5-Day Luxury Inca Trail Trek to Machu Picchu

Starting the day bright and early, your porters will wake you up with a hot cup of cocoa tea and help pack your belongings before enjoying our big and delicious breakfast. Just be prepared, as this will be the longest day of the entire trek.

We’ll hike for around four hours roughly, arriving at the first of the highest passes on the trek — Dead Woman’s Pass (4,205 m / 13,796 ft). Here, we’ll stop for a short time to take amazing pictures and enjoy the unforgettable views of the Pacaymayo and Cusichaca valleys.

After some downtime, we’ll start a two-hour descent to Pacaymayo, where our buffet lunch will be ready and waiting for you. After filling up with an amazing lunch, we’ll keep walking to the Runkuraqay Archaeological Site, located halfway up Runkuraqay Pass (4,125 m / 13,901 ft).

From this archeological site, we’ll have a two-hour downhill trek to our campsite for the night. We’ll visit Sayacmarca and Conchamarka’s archeological sites along the way, where you’ll enjoy a guided tour and have the chance to admire the sunset over the Vilcabamba Mountain Range in the distance.

We’ll have a short, 25-minute walk to the Chaquicocha campsite (3,600 m / 12,132 ft), where your tents will be set up, and hot water bowls will be available for bathing. We’ll then have another happy hour, snacking, chatting, and drinking before our buffet dinner. If you’re not too tired after dinner, you can do some stargazing with your tour guide to end the day on a high.

After a good night’s rest, we’ll wake you up at 06:00 with a hot drink of coca tea while your porter helps organize your belongings. You’ll have the chance to admire the stunning views while sipping cocoa tea and smelling your breakfast prepared by our professional chef.

After a breakfast fit for champions, your third day of hiking begins. What makes day three different from the first two days is the gentle path and unique tunnels we’ll pass through, which were carved out by the Incas.

After about two hours of gentle hiking, we’ll arrive at Phuyupatamarca Archeologicall Inca Site (3,600 m / 10,826 ft). After spending some time exploring the Town in the Clouds, we’ll hike downhill for a further three to four hours, visiting another remarkable landmark along the way. We’ll pass through Inti Pata (Terraces for the Sun) before reaching our campsite at 13:00.

The campsite is located near the iconic Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young). Many people call Wiñay Wayna the baby Machu Picchu due to its beautiful location and iconic archeological buildings. After a buffet lunch, you’ll have some time to recharge and relax before the next day’s adventure.

Like every other day, we’ll have a massive feast for dinner, prepared and catered for by our professional chef and your porters. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions about our culture, nature, history, politics, or anything else you’re interested in knowing more about.

As we did on day one, we’ll have a small get-together at dinner to introduce ourselves and have the opportunity to thank the porters and chefs during the journey. This is also a great opportunity to offer tips to the staff who have tirelessly helped carry all your belongings and supplies throughout the tour.

Top Tip: We recommend getting a good night’s rest, as we begin day four very early in order to catch the sunrise at Sun Gate.

We’re going to wake you up at 03:30 to enjoy an early morning breakfast before beginning the day’s hike. You’ll start hiking from the checkpoint at 05:30 in order to catch the sunrise over the Machu Picchu ruins.

It’s a one-and-a-half-hour trek to Sun Gate, where we’ll have the most magnificent views of Machu Picchu. As the sun rises over the horizon, you’ll be in the perfect spot to snap the most amazing photos of this iconic landmark.

It’s then just one more hour of hiking before we reach Machu Picchu itself. We’ll take you on a lovely two-hour guided tour of the site, give an in-depth explanation of the citadel, how they transported these massive stone bricks, and much more.

Your tour guide will then give you your bus tickets back to Aguas Calientes, after which you’ll have some time to explore the archeological site at your own pace. We’ll then meet you at your hotel (most likely the 3-star Inti Punku Hotel or something similar). We’ll enjoy a dinner at the hotel before briefing you on the plan for day five.

Note: If you’d like to climb Huayna Picchu Mountain on day four, this can be done. It is a 50-minute trek to reach the summit, which offers beautiful views of Machu Picchu. If you want to add this to the itinerary, please let us know ahead of time, as we will need to arrange permits to hike the trail (cost is 65 US$ per person).

Day five has another early start, as we’ll look to have breakfast at the hotel before heading for sunrise at Machu Picchu (if the weather allows). Just after getting into Machu Picchu, we’re going to take you to a good spot to take amazing and unforgettable sunrise pictures at the archeological site.

Afterward, your guide will take you on another two-hour tour of the Machu Picchu Archeological Site, showing you all the things they weren’t able to cover on day four. At the end of the tour, your guide will provide your bus ticket for Aguas Calientes Town before giving you a chance to explore Machu Picchu again at your own pace.

After taking the bus back to Aguas Calientes, you’re going to meet with your tour guide at the train station, where we’ll take the train back to Cusco. You won’t need to worry about your belongings, as we’ll have them all delivered back to your hotel in Cusco.

Note: If you didn’t hike Huayna Picchu Mountain on day four, you can still do it on day five. Please let us know before your tour so we can book your trail permits ahead of time. The same additional costs apply.