Peru: Machu Picchu & Inca Trail Trek

DAY 1

We will meet you at the Cusco airport at 11 AM, or your downtown Cusco hotel at noon and head for a wonderful introductory lunch. Our destination today is the quaint village of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley outside of Cusco, which is at 2750 meters (over 9000 feet) above sea level. We’ll check into our hotel and spend our afternoon acclimatizing to the altitude while you have some free time to explore the village before a meeting with our local guides to discuss the Inca Trail trek. Ollantaytambo was an important fortified city, built to control the roads to the jungle and, according to many historians, to allow the great Incan capital to protect its people from their enemies, the Antis. we will enjoy dinner together and perhaps our first wonderful sips of coca tea.

DAY 2

After breakfast, we will hike up the Ollantaytambo ruins in the morning to avoid the crowds. Then we will shuttle to the Moray agricultural laboratory, also located in the Sacred Valley. This impressive off-the-beaten-path site has a cavernous amphitheater-like bowl with dozens of concentric terraces, each with its own microclimate. The Incas used this outdoor laboratory to determine the optimal conditions for growing crops of each species. From there, we hike to the nearby town of Maras for a lunch prepared by our local guide and staff. Afterward, we’ll continue on foot to visit the nearby salt pans, where local families make their living mining salt. Our total hiking time today is approximately three hours and will help us acclimatize for our trek. We’ll return to Ollantaytambo for a pre-trek route talk about packing, a wonderful dinner, and our comfortable beds.

DAY 3

After a morning transfer by private motorcoach to the town of Piscacucho (2750m/9075 ft), which is also Kilometer 82 of the railway, we have an introduction to our equipment, the route, and our porters, and begin trekking through semi-arid terrain along the left bank of the Urubamba River, with magnificent views of snow-capped mountains on the horizon. After two hours we arrive above the ruins of Llactapata (2650m/8745ft). Here we leave the Urubamba and set off up the Kusichaca River Valley to our camp near Wayllabamba (3000m/9900 ft). Walking from Piscacucho to Wayllabamba is approximately 12 kilometers and takes us four to five hours.

DAY 4

After a healthy breakfast, we begin to walk uphill to the great Warmihuañusca (Dead Woman) pass, which at 4200m/13860ft is our highest point on the trek. We have a steep climb in the morning with a gain of 1200m/3960ft. This is a day we’ll be very happy to have porters! The top of the pass offers a view you will not soon forget and we allow plenty of time at the top to appreciate it. We descend 2000 feet on stone steps to Pacaymayo (3600m/11880 ft), our second camp. Note this is the most difficult of the four days and will be very challenging for most people. The key is to go slowly and steadily. The walking time from Wayllabamba to Warmiwañusca Pass is nine kilometers and four to five hours. Walking time from the pass down to the campsite is about two kilometers and another one to two hours.

DAY 5

From our campsite, we take a steep but short ascent to the Runkurakay circular ruins, a lookout point over the passes below. From here there is no sign of human life, only great forests and abrupt hills. The uphill continues for a short while after the ruins and then we head down on a well-preserved section of trail to the Sayacmarca ruins (3580m/11814 ft). These ruins are another short but steep climb off the main trail and are well worth visiting. After lunch the trail heads into jungle terrain and a spectacular cloud forest before arriving at our third camp (3760m/12400 ft), where we’ll have a view of the surrounding peaks like you’ve never seen! Walking distance for the day is eight kilometers and four hours, so we have plenty of time to explore Runkurakay and Sayacmarca. Although we will have several ascents and descents, our total elevation gain will be only 40m/132ft.

DAY 6

We rise early today, our final day on the trail, to watch the sun’s rays splash onto the surrounding mountaintops. The entire morning will be downhill on stone steps. We stop for a brief visit at the ruins below our campsite, Phuyupatamarka, before continuing our descent through the jungle to the Wiñay Wayna Ruins (2650m/8745ft). These are significant ruins, second only to Machu Picchu. We continue to Inti Punku (also known as the Sun Gate), our final mountain pass and from here you’ll have your unforgettable first glimpse of Machu Picchu. It is a short one-kilometer descent from the Sun Gate into Machu Picchu itself (2400m/7920ft) and from there we will take a quick local shuttle (sitting on a bus never felt so good!) to our hotel. You might be tired from your days on the trail, but you will definitely want to take time to explore bustling little Aguas Calientes, the town directly below Machu Picchu, and perhaps purchase some last-minute souvenirs. Walking time from Phuyupatamarca to Wiñay Wayna is seven kilometers and three hours and on to Machu Picchu is another six kilometers and two to three hours. We have a total elevation loss of 1240m/4092ft.

DAY 7

We will return to Machu Picchu today to learn more about its fascinating history via your own guided tour or to take a challenging hike up the steep mountain of Huayna Picchu (we need to purchase ahead of time a separate permit for each person who elects to participate in this option) before returning to Aguas Calientes. We will then return to Ollantaytambo by train and then transfer by private coach to Cusco (which takes a little over three hours) before enjoying our farewell dinner in town.

DAY 8

Our final day of exploration is in Cusco, the cradle of the Incan Empire and a beautiful city. The day includes options of a walk through Sacsayhuaman ruins, visiting a llama farm, a guided walk through the city including the cathedral, or time for you to explore and shop on your own. After lunch, we will transfer to the Cusco airport at which time you are free to depart the country or extend your vacation in Peru.