Latin America
10 Day Peru's Inca Trail to Machu Picchu - From: $4,960
Trip Summary
Visit the Sacred Valley of the Incas before taking a spectacular drive to Chillca to begin your hike of the famed Inca Trail. Four days of hiking will take you through a dry cactus zone, river valleys, treeless grasslands, cloud forest and the ruins of small Inca settlements. Also explore the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu and the city of Cusco as you discover the secrets of past and present civilizations. Extend your Peruvian adventure with a 4-day visit to Lake Titicaca to enjoy the deep blue waters, natural beauty, and living culture of Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake.
Highlights
- Visit the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Urubamba
- Spend four days hiking and camping along the Inca Trail to see areas inaccessible by vehicle
- Explore the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu
- See beautiful scenery as you travel by train from Machu Picchu to Cusco
Trip Details
Per Person Double Occupancy Price:
| April - November | $4,960 |
Based on two guests traveling. Inca Trail is CLOSED in February and is not recommended for travel during the rainy season of December - March.
(Note that prices may be higher during peak Holiday travel time from mid-December through mid-January.)
Departure Dates:
- Daily
Itinerary
Day 1
Lima
Arrive Lima. You will be met and assisted with check in at the Ramada Airport Hotel.
Lodging: Ramada Airport Hotel
Day 2
Urubamba Valley
Commercial flight to Cusco. On arrival in Cusco drive to the Urubamba Valley also known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas (elevation 8500 feet). Visit Pisac ruins and the local market in Pisac.
Lodging: Libertador Tambo del Inka
Day 3
Urubamba Valley
Full day tour to include the town of Chincheros, a traditional textiles workshop and Ollantaytambo fortress.
Lodging: Libertador Tambo del Inka
Day 4
Inca Trail - Chillca to Huayllabamba
Drive through the Sacred Valley to the Chillca trailhead. Take an undulating trek through a dry cactus zone beneath soaring views to the snows of Mt. Veronica, with the turbulent Urubamba river on your right. Pause on a bluff high above the Cusichaca valley for a view of the imposing sculpted terraces of Llaqtapata, a massive Inca farming complex. Continue to the village of Huayllabamba to make camp.
Lodging: Inca Trail Camp
Day 5
Inca Trail - Huayllabamba to Pacaymayo
Begin a steeper ascent, climbing the Llullucha valley along a stream that rushes through enchanted native unca woodland. Arrive in the puna, the treeless grasslands of the high Andes. A stretch of open trail climbs beneath mighty crags to your first and highest pass, Warmiwausca (4,200m/13,776ft). Descend a stepped stone trail to arrive at your campsite in a clearing of the forested Pacamayo valley.
Lodging: Inca Trail Camp
Day 6
Inca Trail - Pacaymayo to Phuyupatamarca
Descend to the ruins of Sayacmarca (Inaccessible Town), an intricate labyrinth of houses, plazas and water channels, perched precariously on a rocky spur overlooking the Aobamba valley. The Inca trail, now a massive buttressed structure of granite paving stones, continues along the steep upper fringes of the cloud forest through a colorful riot of orchids, bromeliads, mosses and ferns. At the third pass camp by pinnacles topped with Inca viewing platforms, overlooking the archaeological complex of Phuyupatamarca (Cloud-level Town).
Lodging: Inca Trail Camp
Day 7
Inca Trail - Phuyupatamarca to Machu Picchu
Explore the wondrous maze of Inca stone towers, fountains and stairways spilling down the mountainside at Phuyupatamarca then begin a long descent through ever-changing layers of cloud forest. Follow the last stretch of trail across a steep mountainside through a lush, humid cloud-forest of giant ferns and broad-leaf vegetation. Walk down the royal flagstone walkway, past outlying shrines and buildings and through the heart of Machu Picchu. Camp is in a meadow by the water-sculpted boulders of the Urubamba, near where Hiram Bingham crossed in 1911 on the way to his historic archaeological discovery.
Lodging: Sanctuary Lodge Machu Picchu
Day 8
Machu Picchu and Cusco
Return to Machu Picchu by bus and spend the day in both guided and individual exploration, visiting the most fascinating features of this astounding and mysterious Inca settlement. Some will want to take the optional hike to the summit of Wayna Picchu for an amazing overview of the site, while others may want to investigate Machu Picchu's multitude of hidden nooks and corners. Return to Aguas Calientes and board the return train to Cusco.
Lodging: Hotel Monasterio
Day 9
Cusco
Explore Cusco and the surrounding ruins of Kenko, the ceremonial bath of Tambomachay and the amazing fortress of Sachsayhuaman.
Lodging: Hotel Monasterio
Day 10
International Flights Home
Commercial flight to Lima. On arrival you will be met and transferred to your day room before a return transfer to the Lima airport for your international flight home.