Hiking the Inca Trail in Peru

Perfect if you want to hike the Inca Trail as part of an independent holiday, this fully supported four-day trek from Cusco provides excellent guides and guarantees fair conditions for porters.

Four-day Inca Trail trek from Cusco Fully supported Superb local guides and porters Includes permits

Price

£990 excluding flights

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Duration

4 Days

Type

Small group

Reviews

More info

Guideline price.
Inca Trail permit required - spaces are limited and sold first come, first served.
Get in touch for a cost of a private trek.
Mar-Oct: book 3-5 months ahead Nov-Jan: book 2-4 months ahead. Trail closed in February.

Description of Hiking the Inca Trail in Peru

This Inca Trail and Machu Picchu hiking holiday is fully supported both on the Trail and in Cusco and takes four days. Expert Inca Trail guides lead daily treks, accompanied by our porters who help carry your personal bags and all the trekking kit.

We ensure that all our porters are treated fairly, in accordance with good international practices. The use of porters while trekking not only supports the community economically, but also leaves you free to enjoy the trek, which is a strenuous but also a stunning one. One of the most memorable moments is when you finally catch sight of the Inca citadel at Machu Picchu.

When on the Trail itself, you will be astounded by the mountain scenery, cloud forest and sub-tropical flora and fauna. As well as the Inca paving stones, stairways and ruins themselves, the greatest being Machu Picchu.

Please note that Inca Trail trek permits sell out very quickly in Peru, many months in advance especially for the peak season between May and September. So do please book with us early to avoid disappointment and we will sort out all the permits for you.

There is an option to extend this trip to five days, giving you time to spend a night in Aguas Calientes, otherwise known as Machu Picchu Pueblo, as it is so close to the famous site. It also translates as ‘hot springs’, another reason to spend an extra day here.

In Cusco, where you start your trekking holiday, you will meet our long-term support guy. As you acclimatise, he will help you with a pre-trek briefing and orientation.

Price includes:

Transfer from Cusco hotel, bus to start of trek, entrance fees for trek, meals during trek, English language guide, tents, sleeping mat, camping equipment, accommodation, food and fair wages for porters and cooks, bus from Machu Picchu ruins to Aguas Calientes, tourist train Aguas Calientes to Cusco, transfer to hotel in Cusco.

Not Included: Sleeping bags, meals while not on trek, hot springs, second entrance to Machu Picchu and bus fares.

Price information

£990 excluding flights

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Contact Us

If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one, we're very happy to help

01273 823 700

Call us tomorrow after 9am

Calling from outside the UK rosy@responsibletravel.com

Check dates

Daily departures throughout the year (closed in February) Please note: Hiking the Inca Trail should be booked 2 to 3 months in advance and at least 4 months in advance if you wish to trek between June and September inclusive, due to high demand.

Contact Us

If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one, we're very happy to help

01273 823 700

Call us tomorrow after 9am

Calling from outside the UK rosy@responsibletravel.com

Travel guides

2 minute summary Map & highlights

Walk on the Inca Trail, or discover lesser known Sacred Valley walking trails.

2 minute summary Best time to go

This incredible Inca citadel casts a spell over visitors today just as it did centuries ago.

Holiday information

Inca Trail permits:

Over the last few years, the Peruvian government has imposed increasing restrictions on tourism on the Inca Trail in order to protect it from overuse. The aim is to minimise ecological impact and erosion, mainly by having limited access and improving the quality of the operators. There are now only a very limited number of trekking permits available - 500 per day (around 200 for travellers and the rest for staff) - and they are being issued on a first-come-first-served basis. In order to avoid disappointment we recommend booking well in advance (up to a minimum of 3 months in peak season), unless you are extremely flexible over your travel dates.

Our top tip:

This tour takes you straight up to the Inca Trail. The more days you can spend acclimatising at altitude before departure, the easier you

Trip type:

Small group, max. 16 people. Min. age 12.

Activity level:

Challenging.

Accomm:

2-person tent with sleeping mat.

Solos:

Solo travellers welcome. Private tents available with surcharge.

Included:

Tents, guides, personal porter, Inca Trail permit, transfer from Cuzco. Sleeping bags not included but can be hired.

Meals:

All included. Vegetarian options available if booked in advance.

Dietary requirements:

We can cater for vegetarian and vegan diets.

Reviews

9 Reviews of Hiking the Inca Trail in Peru

4.5 out of 5 stars

SHOW

Reviewed on 18 Oct 2025 by Elizabeth Porter

Really terrific Read full review

Reviewed on 19 May 2025 by Bill Kyle

The journey on the Inca was filled with many stops where our guide Nestor Pavcara explained about the plants, birds and ancient Inca sites. Then the views were so amazing, even though I was so tired, allow me to keep going. Read full review

Reviewed on 16 May 2025 by Bill Kyle

Reviewed on 12 Apr 2017 by Nolene Rice

We walked the Inca trail and not knowing how we would do at altitude it was a pleasant surprise to feel fine. A great experience. Read full review

Reviewed on 04 Jun 2016 by Susheel Chumber

The staggering scenery throughout the trek, and the sense of achievement reaching the tops of passes, especially to look at Machu Picchu. Read full review

Reviewed on 05 Aug 2015 by Elfie Burgess

Great fun and an amazing experience. Thank you to our brilliant guide, the incredibly athletic and dedicated porters and to the guys in the UK who organised the trip for us; everything was perfect. Read full review

Reviewed on 16 Oct 2015 by Wei Seng Mak

The most memorable part of the trek was on Day 2 where we hit the highest point of the trail at 4,732m! Read full review

Reviewed on 27 Sep 2015 by Erica Johnstone

This was the chance of a lifetime and we grabbed it with both hands! A fantastic experience and I cannot recommend it enough! Read full review

Reviewed on 05 Aug 2015 by Ronald Saw

Great! Great tour guide, great chef. Happy days! Read full review

Responsible Travel

As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing we've worked to maximise the benefits of your holiday to local people and places, and minimise any negative impacts.

Planet

For hiking the Inca Trail we buy fresh local produce. In preference we choose local over imported goods, encouraging the use of Andean products in our cooking. On our Inca Trail treks we minimize waste by using products with minimum packaging, leaving no litter and keeping all water sources clean, leaving camp-sites cleaner than we find them. Rubbish is carried out.

All the porters on hiking the Inca Trail carry a maximum 20kg load, and are provided with tents and food.

We are happy to distribute your donations of much needed warm clothes and shoes to Peruvian children through this organization - please contact us for details of how you can help.

Clean burning fuel is used to cook the meals on Hiking the Inca Trail and porters carry gas stoves and butane bottles. We use biodegradable detergents when washing the cooking and eating utensils. If any part of our tour or trek is operated by another company, we try to ensure that high standards are maintained.

We also donate to a reforestation project in Peru.

People

On the Inca Trail we employ local staff, who are paid fair wages and insured. Tented accommodation and meals are provided for trekking staff as well as foam mats and sleeping bags and rain ponchos. We have also provided them all with trekking shoes (although they may chose not to wear these). Our porters carry a maximum of 20kg.

Since 2006 we have supported the Huchuy Yachaq community project in the marginalised neighbourhood of Hermanos Ayar, on the outskirts of Cusco.

The project was set up by volunteer social workers and teachers to provide much needed social and educational support to the children and families of this neighbourhood. Children are encouraged to attend study and games sessions held each afternoon and participate in holiday projects. Our contributions so far have paid for educational books and games, tables and chairs, improvements to the structure of the basic community owned building and the addition of functioning toilets, materials for the children to take to school, school books, holiday programmes.

Hiking the Inca Trail in Peru