Inca Trail adventure holiday
Late availability on these dates: 01 May, 02 May, 04 May, 07 May, 08 May, 09 May, 15 May, 16 May, 18 May, 22 May, 23 May, 25 May, 29 May, 30 May, 05 Jun, 06 Jun, 12 Jun, 13 Jun, 15 Jun
Highlights
Cuzco | Sacred Valley | Ollantaytambo | Inca Trail | Optional train to Machu PicchuDescription of Inca Trail adventure holiday
On this Inca Trail adventure holiday, you’ll retrace the steps of Peru’s ancient peoples, following the route from Cuzco and through the Sacred Valley before trekking up to the lost city of Machu Picchu.After a day spend acclimatising in Cuzco, you’ll drive through the Sacred Valley and spend the night in historic Ollantaytambo before your Inca Trail journey begins. You can choose either to hike the classic Inca Trail, hike the Inca Quarry Trail or return to Cuzco for another two days before taking the train to Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu, and finally, a bus up to the ruins themselves.
If you’re doing the classic Inca Trail hike, you’ll have a team of porters to carry your bags, as well as food and equipment for the trail. You’ll need to be reasonably fit as the trail is 45 kilometres long and has many steep sections. There’s an average of seven hours of walking a day, with stops for snacks and lunch. The Inca Quarry Trail is 26 kilometres long and you’ll have horses to carry your gear and camping equipment.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.comCheck dates, prices & availability
Small group adventure
What is a small group adventure?It's a great way to travel! Whether you are travelling on your own, with a partner or with friends, a small group trip is a fantastic way to see the world. You'll travel on a fixed itinerary that has been designed to help you discover the best of region. From the known highlights, the hidden gems that you won't find in the guidebooks.
Itineraries run on set departure dates, accompanied every step of the way by an English speaking local group leader. You chose the itinerary and the date that suits you best and you book on.
Why travel on a small group adventure?
Small groups allow us to explore where larger tour groups can't. Our maximum group size of 16 travellers allows us to use local transport to get from A to B, to visit rural villages, spend time with the locals and even stay at a local home overnight, and it allows us to give our travellers genuine, real life experiences of the countries we are visiting; what you'll be doing and how you'll travel depends entirely on your chosen itinerary.
Is an adventure right for me?
The word adventure means something different to everyone, and our range of trips reflects that. Whether you want to explore local markets, visit out of the way temples and meet local people or go on an early morning safari drive searching for the 'big five', we'll have a trip for you. If you are looking for a physical challenge such trekking the Kokoda Track or summiting Kilimanjaro, we can help with that too.
So what can I expect on this trip?
This is a classic style of small group adventure. You'll find your trip combines a good mix of included activities and free time, with some meals included as per your itinerary. We don't want you to feel chaperoned, it's your holiday not ours. Your group leader will be on hand to assist with organising anything you might wish to do in your free time, but how you spend it is up to you. Anything listed as included in your itinerary will be included in trip price; whereas anything listed as optional will be at an additional cost should you wish to take part.
These trips are great value, including things that you would struggle to organise independently, such as a night at a homestay in a remote village, or local guides around a remote place of interest. Transport will be a combination of private vehicle and public transport, whichever is the most appropriate for the route we are travelling; this might include train, plane, camel, tuk tuk, bicycle, boat…
On a majority of these trips you'll stay in 2-3 star accommodation, locally owned and reflective of the region you are travelling through. All solo travellers will be automatically roomed on a twin share basis with another group member of the same sex, unless you opt to pay for your own room at time of booking. There are no compulsory single supplements for solo travellers willing to share. Single rooms aren't available on camping trips, and you will be expected to help out with camp tasks such as setting up and breaking down your camp.
Can I book my flights with you?
Yes! We are a fully ATOL bonded tour operator meaning that we can book flights from the UK as part of your holiday package. Just ask us for a quote including flights when you make your enquiry.
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.

Group size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the 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 a unique, family-run hotel that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to its limited size.
The responsible aspects of this trip is that all clients are provided with biodegradable toilet paper, all rubbish accumulated from the trek is taken back to Ollantaytambo to dispose of. It’s a way we can encourage and educate clients to act responsibility and respect the environment and such a beautiful landscape.
The Impacts of this Trip
Accommodation & meals:
We visit a local community in the Sacred Valley where we enjoy an included lunch cooked by people from the community. Ingredients used for the lunch are locally produced and sourced. On this trip, you will stay in a locally owned hotel In Cuzco to encourage the concept of paying it forward and keeping money in the community. Aside from using local transport, family run accommodation (where possible) we also employ local leaders who will share their stories with you. We want to make every experience different and unique – there is a real vibe and atmosphere about South America that is something really special.
Community:
Included in the visit to a community in the Sacred Valley, we visit a couple of small businesses run by local community members. They might include a small ‘chicheria’ where a local beer is made using locally grown purple corn, a pottery workshop and a chocolate making demonstration.


Group size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the 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 a unique, family-run hotel that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to its limited size.
The responsible aspects of this trip is that all clients are provided with biodegradable toilet paper, all rubbish accumulated from the trek is taken back to Ollantaytambo to dispose of. It’s a way we can encourage and educate clients to act responsibility and respect the environment and such a beautiful landscape.

The Impacts of this Trip
Accommodation & meals:
We visit a local community in the Sacred Valley where we enjoy an included lunch cooked by people from the community. Ingredients used for the lunch are locally produced and sourced. On this trip, you will stay in a locally owned hotel In Cuzco to encourage the concept of paying it forward and keeping money in the community. Aside from using local transport, family run accommodation (where possible) we also employ local leaders who will share their stories with you. We want to make every experience different and unique – there is a real vibe and atmosphere about South America that is something really special.
Community:
Included in the visit to a community in the Sacred Valley, we visit a couple of small businesses run by local community members. They might include a small ‘chicheria’ where a local beer is made using locally grown purple corn, a pottery workshop and a chocolate making demonstration.

2 Reviews of Inca Trail adventure holiday
Reviewed on 17 Jan 2020 by Marta Szynkiewitz
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Most exciting was getting to Machu Picchu (unfortunately the weather disappointed us on that day, while all the other days weather was great). Despite the weather, it was amazing experience finally reach our destination.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
No matter your fitness level, this trek can be very challenging due to altitude sickness/high altitudes. Trail is well kept, but bit tricky or slippery at times. If
you travel from Europe, please note that tipping is a thing and total amount of tips (recommended amounts) we gave actually made up quite a chunk of
money, which for young people could be a bit stressing. It is not mandatory, however every one from our group left the tip.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes. Definitely the tips we gave directly to the staff and they were all local. There were some shops available at the beginning ran by local as well. We stayed on
the path at all times (therefore we didn't really see much of the wildlife, apart from one hummingbird) so I hope the environmental impact was reduced.
There were also toilets available most of the times on the way. Water was supplied by the staff, so we could just refill water bottles and didn't need to buy
plastic.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Overall the organisation was great, food amazing, maybe bigger portions would be better (note they cooked for us vegan and gluten free) and guides were very
informative, special thanks to Edwind, who would always go extra mile.
Reviewed on 11 Apr 2019 by Pary Reza
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Machu Pichu
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Acclimatize
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Probably not
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Water supplies an issue non-potable in hotels and no water other than after trek started had to keep buying plastic bottles guides excellent
Read the operator's response here:
Our foundation in Peru is also certified by Rainforest Alliance with a 100% score for critical criteria and a 98.48% overall score for all criteria. They measure our policies, processes and actions both in the office and on our trips, covering everything from recycling and energy conservation through to how we interact with our staff, suppliers and local communities.
Our travel guides
Late availability on these dates: 01 May, 02 May, 04 May, 07 May, 08 May, 09 May, 15 May, 16 May, 18 May, 22 May, 23 May, 25 May, 29 May, 30 May, 05 Jun, 06 Jun, 12 Jun, 13 Jun, 15 Jun
Our travel guides
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