Around 4:30 AM, we pick you up from your hotel in Cusco and head for Km 82, where the Classic Inca Trail begins. On the way we stop in Ollantaytambo for a hot breakfast at a local spot, with the morning light coming into the Sacred Valley. Then it’s a short drive to Piscacucho (Km 82), where you meet the rest of the team: your chef and the porters who’ll be walking with us for the next four days.

At about 8:00 AM we go through the checkpoint, so keep your passport handy. The first stretch is a gentle walk along the river, perfect for finding your rhythm and getting to know each other. After around two hours, we reach Patallacta, a large Inca site spread across the hillside, and your guide starts bringing the trail to life with stories of how the Incas lived and traveled through these mountains.

From Patallacta and the Wilkarakay viewpoint, we walk about two more hours to Hatunchaca, where our chef is already waiting with a fresh lunch cooked with local ingredients. Take your time here. Eat well, rest your legs, and enjoy the view before the afternoon.

After lunch, we climb steadily for about two hours to Ayapata campsite at 3,300 m / 10,826 ft, arriving around 5:00 PM. Your tent is already up, so settle in, stretch out, and come to the dining tent for tea time and a hot dinner. You’ll sleep well tonight. Tomorrow is the big day, and we’ve got you.

• Campsite: Ayapata, 3,300 m / 10,826 ft
• Distance: 13.5 km / 8 miles
• Hiking time: About 6–7 hours, plus stops for lunch and the Inca sites
• Meals: Breakfast, snacks, lunch, tea time, dinner
• Accommodation: Camping
• Difficulty: Moderate to challenging

We wake you early with a hot coffee or coca tea at your tent, because today is the day everyone talks about: the climb to Dead Woman’s Pass, Warmiwañusqa in Quechua, at 4,214 m / 13,828 ft. After breakfast, we start the long, steady climb, about four hours of stone steps and switchbacks. Our advice: it isn’t a race. Your guide sets a slow, even pace with plenty of breaks, and we go up together, one step at a time. Look up now and then; the views open wider with every turn.

At the top, stop. Breathe. Look back at the valley you just climbed out of. This is the moment most of our hikers remember longest, and you’ve earned it. The pass takes its name from the shape of the ridge, which looks like a woman lying on her back; your guide will point it out. Then we drop for about two hours into the quiet Pacaymayu Valley, where our chef is waiting with a well-earned lunch.

After a good rest, we climb again, this time to Runkuraqay Pass at 4,000 m / 13,123 ft, stopping at the round ruins of Runkuraqay, an old lookout on the trail. On the way down, we visit Sayacmarca, a village built into the cliff, with narrow stairways and rooms hanging over the valley. Your guide will explain why the Incas built it somewhere so hard to reach, and what it meant to them.

Chaquicocha, our camp for the night, sits at 3,600 m / 11,811 ft with wide views over the mountains and, on clear evenings, a sunset over the Vilcabamba range. Tea time and dinner are ready when we arrive. If the sky is clear and you still have a little energy, step outside your tent: with no towns for miles, the stars here are something else. Ask your guide to show you the llama the Incas saw in the Milky Way. Tomorrow is the day many hikers call their favorite, and most of it is downhill.

• Campsite: Chaquicocha, 3,600 m / 11,811 ft
• Distance: 16 km / 10 miles
• Hiking time: About 10 hours with breaks
• Meals: Breakfast, snacks, lunch, tea time, dinner
• Accommodation: Camping
• Difficulty: Challenging

Day 3 is the one our hikers fall in love with. After yesterday, it feels like a reward: about five to six hours of walking, mostly downhill, as the scenery changes from high mountains to green cloud forest. The morning starts with gentle ups and downs along the ridge, with big views over the valleys and, on a clear day, the snow-capped peak of Salkantay in the distance. Then, we climb one last time to Phuyupatamarca (3,600 m / 11,811 ft), the town above the clouds, with ceremonial baths and terraces that look straight down to the Urubamba River.

From here, the trail drops into the forest on a long staircase of Inca steps. This is the day your trekking poles earn their keep and the day the orchids and hummingbirds start to appear. Take it slowly and enjoy it. Before long, the terraces of Intipata open up below us, and your guide will show you how the Incas farmed slopes this steep.

We reach Wiñay Wayna camp around 1:00 PM, in time for lunch and a proper rest. The afternoon is yours: a shower (cold, but welcome after three days), a nap in the tent, or a walk with your guide to the ruins of Wiñay Wayna, “forever young” in Quechua, with terraces, fountains, and homes built right into the hillside. Many of us think it’s the most beautiful site on the trail before Machu Picchu itself.

Later, we gather for our last tea time on the trail, a good moment to slow down, share stories, and feel Machu Picchu getting close. After dinner, the team has a small farewell prepared for you. We won’t spoil it. Then, it’s early to bed because tomorrow we’re up before dawn to walk into Machu Picchu.

• Campsite: Wiñay Wayna, 2,600 m / 8,530 ft
• Highest point: Phuyupatamarca, 3,600 m / 11,811 ft
• Distance: 10 km / 6 miles
• Hiking time: About 5–6 hours
• Meals: Breakfast, snacks, lunch, tea time, dinner
• Accommodation: Camping
•  

This is the morning we’ve been walking toward. We’re up well before dawn (your guide will confirm the exact time the night before), have a quick breakfast, and walk to the final checkpoint, which opens at 5:30 AM. Yes, the wait in line is real, and it’s worth it: the earlier we’re through, the earlier we reach the Sun Gate. From the checkpoint, it’s about an hour of easy trail, with one steep staircase near the end that everyone remembers. Then you’re standing at the Sun Gate (Inti Punku), with Machu Picchu below you and the mountains all around. Take your time here. Take photos, of course, but also take a moment to absorb what you’ve just done.

Some mornings, the citadel is wrapped in mist when we arrive. It usually lifts, and watching it clear is its own kind of show. From the Sun Gate, we walk down for about an hour, and the views keep changing until we reach the classic viewpoint: the one from every photo you’ve ever seen, except that now you’re in it.

Then we head to the main entrance for your guided visit. Your Inca Trail permit includes your Machu Picchu ticket, and Inca Trail hikers follow a route through the lower part of the citadel: the Temple of the Sun, the Inca’s residence, the water fountains, and the sacred spaces around them. Your guide ties together everything we’ve seen over four days with what’s in front of you now. Two practical notes: large backpacks must be left at the storage area by the entrance, and once you leave your route, there’s no re-entry, so make the most of it. If you booked it in advance, this is also when you climb Huayna Picchu.

After the visit, we take the bus down to Aguas Calientes for lunch on your own (we’ll point you to a good spot). Then comes the part you don’t have to plan: the Vistadome panoramic train to Ollantaytambo, with big windows, the river beside you, and a well-earned rest, followed by our private vehicle to Cusco. We’ll drop you at your hotel at around 7:30 PM, tired, happy, and with a story you’ll be telling for years.

• Machu Picchu: 2,430 m / 7,972 ft
• Distance: 6 km / 3.7 miles
• Hiking time: About 2 hours
• Guided visit: 2–3 hours
• Meals: Breakfast (lunch in Aguas Calientes not included)
• Return: Bus, Vistadome train to Ollantaytambo, and private vehicle to your Cusco hotel
• Difficulty: Moderate