GuideCusco, Peru12 min read
The Classic Inca Trail, Day by Day
Four days, three passes and the Sun Gate at dawn
Average rating 4.0 out of 5
4.03 reviews
Everything we have learned from more than two hundred departures on the 43 km Inca Trail: permits, camps, passes and how to arrive at Machu Picchu before the buses.
Why the trail still matters
There are faster ways to reach Machu Picchu, and there are quieter treks in the Cusco region. But no other route lets you arrive the way the Inca intended: on foot, over the mountains, through a chain of ceremonial sites that were built to be seen in sequence.
The classic trail starts at Km 82 near Ollantaytambo and covers 43 km in four days. Only 500 people a day are allowed on it, and roughly 300 of those are porters and guides, so permits for May to September sell out four to six months ahead. The trail closes every February for maintenance.
Day one is a gentle warm-up along the Urubamba to the Llactapata ruins and on to Wayllabamba. Day two is the one people remember: a 1,200 m climb through cloud forest and puna grassland to Warmiwañusca, Dead Woman's Pass, at 4,215 m. Day three is the longest and, for us, the most beautiful, past Runkurakay, Sayacmarca and Phuyupatamarca, and down a thousand Inca steps to Wiñay Wayna. On day four the camp wakes at 3:30 so you can be at the checkpoint when it opens and walk through Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, as the light reaches the citadel.
The four days at a glance
- Day 1: Km 82 to Wayllabamba, 12 km, +400 m, about 6 hours
- Day 2: Wayllabamba to Pacaymayo over Dead Woman's Pass, 11 km, +1,200 m / -600 m
- Day 3: Pacaymayo to Wiñay Wayna over two more passes, 16 km, mostly downhill
- Day 4: Wiñay Wayna to the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu, 5 km before breakfast
Ruins along the way
Book permits early
Everyone asks about the pass. Nobody warns you that the most emotional moment is the first sight of the citadel from the Sun Gate.Mateo Quispe, lead guide
Trailhead at Km 82
About this story
Mateo QuispeAuthor
Andes TrailsPublisher
Reviews
Write a reviewAverage rating 4.0 out of 5
3 reviews- CCChiara Conti3 out of 5 stars23 Sept
Fine as an overview, but the transport section needs updating: two of the buses no longer run.
- ICIsabela Costa4 out of 5 stars30 Jul
Very helpful for planning. The altitude on day two is tougher than it sounds here.
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