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Inca Trail 4-Day Trek to Machu Picchu & Vistadome Train

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Duration4d

GroupUp to 14

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Four Days on the Inca Trail: From Kilometer 82 to the Sungate

You trek the Inca Trail over four days with camping, hot meals prepared at each campsite, a personal porter carrying your gear, and expert guides. You pass through Llactapata, climb to Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 meters, explore Wiñay Wayna, and reach Machu Picchu via the Sungate. Entry to Machu Picchu, the Vistadome Train return, and a briefing session the night before are all included. Minimum two people per booking.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Cusco to Ayapata campsite

Pick up from Cusco hotel at 4:20 am
Drive to Porters' House in Ollantaytambo
Have breakfast prepared by trekking chef
Drive 1 hour to trailhead at Km 82
Organize and prepare for hike
Hike to Llactapata Inca site
Hike 2 hours to lunch spot
Enjoy hot lunch at campsite
Refill camel bags with safe water
Hike 2 hours to Ayapata campsite
Have dinner and rest at campsite

Day 2 — Dead Woman's Pass and Chaquicocha

Eat breakfast at campsite
Ascend 4 hours to Dead Woman’s Pass
Admire views and descend to Pacaymayu River
Rest and have lunch
Ascend to Runccuracay Pass and visit site
Enjoy views of waterfalls
Hike down to Chaquicocha campsite
Enjoy happy hour and dinner

Day 4 — Machu Picchu and return to Cusco

Have early breakfast
Hike 2 hours to Sungate (Intipunku)
Take photos of Machu Picchu views
Guided tour of Machu Picchu Citadel
Optional Huayna Picchu hike (if booked)
Meet guide at Aguas Calientes
Have lunch in Aguas Calientes
Take train to Ollantaytambo
Drive back to Cusco hotel

The Experience

You start in the dark. The pickup comes at 4:20 am from your Cusco hotel, and by the time the sun rises you're already at Kilometer 82 — the official trailhead — standing at the edge of the ancient path the Incas built centuries ago. The first day is a gentle introduction: you hike to Llactapata, the first archaeological site, then another two hours to lunch, where the trekking chef has a hot meal waiting at the campsite. By evening you're at Ayapata, sleeping under open sky, your body already adjusting to the altitude and the rhythm of the trail.

Day two is where the Inca Trail shows its teeth. A four-hour ascent takes you to Dead Woman's Pass — Warmi Wañusqa — at 4,215 meters, the highest point of the entire trek. The views from up there stretch across the whole route behind you, and then you descend toward Pacaymayu River, rest, and push on to the second pass at Runccuracay, where you can see two waterfalls and the archaeological site before dropping down to Chaquicocha. This is the hardest day, and the trekking chef marks it with a happy hour at camp before dinner. A personal porter carries up to 7 kilograms of your gear, which means you're not hauling everything yourself — that detail matters more than it sounds when you're at altitude.

The third day eases off. You climb toward Phuyupatamarka at 3,600 meters — the Town in the Clouds — and from there you can see the Urubamba River and catch your first distant glimpse of Machu Picchu. A three-hour walk down brings you to the last campsite, passing through Intipata (Terraces of the Sun) and the biggest archaeological site on the trail, Wiñay Wayna, which means Forever Young. It's designed to be the easiest day, saving your legs for what comes next.

On the final morning, you wake early, say goodbye to the porters and guides who've been with you for three days, and hike two hours to the Sungate — Intipunku — where Machu Picchu appears in front of you for the first time. Your guide leads a two-hour tour through the citadel itself, explaining the architecture and history (lecture materials get sent to your email afterward). Then you descend to Aguas Calientes, have lunch, and board the Vistadome Train back to Ollantaytambo, where a driver picks you up and takes you back to Cusco. The whole journey — four days of camping, four days of meals cooked on-site, a personal porter, all entry fees, and the train ride home — is included. Alpaca Expeditions, the operator, guarantees safety with guides positioned behind the group, food quality following five strict protocols, and expert lectures on Inca history.

What’s included

Your trek includes hotel pickup from Cusco at 4:20 am, breakfast at the Porters' House, all meals cooked at campsites during the four days, camping in two-person Eureka tents, a personal porter carrying up to 7 kilograms of your gear, drinkable water throughout the trek, a portable chemical toilet for the group, a first aid kit and oxygen tank, entry to Machu Picchu, a two-hour guided tour of the citadel, the Vistadome Train return to Ollantaytambo, and a briefing session at 6 pm the night before in the operator's office. Lecture materials about Inca history are sent to your email after the trek.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Alpaca Expeditions

Is this one for you?Book this trek if you want to reach Machu Picchu on foot rather than by train alone, and you're comfortable with four days of camping and altitude — the porter support and on-site meals mean you're not managing logistics yourself, just hiking and acclimatizing.