A visit to Machu Picchu is the highlight of most people’s trip to Peru. In fact, this ancient Inca Citadel attracts over a million visitors each year. Many visitors get there by way of the classic Inca Trail. Yet, there are numerous Machu Picchu treks that take you there, each unique in their own right.
Planning Your Machu Picchu Treks
Machu Picchu is only accessible by train or by foot. Roughly eighty-percent of visitors reach Machu Picchu by train, and 500 hikers start out on Inca Trail each day, Peru’s most popular trek. Technically, all these treks follow ‘Inca’ trails, but only one is known as the ‘classic route’. (Securing a permit for the Inca Trail must be done 4-6 months in advance.)
Luckily, if you’re looking to avoid the crowds and want to have a unique experience, there are a number of great options for getting to Machu Picchu. We’ve put together a brief summary and description of the various trekking options to help you decide which route is best for you.
Find out the list of the trekking to Machu Picchu
CLASSIC INCA TRAIL TO MACHU PICCHU 4 DAYS
See details here!
| Duration | 4 Days & 3 Nights |
| Cost | USD 657 per person on a small group trek. |
Our Classic Inca Trail is a 4 day trek and runs as a small group tour. You will stay at the popular campsites, use good camping equipment and thermarests to sleep on (sleeping bag not included), and be well supplied with nutritious, plentiful meals and snacks. At campsites you use the basic, shared latrines provided, but you do have the option to pay extra for a toilet tent. We offer daily departures, except in February, when the trail is closed to everyone. We always include a personal porter who will carry 7kg for you.
Permits for the Inca Trail are limited to 500 per day and sold on a first come first served basis. Demand is always high, and the 4 day trek is already sold out for the early months of 2018 – although there is still plenty of availability later in the year.
***Canceled spaces are not resold. So, if you can’t change your travel dates to fit with when permits are available then how about considering an alternative trek.
Our alternatives trek are all great hikes in their own right and are less well trodden. If you prefer having the mountains to yourselves, an alternative may be preferable anyway.
Alternative Treks to Machu Picchu
Our Huchuy Qosqo, Lares, Salkantay, Choquequiaro and the Moon Temple trek all take you through the heart of the high Andes and include a guided visit to Machu Picchu. Alternatively choose to hike the remote Ausangate trek that takes you well off the beaten track and can still be combined with a visit to Machu Picchu before or after the trek.
We suggest you acclimatize for a minimum of 3 days and 3 nights in Cusco, or higher, before starting any of these treks, because of the high altitudes involved. If you have longer then spend longer acclimatising. The better acclimatised you are the more you will enjoy the trek.
LARES TREK & THE SHORT INCA TRAIL TO MACHU PICCHU
See details here!
| Duration | 5 Days & 4 night of Cultural & historical Machu Picchu treks |
| Cost | USD 757 based on joining a small group Lares Trek with a private 2 day Inca Trail add on. |
Permits for the “2 day Inca Trail” or “Short Inca Trail” are easier to come by and are different from the permits for the full Inca Trail so you could consider the option of doing just a 2 day trek or combining it with our Lares Trek, making it a 5 day trip with day 4 being a hike to the site of Winay Wayna where you join the Inca Trail and follow it along to the Sun Gate, entering Machu Picchu as you would on the Inca Trail. Day 6 is then a guided tour of the site.
For a fuller experience I’d recommend the 5 day trip, combining the two day Inca Trail with the lovely Cultural Lares Trek.
LARES TREK TO MACHU PICCHU 4 DAYS
| Duration | 4 Days & 3 Nights – Its a Cultural trek to Machu Picchu |
| Cost | USD 497 on a small group trek. |
The Lares trek goes through a traditional weaving and farming area close to the Sacred Valley. You will see people dressed in authentic highland Peruvian clothing, farmers at work, herds of llamas etc. You also have the opportunity to bathe in some hot springs.
SALKANTAY TREK TO MACHU PICCHU 4 DAYS OR 5 DAYS
See details here!
| Duration | 4 Days or 5 Days Machu Picchu treks |
| Cost | USD 557 on a small group trek. |
The Salkantay option is a bit more rugged and tougher, with higher passes. Starting off at 3,600ms this trek goes up to 4,600ms and then drops down into the high jungle before coming in the back door to Machu Picchu. A stunning high-mountain walk with great views of the big snow-capped peaks in the area and ending at Machu Picchu. It include the hike to Humantay Lake, visit to the natural hot springs and the trekking to Llactapara Inac ruins.
AUSANGATE LODGE BASED TREK
| Duration | 4 or 5 Days |
| Cost | ???. |
The Ausangate trek takes you to a wonderful remote area at the foot of the sacred peak of Ausangate. Fewer hikers and dramatic scenery make this trek a great choice for those who’d like to veer a little off the beaten track. It is challenging mostly due to the altitude, so requires a longer acclimatization pre-trek. This is one of our highest treks so we recommend at least 4 or 6 days of acclimatizing before setting off.
AUSANGATE CAMPING AND TREKKING
See details here!
| Duration | 4 Days |
| Cost | USD 577 on a small group trek. |
This trekking adventure features a spectacular 4-day walk around Mount Ausangate in the remote and stunning Vilcanota Range. Fully supported, this trek features hot-springs, stunning mountain scenery and turquoise lakes, making it one of Peru’s finest hiking circuits.
You should be very well acclimated before starting to walk as we will be camping in Altiplano well over 4,000m and crossing several passes at around 5,000m.
Departures: Regular group departures from April to October
MOON TEMPLE TREK TO MACHU PICCHU
See details here
| Duration | 5 Days |
| Cost | USD 880 on a small group trek. |
This Moon Temple trek is a great alternative to the Inca Trail, taking in some remote Inca ruins and many stunning mountain views on the way to Machu Picchu treks. This trek is truly off the beaten track. For anyone wishing to get away from other trekkers and to experience the beauty and rich Culture of the Andes this is a perfect option.
HUCHUY QOSQO and MACHU PICCHU
See details here!
| Duration | 3 Days & 2 Nights |
| Cost | USD 517 on a small group trek. |
Huchuy Qosqo is a fantastically varied and short trek with Inca Trails and archaeological sites en route to Peru’s jewel, Machu Picchu. It is perfect for those seeking an alternative and interesting trek to Machu Picchu, but who don’t want to hike the longer trekking routes.
The Machu Picchu treks information has been updated on March 2023.