Classic Inca Trail

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.

If you are searching the web for information about the Classic 4 day Inca Trail you'll probably be overwhelmed to find hundreds of tour companies offering this popular trek amongst their services. In fact in 2007 over 140 trekking companies in Cusco have been awarded licenses to operate the Inca Trail. Licenses are awarded only to registered Peruvian tour operators who have offices in Cusco so even if you buy your trek with a company in your own country it won't actually be operated by them. Prices for the Classic 4 day trek start at about US$350 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 2009

In the last few years the price of the 4-day Inca Trail trek has risen a lot. The are several reasons for this:

1. The government authorities have introduced minimum standards for the trekking companies. The maximum group size is now 16 persons and each company has to take basic equipment such as a kitchen tent, dining tent, first aid kit and oxygen, etc. This leads to more porters per group. For groups of more than 9 trekkers an additional guide must accompany the group. All guides now have to be professionally qualified and licensed.

2. The Porters Law introduced in 2003 is now being strictly implemented. Not only do porters now receive a minimum wage of about US$15 per day but their loads are also limited to a maximum of 25kg, they have to take sleeping bags, back packs, back-support belts and warm clothing as well as being provided with suitable meals, access to first aid and accident insurance. Extra equipment and reduced loads leads to more porters per group. Most responsible operators now use a ratio of about 3 porters for every 2 trekkers.

3. The number of trekkers allowed to start the trek has also been limited to about 200 people per day (500 people in total including guides, cooks and porters on the classic Inca Trail, the shorter Inca Trail and the Salkantay trek) making it essential to book your trek well in advance. Back in 2000 the cost of the entrance fee was US$17, now in 2007 the cost is US$73 per person. Porters also have to pay an entrance fee, although at a reduced rate of US$13.

4. The tax authorities have clamped down pretty hard on the trekking companies in recent years. You can now expect to pay around US$40 per person in taxes. However if you buy your trek with an overseas tour operator then the trek is exempt from taxes so buying a trek directly with a local tour operator is usually cheaper and helps benefit the local economy much more than booking with a company in your own country.

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 Availability 2009

Since the number of trek permits is limited to 500 per day (about 200 tourists and 300 trekking staff) it is important to book well in advance. The trek permits are issued on a first-come-first-served basis up until all the permits have been sold out. In the low season (December & January) there are some days when there are still permits available 4 or 5 days in advance, but in the high season (May to September) it is recommended that you book at least 3 months in advance to guarantee a place. You can check out how many permits are left on our webpage Inca Trail trek permit availability

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, how well they treat their porters 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 .