Inca Trail Hike with Camping

The first day of the trek start long before the sun came up. Early in the morning between at 05:00 to 05:30. Our guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel and take you all the way to Ollantaytambo where would catch the train heading towards Aguas Calientes. it is about a 2 hour drive.

When you arrive in Ollantaytambo at between to 06:30 to 7:00 am, you can have a breakfast or drink a coffe. and boarded the train. iwhere you find the comfortable seats. Not only that, but there are also additional windows on the ceiling so that you could enjoy the looming mountains along the way.

You will be on the train for about an hour and a half before you reached our stop: Kilometre 104. Our guide have the special Inca Trail permits in order for you hikers to be let enter to the Inca Trail. and walked down to the shores of the Urubamba River where you are greeted with a wooden bridge leading into the thick jungle and a few clouds hanging in the morning air.

As soon as we checked in to the trail, you will come across your first archaeological site of the day: Chachabamba. This site sits at 2,170 meters and it was one of the last shelters that the Incas used before reaching Machu Picchu. It also operated as a religious and administrative centre.

After visiting Chachabamba you will begin the slow ascent on the Inca Stone steps. The trail is steep for the first 2 hours, but it eventually level out (for a few brief stretches, anyway). During that time you will stop at 2 different shelters where you will cool off in the shade and enjoyed some snacks.

By lunchtime we reached a waterfall and unpacked our box lunches which will provide your guide. From there you continued on to Wiñay Wayna which sits at 2,650 meters. This is the highlight of the Inca Trail!

Wiñay Wayna is one of the most beautiful archeological sitesI What makes it special is that there is hardly a soul there, plus the terraces are built in a really cool amphitheatre formation that allows you to see the whole area. These terraces were built to grow different crops and you’ll also find a temple that was dedicated to the rainbow.

You also get to see Intipata in the distance (this is another archaeological site that sits at 2,750 meters),

You will enjoy the section of the trail from the waterfall to Wiñay Wayna because the landscape change quite drastically. As you will trek closer to the water, the temperatures became cooler, the vegetation became greener, and at times it fill like you are walking through a moss-covered forest. It is a welcome change after the hot temperature and dryer landscape you have experienced near the start of the Inca Trail trek.

After visiting Wiñay Wayna you will get back on the trail. Your next landmark on the trail is Intipunku, also known as the Sun Gate, and then after a long day of walking,

Here your group pause for a few moment to relish the moment: you will have your first glimpse of Machu Picchu! and you can take your first Machu Picchu selfies. It is a moment none of you will forget.

After getting your first glimpse of Machu Picchu, you will continue along the same trail, you will encounter some llamas and then once you reached the gate to Machu Picchu, you will descend to Puente Ruinas, where your cook is waiting with a delicious dinner and where you will spend a night in the tent, Machu Picchu would have to wait until the following day.

After an early morning breakfast, we continue hiking the Inca Trail for about 2 hours up to the mysterious city of Machu Picchu that we enter for the early morning best photos opportunities. Then our Tour Guide shows us around the Incan city and explains us about its history and purposes. After the guided tour, we are given the opportunity to climb up for about 45 minutes to Huayna Picchu or to Machu Picchu Mountain (peaks above Machu Picchu serving to take some panoramic pictures of the Inka city). Then, we are given time off to spend and explore Machu Picchu on our own.

The 2 day Inca Trail with camping ends up with a train ride to Ollantaytambo (alternatively to Poroy), from where we are taken by van back to Cusco.

• Pre-trek briefing with your Tour Guide
• Transfer by private vehicle to the railway station at Ollantaytambo
• Accommodation: Camping (1 night)
• Inca Trail Permits and Entrance fee to Machu Picchu citadel;
• Meals: 1x breakfast, 1x lunch, 1x dinner (please advice us in advance if you are a vegetarian; this option is for NO extra additional cost)
• Snack on the first and second day
• Water on the first and second day (Excluding the first 4 hours of the trek when you need to bring your own)
• Professional bilingual Tour Guide (a group of up to 8 participants receives 1 Guide, a group over 8 persons receives 2 Guides);
• Professional Cook;
• Porters will carry your camping equipment and your duffel bag 5 kg. per person
• Sleeping bag (feather) 
• Inflatable sleeping therma-rest mattress
• Inflatable pillow
• A blanket
• A duffel bag for your personal clothes, this duffel bag, our porter will carry
• Camping equipment Personal double tents (4 person tent which allows for greater comfort, and also storage of backpacks);
• A shuttle bus round trip to Machu Picchu
• A train round trip between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu)
• Tourist bus from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.

Camping included in the Short Inca Trail camping

• Breakfast on the first day and lunch in Aguas Calientes Town on the second day
• A shuttle bus between Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu ($12)
• Entrance fee to Huayna Picchu Mountain ($80)
• Tips to local staff (please note: it is a custom to give tips in Peru, however, it is not obligatory)
• Peru Travel Insurance

Meal budget: Please allow USD 10 for meals not included on the last day Aguas Calientes town.

Solo Traveller: If you like a single room for this trek, please choose the "Solo Traveller" option during your booking.

Local flights: No local flight is included in the trek´s price!

Our guide will visit your a day before the trek and He/ She will give you a briefing and more information about your 2 day Inca Trail with camping. It is very important, let us know, where you will be staying in Cusco. This information you can send us 2 week before the trek.

All Tierras Vivas trekkers are accompanied by a Tierras Vivas Tour Guide. The aim of our Tour Guides is to take a hassle out of our customers’ trips and to help them to have the best trip possible. The Tour Guides provide information on places visited, offer suggestions of what to see and to do, recommend a good place to eat and introduce to his/her colleagues. The Guides have a broad general knowledge of each country visited during a tour, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. We also use local Tour Guides where we think that more specific knowledge could add more enjoyment to visited places. 

Tierras Vivas Tour operator will provide the double tent. Our tents are of the brand  Eureka – 4 Season Tent Timberline SQ Outfitter designated for 4 seasons. We provide with 3 person capacity tents; however, just 2 trek participants use it! In this way, we provide you more space and comfort. In case of a single traveller, we provide with a 2 person capacity tent. After each trek, we carefully check our tents and fix them if necessary!

Tierras Vivas will provide the clean Sleeping bag, inflatable pillow, blanket and hiking poles. Our porters will leave inside your tent. Once arrived to the camping, you will find inside your all camping equipment.

Personal Equipment

• Sleeping Bag
• An Air mattress - Therma-rest
• An Inflatable Pillow
• A Blanket
• A pair of hiking poles

On the Machu Picchu Hiking with Camping is included the follow train service:

PeruRail - Expedition Train

Ollantaytambo - Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu to Cusco

IncaRail - The Voyager Train

Ollantaytambo - Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu to Cusco

On the Expedition and The Voyager is not included extra service inside the train. Our driver will drop off in your hotel. If you want more information about the train, please visit: Cusco to Machu Picchu

UP GRADING Train Service:

If you prefer Vistadome train or Machu Picchu Train 360 for this trek, the extra price is U$ 65 dollars. let us know before your booking your service.

Vistadome Luxury Train Machu Picchu - Perurail

The Vistadome train have panoramic windows, which allows to appreciate the beautiful scenery along the route.Live an unforgettable experience of magic connection with nature on the Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo route on the PeruRail Vistadome train. 

In the Vistadome service is included the follow: 

• Long Stretch (from the Poroy Station, Cusco):
• Outbound: Snack Service
• Inbound: Snack Service
• Short Stretch (from the Ollantaytambo Station):
• Outbound: Light Snack Service
• Inbound: Light Snack Service
• Selection of hot or cold non-alcoholic drinks (one hot drink and one cold drink per person)

The 360° Train Machu Picchu - Inca Rail

The only train in Peru with an entertainment app on board which will allow you to learn more about the train journey and the Inca civilization. Experience a unique way to travel to Machu Picchu, exploring the Andean landscape like never before with wider and taller panoramic windows and an observation outdoor carriage including a bar. 

Enjoy our appetizing selection of cold and warm drinks, prepared using fruit juices and Andean herbs, and our delicious gourmet and organic delights made with products from the Sacred Valley.

Included the following service:

• Comfortable seats with tables in front
• Bigger and wider panoramic windows
• Outdoor carriage including a bar to enjoy the landscape
• Gourmet and organic delights made with products from the Sacred Valley
• InTrain entertainment system.

Usually our hike is starting from Cusco, but we can pick you up from your hotel outside of the Cusco city. Please check your trip and location for pick you up.

Important Note: In case you will spend night in Ollantaytambo, Our guide can pick you up from your hotel and you can have a U$ 10 discount per person.

Generally speaking you should pack as lightly as possible. If you have extra porter, the porter carry your luggage from Ollantaytambo to Puente Ruinas Campisite.  You have extra porter. We recommend keeping the weight under 5 kg/10lb (included personal clothes and sleeping bag). You will need to carry daypack.

If very important your take best cover backpacker, because the weather in Inca Trail is change every date, we can’t predict it raining or no. If you don’t have, we recommended to putting your clothes, sleeping bag and other personal equipment inside the plastic bag.

Machu Picchu, is located in a sub-tropical area, biogeographically speaking is located in the eco-region of the Yunga - Quechua fluvial of Peru, for being a warm valley, is generally mountainous relief, with narrow and deep valleys.

The climate is warm moderate, slightly humid, with seasonal rainfall of more than 400 mm.

In the Inca Trail, there are two distinct periods, the dry season and the rainy season.

Basically, the temperature of rains, is from November to March, the climate is temperate cold, depending on the altitude, latitude and time of year and of course with presence of rains.

The dry season is from April to October, however the rain can fall at any time of the year. This is the best time to travel the Inca Trail.

The maximum temperature is 19ºC and the minimum temperature is 0ºC. The relative humidity of the air ranges between 77% in the dry season and 91% in the rainy season. The annual rainfall ranges from 1,571 to 2,381 millimeters.

In addition, to book the Inca Trail, you should consider the high season on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu from May to September, because this time coincides with vacations in the Western Hemisphere. These months probably offer the best trekking conditions with a dry and sunny climate. However, as we said before, you should reserve the permits many months before. April, October and November are also great months to make the Inca Trail. There are fewer hikers, although it is likely that at least one day it rains during the trek.

It is also easier to find available permits, although they must still be booked months in advance. The rainy season goes from January to March, and if you decide to come during this time, expect some frequent rains. However, it is perfectly safe to do the walk, with the equipment - waterproof - adequate. Again, it is much easier to get permits to travel the Inca Trail at this time of year.

The Inca Trail closes the month of February of each year, due to the fact that it is the rainiest month, and it is used for maintenance for the conservation of the paths of the road. However, all alternative routes are open during this month.

Hiking pants and T-shirts are recommended during the day, complemented by sweaters, fleeces and waterproof jackets. It is very convenient to have light raingear available in the daypack (rain poncho or jacket and/or rain pants) as the weather changes easily and rains can suddenly occur. At night, warm clothing is required, down jackets can be useful, otherwise a fleece and a jacket. During the first day (if sunny) and in Machu Picchu, convertible hiking pants are useful, as can be switched into shorts if necessary. Machu picchu has a warm climate, getting only cold at night. The rest of necessary implements are included in the “What we recommend that you bring your Inca Trail” list.

• Original passport,
• Original ISIC (an international student card if applicable)
• Travel insurance,
• Pocket money in Nuevos Soles,
• A small rucksack,
• Rain gear (a rain-jacket and a waterproof trousers),
• Resistible footwear, waterproof trekking shoes are recommended,
• Sandals (for a higher comfort while at a campsite),
• Warm clothes such as a jacket, a fleece (thermal clothing is also recommended for cold nights during camping),
• Hat or a cap (to protect you against the Sun, rain as well as cold),
• Sun cream or sun block,
• After-sun cream or hydrating cream for face and body,
• Insect repellent – recommended minimum is 20% DEET (please note that no malaria cases have been reported during this trip!),
• Camera and its charger/batteries (please note that batteries are consumed quickly under cold conditions),
• Flashlight/headlamp + batteries,
• Handkerchiefs and toilet paper,
• Small towel and toiletries,
• Sufficient reserve of underwear,
• Swimsuit (to visit the thermal baths of Aguas Calientes),
• Snacks (biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc.)
  Please note: we do provide a daily morning snack and our meal service is very complete and well supplied. The recommendation of taken own snack applies only for customers who like a specific snack that might not be in our menu.
• Bottled water for the first morning and a water bottle to be refill.
• Optional: walking sticks; you can also rent it from us,
• Please note: we provide with filtered boiled water during the entire trek, but if you like to use water from streams along the trail, you need to take some water-purifying tablets with you.

If you have extra luggage, you can be left safely in your hotel in Cusco, in the Ollantaytambo train station or Tierras Vivas store luggage. if you decided in our store luggage, in the morning our driver will pick your luggage and He leave in our office and we will save 2 days and when you will return to Cusco, you can pick your luggage..

• Daypack for your hike U$ 10
• Rain Poncho U$ 10 
• There are emergency porters available for rent along this trek if you are unsure you will be able to complete the hike, they cost $80.

2 day Inca Trail with Hotel starts idyllic by a wake-up early. Then we are taken by our private transport to the railway station at Ollantaytambo to board a train taking us to the starting point of the 2 day trek - so called Km 104. Then we pass through an Inca Trail checking point and start hiking through lush vegetation of a cloud forest while greeeted by local exotic birds such as Andean guan, grey-breasted mountain tucan, etc. and since we can see various wild orchids and bromelias along the path too.. More information, visit the 2 Day Inca Trail with Hotel

Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

If you don' t want to do 2 Inca Trail Camping, Tierras Vivas recommend the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu VIP. This tour involves to visit the Pisac, Chinchero, Moray, Maras, Salt mines, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu. The Sacred Valley, Vilcamayo to the Incas, traces its winding, astonishingly beautiful course to the north-west of Cusco. Known today as the Urubamba river - Valley of the Spiders - It´s still easy to see why the Incas considered this a special place. Contine by driving to Moray - is a very extraordinary Inka's site consisting of many huge terraces formed by circular depressions. 2 day combo Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu

2 Day Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu

The 3 day Sacred Valley to Short Inca Trail will give you the opportunity to appreciate the archaeological sites of Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero and more... temples, palaces and agricultural centers that survive to this day despite the passage of time; and then hike from Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, that starts at Km 104. You will walk 2 day Inca Trail to arriving to the lost city of the Incas. Visit our website and Book online the Sacred Valley to Short Inca Trail

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