Machu Picchu
The classic Inca Trail in 4 days, as a private trek just for your group: from Km 82 over Dead Woman’s Pass to the Sun Gate at sunrise and a guided tour of Machu Picchu. Permit, porters, chef, camping and Vistadome train included.
Walk the classic 4-day Inca Trail with your own team: guide, chef and porters only for your family, your friends or just the two of you (from 2 to 12 people). Over four days you cross the Andes on the original Inca path and arrive at Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate at sunrise.
Type: camping trek with adventure, history and culture. Total distance: 45 km (27 miles). Highest point: Dead Woman’s Pass, 4,215 m. Recommended for people who enjoy long walks and have a moderate level of fitness.
Season: from March 1 to January 31. The trail closes every February for maintenance. We can start any day of the week, as long as permits are available — the permit is only needed for your start date.
A permit is required to walk the Inca Trail and it includes your entrance to Machu Picchu. We buy it as soon as we receive your details and deposit. Permits are personal and cannot be changed once confirmed — only your passport number can be updated.
Our guides are trained in first aid and carry a first-aid kit, oxygen and a satellite phone, so you can call from anywhere on the mountain. If needed, we take you off the trail as quickly and comfortably as possible and straight to a clinic.
Huayna Picchu (US$75): a 45-minute climb up the mountain north of the citadel, after your tour. Book at least a month ahead.
Machu Picchu Mountain (US$75): about 1.5 hours to the top. It requires an extra day at Machu Picchu.
The guided tour of Machu Picchu lasts about 2 hours. Between Aguas Calientes and the citadel you can take the bus (25 minutes) or walk up the steps (about an hour and a half).
Vistadome Observatory train (US$75): upgrade from the Vistadome train included in the trek.
Students: US$35 off per person with a valid university student card, or for travellers aged 17 or under.
Cusco – Km 82 – Llactapata – Ayapata
Drive to Km 82, the first Inca site at Llactapata and camp at Ayapata (3,300 m).
Ayapata
Breakfast, lunch, dinner14 km · 6–7 h3,300 mThe evening before, a briefing with your guide at 18:30, at your hotel or at our office in Cusco (we can arrange another time if you prefer). Pick-up from your hotel in Cusco around 04:00 in our private transport and a scenic drive to Km 82, the start of the trail. Your chef prepares breakfast. After showing your passport at the checkpoint, about two and a half fairly flat hours take you to the Inca site of Llactapata, your first lesson in Inca history. An hour and a half more to lunch, then two more hours past two small communities, where you can buy drinks or snacks and charge batteries. Arrival at camp in Ayapata (3,300 m) around 17:00, a hot drink with your team, and dinner at 19:30. Difficulty: moderate (getting used to the Inca Trail). Weather: warm and windy.
Chaquicocha
Breakfast, lunch, dinner16 km4,215 mWake-up at 04:45 with a cup of coca tea and a hearty breakfast. At 06:15 we start walking towards the highest point of the Inca Trail, Dead Woman’s Pass (Warmiwañusca, 4,215 m). More than four hours of climbing through different microclimates, with rest stops along the way. At the top, your porters are waiting with a hot drink. An hour and a half downhill on Inca steps to lunch, then about four more hours, with breaks, to the camp at Chaquicocha (3,600 m), visiting two beautiful archaeological sites on the way: Runkurakay and Sayacmarca. Dinner and a well-earned rest. Area: Andes and cloud forest. Weather: cold and rainy.
Wiñay Wayna
Breakfast, lunch, dinner10 km · 5 h3,680 mWake-up with a hot drink and breakfast, then two hours to the last pass at Phuyupatamarca (3,680 m), with unique views of the Vilcabamba range and Salkantay mountain. Then about three more hours to our camp. We visit Phuyupatamarca ("town above the clouds") and Intipata ("terraces of the sun"), surrounded by plants, flowers and cloud-forest birds. After lunch, a five-minute walk to Wiñay Wayna ("forever young"), the most beautiful Inca site on the trail. Back at camp around 17:30 for the last happy hour and dinner, and a small farewell for your porters (you can leave them a tip if you wish). An easy day — all downhill. Area: high cloud forest. Weather: warm and very humid, with a cold night at camp.
Machu Picchu
Breakfast5 km2,720 mBreakfast at 04:00 and a walk to the checkpoint. An hour later you reach the Sun Gate and see Machu Picchu for the first time; one more hour brings you to the citadel. At the entrance you can get a Machu Picchu stamp in your passport. Two-hour guided tour of the citadel and free time to explore — or to climb Huayna Picchu, if you booked it. Around 13:30, bus down to Aguas Calientes and free time for lunch (not included). Train at 14:55 or 15:20, depending on availability, to Ollantaytambo or Poroy station, and transfer to your hotel in Cusco around 19:00–20:00.
Customize this journey
Change the pace, upgrade hotels, add days — this itinerary is yours to shape.
US$1,695per person
For 2 people
The more of you, the less you pay: from US$985 per person in groups of 8 or more.
| 2 people | US$1,695 |
|---|---|
| 3 people | US$1,595 |
| 4 people | US$1,495 |
| 5 people | US$1,395 |
| 6 people | US$1,295 |
| 7 people | US$1,125 |
| 8 or more | US$985 |
Permits
Permits are limited, personal and cannot be changed: only your passport number can be updated. Book months ahead, especially for the dry season.
February closure
The Inca Trail closes every February for maintenance. Our season runs from March to January.
Documents
Your passport, the immigration card you receive at the airport when you enter Peru and, if you booked as a student, your valid student card.
Your porter bag
Your porter carries up to 7 kg, including your sleeping bag and mattress (about 3.5 kg); you only have access to it at camp. Pack 2–3 T-shirts, 2–3 hiking trousers, an outfit for Machu Picchu day, underwear and hiking socks, a warm jacket, rain gear, a wool hat, waterproof gloves, a headlamp, camp shoes, a quick-dry towel, a little soap, a power bank (there are no plugs on the trail) and large plastic bags.
Your daypack
The smaller the better: backpacks over 25 L are not allowed inside Machu Picchu. Carry water for the first morning (a 2–3 L hydration bladder is ideal), a sun hat, rain gear, a fleece, your camera, hand sanitiser, toilet paper and a small bag for waste, earplugs and cash for souvenirs, drinks and tips.
Cold nights
Bring a sleeping bag rated to at least -10 °C (down is best), plus sunscreen, insect repellent, your personal medication and a small first-aid kit (plasters, moleskin).
As early as possible. Permits are limited and usually sell out months ahead for the dry season. We buy yours as soon as we receive your details and deposit; once confirmed it cannot be changed.
Your guide, chef and porters are only for your group — family, friends or just the two of you, from 2 to 12 people. You walk at your own pace and the price per person goes down the more of you there are.
It is a 45 km trek for people with moderate fitness. The hardest day is day 2, with more than four hours of climbing to Dead Woman’s Pass (4,215 m). Spending a couple of days in Cusco beforehand to acclimatise makes a big difference.
The route is the same. The 5-day version is slower, with shorter days and a night in Aguas Calientes. The 4-day trek reaches Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate at sunrise on the last day.
Yes, US$35 off per person for anyone with a valid university student card, or aged 17 or under. We need a copy of the card or passport when you book.
We plan a gradual ascent, starting in the lower Sacred Valley. Our guides carry oxygen, monitor how you feel and adjust the pace whenever needed.
“Fast, honest answers on WhatsApp before we booked and real support during the trip. When a train was delayed, everything was rearranged before we even noticed.”
“Walking the Inca Trail had been on my list for twenty years. The team handled the permits, the porters were incredible and arriving through the Sun Gate was pure emotion.”
“Travelling with three kids could have been stressful, but the pace was just right. The llama trek and the chocolate workshop were the highlights for our children.”
“The perfect honeymoon. The Hiram Bingham train, a private sunrise at Machu Picchu and three nights in the Amazon — Giovanni designed something that felt completely ours.”
“Our guide on the Salkantay trek knew every plant, every story and exactly when we needed a break. Crossing the pass at sunrise is a memory we will keep forever.”
“Every single detail was taken care of, from the airport pick-up in Lima to a quiet table overlooking the Sacred Valley. We never once had to think about logistics — we just enjoyed Peru.”
From the glaciers of Salkantay to the Sun Gate, on the Inca Trail
fromUS$1,149
DemandingFour Andean passes, a night camping at Pukamarca and "Little Cusco" above the Sacred Valley
Price on request
ChallengingA night under the stars at Soraypampa, between Humantay and Salkantay
fromUS$200
Moderate
