 2-hour hike to Ayapata, where we’ll camp for the night. We should arrive around 5:00 p.m., and your tents will already be set up. You’ll have time to get comfortable, enjoy some hot drinks, and relax while taking in the beautiful mountain views. Before dinner, we’ll have tea time with popcorn, coffee, and cookies. We’ll spend the night in cozy tents, ready to rest up for the next day.

Today is the most challenging of the 4 day trek to Machu Picchu! We'll start early and bring you a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee or coca tea in your tent. After breakfast, we'll set off on a 4-hour hike to Dead Woman's Pass (4,215m / 13,829ft), the highest point on the Inca Trail trek. At the summit we'll stop to enjoy the tranquillity of this magical place and a cup of coca tea. At the same time, your guide will perform a traditional offering ceremony to thank the mountain spirits, the Apus. After enjoying the stunning views, we'll descend for 2 hours to the Pacaymayo Alto Valley for a well-deserved lunch and rest to prepare for the second part of the day.

After lunch, the second mountain is an easy 2 hour hike to the Runkuraqay Pass (4,000m / 13,123ft) and a further 2 hours downhill to the second campsite, exploring two Inca sites on the way: Runkuraqay and Sayacmarca. The second campsite will be Chaquicocha (dry lake, 3600m / 11811ft) where you can enjoy a beautiful sunset over the Vilcabamba mountain range before dinner. As night falls, this spot offers a clear, unobstructed view of the sky, perfect for stargazing and marvelling at the constellations.