Inca Trail
Discovery
5 Days/4 Nights, 3 nights camping, 1 night hotel.
Our five-day program allows the traveler time to explore and enjoy the amazing archaeological sites, landscapes and nature on a relaxed-pace hike. We take the time to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Camping the first three nights, we enjoy great meals and sleep in comfortable tents. The hikes average six to seven hours each day including time to explore the sites we pass along the way and to take in the unparalleled scenery. On the fourth afternoon we arrive at Machu Picchu after the crowds have left, and have time to explore the tranquil ruins. After a well-deserved night in a comfortable hotel, we return to Machu Picchu to see the ruins in the perfect morning light. In the afternoon we return to Cusco by train. This program is specially designed to offer a more relaxed trek and a deeper understanding of the Inca culture.
Itinerary
DAY 1: Chillca – Llaqtapata
We depart Cuzco for a spectacular drive through the Sacred Valley of the Incas to Chillca, our trailhead. Crossing a footbridge, we take an undulating trek through a dry cactus zone beneath soaring views of the snows of Mt. Verónica with the turbulent Urubamba river on our right. We reach our campsite at the imposing sculpted terraces of Inca Llaqtapata and explore further downstream to the outlying areas of this massive ancient farming complex.
DAY 2: Llaqtapata – Llulluchapampa
The trail climbs gently into the mountains through the last inhabited village of Huayllabamba and then more steeply past a rushing stream through an enchanted native polylepis woodland. Crossing the rim of a small plateau, we abruptly find ourselves in the puna, the treeless grasslands of the high Andes. We camp below mighty crags, looking eastward to the snowpeaks and valleys of the Huayanay massif.
DAY 3: Llulluchapampa – Phuyupatamarca
We climb to the first and highest pass, Warmiwañusca (4,200m/13,776ft), with spectacular views of the trail ahead to the second pass. Descending to the forested Pacamayo valley we pick up an Inca stairway and ascend again past the small Inca site of Runkuracay. We reach the second pass, where the landscape opens onto spectacular views of the snowpeaks of the Pumasillo range, then descend to the ruins of Sayacmarca (Inaccessible Town), an intricate labyrinth of houses, plazas and water channels, perched precariously on a rocky spur overlooking the Aobamba valley. The Inca trail, now a massive buttressed structure of granite paving stones, continues along the steep upper fringes of the cloud forest through a colorful riot of orchids, bromeliads, mosses and ferns. At the third pass we camp by pinnacles topped with Inca viewing platforms, overlooking the archaeological complex of Phuyupatamarca (Cloud-level Town).
DAY 4: Phuyupatamarca - Machu Picchu
We explore the wondrous maze of Inca stone towers, fountains and stairways spilling down the mountainside at Phuyupatamarca then begin a long descent through ever-changing layers of cloud forest. An Inca stairway partly cut from solid granite leads us finally to the site of Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young), the largest and most exquisite of the Inca Trail sites. In the afternoon we follow the last stretch of trail across a steep mountainside through a lush, humid cloud-forest of giant ferns and broad-leaf vegetation. Suddenly we cross the stone threshold of Intipunku (Sun Gate) and encounter an unforgettable sweep of natural beauty and human artistry –a backdrop of twisting gorge and forested peaks framing the magical city of Machu Picchu. We tour the Machu Picchu archeological site with our guide. Afterwards, we transfer to Aguas Calientes and our hotel for an overnight stay.
DAY 5: Machu Picchu – Cusco
We return to Machu Picchu by bus and spend the day in both guided and individual exploration, visiting the best-known features of this astounding and mysterious Inca settlement. Some will want to take the optional hike to the summit of Wayna Picchu for an amazing overview of the site, while others may want to investigate Machu Picchu’s multitude of hidden nooks and corners. After a full experience of the site, we return to Aguas Calientes and board the return train to Cusco.
Note: park authorities may occasionally designate different campsites than those indicated.
Archaeological Sites Visited on Inca Trail Hikes