For many people, visiting Machu Picchu is on their bucket list.  As it should be.  The site itself is a marvelous feat.  When visitors arrive, the altitude often takes their breath away nearly as much as the view  of the sprawling archaeological site, which is still only a portion of the great city. The rest lays uncovered in the surrounding vegetation, waiting for future generations to discover its secrets.  However, for many people the idea of hiking the Inca Trail and following the pilgrimage of the Incan people, calls to them. If this is you, or might be you, YES, you can do it!  And the reward of earning the first sight of Machu Picchu the way the Incan people did, by hiking the Inca Trail, is so much better than you can ever imagine.

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir

Hiking the Inca Trail – Our Full Truth Guide

Daily Limits for Hiking the Inca Trail

If you are just starting to research hiking the Inca Trial, you might be surprised to learn that the spots are limited and you need to buy your permit way ahead of time.  And yes, as of 2001, you can no longer hike the Inca Trail without a guided tour.   Each day 500 permits are allowed, and over half of those go to guides and porters. This means that approximately 200 hikers will enter Machu Picchu from the Inca Trail per day.

Our 16 person trekking group at the entry to the trail

If you want more independence, or you didn’t get the permit for the dates you wanted, you might want to look into hiking the Salkantay trail instead.At the time of this writing, you can hike the 57.2 mile trek with a high point on Salkantay Pass of 15,190′, with or without a guide, and there are no limits to the number of hikers per day.  Do keep in mind you should purchase your entry ticket into Machu Picchu ahead of time to make sure you won’t be left out of the gates due to limits on the number of tourists allowed in each day.  This is especially important in the busy season of June-September.  If you want to hike Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountains, reserve your tickets in advance as well.

You can buy your tickets the Peruvian Ministry of Culture (you need Flash Player to use this website), or for a fee, any company endorsed by the Ministry.  For a complete guide to buying your Machu Pichu tickets, check out this post from the Thrifty Nomads.

Hiking the Inca Trail with a Guided Tour

Besides deciding you are going to hike the trial, the most important decision you will make is which company to hike with.  Things to consider are price, of course, their reputation for treatment of porters, group size, meals provided, do you want a portable toilet? (the answer is yes, but you can live without it), and the distance hiked each day.  Private tours are also available, but will be much more expensive.

Here are some of the highly rated companies (there are 190 licensed tour companies so this is just a snapshot) and 2018 prices:

Alpaca Expeditions $665 – Peruvian Owner who has worked as a porter and guide

Peru Treks$650 –  Specializes in 4 day trek and hires porters exclusively from 6 mountain villages in the region (this is who we trekked with)

Llama Path $675 – Also owned by a Peruvian with experience as a porter and guide

SAS Travel $690 – Enthusiastic guides and many different tours available

Wayki Travel $760 – Limits group size to 8 and created by local experienced guides

Valencia Travel Cusco $695 – Emphasis on every age group ensuring everyone has a positive experience.

Enigma Adventure $790 (or $1,719.00 per person for private treks) – Best known for luxury custom treks.

As I mentioned, this is far from an exhaustive list.  One quick google search will bring up hundreds of options as well as many sites with their own advice.  If you have any special needs, make sure your company will accommodate them (such as diet, or you know you will be a faster or slower hiker, need special sleeping equipment, etc.)

How Hard is Hiking the Inca Trail?

Justin Made the Summit at Dead Woman Pass

OK, this question is hard to answer because the journey will be different for every person.  The actual altitude change on day 2 is the largest with a rise of around 4000′ from 9650′ to 13776′ at Dead Woman Pass.  If you were hiking this at sea level, it would be a nice challenging hike.  At altitude, it can really affect you.  Minimize this by arriving early to acclimate in Cuzco, drink tons of water, and drink that coca tea or take other altitude sickness medication from your doctor.  For my husband and myself, the altitude didn’t cause as much of a challenge as we had expected.  We had trained for this hike and are runners.  If you generally consider yourself to be an athlete and in good shape, you will enjoy the challenge, and the discomfort will fade quickly.  Think of if as a full day HIIT workout.  Our group ranged from athletes to intermediate hikers, to those who needed additional time to complete each leg of the trek. 

If you are in average shape, hiking the Inca Trail should be a great experience for you.  You should be able to complete each section with enough time to catch your breath and enjoy the views.  If you have respiratory or cardiovascular health problems, or joint issues, this hike will push you to your limits.  Companies will do their best to accommodate hikers that need additional time, but you might not get as long of breaks when you arrive at meeting points as the group will need to keep moving.  Consider a company that specializes in older hikers they will have experience helping and encouraging you through the challenging up- (and down-) hill sections.

Downhill after Dead Woman Pass

ADVICE: If you are concerned about your ability to complete the trek, train ahead of time and hire a half porter to help carry your belongings.  Bring hiking poles, especially for the downhill sections. 

What Will I See While Hiking the Inca trail?

Everything.  Peru is a wonderfully diverse country with completely dry desert to the luscious rainforest.  The Inca Trail begins near Ollyantaytambo in the Sacred Valley.  The landscape is like a mountainous desert with cacti and other dry weather plants.  As you progress along, you will rise up above the river and the landscape will change to a beautiful forest, high mountain passes, and finally into the area near Machu Picchu that will feel like you are entering the jungle.  There are multiple important archeaological sites along the way which your guide will explain to you.  There is no way to fully describe the beauty you will find when hiking the Inca Trail.  It is truly something that you must experience to understand.

My favorite moments came on the third day when we had passed all of the small villages and the trail had given way to unrestored original stones.  There were moments when we were completely alone as far as we could see and the majesty of the mountains surrounding us was truly inspiring.  We tried over and over to capture the moments with photographs, and I think we got some good ones, but none could truly capture the feeling.

Besides the beautiful landscape, you have the chance to see butterflies, hundreds of types of birds, snakes, chinchillas, and maybe even Spectacled Bears, an endangered species in Peru.

What Do I Need to Bring?

You’ll be hiking and camping, so basic equipment includes sunscreen and a hat, hiking or trail shoes, good socks, hiking poles with rubber tips, a water bottle or water bladder for your pack (highly recommend this option), snacks for between meals, mosquito repellant, warm weather clothes for evenings, a sleeping bag and bed roll.  You can rent the last two from your company, and some companies provide the bed roll for free (you just need to carry it).

My headband was not coming off in public at this point!

What to bring that you didn’t already think about?

• Bring baby wipes or something similar to clean up with after each day’s hike.  You will feel astonishingly better after doing this.
• You might also want some dry shampoo for your hair (ladies in particular)
• A bandana or headband will also come in super handy for controlling 4 day hair
• Bring snacks that will keep you going like dried fruit, nuts, protein bars, etc.  You will be well fed at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but you will get hungry in between.
• Hand or foot warmers will be helpful at night, especially the second day.
• Bring a warm jacket (down) and extra socks for the second night.
• A headlamp is the best light to bring, and you might want extra batteries just in case.  Some of the bathrooms were dark long before nighttime because the lights weren’t working.
• Hand sanitizer for use after using the toilets, or any time.  Believe me, as hard as I tried not to touch anything in the bathroom, there were  a couple of times when I almost tipped over using the squat toilet on tired legs and had to grab the wall to avoid a much bigger disaster!
• On that note, toilet paper is necessary as well, since it will not be provided in the toilets
• Plenty of money for water or snacks along the way.  The first two days will find many stands along the way selling water, beer, soda, candy, etc.
• Rain poncho to cover you and your pack

Should I Hire a Porter?

Now that I listed off about 100 things you should bring, you’re probably thinking about how heavy your pack will be.  I unequivocally recommend hiring a porter.  It’s not that the trail isn’t doable without it, but the equipment you hire from them (bed roll and sleeping bag) are not ultra-light or compact.  If you are planning to carry your own equipment, you might want to bring your own lighter weight sleep gear.  The porters will be able to carry your sleeping bag, bed roll, and 2.5 kg of additional weight.  For me that was my clothing, except layers I kept with me, my sandals, and my travel towel which I brought for showering in Aguas Calientes.

If you choose not to hire a porter and decide you need the assistance for the big summit on day 2, ‘unofficial’ porters living near the first campsite are available for hire to carry your bags to the second campsite for you.  This should cost around $35-40.

What is the Best Time of Year for Hiking the Inca Trail?

The peak trail time is June-September.  It’s the dry season, but also the colder season.  June 21st, the summer solstice will sell out almost immediately as it is one of the dates that the sun gate aligns with the sunrise, as well as several other important sites within Machu Picchu.  You might have snow if you are hiking earlier in this window, so consider coming prepared with waterproof socks.  There is a chance that snow could cause your trek to have to turn back, but this is a rare occurrence.

The Real Truth about Hiking the Inca Trail

So was it worth it?  After experiencing the Inca Trail myself and talking with many other trekkers, I will say it is absolutely worth it.  However, setting expectations will help you have the best possible experience.

You are hiking a trail with 200 other tourists and 300 porters.  There will be times when you get stuck behind people, or are waiting for people.  Just know that unless you choose to be in a small custom group, you will have to proceed at the the speed of your guides and group.  On the other side of that, people may pass you, making it look easy, which can be discouraging.  No matter your fitness level, just remember it is your journey and you don’t need to compare to anyone else.

In the cue for the checkpoint by 4:30am.

On the last morning you will get up extremely early, mostly to allow your porters to catch the 5am train.  Then you will line up with all of the other hikers and wait for the checkpoint to open at 5:30am.  From there, it will be an exercise in starting and stopping and waiting.  It seems almost unfair that when you arrive at the sun gate there will already be tourists milling about down below.  You will have to wait to take a group photo, then wait for everyone to get the ‘postcard’ photo closer to Machu Picchu, then wait to get your tickets stamped, and finally, you will have a tour with your guide of Machu Picchu.

Be prepared for the shock of thousands of tourists.  You will feel a little indignant that you don’t have priority to view Machu Picchu.  Try to remember that by hiking the Inca Trail you experienced something more than all of those that came on the train, and nothing will ever take that away from you.

Hiking the Inca Trail vs. Taking the Train

When would I choose to take the train?  If I was extremely short on time, or had an injury or health condition that wouldn’t allow me to hike the trail.  Otherwise, hiking the Inca Trail should be a bucket list item on its own.  If you can’t get a permit or don’t have time for a 4 day trek, there are 1-2 day treks that take shorter trails, or you can climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountain for a taste as well as for the amazing views.  If you do take the train, and see a tired, dirty, (possibly smelly) trekker coming your way, feel free to congratulate them on a job well done.