Inca Trail
Inca Trail 4 days private tour
Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu. A Pilgrimage
(4 days and 3 nights)
A trek organised for you and your partner or a select group of friends, with a porter assigned to each walker, meaning you will only carry your water and your camera. We will use the less frequently visited campsite at Phuyupatamarca, meaning that as we approach Machu Picchu we will avoid hikers setting off from other sites.
Itinerary Inca Trail
Day 1: Cusco - Km.82 - Wayllabamba
An early morning departure from our hotel to drive through the Sacred Valley of the Incas, where we will rendezvous with our Quechua-speaking porters. From Km.82 we begin our trek by hiking along the left bank of the Vilcanota river, watched over by the summit of Mount Veronica (5,900 metres/19,000 feet). All of our camping equipment is carried by our porters, leaving us free to walk with a day pack containing essentials for the day's hike. We camp that night on a terrace near the small village of Wayllabamba.
(15.8 km / six hours walking)
Day 2: Wayllabamba - Pacaymayu
We climb through native polylepis forest to the highest campsite on the Inca Trail at Pacaymayu. Today is one of the most demanding days of the trek as we ascend to the first pass of the route at Warmiwanuska (4200 metres/13,750 feet). From here we will be rewarded with fine views east towards the peaks of Huayanay and the rugged Vilcabamba range to the west, before descending to our campsite at Pacaymayu.
(8.6 km / 6.5 hours walking)
Day 3: Pacaymayu - Phuyupatamarca
Today we cross the second pass at 4,000 metres (13,100 feet), and follow a finely-paved and well-preserved Inca highway to the restored archaeological site of Sayacmarka. This important site consists of several rooms, shrines, irrigation canals and a section of curved wall from where there is a magnificent view of the Aobamba river far below. This section of the trail is paved with white granite and traverses a thickly-forested slope. We camp near Phuyupatamarca, close to a series of twelve chambers by a canal which was once an important site for the worship of water for the Incas.
(15 km / 7 hours walking)
Day 4: Phuyupatamarca - Machu Picchu
A spectacular descent to Winay Wayna from cloud forest into high jungle. Orchids and hummingbirds are a common sight along this stretch of the trail and the Urubamba river is a constant presence far below us. Winay Wayna is a beautiful ceremonial site divided into two sectors fashioned from finely-carved stones fitted together with great precision. From here we continue to Intipunku, or the Sun Gate, from where we will see Machu Picchu for the first time stretched out below us on a rocky saddle below the peak known as Wayna Picchu. From here it only remains for us to stroll down the final stretch of this royal highway and enter at last this enigmatic citadel which lay hidden for four centuries before being revealed to the world by a chance discovery.
End of Services
Includes
- Pick up at your Hotel
- Transportation by Bus to km 82
- Entrance Ticket to the Inca Trail and Machupicchu
- Professional bilingual Guide
- Mountain Hardwear tents (4-person dome igloo tents for 2 persons)
- Therm-a-Rest Self inflatable mattress
- Cooking equipment, dining tent, chairs, tables, toilet tent, accommodation for our porters and cook
- Cook, meals (04B, 03L, 03D) - food includes pancakes, omelets, soups, fresh fruit, avocado, pasta, chicken, fish, meat, rice, all rich in carbohydrates and suitable for trekking, hot drinks and wine. Boiled water is also provided at meal times to fill up your water bottle, tea-time everyday (tea, coffee, biscuits, popcorn), hot coca leaf tea brought to your tent each morning (excellent for the altitude).
- Porters (to carry the tents, food, and cooking equipment), additional porter to carry personal items such as sleeping bag, mattress, clothes etc, Hot water is provided in the morning and at night for washing.
- Porter to carry your personal gear up to 18 pound (8kg)
- First aid kit, Emergency oxygen,
- Bus from Machupicchu to Train Station
- Returning Train Ticket, Machupicchu-Cusco on Backpackers-Train
- Radio communications,
- Transfer from station to hotel
Excludes:
- Lunch on the last day
- Sleeping Bag
- Tips for the porters an Guide
Group Size:
To suit your requirements. Maximum 16 persons allowed per group. (Government regulation)
Departures:
To suit group requirements
Note:
Your personal porter will not walk at your side so you will still need to bring a daypack for essential items. You will meet up with your porter at the campsite.
Equipment to be carried by yourselves:
Small day pack, water bottle and sterilizing tablets (Micropur are recommended and can be bought in local pharmacies in Cusco), warm sweater, broad-brim or peaked cap, sun protection cream, insect repellent, toilet paper, selection of small snacks for the day etc, camera, lightweight plastic poncho just in case of rain (can be bought in Cusco for US$ 1)
Options
- Upgrade to Vistadome train US $ 25.00
- An extra night can easily be arranged for you if required. Hotels costs and costs associated with returning to Machu Picchu the following day are additional to trek costs.
Very Important
If you have medical problems of which the Guide should be aware, please make him know.