Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

Part Of The UNESCO Machu Picchu World Heritage Site And The Qhapaq Nan. A 43 Km Walk Of 3 To 4 Days Through Cloud Forest And High Passes Past The Inca Ruins Of Runkurakay, Sayacmarca And Winay Wayna. Daily Permits Are Limited To About 500 Including Porters. · Ollantaytambo, Cusco

The Inca Trail is the stone-paved royal road that climbs from the Urubamba valley over two high passes and down through cloud forest to the Sun Gate above Machu Picchu. The classic route is four days and three nights, about 43 km on foot from Km 82, passing Inca ruins that no road reaches, with thousands of original and rebuilt stone steps, a short Inca tunnel, orchids and hummingbirds. Day two crosses Dead Woman's Pass, about 4,215 m, and is the hard one. The walk is the trip, not just a way to reach the ruins. Be honest with yourself about the limits: permits are capped at roughly 500 a day including porters and guides, independent hiking is not allowed, camps are crowded in the dry season, and the arrival at the Sun Gate usually shares the view with a queue. Book months ahead, spend two or three days in Cusco first, and choose an operator that treats its porters well. Bring warm layers, rain gear, good boots and small cash for tips, because the trail has no shops.

Stone-paved Inca path from Kilometre 82 on the Ollantaytambo rail line over the Dead Woman's Pass to the Sun Gate above Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, Cusco, Peru

Trekking groups start early on the first morning and the trail is walked in daylight, with camps set up each afternoon. The trail is CLOSED every February for maintenance and can close after landslides in the wet months. There is NO free or independent access, because every walker needs a permit bought through a licensed operator. Confirm the current dates and permit rules before you plan.

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