Machu Picchu Trek

Our first day on this epic adventure is dedicated to arrivals. You’ll be received at Cusco Airport and transferred in our private bus to our hotel in the historical city center. Your LHO Team Leader will be waiting at the hotel to receive you, check you in, and make sure you have everything you need for the week ahead. For those of us arriving early, we’ll have the opportunity to wander around the beautiful old town and explore its many restaurants, cafes, shops, and bars. Your LHO Team Leader will provide you with our recommendations closer to the time. Our first event is a traditional dinner hosted by your LHO Team Leader and local lead guide at a nearby restaurant. This is the first opportunity for us to all get to know each other, hear all the details about our upcoming adventure, and also ask any questions we may have. The first round of drinks is on us!

Distance: 13.5 KM | Ascent: 654 M | Descent: 397 M | Max Altitude: 3,010 M

We’ll be getting an early start on our first full adventure day. After breakfast, we’ll hop onto our private bus for a ride deep into the sacred valley on our way to the entrance of the Inca Trail. The ride takes us through several traditional towns and villages along the historical valley. Once we arrive at the gate, we’ll begin the check-in process which includes a bag weight check and permit checks. It is very important that none of our duffle bags weigh more than 7 KGs because each bag gets weighed by park authorities, and overweight bags will be flagged for weight reduction. This can cause substantial delays in the process. We’ll be providing you with lightweight duffle bags so that we can be efficient with every gram. We will also have a scale available at our accommodation to ensure the correct weight of each bag before leaving Cusco. You will also need to have your passport with you to check in to the park. Once this process is complete, we’ll quickly stop at the local museum that chronicles the discovery of the ancient “lost city” to provide the historical context for our great adventure ahead. From there, we hit the trail!

Our path begins at an elevation of 2,720 meters and ascends uphill with a gentle gradient, passing fields and terraces. The mild inclines are broken up into long flat sections, particularly during the first half of our trekking day, where many small settlements line the trails. We’ll be surrounded by the Urubamba Mountain range and should be able to spot Mt. Veronica, the highest snow-capped peak in the range. At the halfway point, we’ll come to a large grassy patch where we’ll find our team has set up a tent for lunch. As with all things in this part of the world, a post-lunch siesta in the grass is mandatory. From here, we’ll make our way along the path as it goes deeper and deeper into the narrow valley until we reach the small settlement of Wayllabamba, our home for the night. Upon arrival at the campsite, we’ll check into our tents. It’s normal to be a little confused about how things go checking into our camp for the first time. Your LHO Team Leader and local lead guide will help you find your tent, and explain where all our facilities are located, including our private mess tent and toilet tent, as well as the communal showers run by the park. Once we’re all settled in, we’ll meet up for dinner at our mess tent and receive the briefing for the following day.

Distance: 7.5 KM | Ascent: 1,250 M | Descent: 631 M | Max Altitude: 4,200 M

Our second day on the Inca Trail is a big experience both in terms of elevation gain and in terms of distance. Don’t let that discourage you. Your LHO Team Leader and local lead guide will help set a steady and sustained pace that will enable everyone to enjoy this spectacular trek. After our wake-up call, we’ll pack up our stuff and place them inside our duffle bags for the porters to start collecting everything. We’ll then have breakfast and start our trek. The trail begins with a light incline through a dense pine forest that slowly starts to thin as we gain altitude. The higher we go, the sharper the incline until finally, the dirt trail gives way to ancient steps built by the Incas! The steps are quite big and shouldn’t be tackled head on. It is important to always look for the smallest possible step and at times to even break a single step up into two steps. Your LHO Team Leader will be on hand to assist you and show you the most efficient way to navigate these sections.

We’ll eventually reach a clearing with Inca terraces that appear to support an ancient fort just above us. Our lunch spot will be near the fort where our team would have pitched our mess tent and would normally be in the final stages of preparing our meals. Once again, there is a mandatory siesta that follows. Once we’ve digested our food, we’ll rejoin the steps that are intermittently interrupted by sections of dirt trail until we reach the short grass vegetation zone of the higher altitude environment. From here, we can clearly see Warmiwanusga, also known as Dead Woman’s Pass above us. The name comes from the shape of the pass that looks like a woman on her back. As we approach, the stairs begin to disappear altogether and the trail becomes milder until it finally plateaus at the high point of the pass. At an incredible 4,200 meters, this is the end of the most challenging section on the entire trail!

From here, we’ll continue along the trail that descends gradually along a very well-defined trail. The short grass vegetation will slowly converge with the tree line as we lose altitude rapidly and finally reach our camp at 3,600 meters. We’ll check in to our campsite and prepare our tents for the night before sharing a meal together in our mess tent. The process of arriving at the camp will start to feel second nature as we gain more experience on this beautiful trekking adventure.

Distance: 9.9 KM | Ascent: 551 M | Descent: 1441 M | Max Altitude: 3,850 M

Our last full day of trekking on the Inca Trail is incredibly beautiful both in nature and archaeological sites. The trail passes through several ancient ruins separated by forests, walks, ridgelines, and beautiful mountains as we make our way across two passes, towards the entrance of Machu Picchu. We’ll be woken up early to pack up our tents as we had done on the previous day before having breakfast and heading off on the trail. Our path for the day begins with an ascent through a valley that opens up into a wide plateau. One of the highlights of the first part of this trail is the beautiful Laguna Cochapata Lake that we pass on the way up. The majority of this ascent is on a dry trail, although there are limited sections of Inca stairs as well. The views from above the lake on the entire Andes range are incredible.

From there, it’s a short ascent to the high pass before we begin our first descent of the day into the denser forested area between the two passes. At the base of the descent is one of the first impressive ruins of an Inca settlement. This settlement has a steep staircase ascent into the village that is a little bit exposed. If you’re not feeling up to it, you can skip this one, but if you are, it is well worth it. There is a small citadel in the middle of the settlement that was used for religious ceremonies. Once we’ve taken our pictures and heard the stories of this mystical place from our local lead guide, we will continue along a slightly descending path, through an interesting tunnel carved into the rock. From there, we will walk along a hilly trail until we reach the second pass with its beautiful ridge that has views on both the Ahobamba below us on our left and Urubamba below us on our right. The trail then begins descending along the stairs of another Inca settlement before making its way through the trees and exiting along a series of impressive terraces that we will be descending alongside until we reach our campsite.

It is very common for us to reach the campsite close to sunset because of the length of the trail and the time we spend stopping along the many historical sites along the way. Once we arrive, we’ll check in to our camp, prepare our tents, and then meet up for dinner in our mess tent. This camp is usually quite full because all the different trails to Machu Picchu converge over here. We’ll hear the briefing for the following day and then turn in for the night. We’ll be saying goodbye to our porters before we sleep. They’ll be dropping our duffle bags at our hotel and heading home early the next morning as we are making our way to Machu Picchu.

Distance: 4.9 KM | Ascent: 318 M | Descent: 576 M | Max Altitude: 2,700 M

Our last day on the Inca Trail starts early. We’ll be meeting at our mess tent at 3 AM to have breakfast and make our way down the trail to the entrance of the Machu Picchu area. There may be some waiting time at the gate before we get through. Once the gates open, we’ll make our way through. Most trekkers will be waiting around the same time, but as we start making our way up the trail, the groups separate, enabling us to arrive without too many people at the same time. The aim is to reach the “Inti Punku” or sun gate before sunrise and catch Machu Picchu with the dawn of the new day as is customary. The trail to the sun gate is relatively easy compared to our previous three days of trekking and usually takes about 3 hours to complete. The sun gate is the entrance to the citadel from high above. Arriving there is something magical. We’ll be able to see the ancient lost city far below us and will get to see it from many angles as we approach through the foothills until we finally arrive at its center. We’ll stop at every viewpoint to take pictures along the way. Once we arrive at Machu Picchu, we have to exit the compound first in order to store our backpacks and trekking poles that aren’t allowed in. We’ll then re-enter for our guided tour of this incredible place. The tour usually takes around two hours, after which we’ll jump on a local tourist bus to be shuttled down to the nearby town of Aguas Calientes, where our hotel is located. Upon arrival, we’ll collect our duffle bags and check into our accommodation where warm showers and other relaxing surprises await! Lunch will be hosted at a nearby restaurant. The afternoon is free to roam around this bustling market town. Your LHO Team Leader will be on hand to provide recommendations and also be able to show you around. Dinner will be at a local restaurant. Your LHO Team Leader will let you know where the meeting point will be closer to the time.

After breakfast, we’ll be jumping on the classic Machu Picchu train for a ride to the historic town of Ollantaytambo. We’ll be met by our bus at the station so that we can store our duffle bags and backpacks. This heritage site used to be the royal estate of the Inca Emperor Pachacuti in the Sacred Valley. It is made up of a series of terraced ruins on top of a vibrant mountain town. We’ll begin with a guided tour of the ruins before breaking off for some free time to enjoy the market and side streets that are filled with trinkets to buy and little coffee shops to explore. Your LHO Team Leader will set a meeting and time for us to board our bus and make our way to lunch. Our restaurant for today is a short drive away and includes some of the very best Peruvian dishes from the region. After our routine post-meal siesta, we’ll head out once more to explore the “Sacsayhuaman” heritage site, home to the biggest Inca settlement in the Cusco region. We’ll once again be treated to a tour of the location with lots of time to take pictures and enjoy the rich cultural heritage that the Sacred Valley has to offer. Once we’re done, we’ll make our way by bus for the short journey back to our hotel in Cusco. Your LHO Team Leader will let you know the time and place we’ll be meeting up for dinner.

Distance: 8.2 KM | Ascent: 404 M | Descent 404 M | Max Altitude: 5,200 M

Our last adventure day is probably the most rewarding and demanding at the same time. It involves an ascent to the highest altitude of the trip at 5,020 meters. Of course, the bus will bring us as close as possible, and there is an option to use mules if any of us are not feeling up to it.

We’ll also benefit from being well acclimatized to high altitude after our week on the Inca Trail and in the Cusco region. We’ll begin the day early at around 5:00 AM. Breakfast arrangements will be made with the hotel, either to provide packed breakfasts or an early breakfast on location. Your LHO Team Leader will let you know about the arrangements closer to the time.

The drive takes roughly three hours and passes through some of the wildest landscapes of the region. Our trailhead is Cusipata, a local settlement perched at 4,600 meters of elevation. Once we arrive, we’ll grab our backpacks and poles to begin our slow but sustained 400-meter trail to the Rainbow Mountain viewpoint. The trail can be a little bit muddy at times, especially if there is melting snow, but normally it should be dry and easy to walk on.

There are no steps like on the Inca Trail, and the path inclination is mild and gradual. That changes as we arrive at the pass between the two summits of the mountain, where the trail becomes somewhat steeper. Although it isn’t much steeper objectively, the high-altitude environment makes even the most marginal difference felt.

Your LHO Team Leader and local lead guide will be with you every step of the way to ensure your safety and help you find a pace at altitude that is sustainable. As we ascend, we’ll get to see wild alpacas and llamas against the backdrop of the majestic Ausangate Mountain. Depending on our pace, we may stop for a picnic lunch either just before or shortly after we reach the high point. Reaching Vinicunca usually takes around 3 hours and is well worth every step as the stunning Rainbow Mountain comes into full view, and the picture-taking begins! If weather is not a concern, we can really take our time here to enjoy the view, grab as many shots as we like, and just appreciate the achievement.

The return trek normally takes around 2 hours and follows the same trail down. When descending in altitude, it’s possible to go at whatever speed we like. Your LHO Team Leader or a member of the LHO Team will remain at the back to ensure that everyone is managing well. The reason why we don’t try to pace the descent is because we generally feel much better the lower we go, so it is for your own well-being that you should be able to descend at a pace that is comfortable for you without being held back. The descending trail is well defined, and our driver will be waiting at the parking just in case you’re the first person to reach.

Once we’ve all regrouped at the bus, we’ll make our way back to Cusco in time for our farewell dinner hosted by your LHO Team Leader and local lead guide. The last round of drinks is on us!

Our last day together is dedicated to airport transfers. Breakfast is included on this day. Your transfer to the airport will be arranged based on your flight times. Those of us with late departures can keep our luggage at the hotel and roam around Cusco. Please make sure to provide the correct flight itinerary when filling out your Team Details Form prior to the adventure start date. If your itinerary has changed, please inform your LHO Team Leader as early as possible for arrangements to be made in good time.