Inca Jungle Trek to Machu Picchu

Early morning, we pick you up from your hotel in Cusco to transfer by private  vehicle passing Sacred Valley of the Incas to a starting point of the trek at Abra Malaga (4,350 m.a.s.l.) which is the highest place of the trek. There we sit on a bicycle and start biking down for about 4 hours to the small town of Santa Maria. On the route, you can appreciate an Incan site, cloud forest´s birds, medicinal plants, butterflies, snakes and tropical fruits. We also can visit local families to find about their daily routine. When in Santa Maria, we accommodate ourselves in a familial basic hostel where we can have a shower. After dinner, we spend the night there.

Inca Jungle: Rafting in the afternoon in Santa Maria, 3-5 class of rapids. (Included)

We continue our trip early morning after breakfast getting progressively steeper until we get to a restaurant where we have lunch. Then we can relax in hammocks admiring surrouning coca plantations. Later on, we continue trekking to later reach an authentical Inca path - "Qhapaq Ñan"!! The path winds around steep hillsides and sheer gorges for approximately half a mile.
Please note that this part of the trek is not for people suffering from vertigo!!

Later, we descend to the famous hot springs of Cocalmayo and refresh ourselves in its healing water!! After that, we trek to Santa Teresa, a town located at Santa Teresa River. There, we accommodate ourselves in another familial simply hostel.

We have early breakfast before taking a private transport to Llucmabamba Town. There we observe a stunning sunrise above a lovely landscape with Machu Picchu in its centre!! Later, we descend to bamboo groves and a cloud forest with increasingly thick vegetation and tall trees offering us some excellent birdwatching opportunities! Later in the afternoon, we get to Hidroelectrica (a hydroelectric plant) Railway Station and there we start following trails leading us to the Aguas Calientes Town. We spend the last night in a more comfortable hostel there with private rooms and bathrooms offering us a hot shower.

Inca Jungle tour: ZIP Line in the morning in Santa Teresa. (Included)

After an early morning breakfast, we hike for 1 hours 20 min 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 have an opportunity to climb up for about 45 minutes to Huayna Picchu, a peak above Machu Picchu that serves to take some panoramic pictures of the Incan city. Then, we are given time off to spend and explore Machu Picchu on our own.

In the afternoon, we return by train to Ollantaytambo (alternatively to Poroy), from where we are taken by van back to Cusco.

Machu Picchu is both, the best and the least known site of the Incas as it is not mentioned in any Spanish conquistador´s chronicle so that contemporary archaeologists can not do anything more than just speculate on its functions. Local Quechuan farmers had known about Machu Picchu for centuries before an 11-year-old boy showed the American historian Hiram Bingham (who was in a search of Vilcabamba) this site on the 24th of July  1911. At that time, all the rest of the world became aware of its existence. However, the site was covered with thick vegetation so Hiram Bingham along with his team returned and within the years of 1912 and 1915 cleared its surface. Over the years, plenty of work has been done on excavating and studying the site. Despite these efforts, many unanswered questions remain.

• Pre-trek briefing (Our guide will visit your hotel in Cusco a day before the adrenaline tour);
• Transfer by private bus to Abra Malaga - the initial point of the trek;
• Accommodation: Basic hostel Santa Maria and Santa Teresa (2 nights) and a comfortable Hotel (1 night);
• Entrance fee to Machu Picchu;
• Meals: 3x Breakfasts, 3x Lunches, 3x Dinners (Vegetarian food available);
• Professional bilingual Tour Guide;
• Tourist train from Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu) to Ollantaytambo;
• Mountain bicycles (brand Scott with a hydraulic brake), helmet and gloves;
• Rafting (helmet, life jacket, paddles, boats);
• Canopy or Zipline (helmet and equipment required);
• Tourist bus from Ollantaytambo to Cusco;
• First aid kit including emergency oxygen bottle; 

• Breakfast on the day 1 and lunch on the last day
• Peru Travel insurance
• Water (On the route, you will find the small local market and you ca buy by yourself)
• Entrance fee to Huayna Picchu ($80)
• A shuttle bus between Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes ($ 24 round trip or $12 - one way)
• Tips to local staff (please note: it is a custom to give tips in Peru; however, it is not obligatory);
• Other extras not mentioned

Solo Traveler: Please note that if you have booked the "Solo Travel" option for this trek, you receive your own single room for all nights.

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

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

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 third 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” list.

• Original passport,
• Original ISIC (an international student card if applicable)
• Travel insurance (+ copies for a case of lost),
• Pocket money in Nuevos Soles,
• 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 Colcamayu or Aguas Calientes),
• Snacks (biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc.)
• Bottled water.
• 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.

The short Inka Jungle Trek to Machu Picchu is the best option for those who prefer a more adventurous and adrenaline pumping way to hike to Machu Picchu. The trail belongs to the Alternative Treks to the Inca Trail and it combines trekking with mountain biking, an opportunity to enjoy rafting and ZIP line too. In addition a part of the trail leads through the latest discovered Inca path called Qapaq Ñan. You can admire beautiful mountains on the way as well as subtropical areas of a cloud forest. Short Inka Jungle Trek to Machu Picchu.

Inka Jungle Tour to Machu Picchu 3 days