The map below shows how the route changes from the trailhead at Km 82 to Dead Woman's Pass, the highest point of the trek, before descending through the cloud forest toward the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu. The trail forms part of the wider Inca road network known as the Qhapaq Ñan, or Andean Road System.

The Classic Inca Trail covers approximately 42 kilometers / 26 miles and reaches 4,215 meters / 13,829 feet at Dead Woman's Pass. Look at the shape of the profile, not just the distance: 42 km sounds manageable, but the climbs, the stone stairways and the long descents are what you actually feel in your legs.

Arrive in Cusco at least 2 full days before the trek. This is the single most useful thing you can do for your trek, and the one people most often skip. Altitude affects everyone differently, including runners, cyclists and experienced hikers, and those two days change how Day 2 feels.

Keep the first days easy: drink plenty of water, eat lighter meals than usual, sleep well, and go easy on alcohol and hard exercise. Light sightseeing, such as a Cusco City Tour, is a better use of those days than a demanding high-altitude hike.

You can also stay in Ollantaytambo or elsewhere in the Sacred Valley, which sits lower than Cusco and closer to the Km 82 trailhead. Many travelers find they sleep better there. Our Sacred Valley guide covers the main towns and where to stay.

For medical guidance on symptoms, prevention and pre-existing conditions, read the CDC's official high-altitude travel advice, and talk to your doctor before you travel if you take regular medication.

Bring the original passport you used to book. Not a photocopy, not a photo on your phone. Your name and passport number are printed on your Inca Trail permit and checked against the document at Km 82 and again at Machu Picchu.

When you send us your details, copy them exactly as they appear in your passport: full legal name, nationality, date of birth, and passport number. No nicknames, no shortened names, no missing family names. A typo can invalidate a permit, and permits are personal and cannot be transferred to anyone else.

If you renew your passport after booking, send us clear photos of both the old and the new one as soon as you have them so we can update the number in the system. If you booked with a student discount, bring the original student ID too.

The drier season runs roughly from May to September, with more settled trail conditions and a better chance of clear mountain views. April and October sit either side of it and can go either way. The wetter season runs from November to March: greener, quieter, and more likely to bring rain, mist and slippery stone.

Mountain weather changes fast in every season. It is completely normal to get sun, wind, a cold morning, low cloud and a shower of rain in the same day, sometimes in the same hour. Pack for all of it rather than for the forecast. Our guide to the best time to visit Machu Picchu breaks it down month by month.

The Inca Trail is closed for the whole of February for conservation and maintenance, and no permits are issued. Machu Picchu itself stays open, and our alternative treks run as normal. Before you travel, you can check the official Machu Picchu weather forecast.

The Classic Inca Trail can only be hiked with a licensed operator and a government-issued permit. You cannot buy a permit yourself, and you cannot hike it independently.

500 people per day are allowed to start the trail, and that number includes guides, chefs and porters as well as travelers. In practice, that leaves roughly 200 places a day for trekkers. It is a much smaller number than most people expect when they start planning.

Dates between May and September often sell out four to six months ahead, and sometimes sooner. If your trip is built around a specific date, book the Inca Trail first and everything else around it. Our complete Inca Trail guide has more planning advice.

Your departure is confirmed only once the permit is secured in the official system, and we will tell you as soon as it is. Permits are tied to a date and to a person: they cannot be moved to another date, sold on, or transferred to someone else. Our booking conditions explain what happens in each case, and we send them before any payment.

The Inca Trail is not a technical climb. There is no rope, no scrambling and no exposure that requires experience. It is simply a lot of walking, much of it uphill on uneven original stone, with long stairways and long descents.

Most people are surprised by the downhills rather than the climbs. Day 3 in particular is a long descent on stone steps, and knees feel it more than lungs. Boots with good grip and trekking poles with rubber tips make a real difference. Rubber tips are required on the trail to protect the stone, and metal-tipped poles are not allowed through the checkpoint.

Stone gets slippery after rain, especially in the cloud forest on Day 3. Take the descents slowly; there is no advantage to arriving at camp first.

Horses and mules are not permitted on the Classic Inca Trail. Everyone walks, including your guide. The porter team carries the tents, food, cooking equipment and camp supplies on their backs.

We give each traveler a duffel bag for up to 7 kg / 15 lb of personal belongings, carried by your personal porter between camps. That 7 kg includes your sleeping bag and air mattress if you bring or rent them, which together usually come to around 3 kg. So plan on roughly 4 kg of clothes and personal items.

You will not see the duffel during the day, only in the evening at camp. Everything you might want while hiking goes in your daypack: original passport, water, rain jacket, warm layer, sunscreen, any medication, camera and valuables.

Peruvian law limits what a porter may carry: 20 kg for men and 15 kg for women, and packs are weighed at checkpoints along the route. That total covers the group's tents, kitchen, food and dining equipment as well as traveler duffels, which is why the 7 kg limit matters and why we hold to it. Our porters travel with their own tents, sleeping gear, meals and insurance, and they are weighed alongside everyone else.

You sleep three nights in tents. There are no hotels, lodges or huts anywhere on the Classic Inca Trail. Our team carries the camp, sets it up before you arrive, and takes it down and moves it every day.

Campsites are assigned by the authorities, not chosen by operators, and assignments can change. We confirm your final camp locations before departure. The campsites named in our itinerary are the ones we use on most departures.

There are public toilets at some campsites and checkpoints. They are basic, and how clean they are varies by day and by season. We also carry our own private portable toilets and set them up at camp, which is the part of the trek most travelers thank us for afterwards.

Showers are rare on the trail and, where they exist, they are cold. Most people wash with wet wipes for three days and have their first proper shower back in Cusco. Bring toilet paper, hand sanitizer, biodegradable wipes and a small quick-dry towel. Only biodegradable soap and toiletries may be used on the trail.

Our trekking chefs cook breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and afternoon tea time on the trail, every day, in a kitchen tent they carry with them. Meals are Peruvian with some international dishes, served hot, and made with fresh ingredients bought for your departure.

Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other dietary requirements are not a problem, and there is no extra charge. Tell us when you book, and remind your guide at the briefing. Allergies in particular should be in writing so the kitchen has them before shopping.

Drinking water is provided from the second day onward. Bring a reusable bottle or hydration bladder holding at least 2 litres and refill when your guide tells you to. Single-use plastic bottles are restricted on the trail, so bring a refillable one from Cusco.

Lunch on Day 4, after the Machu Picchu tour, is not included. There is time to eat in Aguas Calientes before the train, and your guide will point you to good options.

The most useful training is the kind that looks like the trail: walking uphill, climbing stairs, walking back down again, and doing it with a daypack on. Gym cardio helps less than you would think.

If you have three months, aim for a long hill walk most weekends, building up to five or six hours, plus stairs during the week. Squats, step-ups and lunges help your legs handle the descents. Train downhill specifically, because that is what hurts on Day 3.

Break in your boots before you travel. New boots on Day 1 is the most common avoidable problem we see.

Fitness does not prevent altitude sickness. A very fit person who flies into Cusco and starts the next day will have a harder time than an average hiker who acclimatized for two days. Train and acclimatize; you need both.

Most reasonably active adults can complete this trek. You do not need to be an athlete, and you do not need previous trekking experience. What helps most is walking regularly beforehand and taking the acclimatization days seriously.

Travel insurance is required, and it should cover trekking to at least 4,500 meters as well as medical evacuation and trip cancellation. Standard policies sometimes exclude high-altitude activity, so check the wording rather than assuming. Send us your policy details before departure.

If you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant, or take regular medication, speak to your doctor before booking and tell us what we need to know. We are not doctors and cannot clear you medically, but the more our guides know, the better they can look after you on the trail.

Minimum age: There are are no age restrciction in the Inca Trail, children who are used to walking often do very well on this trek, and a private departure usually suits families better because of the flexible pace.

This is the question people are most nervous to ask, so here is a straight answer. Most travelers who worry about finishing do finish. But if you cannot go on, you will not be left to manage it alone.

Your guide carries a first-aid kit, an oxygen supply and a satellite phone on every departure, and monitors the group throughout the trek. Minor problems, and altitude symptoms in particular, are usually handled on the spot with rest, fluids and oxygen.

If someone genuinely cannot continue, the safest exit point depends on where you are on the route. Your guide will arrange the evacuation and stay in contact with our Cusco office throughout. This is exactly what your travel insurance is for, which is why we ask for it.

Large groups sometimes travel with more than one guide so the group does not have to split if one person needs help. Ask us how your departure is staffed.

Signal is patchy to non-existent for most of the route. There is no reliable Wi-Fi and no power at the campsites, so whatever you charge in Cusco has to last four days.

Bring a fully charged power bank, keep your phone in airplane mode to save battery, and pack spare camera batteries. Cold nights drain batteries faster than you expect, so keep them in your sleeping bag.

Tell family and friends you will be offline for four days, so nobody worries when you go quiet. For operational communication and emergencies, our guides carry satellite phones.

Tipping is customary on the Inca Trail but entirely voluntary, and it is never expected or requested by our team. We mention it here only because travelers ask us, and because guessing on the last night is stressful.

Tips are usually given to the porters and chefs at the farewell on the third evening, and to your guide on the final day. Many groups pool their contributions. Small soles notes are more useful than large ones, and there is no ATM on the trail, so bring cash from Cusco.

Your guide can explain how tips are normally shared if you ask. Our team is paid properly regardless of tips, and nobody's income depends on them.

Bring the same original passport you used to book. Bags larger than 40 × 35 × 20 cm / 16 × 14 × 8 inches are not allowed inside the citadel, and food, tripods, selfie sticks, drones and several other items must be left outside. There are lockers at the entrance.

On the final morning you reach Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate and walk down to the upper viewpoints on Circuit 1, which is where the classic panoramic photos are taken. You then go back out through the main entrance and re-enter with your guide on Circuit 3, which takes you through the temples, palaces and fountains of the lower part of the citadel.

Both entries are included in your tour. Between them you get the wide view and the close-up, which is more than most day visitors see.

Visits follow one-way routes and you cannot walk back up a circuit once you have passed a point. Stay with your guide, and use the restrooms at the main entrance before each entry, because there are none inside.

Circuit names, routes and entry times are set by the Ministry of Culture and can change. If they do, we will tell you before you travel and adjust the visit accordingly. Before traveling, read our Machu Picchu circuits guide and the government's official circuits and routes.

For May to September, book 8 to 10 months ahead. For other months, 4 to 6 months is usually enough. Only about 200 traveler places exist on the trail each day, and popular dates go quickly. If your trip is built around a specific date, book the Inca Trail first and plan everything else around it.

If permits for your dates are already gone, you still have good options. The Short Inca Trail 2 Days uses a separate permit quota and still brings you into Machu Picchu on foot through the Sun Gate. The Salkantay and Lares treks need no permit at all, so they can be booked much closer to your travel dates, and both are beautiful in a completely different way.

Check Dates & Permits to see what is still open for your dates.

Yes, and plenty do. You join a small group departure without needing to find anyone to travel with.

Solo travelers are often the ones who enjoy this trek most. You spend four days walking, eating and camping with people from all over the world, and most groups are close by the second evening. You can also walk on your own when you feel like it; nobody is required to hike in a line.

Our departures average 12 travelers, with a maximum of 16. That is small enough for your guide to know everyone's name and pace by the end of Day 1.

You will also have chefs and porters travelling with you, which is why the trekking team is usually larger than the group itself.

If you would rather not share the trail with anyone outside your own party, our Private Inca Trail 4 Days gives you your own guide, chef and start date. For groups of six or more, the price difference per person is smaller than most people expect.

Yes. For a lot of our travelers, this is the first multi-day trek they have ever done, and they finish it.

You do not need climbing skills or technical gear. What you do need to be ready for is high altitude, long stone stairways, steep descents, early mornings, three nights in a tent, and several hours of walking a day. It is demanding, not dangerous.

The first-timers who do best are the ones who walked regularly before the trip, arrived in Cusco two days early, brought proper layers, and did not try to keep up with the fastest person in the group.

This is the question we are asked most, and the answer is: it does not matter. Groups spread out naturally on every climb, especially on Day 2. There is no prize for arriving first, and the person at the front is not having a better trek than the person at the back.

Your guide sets meeting points along the way so the group comes back together, and nobody is ever left walking alone. What we do ask is that you are honest with yourself about the daily distances, because checkpoints and campsites have to be reached within set hours.

If you are struggling, feeling unwell, or just need a slower morning, tell your guide early. That is what they are there for, and it is always easier to help at 9 a.m. than at 4 p.m.

The trail is safe for prepared travelers, but it is a remote mountain route. The real risks are altitude sickness, tiredness, dehydration, changing weather, and slips on wet stone during descents.

Our guides are trained in first aid and carry a first-aid kit, emergency oxygen and a satellite phone on every departure. Altitude symptoms are common and usually handled on the spot with rest, fluids and oxygen.

If someone truly cannot continue, your guide arranges the evacuation and stays in contact with our Cusco office throughout. The route out depends on where you are, the weather and how serious the situation is. This is exactly what travel insurance is for. There is more detail in the Travel Information section above.

Nights are cold, especially at Chaquicocha on the second night at 3,600 m. Expect temperatures close to freezing in the dry season, when clear skies mean colder nights.

You need a sleeping bag rated for those temperatures. If you have one at home, bring it. If you do not, rent one from us rather than buying a cheap bag in Cusco: ours are chosen for these campsites, and renting also saves weight and space in your luggage for the rest of your Peru trip.

The other thing that makes a real difference is an inflatable air mattress, which insulates you from the cold ground. A basic sleeping pad is included; the inflatable one is available to rent. Sleep warm, and Day 2 feels very different.

Yes, and at no extra cost. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free and other requirements are normal for us, and our chefs cook them on the trail like everything else.

Tell us when you book, and remind your guide at the pre-trek briefing. Allergies in particular should be in writing, because the shopping for your departure is done before you leave Cusco.

If you have a severe or life-threatening allergy, talk to us before booking. We will do everything we can, but meals are cooked in a tent kitchen on a mountain, and we will not promise you a zero cross-contamination environment that no camp kitchen can deliver.

Yes. Choose a policy that covers trekking up to at least 4,500 meters / 14,760 feet, comfortably above the 4,215 m of Dead Woman's Pass. Many standard policies quietly exclude activity above a set altitude, so check the wording rather than assuming.

Your policy should cover emergency medical treatment, evacuation, hospital care, trip cancellation and interruption, delays and missed connections, and personal belongings.

Send us your policy details before departure so our guides have them if they are ever needed.

Age matters less than you would think. What matters is how much someone walks in normal life, how their knees handle long descents, whether they are comfortable sleeping in a tent, and how they have felt at altitude before.

We have had teenagers struggle and travelers in their sixties finish comfortably. Families and older travelers often do better on a private departure, where the pace is entirely yours and there is no group schedule to keep up with.

If you would rather walk less, the Short Inca Trail 2 Days still takes you into Machu Picchu on foot through the Sun Gate, with a hotel instead of a tent. If you want the full four days with more comfort, look at the Luxury Inca Trail 4 Days. Anyone with a medical condition should talk to their doctor first and let us know what we should be aware of.

Around 400 to 600 Peruvian soles covers most people, including tips if you choose to leave them.

Nearly everything is already included, and there is almost nowhere to spend money between Km 82 and Machu Picchu. The cash is mainly for your lunch in Aguas Calientes on the last day, drinks, souvenirs and tips.

Bring soles in small notes, and take them out in Cusco. There are no ATMs on the trail, and cards are not much use until you reach Machu Picchu Pueblo.

Tips are customary but completely voluntary, and our team is paid properly whether you tip or not. Nobody will ask you for one.

Most groups tip the porters and chefs at the farewell on the third evening and the guide on the final day, often pooling what they give. Your guide can explain how it usually works if you ask. What you give is your decision, based on your own budget and how the trek went.

Yes, and it is worth going even if you think you have read everything. It is held at our office in central Cusco at around 6:00 p.m. the evening before departure, and it is where you meet your guide for the first time.

Your guide goes through the itinerary, your pickup time, current trail and weather conditions, the campsites, the duffel bag and the 7 kg limit, any gear you have rented, passport requirements, and how you get back to Cusco on Day 4. You collect your duffel bag here too.

It is also your last easy chance to confirm dietary requirements or mention anything medical, and to ask your guide to look at your gear and tell you honestly what you can leave behind. If you cannot be there in person, let us know in advance and we will arrange a call or an online briefing.

It stays in Cusco. Leave it at your hotel, or use our free luggage storage at the office, which is included and needs no arranging in advance.

You take only your daypack and the duffel bag we give you, with a 7 kg / 15 lb limit. Confirm at the briefing where your main bag will be and when you can collect it, so there are no questions at 4:30 a.m. the next morning.

Call or message us straight away, at any hour. The sooner we know, the more we can do.

We have to be honest about the limits, though. Your permit is issued for you and for one specific date. It cannot be moved to another day, given to someone else, or held while you travel, and the group cannot wait at Km 82 for a passenger who has not arrived.

That is why we ask everyone to arrive in Cusco at least two full days before the trek. It protects you from cancelled flights and strikes, and it is the acclimatization you need anyway. Flying in the night before is the single riskiest thing you can do to your own trek.

No. Day 4 ends with the Machu Picchu visit, a bus down to Aguas Calientes, the train to Ollantaytambo and a road transfer to Cusco, and any one of those can run late. We aim to have you in Cusco around 7:30 p.m., but we cannot promise it.

Spend one more night in Cusco or the Sacred Valley and travel on the following day. If you must fly out the next day, book an afternoon flight rather than an early one.

You will also want that night. After four days of walking, most people want a hot shower, a proper meal and a bed that is not on the ground.