The Inca Trail

Even though it is just one among a multitude of paths across the Andes, the fabulous treasure of Machu Picchu at the end of its 43km route makes the Inca Trail the world’s most famous trek. For many travellers, it is the defining experience of a Peru trekking tour.

Most people visit the site on a day tour by train from Cusco, Ollantaytambo, or Urubamba. But if you are reasonably fit and can dedicate at least four days to the experience, arriving at Machu Picchu along the Inca Trail offers the most atmospheric and rewarding option.

The downside of the trail’s popularity is that you have to book at least nine months in advance and can only go with a tour group run by a licensed tour operator. The trail involves tough altitude trekking at times, but this is rewarded by spectacular scenery, deep valleys, glaciated mountain peaks and remote Inca structures.

Doing the trail in four days is the preferred option for most, and the most common tour length offered by tour agencies. More pleasant still is to spend five or six days, taking in everything as you go along. If you can only spare three days, you’ll be pushing it the whole way – it can be done but it’s gruelling. If this is all the time you can spare, give yourself a head start by catching the afternoon train and heading up the Cusichaca Valley as far as possible the evening before. There are 16 campsites along the trail; where you stay the night will ultimately be decided by your trail guide.

Inca Trail wildlife

Acting as a bio corridor between the Cusco Andes, the Sacred Valley, and the lowland Amazon forest, the Santuario Histórico de Machu Picchu possesses over 370 species of birds, 47 mammal species, and more than 700 butterfly species. This rich biodiversity brings a wilder dimension to a Peru luxury tour, especially for travellers who want more than the ruins alone.

Some of the more notable residents include the cock of the rock, known as tunkis in the Quechua-speaking Andes, the spectacled bear, and the condor. In addition, there are around 300 different species of orchid hidden up in the trees of the cloud forest.

Alternative Treks to the Inca Trail

Cusco-based adventure tour operators have developed three main trekking routes in response to the desperate over-demand for the Inca Trail. The most popular is Choquequirao, and like the Inca Trail, this trek ends at a fabulous ancient citadel, making it a strong choice for anyone shaping an Inca Civilization tour around lesser-known ruins.

Treks around the sacred glaciated mountain of Salcantay are also well developed and, to some extent, overlap with and link to the Inca Trail itself. Much less walked, but equally breathtaking, is Ausangate, another sacred snow-covered peak with a convenient looping trail that can be seen from Cusco on a clear day, dominating the southern horizon.

Another popular trek is the route from Ollantaytambo to Lares. As for cost, these treks are similar in price to the Inca Trail, ranging from about $60 to $100 a day.