Classic 4 day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

Classic 4 day Inca Trail Introduction

The Inca Trail is Peru's best known hike, combining a stunning mix of Inca ruins, mountain scenery, lush cloud-forest and rich subtropical jungle. Over 250 species of orchid have been counted in the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary, as well as numerous birds such as hummingbirds, waterfowl and the majestic Andean Condor. The star of the Sanctuary is the spectacled bear - a shy, herbivorous animal that is extremely rare and close to extinction.

Essentially the Inca Trail is a mountainous jungle hike leading to the sacred Inca city of Machu Picchu. The 45km trek is usually covered in 4 days, arriving at Machu Picchu at daybreak on the final day before returning to Cusco by train in the afternoon.

The trek is rated moderate and any reasonably fit person should be able to cover the route. It is fairly challenging nevertheless, and altitudes of 4200m are reached, so ensuring that you are well acclimatized is important. If arriving from sea level, plan to spend at least 2 full days in Cusco (3 days is better) prior to commencing the trek. This should allow plenty of time for acclimatization and give you sufficient opportunity to visit the city of Cusco and nearby Inca ruins at Sacsayhuaman, Q'enko, Pucapucara and Tambomachay, as well as spending a day or two exploring the Sacred Valley of the Incas visiting the tradition market town of Pisac and the fascinating Inca fortress at Ollantaytambo.

The Inca Trail can be hiked year round although the months of May till October are probably more comfortable since the weather is drier. June through August is the high season when the trail can become busy and the campsites full to capacity.

There are two main alternative treks to the traditional 4-day Inca Trail that both end at Machu Picchu. The first and most popular alternative is the Short Inca Trail which can be completed in 1 or 2 days. This is an easier trek and starts further along the Vilcanota River Valley closer to Machu Picchu at a place called kilometer 104. There is no need to acclimatize before starting this trek. The second trek is a more strenuous 7 day hike via the sacred Apu Salkantay, a beautiful snow-capped mountain. (Apu = mountain god in the local Quechua language)

If you are searching the web for information about the 4 day Inca Trail you'll probably be overwhelmed to find hundreds of tour companies offering this popular trek amongst their services. Many of these companies are acting only as agents for the relatively few that actually operate the trek. Prices for the 4 day trek start at about US$240 per person (including entrance fees and return on train) and can climb anywhere up to a staggering $1000. For a clarification of why the price can vary so much for walking the same 45km path see below:

Inca Trail Prices 2004

In the year 2000 it was possible to join an organized group on the 4 day trail for about US$90. Now the price is more likely to be between US$240 and US$290 but it's not the tour operators who are making more money. In 2000 the entrance fee for the trail was US$17 (now it's US$50), you could return on the local train to Cusco for US$5 (now its US$43 one way in backpackers class) and tour operators paid an average of about US$4 per person in taxes (now it's more like US$40). However it's not all doom and gloom.  New trek regulations have brought many improvements to the trekking service and although prices have gone up, so have the standards. Porters are now being paid a minimum wage (about US$10 per day) and porters are carrying much less weight (maximum of 25kg) resulting in more porters per group.  In the year 2000 there was, on average, one porter to every 3 trekkers, now the ratio is just over one porter for every trekker. Most tour operators now take communal dining tents, kitchen tents and only professionally qualified guides are allowed to lead the groups. The number of trekkers has also been limited to about 200 people per day (500 people including guides, cooks and porters) making it essential to book your trek well in advance. A better quality service, fair treatment of porters, increased revenue in the form of taxes for a developing country is all good news, but the downside is that hiking the Inca Trail for people on a budget is now impossible. The increased Inca Trail rates apply to everyone including Peruvians and other Latin Americans and their absence from the Inca Trail and Cusco has been very noticeable in the last couple of years.

Inca Trail Prices & Services

The main difference between the various Inca Trail services are the number of people in the group, the level of comfort that you can expect, the quality of the guide, food and camping equipment and whether the company will actually guarantee their departure date, even if they can't find anyone else to fill up the group. The prices quoted below are to be used as a guide only and may vary considerably from company to company . 

Services are generally classified into the following groups:  Group or Private services.

Group Trek Services

Many companies have fixed departure dates or even daily trek departures. You simply join up with other trekkers from all over the world to make a larger group. The maximum allowable group size on the Inca Trail is 16 persons. This service is known as a group service (or pooled service). The advantage of this type of service is that the trek works out cheaper and that you get to meet other like minded people from all over the world. The disadvantage is that the groups can be fairly large and that people within the group can be of mixed ability.

Prices for the 4 day group service Inca trail trek generally range between US$240 and US$300 per person including entrance fees and return on train (You can almost double these figures if you buy the trek with a tour agency outside Peru even though the service is the same). This price includes Peruvian sales tax known as IGV which is currently at 19%. A US$25 discount is offered to students under the age of 26 years old who have valid ISIC cards. This is the standard service offered by most tour operators in Cusco and offers the most economic way of hiking the Inca Trail as part of an organized group. Group sizes tend to be between 12 and 16 persons. Although services can vary from operator to operator, generally speaking, the following services are included: Bus to the start of the trek, bilingual guide, assistant guide for groups of 9 and over, entrance fees (US$50 adult or US$25 student), tent, sleeping mattress, cooking equipment, cook, meals, porters (to carry the tents, food and cooking equipment only) and return to Cusco on the Backpackers train service (currently US$43). The following items are not usually included: Breakfast on day 1, snacks along the trail, tourist bus from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes (US$5), meals on the final day apart from breakfast, porters to carry your personal items (can be hired separately for between US$60 and US$80 for the 4 day trek), entrance to the thermal springs in Aguas Calientes (US$2), any tips for the porters or guide. 

Note: As stated above most companies include the return train ticket from Aguas Calientes to Cusco after the trek. The train departs Aguas Calientes at 3.55pm and arrives back in Cusco for 8:20pm. The current cost of this ticket is US$43 (US$36 for agencies). In order to save money you can ask the trekking company not to include the return train ticket. You can then spend the night at Aguas Calientes and return on an early morning train departing Aguas Calientes at 6:00am. This train only returns as far as Ollantaytambo where you can take a connecting bus service back to Cusco. The advantage of this service is that the train ticket costs only US$12 per person and the connecting bus service about US$3. However this ticket can only be bought in person at the Aguas Calientes train station one day prior to travel so there is always a risk that the train may be full especially in the months June, July and August. Some of the budget trekking companies include this cheaper ticket as standard in their 4 day package so make sure that it is clear what train service is included.

Competition amongst trekking companies is fierce in Cusco and many companies offer the 4 day Inca Trail trek for well below US$240, even as low as US$180. Simple arithmetic shows that it is not possible to provide a quality service and guarantee departures with small groups for this price. Most of the budget trekking companies join together to form large groups of 16 persons, use inexperienced guides and use poor quality equipment. The Inka Porter Project www.peruweb.org/porters state "Beware: If your trip is less than US$245 you can be fairly sure the porters will not be well cared for".

Private Trek Services

Private services are arranged just for you and your group. If there are just two of you this type of service can work out expensive since the cost of the guide, cook, porters etc are obviously spread amongst just the two of you. If you have a group of 6 or more persons the cost is considerably reduced and may be well worth considering. If you have a group of 12 or more then this option can even work out cheaper than the standard group service. The advantage of a private service is that you have more control of your trek itinerary. With a small group you can usually make better progress each day and camp at some of the less well used campsites. If you are fit then you may try to complete the trek in three days rather than the usual four. On the other hand you may opt for taking things easy and taking five days to get to Machu Picchu. With a private service you can also choose your day of departure. 

A private group and is generally similar to the group service but usually slightly more comfortable. Additional items such as porters to carry your personal items are usually included in this service. Typical costs per person provided by a medium range tour operator are: 1 person: US$1000, 2 persons: US$650, 3 persons: US$550, 4 persons: US$450, 5 persons: US$400, 6-9 persons: US$350, 10-12 persons: US$325, 13-16 persons: US$300

These costs include entrance fees and return on the basic backpackers train from Aguas Calientes to Cusco.

Prices can vary considerably from company to company depending on the quality of the service and what is included. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Andean Travel Web's aim is to promote responsible tourism and promote companies that have a genuine interest in providing a quality service and paying their porters fair wages. Please do not purchase treks or tours from salespersons working in airports, minibuses or taxis. Quality companies do not promote their services in this way. There have been an increasing number of instances where agents have claimed to be from a reputable company and taken money for a trek only to disappear after you have paid them the money, never to be seen again. ALWAYS pay for a trek or tour in the office of the tour operator and obtain a written receipt and contract of services.  Beware when purchasing services through your hotel as they usually re-sell your trek to a company that pays them the best commission and not one that provides the best service.