Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: The Best Group Tour
Are you planning on hiking the Inca Trail in Peru?
I’ve been to Peru a couple of times now and have hiked both the Inca and the Salkantay trails, but the Inca Trail is an experience that I will never ever forgot. It was my first international trip with my husband Dave and the longest hike I’ve ever done.
In the lead up to the hike, I was a bundle of nerves and excitement but once met our super fun tour guide and group and started hiking, I calmed down. I’ll never forget the rush on day 4 of waiting at the checkpoint in the dark for the trail to the sun gate to open and then catching those first glimpses of Machu Picchu at sunrise from high above the ruins. CORE MEMORY UNLOCKED.
This guide has everything you need to know about the Inca Trail, including my personal experience, who I think the best tour company is to book with in 2027 and extra tips to take with you on your hike.
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Quick Overview and Inca Trail Map
The below map shows the day by day itinerary day for the Classic Inca Trail for 4 days / 3 nights which is the one that Dave and I did and the one that I would recommend.
We had a little bit of hiking experience but not loads. We had been hiking every now and then in Blue Mountains near Sydney Australia to try to prepare for the Inca Trail which I think helped a bit with our fitness.
We did our Inca Trail tour with Loki Travel which sadly no longer exists BUT you can stay at their hostel in Cusco which is pretty awesome.
Loki Travel were amazing and I would recommend them in a heartbeat if I could but as they are no longer operating, I recommend booking with Alpaca Expeditions who are the tour company that I went with for the Salkantay Trek and they were also incredible! I cannot praise our guides enough!
What is the Inca Trail?
The Inca Trail is a trail in Peru built over 500 years ago to connect the former Inca capital of Cusco to the citadel of Machu Picchu.
These days, the Inca Trail is a popular hike which people do to reach Machu Picchu. The trail takes you through the high Andes mountains, past multiple ruins and through lush cloud forests. The classic and most popular version is 4 days and 3 nights and 26 miles (42 km) and you can only go if you book it with a guide.
Is the Inca Trail Worth it?
The Inca Trail is one of my favourite memories from Peru. I had always wanted to do something like this and doing it as a group tour for the first time made it SO much easier.
Our guides told us stories, we laughed together, we had the most incredible food, and our chefs even baked our group a cake on the last night, in the middle of no where (we we were camping)!
Then the moment of reaching the Sun Gate and seeing Machu Picchu for the very first time as the sun began to light up the world is a moment I’ll never forget.
So do I think the Inca Trail was worth it? For me and my husband Dave, 1,000 times yes! I would go back and do it again in a heartbeat!
If you are still trying to choose between the Inca Trail and the Salkantay Trek, don’t worry, I’ve been exactly where you are. but funnily enough, I have now done both and so have written down my thoughts about the differences and pros and cons between the two treks here.
Inca Trail Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1: KM 82 to Wayllabamba
Distance:Â 14km / 8.7 miles
Elevation gain:Â 580m / 1,920 ft
Trail hours:Â 6-7hrs
Highlights: Inca sites
Campsite altitude: 3,300m / 10,826 ft
Your tour starts off with a bang with a super early pick up from your hotel in Cusco, Urubamba, or Ollantaytambo. From there, you’ll be transported to your breakfast spot where your guide will introduce you to the rest of the team (porters and chefs). This is just the first of many incredible meals prepared by your Inca Trail team (believe me. I still dream about the food from this trek).
Then it’s off to KM 82 to go through the first Inca Trail checkpoint which you’ll need your passport for. The first day is relatively easy and quite slow. We saw a few different Inca Ruins and had tours of them along the way.
I remember our guide telling us that they like to check that we are doing okay on day 1 because it’s quite easy to exit the trail still at this time. After day 1, it becomes a lot harder.
Luckily, Dave and I were fine and we made it to our first campsite and our first dinner together with our group.
Day 2: Dead Woman’s Pass
Distance:Â 16km / 9.94 miles
Elevation gain:Â 1,274 m / 4,179 ft
Trail hours:Â 7-8hrs
Highlights: The highest point of the trail, insane views of the surrounding Andes Mountains.
Campsite altitude: 3,600m / 11,811 ft
Day 2 is the hardest day on the Inca Trail because not only do you climb up to the highest point at 4,215m / 13,829Â ft, but it is also the longest day of the trek. I remember finding the last bit of downhill to the campsite especially bad because it just felt never ending!
You’ll see more Inca Ruins and get to watch the sun set over the Vilcabamba mountain range, meaning that you will be hiking the last 20 minutes or so in the dark with your headlights.
Day 3: The Inca Ruins and Cloud Forest
Distance:Â 10km / 6.2 miles
Elevation gain:Â 450m / 1,476 ft
Trail hours:Â 5hrs
Highlights:Â Cloud forest, Machu Picchu Mountain
Campsite Altitude: 2,600m / 8,530 ft
On day 3, you have the chance to see Salkantay Mountain if it is clear. Most of the day involves downhill hiking, including 3 hours going down stairs. Dave and I saw toucans and toucanets in the cloud forest on this day!
You’ll arrive at your campsite at around 1pm. This was my favourite campsite because of the views surrounding it! Then at around 4:30pm, you’ll hike another 1.5 hours to see the Inca ruins of Wiñay Wayna which is the most spectacular Inca site on the trail after Machu Picchu.
For dinner on this night, you’ll dine with the entire team and thank them for their help. This is also when you give your tips out to the porters and chefs. This was the night the team made us a cake so fingers crossed you get to experience this too!
Day 4: Sun Gate and Machu Picchu
Trail hours:Â 2.5-3hrs
Highlights: Machu Picchu! Arriving at the Sun Gate at sunrise, The Gringo Killer Stairs
Your wake on the last day is SUPER early at 3am, with breakfast at 3:30am and then leaving to start hiking at 4am. You’ll hike to the check point for the Sun Gate where you will then need to wait until they open the check point. I don’t remember the hike there at all (I think I was still asleep) but I remember feeling like we were waiting at the check point forever. It was so so cold in June and another couple in our group had an emergency blanket which they shared with us which I was so incredibly grateful for.
I’ll never forget the moment the gates opened. I felt like I was in a race. It was still dark so we had to keep using our flashlights but the ground was pretty flat, apart from the Gringo Killer stairs which are about 20 Inca steps. The adrenaline that morning was running high let me tell you. It was about an hour of speed hiking until we reached the Sun Gate.
It was incredible being so high up over Machu Picchu and I truly felt as though I were in an Indianna Jones movie in that moment. Sharing this with Dave on our very first overseas trip together was so special.
After spending around 15-20 minutes at the Sun Gate, our group started the descent down, coming across llamas and alpacas and eventually making into Machu Picchu where started our Machu Picchu tour.
By this point, I was exhausted, the sun was up and SO hot and I was pretty ready to get to our hotel in Aguas Calientes but we had to keep the excitement up because we were literally in one of the Seven Wonders of the World! Honestly though, after all of the incredible views, ruins and things we had learnt along the Inca Trail, when we were finally in Machu Picchu, it almost felt like a bit of a let down. Unlike the ruins along the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu was like Disneyland, packed to the brim with tourists.
On this tour, you will do Circuit 1 and Circuit 3 of Machu Picchu. Circuit 1 is perfect for getting those postcard views and Circuit 3 brings you deeper into the citadel where you learn more about the city.
My favourite part of Machu will forever be entering at the Sun Gate. Oh and of course getting that postcard shot of us with Machu Picchu behind us on the way down.
Difficulty of the Inca Trail
The hardest part of the Inca Trail is the fact that you are climbing in high altitude. Personally, I found the climb up to Dead Woman’s Pass the hardest breathing-wise because it is the highest point on the trail. Day 2 was also really hard because it was the longest day and I tend to get sore feet the longer I am on them.
The Tour I Recommend (and the cost)
As I said before, the tour that Dave and I did in 2017, is no longer running (due to the effects of COVID) but I would recommend going with the same tour providers that I used for the Salkantay Trek.
You can book the Inca Trail tour with them here and check availability and current prices. Right now the Inca Trial costs USD835 per person.
Things to Know About the Inca Trail
Accommodation
The Inca Trail accommodation along the trail is camping in tents for the 3 nights that you will be on the tour. You do not however, need to put up or carry the tents yourself because the team of porters will do this for you. You will need to bring a sleeping bag and mat, or you can rent them from the tour company for an additional fee which is what Dave and I did to save space in our suitcases.
Food and drinks on the trail
Water will be provided to you to refill your drink bottles with at every meal. On the first day, water will not be available until after your first lunch so make sure you bring enough until then. It is recommended to have enough bottle space to carry up to 3l of water at a time.
All meals are provided on the trail, including some snacks but I recommend that you also purchase your own snacks in Cusco before the trek to make sure you have enough.
You need to book months in advance
The Inca Trail (unlike the Salkantay), is the most popular trail in the area and there are limited permits available, meaning, if you know the dates that you are going to be there, you need to book your Inca Trail tour RIGHT NOW.
Porters carry most of your gear
You can choose to carry your own overnight gear, however, you can also hire a porter (for an additional fee) so that you only need to carry a day pack. This is what we did and oh my gosh the porters are incredible. The amounts that they carry on this trail is just insane!
I can’t even begin to imagine how exhausting this job would be for them because not only do they carry our overnight belongings, but they have the tents, the food and cooking equipment, the dinner tent and more.
Toilets and facilities
Toilets can be found at most checkpoints, campsite and lunch spots, however I do remember the toilets mostly being squat toilets which is pretty exhausting when you have been hiking all day and have jelly legs. 😅
Note
You must bring your own toilet paper as this is not provided in any of the toilets on the Inca Trail.
Inca Trail Altitude: What you need to know
The highest point on the Inca trail is Dead Woman’s Pass, which sits at 4,215m (13,828 ft). This is on day 2 and getting to their involves a pretty big climb. The best way to tackle this climb or any others in high altitude, is to go slow and steady, keep hydrated and remember to take lots of breaks if you feel you need to.
- Many people take altitude sickness medication (just in case). I didn’t and I was okay, but if you are worried then this is an option.
- Acclimate in Cusco for 2-3 days or more to get used to being at altitude.
- Drink Coca Tea and stay hydrated, eat light meals, walk at a slow pace.
- Your guides will have oxygen should you need it, as well as Coca Tea which you will be woken up with right at your tent door every morning.
Cash requirements
You need to bring along enough cash for tips at the end of your trek for your guides, the porters and the chefs.
Best time of the year to hike the Inca Trail
The best time of the year to hike the Inca Trail is from May – September. The trail closes in February for trial maintenance and the rest of the year is the wet season. We went at the end of June, and although it was extremely cold in the early mornings and at night, we got lots of sun.
If you want to do the Inca Trail, you will need to book at least 6 months or more in advance because there are a limited number of permits and they sell out extremely quickly because this is the most popular trail to Machu Picchu.
How cold the nights get
If you go in the peak season, it gets pretty damn cold! I remember mostly struggling in the early mornings getting up and dressed and then those first couple of hours of hiking before the sun came up were brutal.
The wait at the checkpoint for the Sun Gate was absolutely freezing and a couple in our group actually pulled out an emergency blanket which they shared with us and was absolutely wonderful.
In June and July, the nights can get down to 0 degree Celsius or sometimes below 0 so it’s very important to pack layers, including a fleece, puffer jacket, beanie and gloves.
Showers (or lack there of)
I don’t think there were any showers on the Inca Trail when we did it in 2017, which, reading about it now, sounds like it hasn’t changed much. There some showers available from locals which you can pay to use but they will most likely be freezing cold water. Dave and I decided to just count on using baby wipes to clean ourselves each day.
Your porters will also give you some warm water in a tub each morning and night for you to use to freshen up.
Inca Trail vs Salkantay Trek: Which Should You Choose?
This is something that Dave and I really struggled with because we really wanted to see the gorgeous Humantay Lake but also really wanted to do the famous Inca Trail.
We ended up choosing the Inca Trail but since then, I have had the chance to go back and do the Salkantay Trek. Both trails are completely different experiences and I think it really depends on what sort of adventure you are wanting to have.
I have written a blog post about the differences and pros and cons between to the 2 treks here to help you decide.
frequently asked questions
Final Thoughts: Is the Inca Trail Worth it?
The Inca Trail is one of my favourite travel experiences that I’ve had with my husband Dave. The entire trail, we felt very well looked after and it’s such a unique experience.
Arriving at the Sun Gate to catch sunrise over Machu Picchu is something I will never forget.
So yes, I 1,0000% say that the Inca Trail is worth it and if you have the chance to do it, just do it!
Don’t plan your trip to Peru without reading these:
- How to Spend a Magical 3 Days in Cusco
- Best Day Trips From Cusco, Peru
- Things to do in Cusco for First-Timers
- Unique Places to Stay in Cusco
- An Incredible Lima 1 Day Itinerary
- Best Things to do in Lima Peru
- Where to Stay in Lima (I found the best place ever)!
- Is Lima Worth Visiting: My Honest Review
- The Best Sacred Valley Tour from Cusco & Why I Think it is Worth it
- Bucket List Things to Do in Peru
- Huacachina Peru: Is the Desert Oasis Worth It?
- Is Rainbow Mountain Worth It? What I’d Do Differently After Visiting
- Is Cusco Worth Visiting?
- The Salkantay Trek: My Experience & Everything You Need to Know
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