Tour Itinerary
DAY 1 PISKAKUCHO (KM. 82) - WAYLLABAMBA
Pick up from you hotel around 5:30 am, (exact time to be confirmed). A spectacular early morning drive through the Sacred Valley of the Incas takes us to the very beginning of our trail at Km. 82 of the Machupicchu railroad. After a short arrival break and check in at the entrance gate, we set out by crossing a footbridge to hike a gentle two hours down the Urubamba Canyon. On the way we pass imposing sculpted Inca farming terraces and the settlement of Llaqtapata on the banks of the Cusichaca side river. We then climb a short way up the Cusichaca valley to Wayllabamba, the last inhabited village on the trail, where we camp.
DAY 2 WAYLLABAMBA - PAKASMAYU
Today, we climb the steep-sided Llulluchapampa valley past a rushing stream and through enchanted native polylepis woodland. Crossing the rim of a small plateau, we abruptly find ourselves in the puna, the treeless grasslands of the high Andes. The trail traverses an open slope opposite mighty mountain crags as we ascend to the first and highest pass, Warmiwañusca (4,200m/13,776ft). Here we encounter spectacular views of the trail ahead to the second pass, and look back to the sweeping snowpeaks and valleys of the Huayanay massif. The trail leads us to the floor of the forested Pakasmayu valley, where we camp for the night.
DAY 3 PAKASMAYU - WINAYWAYNA
We climb up an Inka stairway and ascend again passing the small Inca site of Runkuracay. As we reach the second pass, the landscape opens onto spectacular new views of the snowpeaks of the Pumasillo range. We descend to the ruins of Sayacmarca (Inaccessible Town), an intricate labyrinth of houses, plazas and water channels, perched precariously on a rocky spur overlooking the Aobamba valley. The Inca trail, now a massive buttressed structure of granite paving stones, continues along the steep upper fringes of the cloud forest through a colorful riot of orchids, bromeliads, mosses and ferns. At the third pass we pinnacles topped with Inca viewing platforms overlook the archaeological complex of Phuyupatamarca (Cloud-level Town). Here we will explore the wondrous maze of Inca stone towers, fountains and stairways that spill down the mountainside. A long descent through ever-changing layers of cloud forest and an Inca stairway partly cut from living granite leads us down by the ruins of Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young), the largest and most exquisite of the Inca Trail sites, where we will camp for our last night.
DAY 4 WIÑAYWAYNA - MACHUPICCHU
A very early morning hike takes us across a steep mountainside through a lush, humid cloud-forest of giant ferns and broad-leaf vegetation. Suddenly we cross the stone threshold of Intipunku (Sun Gate) and encounter an unforgettable sweep of natural beauty and human artistry -a backdrop of twisting gorges and forested peaks framing the magical city of Machu Picchu.
We complete the final leg down the royal flagstone walkway, past outlying shrines and buildings and into the heart of Machupicchu, where we spend the rest of the morning with a guided tour of the highlights and some individual exploring among Machupicchu's multitude of hidden nooks and corners. In the early afternoon a bus takes us to the small town of Aguas Calientes. Here you can have lunch and then take the train to Cusco. You will be picked up at the station and taken to your hotel.
DURATION: 4 days / 3 nights.
SEASON: April to November.
DEPARTURE: every day
MINIMUM:
INCLUDED:
• Hotel transfer on arrival and departure.
• Transport to the Km. 82
• English & Spanish speaking guide
• Meals during the tour.
• Entrance fee to Machupicchu Sanctuary
• Return train ticket to Cusco.
• Tents.
• Sleeping pads.
NOT INCLUDED:
• Sleeping bags (available for rent), hiking boots, flashlights, day pack
• Lunch in Aguas Calientes.
• Personal porter (available for $100 per 15 kilos)
• tips for the guide, porters and cook
