The Inca Trail: Road to Machu Picchu

The Inca Trail: Road to Machu Picchu

The Inca Trail (Camino Inca in Spanish), a 50-km (31-mi) sector of the stone path that once extended from Cusco to Machu Picchu, is arguably the most popular hike in South America. Nothing matches the sensation of walking over the ridge that leads to the Lost City of the Inca just as the sun casts its first yellow glow over the ancient stone buildings. The trail gleaned a bit of pop-culture cachet from a scene in the 2004 film The Motorcycle Diaries, when Mexican actor Gael García Bernal, playing a very young, prerevolutionary Che Guevara, did just that. You can, too, though under much more regulation these days than Guevara experienced in the early 1950s.

U.S. historian Hiram Bingham announced his discovery of the Inca Trail in 1915. As with Machu Picchu itself, his "discovery" was a little disingenuous. Locals knew about the trail, and parts of it were used during the colonial and early republican eras. In fact, the Spanish used some of the roads constructed by the Inca when they were conquering the indigenous peoples.

When to Go

The best months to make the four-day trek are May through September; rainy weather is a small possibility then, but more likely in April and October and a certainty the rest of the year. With the number of hikers capped at 500 per day -- and that number includes guides and porters -- the trail fills up quickly during the dry high season. If you arrive in Cusco during those months with no advance plans, you'll notice signs in windows of licensed tour operators all announcing next space available October. Avoid disappointment and make reservations weeks in advance if you plan to make the hike that time of year. The trek is doable during the rainy season, but can become uncomfortably slippery and muddy by December. Clouds can obscure views as well. The trail closes for cleaning and maintenance at least one week (longer if summer rains have been exceptionally heavy) each February, the lowest of the low season.

Hiring a Guide

The days of setting off on the Inca Trail on your own, along with the rowdiness and litter that accompanied that free-for-all, ended years ago. You must use a licensed tour operator, one accredited by the Unidad de Gestión Santuario Histórico de Machu Picchu, the organization that oversees the trail, and which limits the number of hikers to 500 per day. (There are some 30 such licensed operators in Cusco.) Regulations require each agency to submit its group list to the Unidad five days in advance of departure. In practice this requirement is sometimes reduced to two days, especially in the low season, but advance reservations are essential any time of year. Groups may not exceed 16 people; for more than 9 a second guide is required.

Your choice of operator will result in a "you get what you pay for" experience. Check closely what you receive for the price. Several agencies, usually catering to a student clientele, offer trips for about S/700, and if you're up to carrying your own equipment and eating more basic rations they are fine options. Higher fees -- and up to S/1,500 -- get you porters, more luxurious tents, and meals, and likely include rail transportation between Cusco and Ollantaytambo, and admission to Machu Picchu. All operators offer a 4-day/3-night package for the entire trail, as well as an abbreviated 2-day/1-night version beginning at Km 104.

Below are several companies that we recommend:

Enigma offers medium-priced excursions for approximately S/1,100 per person. A cook, porter, and guide are included. Jr. Clorinda Mato de Turner 100, Cusco. 084/222-155. www.enigmaperu.com

Explorandes has all-inclusive Inca Tour excursions for groups as small as one person. The cost is S/2,000, with optional escorted add-ons from Lima. San Fernando 320, Miraflores, Lima. 01/445-0532. www.explorandes.com

Q'ente is known for its high-quality budget treks for less than S/1,000 per person, including top-notch guides. Expect to be your own porter and pitch in with cooking detail. Garcilaso, Cusco. 084/222-535. www.qente.com

SAS Travel is a highly regarded medium-range agency offering all you need for about S/1,100 per person. The cost of porters is extra and optional. Portal de Panes 143, Haukaypata (Plaza de Armas), Cusco. 084/255-205. www.sastravelperu.com

X-treme offers fine, you-carry-it, you-cook-it trail treks for about S/800 per person. Plateros 358, Cusco. 084/224-362. www.x-tremeperu.com

Getting Ready

If you've never been backpacking, try to get some practice before you set out. You must be in decent shape, even if your agency supplies porters to carry your pack -- current regulations limit your load to 20 kg (44 lb) -- as the trail is often narrow and hair-raising.

As the mountains sometimes rise to over 4,200 meters (13,775 feet), you should be aware of the dangers of altitude sickness. Your gear should include sturdy hiking boots, a sleeping bag -- down is best for the cold nights that can occur any time of year -- clothing for cold, rainy weather, a hat, and a towel. Also bring plenty of sunblock and mosquito repellent. Toilet paper is another essential on this rustic trail with few comfort stations. Avoid cutting flowers and vegetation. There are seven well-spaced, designated campsites along the trail.

Hiking the Trail

The trail begins outside the Sacred Valley town of Ollantaytambo at a place called Km 88, marking the distance from Cusco. The Cusco-Machu Picchu trains stop here briefly, shortly after stopping at the Ollantaytambo station. You and your group disembark from the train here to set off on the trail. (Some agencies take you via minivan shuttle from Cusco and start their trek at Km 82. That adds only an extra hour or so onto your walk.) The four-day trek takes you past ruins and through stunning scenery that starts in the thin air of the highlands and ends in cloud forests. As you ascend the trail, you'll cross several rivers and lakes via a series of suspension bridges, log bridges, and causeways, many constructed by the Inca.

Day 1

Compared to what lies ahead, the first day's hike is a reasonably easy 12 km (7 1/2 mi). You'll encounter fantastic ruins almost immediately. An easy ascent takes you to the first of those, Patallaqta (also called Llactapata), not far from the start of the trail. The name means "town on a hillside" in Quechua, and the ruins are thought to have been a village in Inca times. Bingham and company camped here on their first excursion to Machu Picchu.

At the end of your 12-km (7 1/2-mi) day, you arrive at Huayllabamba, the only presently inhabited village on the trail and your first overnight stop.

Day 2

Day 2 entails another 12-km (7 1/2-mi) hike, but with a gain of 1,200 meters (3,940 feet) in elevation, this is the toughest stretch of the excursion. The day is most memorable for the spectacular views and muscular aches after ascending to the apocryphally named Dead Woman's Pass (also known as Warmiwañuscca) at 4,200 meters (13,780 feet). No one actually knows the story of the dead woman and her fate, but the name has spooked generations of trekkers. A tricky descent takes you to Pacaymayu, the second night's campsite.

Day 3

It's all figuratively and literally downhill after that rough second day. Day 3 begins the descent to the subtropical cloud forest that begins the Amazon basin. You encounter the ruins of Runkuraqay, a circular Inca storage depot for products being transported between Machu Picchu and Cusco. And you pass by Sayacmarca, possibly a way station for priests traversing the trail.

Most excursions arrive by mid-afternoon at Wiñaywayna, the third-night stopping point, at what by now will seem a low and balmy 2,650 meters (8,900 feet). There is time to see the ruins of Puyupatamarca, a beautifully restored site where you'll find ceremonial baths, and perhaps the best ruins on the hike. At this point you catch your first glimpse of Machu Picchu peak, but from the back side.

Day 4

Day 4 means the grand finale, arrival at Machu Picchu itself, the reason the trail was constructed in the first place. You'll be roused from your sleeping bag well before dawn to be able to arrive at the ruins in time to catch the sunrise. The trail takes you past the Intipunku, the sun gate. Bask in your first sight of the ruins and your accomplishment at completing the Inca Trail, but you'll need to circle around and enter Machu Picchu officially through the entrance gate.

Alternative Treks

The popularity of the Inca Trail and the scarcity of available high-season spots have led to the opening of several alternative hikes of varying length and difficulty.

Some Cusco tour operators market the two-day, one-night Inca Trail excursion as the Camino Sagrado Inca (Sacred Inca Trail). It doesn't generate quite the bragging rights as the four-day trip does, but it's a splendid alternative if you're short on time and stamina. (It's a bit easier to procure reservations for these trips, but advance reservations with a licensed operator are still essential.) The excursion begins at Km 104, a stop on the Cusco-Machu Picchu trains. A three-hour walk takes you to Wiñaywayna -- portions are steep, but nothing like Day 2 of the four-day trek -- and then you spend the night at the hostel there. You rise early on your second day to catch the sunrise at Machu Picchu.

The three- to seven-day Salcantay trek is named for the 6,270-meter (20,500-foot) peak of the same name. It begins at Mollepata, four hours by road from Cusco, and is a strenuous hike because of its passage through a 4,800-meter (15,700-foot) pass. The Salcantay excursion joins the Inca Trail at Huayllabamba.

The Ausangate trek takes its name from the Nevado Ausangate, 6,372 meters (20,900 feet) in elevation, and requires a day of travel each way from Cusco in addition to the standard five-six days on the trail. Nearly the entire excursion takes you on terrain over 4,000 meters (13,100 feet), making it a difficult option.