International airfare

Additional meals, excursions and activities not listed

Tips to your local guide, Traverse guide, drivers, etc.

Alcohol, unless specified

Required travel insurance

Arrive at Cusco at the Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport (CUZ) by 3:00 p.m. and be transferred to your boutique hotel in central Cusco. Settle in to your room, enjoy some coca or muña mint tea and watch the sunset over this beautiful city as you acclimate to its elevation of 11,150 feet. We’ll have dinner at a spectacular Peruvian restaurant that sources local meats & produce and presents traditional dishes with a modern twist. Try specialties such as aji de gallon (a creamy chicken dish), cause (an Andean potato dish), or - if you’re daring - cuy (guinea pig).

Meals: D

We’ll take today easy as you adjust to the elevation with a 3-4 hour morning walking tour through Cusco. We’ll keep the pace leisurely as everyone adjusts to the altitude and Cusco hills - a good preamble to hikes in the days ahead! We’ll visit the market and end at the Qoricancha, the most important temple during the Incan empire - a must! You’ll have lunchtime and the afternoon to explore the city’s many fabulous cafés, cobblestone streets, and abundance of shops & museums taking advantage of your included boloto turístico. Enjoy dinner on your own at one of Cusco's many restaurant options, from traditional Peruvian to Italian to Japanese & Chinese fusion.

Hikers will need to be ready for an early departure tomorrow.

Non-hikers prepare your day bags for explorations in the Sacred Valley over the next few days. Expect to walk 3-5 miles (5-10 km) each day spread across the exploration.

Meals: B

Hiking: Get up bright and early to be picked up by our local, bilingual guide who will brief you on the journey ahead. We’ll have breakfast on the go, arriving at the starting point at Wayllabamaba by 10:30. You’ll need your passport to enter the trail. The first few kilometers are a relatively easy climb with gorgeous views of La Verónica and Patallackay. We’ll take a break for lunch at Tarayoc and continue on to Huayllabamaba for camping and dinner our first night.

Meals: B, L, D

Trekking distance: Approximately 11km (6.8 miles), 5-6 hours

Highest elevation: 3000m (8984 ft)

Non-hiking: After breakfast, lace up your hiking shoes for our full-day exploration of Pisaq, an archeological site home to an artisanal market filled with Andean goods such as carved gourds, ceramics, paintings, and weaving. We’ll then visit the nearby ruins which feature multiple architectural styles including agricultural terraces, military forts and religious purification paths. We’ll stop for a local lunch of your choice and will arrive back in Cusco in the early evening where you’ll have time for dinner and a paseo through the square. Pack up tonight to depart for our ventures in the Sacred Valley tomorrow.

Meals: B

Hiking: Today is the hardest day of the trail, with the first half strait up and the second straight down. Think stairs, stairs and more stairs as we ascend and descend. Though it’s challenging, it’s also a day each ancient stone step reflects back to you the path that the Incas took for spiritual journeys for hundreds of years.

We’ll ascend the highest point of 13,900 feet at Wuarmihuañusca where you can see panoramic views of the cordillera of Vilcambamba. Depending on your speed, this is about a 3-5 hour ascent. You’ll see the terrain slowly change from high desert to the Andean rainforest, with bromeliads and greenery all around. We’ll descend to the valley of Pacasmayo to camp for the night.

Meals: B, L, D

Trekking distance: Approximately 12km (7.4 miles), 6-7 hours

Highest elevation: 4200m (13,779 ft)

Non-hiking: After breakfast we’ll head to the Sacred Valley, our home base for the next four nights. Today we’ll visit the concentric Inca terraces at Moray, four natural sinkholes that the Incas used for agriculture. We’ll then descend to a unique Sacred Valley site, Salineras, where the pre-Incas diverted thousands of salt pools from a spring of warm, salty water. The salt is still harvested today by local collectives. In the afternoon, hike up to the Temple of the Sun or explore around town before dinner on your own. We’ll recommend our favorite spots!

Meals: B

Hiking: Our last and final full hiking day is known as the “Incan Flats” for its rolling landscape, as compared to the steep climbs and infinite stairs of yesterday. We’ll see the ruins of Runquracya and learn about different architectural styles of the Inca. We’ll also pass Sayacmarca and go through a tunnel at Phuyupatamarca. The terrain is rich in flora and fauna, and though it’s a long hiking day there are fewer climbs than yesterday. We’ll camp at our last site, Wiñayhuayna.

Meals: B, L, D

Trekking distance: Approximately 16km (9.9 miles), 9 hours

Highest elevation: 3550m (13,123 ft)

Non-hiking: This morning we’ll head to a small community called Patacancha in a remote mountain area. You’ll visit a local family who will share their knowledge about alpaca breeding and the art of dying wool and weaving into textiles. We’ll enjoy lunch together there before heading back down to Ollantaytambo. Soak in the sights, shopping and spectacular food of this living Incan village.

Meals: B, L

Hiking: Today is a day you’ll never forget. We’ll get up super early this morning – 3:30 – to have time for breakfast before we pack up and head to Intipunku, the Sun Gate, for our sunrise entrance to Machu Picchu. Seeing Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate has moved people to tears. Some describe it as cathartic. You've done it!!

After some time to absorb, we’ll descend to the site for a guided tour. We’ll reconvene with your non-hiking companions to take the bus down to Aguas Calientes where we’ll enjoy lunch together at one of our favorite restaurants. We’ll all depart on an afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo where we’ll stay for the night.

Meals: B, L

Non-hiking: We’ll get up bright and early to take the train to Aguas Calientes, where we’ll catch a bus up to Machu Picchu. There we’ll enter for a tour of the archeological site with our local guide, which lasts about 4 hours (the allotted time allowed with your tickets). We’ll reconvene with your hiking companions to take the bus down to Aguas Calientes where we’ll enjoy lunch together at one of our favorite restaurants. We’ll all depart on an afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo where we’ll stay for the night.

Meals: B, L

Enjoy a slow morning before we visit our community partner, a local school that emphasizes sustainability and social responsibility through its programs. We will learn about its Quechua curriculum and the efforts the school is making to preserve this ancestral language by teaching it to the younger generations and integrating Andean culture into its standard subjects. We’ll also enjoy a leisurely farm tour and pachamanca farm lunch at its organic farm project. We’ll learn about local cooking traditions and enjoy numerous foods from the area including camote (local sweet potatoes), grilled meats, and chicha morada (a purple corn drink). We’ll make the drive back to Cusco in the afternoon, arriving by early evening to check back into our accommodations there and enjoy a restful night.

Meals: B, L

Enjoy your last full day in Cusco! The day is yours for R&R, shopping, or consider a walk or taxi ride up to Sacsayhuamán just outside of town. Also be sure to take advantage of your boleto turístico to see many museums and archeological sites. We’ll reconvene for our final group dinner and farewell.

Meals: B, D

Depart any time today from Cusco at the Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport (CUZ). You’ll receive a transfer to the airport according to your flight time.

If you do the Rainbow Mountain excursion, you’ll be picked up around 3:00 a.m. to get to Rainbow Mountain in time for sunrise - a must-do for this hike! You’ll return in the early evening and can depart any time tomorrow.

Meals: B

You'll be paired with a roommate of your same gender unless you request your own room

$2495 per person - based on double occupancy

+$895 'My own room' option

Select hiking or non-hiking on registration form. Note that hiking spots sell out early, as much as 8 months prior.

Minimum 2 people.

$2995 per person - based on double occupancy

+$895 'My own room' option or for odd numbers (3, 5, etc.)

Select hiking or non-hiking on registration form. Note that hiking spots sell out early, as much as 8 months prior.

+$90 - Extra room night in Cusco, for 1 or 2 people

+$150 - Rainbow mountain excursion, depart from Cusco early (3:30 a.m.) to arrive for a sunrise hike up to the peak at 17,060 feet (5200 meters). The hike itself is 2.5 miles (4 km) and takes approximately 2-3 hours including photo and snack stops. We’ll stop for a meal at a family-owned restaurant on our way back to Cusco, returning in the late afternoon. Requires an extra room night on Day 9 with departure Day 10.

+$265 - Personal porter for hiking (max 12 kilo)

+$35 - Sleeping bag rental for hiking

There is limited availability on the Inca Trail, so if you’re planning to hike we typically recommend 6-8 months in advance to ensure that you can get a trail start date the day you want it. For non-hiking, you can book closer to the departure trip though for room availability booking within 6 months of departure is advised.

Generally Cusco is quite safe for tourists with the right common sense precautions like watching your valuables and not going out late at night or early in the morning. You can also check out 7 Tips for Solo Female Travel in Peru

Technically, you can't train for altitude. Instead, you want to acclimate slowly. That is why we start our trip with a bit of time to adjust before the hike. There are doctor-prescribed medications that help the transition as well as natural remedies including proper hydration and nutrition, agua de florida and coca leaves. Being in physically decent shape before you go (especially if trekking) will also help.

The full Inca Trail is 45 km long, peaking at 14,000 feet with 6-7 hours of hiking each day. There are a lot of inclines and declines throughout the trail. Your fitness level doesn't have to be like an athlete; however, you should be able to hike for multiple hours at a time through diverse terrain.