Peru » Cusco and Machu Picchu » Guide to The Inca Trail

There are a few ways for you to get to Machu Picchu, from walking the Inca Trail to taking the train. Here we cover the various options and give an insight into what you can expect from each of them.

Train to Machu Picchu

There are various trains every day from Cusco, these range from the backpacker service to the super deluxe Hiram Bingham train.

The trains stop in Aguas Calientes, aka Machu Picchu pueblo, which is the incredibly ramshackle village in the Urubamba river valley beneath Machu Picchu.

From the village you take a minibus up the switchbacks to the main entrance of Machu Picchu.

The main entrance has the ticket office, cafes and snack bars, a terrace with seats and the Sanctuary Lodge hotel.

All in all it isn’t the most calm way to enter Machu Picchu.

If you are going to visit Machu Picchu by train then we strongly recommend that you include a night in Aguas Calientes, that way you can get a later train up the valley and try to time your arrival at Machu Picchu for the quiet of the mid-afternoon.

Return the next day early morning to enjoy the quiet dawn period.

Walking to Machu Picchu

There is only one way to walk into Machu Picchu via the Sun Gate and that is to arrive on the Inca Trail. That is the classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

Whether you choose the one-day ‘royal’ trail or the four day full trail, you arrive at the Sun Gate which looks down over the citadel and come into Machu Picchu itself via what is effectively the back door.

There are plenty of ‘alternative’ Inca Trails which are often beautiful walks in their own right. However, they all arrive in Aguas Calientes, leaving you entering Machu Picchu via the front door.

The reason for these alternatives is that entrance to the Inca Trail is now very tightly regulated by the Peruvian government.

At Pura Aventura we only operate our own dedicated Inca Trail walks. By doing this we can be sure that you will get the most from your walk to Machu Picchu. Below you can see why this makes such a big difference.

Inca Trail Permits

Each day the Peruvian Government allows 500 people onto the trail.

This includes all guides and porters so actually equates to about 200 hikers each day.

If this sounds like a lot, frankly it is but there are ways to avoid the crowds.

Classic Inca Trail

The vast majority of those 200 walkers do the three day trail which aims to arrive at Machu Picchu at sunrise.

Once they arrive, they visit Machu Picchu and catch that afternoon’s train back to Cusco.

Those going at this pace on the Inca Trail suffer a couple of disadvantages.

Firstly, you have less time to acclimatise as you tackle the highest point of the trail on only the second day.

Secondly, the campsites are very busy, particularly the last night in Winaywayna which can have over 300 people spending the night.

That equates to a lot of tents, a lot of noise and some fairly unpleasant sanitary conditions.

Thirdly, your first views of Machu Picchu can be rather compromised as people jostle for a perch in a small viewing area at the Sun Gate.

This a quote from one, very good, operator “Almost every group wants to be at the sun gate for sunrise. Sheer numbers require an early start to make sure people are in place for the sunrise.”

Lastly, since Machu Picchu is in a cloudforest, sunrise happens probably around 30% of the time. More normal is that the clouds gradually drift clear later.

If the weather isn’t good, they will not get to see the site in all its glory as they will be on a train back to Cusco that same afternoon.

Pura’s Inca Trail

Meanwhile…Pura Aventura clients are half a day behind the main group of walkers as you set off in the afternoon of day one.

Because you do not cross the highest pass until day three, you have an extra day to acclimatise.

Our guides work hard to make sure that you walk in the peaceful conditions at any time of year. You enjoy a quiet, often empty, trail ahead of you. The places we camp are very peaceful.

You arrive in Machu Picchu in the twilight when the site is at its prettiest and quietest.

That afternoon you stroll down through the site to soak up the atmosphere before spending a welcome night in a hotel nearby.

The following morning you come back up to the citadel – early enough to catch sunrise if you like. You have your full guided tour before returning to Cusco by train that afternoon.

In all you have about 24 hours at Machu Picchu spread over two days, giving you the best possible opportunity to see the site at its best.

“Jake (our guide) and the porters always found us wonderfully quiet spots to camp and Pura’s method of taking plenty of time for the trail and not using the busy sites made the trail very special.”

Royal Inca Trail

A half way house between walking the full trail and taking the train to Machu Picchu is the one-day or Royal Inca Trail.

You still need a permit for this route so it counts as being part of the 500 people daily allocation.

Basically you get the train almost all of the way up to Aguas Calientes then hop off with your guide at km104 and start to walk up the steep side of the valley.

The Urubamba River Valley is quite sheer sided at this point so the walk is a zig-zag up the hillside gaining about 700m of altitude.

The uphill part takes a good couple of hours before you emerge onto the main trail at Winaywayna, the last major Inca site before Machu Picchu.

From this point on you follow the main trail through some of its prettiest surroundings. At around 3pm you come to the Sun Gate for your first views of Machu Picchu, hopefully bathed in warm afternoon light.

From Sun Gate you walk another 4km to Machu Picchu itself, wander through the site, overnight in Aguas Calientes and then return to do a formal visit of the site the following day.

This is a great option for anyone who appreciates the idea of ‘earning’ that first view of Machu Picchu without having to commit to the full trail.

What is certain is that whichever way you choose to travel to Machu Picchu, it will be a special moment.

Inca Trail Practicalities

The night before your trail, we hold an Inca Trail briefing which will cover any important aspects of the walk but here is a sneak preview.

Inca Trail Permits

Each day the Peruvian Government allows 500 people onto the trail.

Permits are bought ahead of time, in fact they generally sell out up to 6 months in advance.

For all Pura Aventura holidays including the Inca Trail, we buy your permits at the time of booking and they form part of your Peru holiday price.

To get onto the trail you need to produce your passport for the Inca Trail by guards who tally your information with that on the permit.

There is no means of avoiding the permit system, you must be sure to be travelling on the same passport as the one used to purchase your permit.

When to walk to Machu Picchu

The season for the Inca Trail runs from March through November. Because Machu Picchu is 1,000m lower than Cusco it tends to be milder and wetter.

This is the drier part of the year but it is winter so you can also expect it to be colder. This is true as much of Cusco as for the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu.

How hard is the Inca Trail?

The full Inca Trail covers 40km over 4 days. However, it is at altitudes of up to 4,215m. The going can be slow and fairly tough on your joints. You must be used to hill walking to enjoy the trail.

The following is the pacing used on Pura Aventura’s version of the Inca Trail with the artwork courtesy of our guide Joaquin.

Day one is a short walk on easy terrain at lower altitude than Cusco so you should find this quite easy.

Walk 4km, 2 hours, up 50m

Day two is a longer walk, mostly uphill on good paths with some paved sections. This is the day where you will really start to feel the altitude.

Walk 10km, 6.5hrs, up 850m

Day three is the hardest day as you go over the highest pass on the trail, down then up over a second pass and finally down and over a small third pass.

Walk 15km, 8hrs, up 650m, down 850m

Day four is relatively long but you are losing altitude and walking down for most of the day. The path becomes much more structured with long sections of narrow steps and paved stretches. It can therefore be the toughest day for your knees.

Walk 11km, 6hrs, down 700m

The above breakdown relates to Pura Aventura’s pacing of the Inca Trail and is not representative of the daily distances on the ‘sunrise’ trail.

The normal pacing on the trail is to walk further on day one, cross Dead Woman’s pass on day two and then make it all the way to Winaywayna on day three. This leaves just a short hop for the early morning of day four.

Sleeping

You are going camp out for three consecutive nights.

The first night will be relatively mild as you are starting at about 2,600m.

The second two nights are spent camping at over 3,500m so you can expect very cold nighttime and early morning temperatures – below freezing is normal.

You sleep two people to a tent. Tents are generally three or four person size so fairly spacious and comfortable for two people.

Tents are pitched for you by the porters.

Pura provides thermal sleeping mats but not sleeping bags. We recommend that you rent these from our team in Cusco. Expect to pay around US$20.

These bags are cleaned between uses and are suitable, four season rated. You may want to take a cotton, silk or fleece sleeping bag liner to make them a little bit warmer and for hygiene reasons though again, bags are washed between each use.

Eating and drinking

Food on the Inca Trail is freshly and cleanly prepared by Pura’s highly experienced team of cooks.

Expect three course meals at lunch and dinner with hearty breakfasts.

Purified water is provided for you each day though you must bring your own bottle.

Hygiene

Pura groups carry a toilet tent with a portable loo which is pitched at a discreet distance from the group.

Each morning your porters wake you with a bowl of warm water with which to have a ‘bird bath’.

Luggage

The majority of your bags will be left in Cusco at the hotel. You will rejoin your stuff after the trail.

What you do take on the trail can weigh up to 7kg, including the sleeping bag.

It is therefore safest to assume that you have a 6kg allowance which will be carried for you by your porter.

When you set off on the trail you need to decant your 6kg into a sturdy bag (usually a bin liner is ideal).

The porters then load these into their duffel bags to strap on their backs, porters do not generally use backpacks.

Our porters

Walking the Inca Trail is made much, much easier by your team of porters. We are particularly proud of the work they do for us.

By the end of day one you are likely to really appreciate the work your porters are doing for you.

In the mornings they are there to wake you for breakfast with a cup of tea and warm water for a wash.

As you set off walking for the day, they pull up camp, overtaking you a while later fully laden with all of the gear.

A couple of hours later you come across them again and they will have prepared a three-course lunch for you on the side of the trail.

After this, you waddle onwards and upwards only to be overtaken again soon afterwards.

By the time you get to the day’s stopping point, the team will have set up the campsite, have supper on the go and greet you with a cup of tea!

Pura Aventura adheres strictly to the Porter Protection Policies in place on the Inca Trail.

In fact our porters are from the community of Chacllanca, about 45km from Cusco.

Generally they are subsistence farmers who supplement their earnings by working on the Inca Trail. Our two head chefs, Virgilio and Herlin are in charge of getting the teams together and are therefore the bosses.

Your team of porters is usually therefore made up of friends, family and neighbours who respect one another and work well together.

Tipping

On the Inca Trail it is customary to tip the guide as well as any cooks or porters.

The rule of thumb is that each porter/cook should receive around US$20 so the amount you give does rather depend on the group size.

A reasonable guideline is US$10 per passenger per day for the four days of the Inca Trail hike to go to the porters and cooks.

For the guide, who is usually with you for a full week US$10 per day per passenger is reasonable.