8 Day Inca Trail Package with Cusco Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu

A member of our team will meet you at Cusco airport according to your confirmed arrival time. We will assist you with your luggage and transfer you directly to your hotel.

Since Cusco is located at approximately 3,400 meters (11,155 feet), the remainder of the day is intentionally left free. We recommend arriving in the morning so you have enough time to rest and begin adjusting to the elevation.

Your guide or travel coordinator will also provide the practical information required for the following days, including pickup times and preparation for the Inca Trail.

Tour Details

• Arrival elevation: Approximately 3,400 m (11,155 ft)
• Scheduled activity: Airport reception and hotel transfer
• Physical difficulty: Easy
• Accommodation: Hotel in Cusco
• Meals included: None

The morning is available for resting or walking through Cusco independently. At approximately 1:00 p.m., we will collect you from your hotel for a guided introduction to the former capital of the Inca Empire. 

The tour begins at Cusco Cathedral, where colonial architecture and paintings from the Cusco School reflect the meeting of European and Andean traditions. We then continue to Qorikancha, the most important temple dedicated to the Sun during the Inca period. After leaving the historic center, we travel to Sacsayhuaman, known for its enormous stone walls and panoramic views over Cusco. The afternoon continues at Qenqo, a ceremonial complex carved into natural rock, and Tambomachay, where finely constructed water channels still function. At the end of the tour, we will return you to Cusco for a second night at your hotel.

Tour Details

• Tour duration: Approximately 4–5 hours
• Starting elevation: Cusco at approximately 3,400 m (11,155 ft)
• Highest point: Sacsayhuaman at approximately 3,700 m (12,139 ft)
• Physical difficulty: Easy to moderate
• Accommodation: Hotel in Cusco
• Meals included: Breakfast

We will collect you from your Cusco hotel at approximately 7:30 a.m. and travel into the Sacred Valley. Our first stop is Awanacancha, where you can see llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, and guanacos while learning about traditional Andean textiles. We then continue to the archaeological site of Pisac. 

Its terraces extend across the mountainside and provide a clear example of how the Incas adapted agriculture and settlement planning to the landscape. After the guided visit, we descend to the traditional Pisac market before continuing through the valley for an included lunch. 

Depending on the daily operation, we may also make a brief cultural stop at a local chichería. During the afternoon, we travel to Ollantaytambo. Your guide will lead you through its stone terraces, ceremonial areas, and surviving Inca streets. After the visit, you will check into your hotel in Ollantaytambo and prepare for the beginning of the trek.

Tour Details

• Tour duration: Approximately 9–10 hours
• Pisac elevation: Approximately 2,972 m (9,751 ft)
• Ollantaytambo elevation: Approximately 2,792 m (9,160 ft)
• Physical difficulty: Easy to moderate
• Accommodation: Hotel in Ollantaytambo
• Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

After breakfast, we travel by road from Ollantaytambo to Piscacucho, commonly known as Km 82 and the official starting point of the Classic Inca Trail. At the checkpoint, the authorities will verify your original passport and name-specific trail permit. Once the registration process is complete, we cross the Urubamba River and begin the hike. 

The first section follows a gradual trail through the valley. Along the route, you will have views toward Patallacta, an extensive Inca settlement surrounded by agricultural terraces. Your guide will explain its relationship with the wider trail network before we continue toward the community of Wayllabamba. After lunch, the route begins to climb more steadily. We continue through changing vegetation until reaching our campsite at Ayapata, where the support team will have the tents and dinner ready.

Trek Details

• Starting point: Piscacucho Km 82 at approximately 2,720 m (8,924 ft)
• Walking distance: Approximately 14 km (8.7 miles)
• Walking time: Approximately 6–7 hours
• Highest point: Ayapata at approximately 3,300 m (10,827 ft)
• Physical difficulty: Moderate
• Accommodation: Camping at Ayapata
• Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Today is the longest and most physically demanding day of the trek. After an early breakfast, we begin a sustained ascent through the high Andean landscape toward Dead Woman’s Pass. Known locally as Warmiwañusca, the pass reaches 4,215 meters (13,829 feet) and is the highest point of the Classic Inca Trail. Your guide will maintain a manageable pace and schedule regular breaks along the climb. 

After reaching the pass, we descend along steep stone steps into the Pacaymayo Valley. Following lunch, we begin the second major ascent of the day toward the Runkurakay archaeological site and mountain pass. The final section descends toward Sayacmarca, an Inca complex constructed along a narrow ridge. From there, we continue through the changing mountain environment until reaching the Chaquicocha campsite.

Trek Details

• Walking distance: Approximately 16 km (9.9 miles)
• Walking time: Approximately 10–12 hours
• Highest point: Dead Woman’s Pass at 4,215 m (13,829 ft)
• Campsite elevation: Chaquicocha at approximately 3,600 m (11,811 ft)
• Physical difficulty: Challenging
• Accommodation: Camping at Chaquicocha
• Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

After breakfast, we continue along some of the best-preserved stone pathways on the Inca Trail. This section enters the cloud forest, where the landscape becomes greener and the vegetation more abundant. The route passes through stone tunnels and mountain viewpoints before reaching Phuyupatamarca, whose Quechua name is commonly translated as “Town Above the Clouds.”

When conditions are clear, this elevated archaeological site offers extensive views of the surrounding valleys and mountains. We then begin a long descent along original Inca steps. Before reaching camp, we visit Intipata, a large system of agricultural terraces overlooking the Urubamba Valley. Our final destination is Wiñay Wayna, one of the most important archaeological complexes on the route. After the guided visit, you will return to the nearby campsite for dinner and your final night on the trail.

Trek Details

• Walking distance: Approximately 10 km (6.2 miles)
• Walking time: Approximately 5–6 hours
• Highest point: Phuyupatamarca at approximately 3,680 m (12,073 ft)
• Campsite elevation: Wiñay Wayna at approximately 2,600 m (8,530 ft)
• Physical difficulty: Moderate with an extended stone-step descent
• Accommodation: Camping at Wiñay Wayna
• Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

We begin before sunrise and walk toward Inti Punku, the Sun Gate. This historic entrance provides the first panoramic view of Machu Picchu, weather permitting. From the Sun Gate, we descend toward the archaeological site and complete the required entrance procedures. 

Your guide will then lead an approximately two-hour visit following the official circuit assigned to your ticket. During the tour, you will learn about the construction, history, and cultural importance of Machu Picchu while visiting the principal areas permitted by your route. 

After leaving the archaeological site, we take the shuttle bus to Aguas Calientes. You will have time to purchase lunch before boarding the tourist train to Ollantaytambo. Upon arrival at the train station, our driver will meet you for the transfer to your hotel in Cusco. Arrival is generally expected during the evening, depending on the confirmed train schedule and road traffic.

At the appropriate time, we will collect you from your Cusco hotel and transfer you to the airport. Your pickup time will be coordinated according to your confirmed flight departure. This transfer marks the conclusion of your eight-day Cusco, Sacred Valley, Inca Trail, and Machu Picchu package.

Tour Details

• Pickup location: Your hotel in Cusco
• Final destination: Cusco airport
• Transfer duration: Approximately 20–30 minutes, depending on traffic
• Physical difficulty: Easy
• Accommodation: None
• Meals included: Breakfast, subject to the hotel and flight schedule