We will depart for your Machu Picchu Inca Trail Tour from Cusco at 5 a.m. in private transportation and head toward KM 82, the starting point of the Inca Trail. After this beautiful drive, your chef will prepare breakfast before you start your trek. We start our hike walking along the left shore of the Urubamba River, following the trail along a flat terrain, to the community of Miskay (2800 m /9184 ft). The first two hours of the trek are relatively easy as we make our way to our first Inca site and checkpoint, Patallacta. This site will start the approach to Machu Picchu. After we arrive at Patallacta, we will make our way down into the canyon to enjoy lunch and the views of Patallacta. From Patallacta, we will continue on the trail at an easygoing pace, while enjoying the scenery and haring stories from your guide. It’s about a two-hour walk to reach our camping site at the village of Hatunchaka (3,300 meters).

We wake up early to begin our ascent to Dead Woman´s Pass. The views of the snow-capped mountains and the cloud forest are fantastic. This first stretch is the most challenging part of the trek. It consists of a steep ascent that stretches for nine kilometers, which will bring us to the first mountain pass in the Inca Trail, Abra Warmihuañusca (Dead Woman’s pass). We will stop at Llulluchapampa to relax and to buy any last essentials. We may be able to see deer and falcons in this area. We will have the chance to spot domesticated llamas and alpacas, who graze on ichu (one of the few plants that grow at that altitude). After the two-hour walk up to the pass, we can enjoy the beautiful views and a refreshing cup of coca tea. After we have made it to the pass, it´s downhill the rest of the day. After about two hours, we´ll stop for lunch, and have a free afternoon in the Pacaymayo Valley.

After breakfast, we will continue our hike up the opposite side of the valley, as we make our way towards the second pass on the trek. Along the way, we will see fantastic views of waterfalls and flora and fauna. Halfway up, we will stop and visit the Inca site of Runcu Raccay (an Inca watchtower), and to catch our breath before we continue our climb to the pass (4,000 meters). From the pass, we will once again begin our descent back into the cloud forest. After about an hour, we arrive at Sayacmarca, one of the most beautiful ruins on the Inca Trail, where we’ll have a one hour, guided tour. From Sayacmarca, we will continue to our lunch spot at Chaquicocha (dry lake). Here you will see some of the fantastic flora and fauna the Inca Trail has to offer. From Chaquicocha onwards, we will walk along Inca flat (gradual inclines), as we make our way towards our final campsite, Phuyupatamarca (3,680 meters). This area of the Inca Trail had stunning views of the Vilcabamba mountain range, as well as abundant flora and fauna. After another two hour walk, we’ll arrive at our campsite, where we’ll get our first view of Machu Picchu mountain and the Urubamba river. We’ll settle into our campsite, and have the chance to explore the Inca site. As the sun goes down, we can enjoy the beautiful sunset over the snow-capped peaks.