Classic Inca Trail Trek to Machu Picchu (10 Days)

Arrive at any time in Lima city. We will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel in the Miraflores area or nearby the airport of Lima.

Your private tour will continue with a transfer to the airport in Lima and a pick up from the airport in Cusco city (3400 meters/11.154 feet). Upon your arrival, we will drive to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and on the way, we will visit Pisac town and its archaeological site, with beautiful scenery and views.

Then we will drive to a lunch spot in one of the local community projects, and after lunch, we will head to your hotel in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, where the elevation is lower (2850 meters/9.350 feet).

Your guide will pick you up at 9:00 a.m. and begin the full-day tour with a private drive through the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We will visit archaeological sites such as Moray, which is unique because of its rounded shape that served as an Inca laboratory. Then, we will visit the old salt mines of Maras, where salt is extracted during the dry season.

The last place to visit on this day will be Ollantaytambo, an important archaeological site due to the size of the rocks and the beautiful Inca town. This place will be perfect for a break before exploring the archaeological site.

Your private tour continues on Day 4 with a train ride to KM 82, where we will start the Inka Trail trek. We will arrive there at around 9 a.m. Once we arrive, we will meet our team of porters and cooks who will accompany us on this great journey. From there we will head to the first Inca Trail checkpoint to begin our trek (please make sure to have your original passport with you to enter the Inca Trail).

Once on the Inca Trail, the first 2 hours of the trek will be a gentle up-and-down walk, and then we will stop at the first village, Miscay. In Miscay, we will have time to eat some snacks and enjoy the views as we make our way to the first Inca site, Patallacta, which is one of the most impressive archaeological sites near Machu Picchu. From Patallacta, there is an additional 45-minute hike to our lunch spot. After lunch, we will hike to our campsite. During this time, we will pass through beautiful landscapes and local family homes. It will take 2½ hours to reach the campsite in Wayllabamba (3000 meters/9.840 feet). We’ll arrive at our campsite by 4.30 p.m. After settling, you can relax and enjoy a hot drink and snack with your team of porters, chefs, and guides. This provides a great opportunity to learn more about your team of local porters, chefs and guides.

We will wake up early in the morning to enjoy a lovely coca tea and a good breakfast prepared by our team of cooks. This is the most difficult and challenging day of the trail, but by no means impossible. We will ascend to the highest point of the Inca Trail: The Warmiwañuska Pass (also known as Dead Woman's Pass at 4215 meters / 13.828 feet. Your guide will explain the different microclimates, such as the highlands, rainforest, glaciers, and incredible views further up at the top of the mountain. We will need to be prepared for the strong Andean weather (sun, wind, and sometimes rain), so we will take the hike slowly and drink plenty of water. After approximately 5 hours of hiking, we will reach the top of the Warmiwañuska Pass.

Once there, we will have an amazing view of the mountain ranges. There will be plenty of time to rest and take pictures. If we are lucky, we might even see the condors soaring above the mountains. After spending a good amount of time at the highest point, we will descend via Inca steps into another valley for another 1½ hours to arrive at the second campsite, where we will have lunch and stay overnight (it’s better to have lunch after reaching the highest point, as the altitude slows down the digestion and so we do not want to walk with a full stomach at this altitude).

This will be one of the most beautiful days along the Inca Trail. We will explore some Inca

Archeological sites and will have a chance to enjoy the amazing rainforest. There will be views of the gorgeous Cordillera Vilcabamba and the Urubamba valley from a distance.

We will wake up in the morning and enjoy another freshly cooked breakfast.

We will ascend for 2 hours through a steep trail to reach the second Pass Runkuracay. On our way, we will stop at Runkuracay archeological site (3700 m.a.s.l/12.139feet) for a small culture lesson. Once at the top we will start descending for 1 hour to get to Sayaqmarca archeological site (3600 m.a.s.l/11.811 feet) known as, Military Place. Here there will be a chance to explore, and you will learn more about the Inca history.

Lunch will happen in Chaquicocha camping area. This spot is a beautiful place to have lunch, because the views are amazing.

From the lunch place, we will continue through the mountain hill for another 2 hours,hiking up and down to reach Phuyupatamarca camping site (3700m.a.s.l/12.139feet).

If the weather is good, this is one of the nicest places to have a view of Machu Picchu Mountain.

We will start early in the morning again, hiking down the trail for 3 hours until reaching

Wiñaywayna at 8,856 feet, the main archaeological site after Machu Picchu on the Inca Trail.

We will visit the site and from here we can see the Urubamba Valley and the river.

From Wiñaywayna we will then continue towards our lunch place, where we can enjoy a boxed lunch.

After lunch we will hike to Inti Punku, the Gate of the Sun, at 2756meters/ 9.042 feet. This is our last pass and from here, you will have the first view of Machu Picchu, which is beautiful and somewhat unreal.

This afternoon we will continue down to Machu Picchu for approximately another 45minutes. Once we reach the site late afternoon, you will have the first brief introduction of the citadel.

After, we will head down via bus to our hotel in Aguas Calientes town, to spend a relaxing night there.

After a restful night in Aguas Calientes, we will take advantage and go one more time to the archeological site of Machu Picchu via bus. You will have the opportunity to explore the site in a private way within your group with your guide. The tour takes approximately 3 hours. After we will head down to Aguas Calientes via bus, have lunch and take the train to back to Ollantaytambo in the afternoon and from there the bus back to Cusco. Enjoy the first night in Cusco at (3400 meters/ 11.000 feet).

Today you will enjoy a half day private city tour in Cusco city, visiting the Koricancha Inca temple, the main square on Cusco city, the San Pedro market and the Sacsayhuaman archeological sites, where the views over Cusco are the most impressive. The rest of the afternoon will be at your own leisure to relax and to enjoy a last afternoon in Cusco.

On day 10 of your tour, you can leave at any time. We will arrange the transfer to the airport of Cusco city for you, where you can continue with your journey or fly back home with new experiences to tell others about and to remember for a lifetime.