Winding your way across mountain passes & cloud forests on this classic trek, youll arrive in Machu Picchu before the day-trippers for a rare glimpse of its full dawn majesty.
| Cuzco | Inca Trail Trek | Machu Picchu | Tour of Machu Picchu at dawn | Cuzco train | Optional: walking tour of Cuzco, Sacred Valley tour, biking or paddle boarding excursions & Lima
The chance to spend four days hiking the Inca Trail is definitely not to be missed with an all-consuming blend of historical sites and stunning mountain scenery adding to the excitement of treading on the fabled stones as they wind their way alongside the banks of the Urubamba en-route to Machu Picchu.
Hiking the Inca Trail takes you past numerous ruined monuments and former Inca strongholds by way of breathtaking stone stairways and ancient stone paths and misty forests draped in clouds, with a couple of early starts ensuring travellers get to see the lost city of the Incas in all its glory and without the crowds.
During the trek we use the campsite overlooking the Phuyupatamarca ruins which is located on a rocky crag surrounded by terraces which has given it the moniker the campsite in the clouds. Also, as part of the Inca Trail hiking itinerary, we've sourced an excellent team of local trekking guides and porters to head up the hike and get the best pitches for tents and prepare some amazing food at the end of each day as well as waking us up with a hot bed tea each morning.
Offering an unrivalled combination of history and dramatic scenery, the ancient Inca Trail winds its way from the powerful Urubamba River, across mountain passes and through cloud forests, passing several crumbling fortresses before reaching the lost city of Machu Picchu.
As you'd hope from an Inca Trail holiday, maximum safety is given to crossing legendary passes such as Dead Woman's Pass and the Runcuray Pass, with only the very best Inca Trail guides and experienced local tour operators helping to ensure each and every experience is completed with respect for the land and the local people.
Optional activities in Lima, and walking tours around Cuzco and the Sacred Valley, provide excellent additions to hiking the Inca Trail with an alternative Moonstone trekking trail available if all classic Inca Trail permits have been allocated.
Map
Price information
£1545To£3495including UK flights
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From £1395 - £1595 excluding flights. Optional single supplement from £240 - £270. Minimum age 16.
Contact Us
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one, we're very happy to help
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Holiday information
Small group tours:
Small group travel is not large group travel scaled down. It is modeled on independent travel – but with the advantage of a group leader to take care of the itinerary, accommodation and tickets, and dealing with the language. It’s easy to tick off the big sights independently – but finding those one-off experiences, local festivals, travelling markets and secret viewpoints is almost impossible for someone without the insider knowledge gained from years in the field. Those with a two-week holiday, a small group tour will save valuable planning time.
Our top tip:
If Inca Trail permits are sold out, consider taking the Moonstone Trek as an alternative - with unexplored ruins & spectacular scenery it's no less breathtaking.
Trip type:
Small group (min age 16)
Activity level:
Moderate
Accomm:
4 nights in hotel, 4 nights full-service camping
Solo:
Solo travellers welcome. Single rooms available at a supplement.
Included:
Accommodation, transport, (minibus & plane), local tour guides, Machu Picchu permit & listed activities, listed meals
Meals:
All breakfasts, 5 lunches, 4 dinners
Reviews
4 Reviews of Hiking the Inca Trail holiday
5 out of 5 stars
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Reviewed on 01 Nov 2022 by Alan Chaffey
Excellent, sense of achievement on completion and seeing Machu Picchu at the end was tremendous. Read full review
Reviewed on 11 Jun 2022 by Astrid Hatchwell
For me, it was a one off, once in a lifetime experience. Just amazingly fantastic! Read full review
The track was amazing. Everything went so smoothly. Absolutely amazing.Read full review
Responsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing it will help support the places and people that you visit, and the planet. Read how below.
Planet
Activity: Few holidays have as little detrimental impact on the environment and local residents as a trekking trip. Erosion on and adjacent to popular paths is a growing problem in certain places and therefore our trip leaders encourage clients to stick to advised routes in order to minimise this. Permits are limited on the Inca Trail in order to reduce overcrowding and damage due to footfall, but our guides and porters are still very mindful of how we treat the environment. We do believe in leaving no more than footprints, although this tour actively encourages guests to talk to local people, visit local cafes and restaurants and to purchase traditional crafts. Our entry fees also go towards maintenance of these significant cultural sites, therefore leaving a positive impact.
Water: Water is a really important issue with walking trips and whilst we must stay hydrated, it is also vital that we have a system for providing clean water without causing lots of waste with plastic bottles. We suggest that instead of repeatedly buying bottled water, guests should re-fill a singular bottle. In order to make this easier, we provide treated water throughout the Inca Trail trek. We also recycle waste along the trail with organic and non-organic containers and we do not dispose of it until there is an appropriate place to do so.
UK Office: It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.
People
Accommodation and meals: We will spend half of the nights in small, locally owned hotels and the remaining four nights on the trek in full service campsites. We prefer to use small businesses for our accommodation, activities and services as these are the companies which have most direct benefit to the communities which we visit. All of our hotel managers have signed a sustainability contract which ensures they employ locals and endeavour to reduce waste, whilst our campsites are very eco-friendly in terms of energy reduction. We buy all of our food to cook on the trail from local supermarkets or even indigenous groups where possible despite this sometimes being more expensive. Where meals are not included, clients are encouraged to eat at authentic restaurants or to try snacks at markets e.g. San Pedro market in Cuzco.
Local Craft & Culture: We walk through the Huayllabamba village on the first day, which is the only community inside the trail. They sell produce and various homemade snacks, so by stopping and buying something we are providing an avenue of income for these people. There is also an optional opportunity in the Sacred Valley where clients can eat a traditional meal in the village and buy handicrafts. Our local guides are able to advise clients on which products to buy and which to avoid- for example, walking sticks made of wood are one to avoid as they are potentially a product of deforestation.
Group Size: This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.
