3-Day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu | Permits & 2027 Dates

This is the day. Twenty-one kilometres, two passes, nine to ten hours, and it opens with the climb everyone has been thinking about since Cusco.

Warmiwañusca, 4,215 m. Dead Woman's Pass. You leave camp before dawn and gain the last stretch on stone steps that don't let up, and if the altitude starts working on you up there, the answer isn't to sit down at the top. Keep moving and get lower. The descent into the Pacaymayu valley sorts out most headaches by itself, and lunch is waiting at the bottom.

Then up again. Runkurakay sits on the climb out of the valley, a round enclosure with niches cut into the wall that were probably a guard post, possibly a shrine, and nobody is certain which. The second pass, Abra Runkurakay, comes soon after at 3,800 m. Down past Yanacocha, the black lagoon, then a stone stairway to Sayacmarca, a compact site of narrow lanes and platforms built onto a spur above the valley. We walk past it rather than through it. The detour costs the better part of an hour, and on a three-day itinerary that hour has to come from somewhere.

The vegetation changes along this stretch. Dry and high behind you, humid and green ahead, and by Phuyupatamarca you're usually walking in cloud. The ruins just past that pass are the best preserved on the whole trail.

A long descent through cloud forest brings you into camp around 6pm at Wiñay Wayna. There's no shop there any more, so whatever you want that evening comes up with the porters.

• Distance: 21 km
• Time: 9–10 hours
• Maximum altitude: 4,215 m / 13,829 ft (Warmiwañusca)
• Second pass: Abra Runkurakay, 3,800 m
• 2nd night campsite: Wiñay Wayna
• Inca sites on this stage: Runkurakay, Pacaymayu, Sayacmarca, Phuyupatamarca, Wiñay Wayna

You'll be woken around 3am. Not because the walk is long, but because the checkpoint below camp opens at 5:30 and the queue forms well before that. Head torch out, bag packed the night before.

Four kilometres in the dark, then the stairs. The last pitch up to Intipunku is steep enough that people stop talking, and then the ridge opens and Machu Picchu is there below you with cloud usually still sitting in the valley. Whether you get the clear view or a wall of white is luck. Both are worth the climb.

From the Sun Gate you drop down to the Guardian's House, where the photograph everyone recognises gets taken. Then down to the main entrance for a short break, restrooms and a coffee, before the guided visit starts.

Your guide hands you a fresh entrance ticket at the gate. The tour runs about two hours through the circuit you've been assigned, and which circuit that is depends on the Ministry of Culture and on availability, so we don't promise a specific one. Stay on the marked path and well back from the edges.

Bus down to Aguas Calientes in the afternoon, then the train to Ollantaytambo and the van back to Cusco. Lunch on this last day isn't included, which after three days of camp food most people take as good news.

• Distance: 4 km on foot
• Time: 4–5 hours to Machu Picchu, plus a 2-hour guided visit
• Sites: Intipunku, the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu

Before the trek

• Pre-trek briefing with your guide at your hotel, the day before departure.
• Private vehicle from Cusco to KM 82.

Permits and entrances

• Inca Trail permit and Machu Picchu entrance ticket, both issued in your name.

Guide and crew

• Experienced bilingual guide. One guide for groups of up to 8, two guides above that.
• Professional trekking chef.
• Porters carrying food, camping and cooking equipment.
• An extra porter included as standard, carrying 5 kg of your personal gear, so you walk with a day pack and water.

Meals

• 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, 2 snacks, and hot drinks each afternoon.
• Vegetarian meals at no extra cost, and vegan if you need it. Tell us when you book, not at the trailhead.
• Drinking water from the fourth hour of day one onwards. Carry your own for that first stretch.

Camping equipment

• Eureka Mountain four-person tents shared by two, so your packs sleep inside with you instead of in the vestibule.
• Therm-a-Rest inflatable mattress with cover.
• Sleeping bag rated to –5 °C, with a clean liner.
• Pillow with a clean cover.
• A pair of trekking poles.
• Dining tent with table and chairs, kitchen tent, toilet tent, bottled gas.
• Rain poncho, duffel bag, and a Machu Picchu T-shirt.

Transport back

• Shuttle bus from Machu Picchu down to Aguas Calientes.
• Tourist-class train, Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo.
• Tourist bus, Ollantaytambo to Cusco.

Safety

• First aid kit with emergency oxygen.
• Two-way radios carried by the guide and the chef, linked to the Ministry of Culture and SERNANP. There's no mobile signal for most of two days out there, and the radio is what actually works.

Every day on the trail

• Biodegradable soap, hot water for washing each morning, and a small hand towel.
• A hot water bottle for your sleeping bag at night if the cold gets to you.

• Breakfast on day one, and lunch on the last day in Aguas Calientes.
• Travel insurance. Not compulsory, but worth having: an evacuation from 4,215 m is not a bill you want to cover yourself.
• Huayna Picchu entrance fee, USD $80. Optional add-on.
• Tips for the guide, chef and porters. Not obligatory, and we won't put a number on it. Give whatever feels right for the people who carried, cooked and walked beside you for three days.
• Personal extras: drinks in Aguas Calientes, the hot springs, extra hotel nights.

Solo travellers: book the Solo Traveler option and you get your own tent for both nights, no sharing with a stranger.

Domestic flights: not part of the trek price. Send us your dates and we'll quote them alongside the trek so you're not juggling two bookings.

The itinerary is a guide, not a contract
Weather, trail conditions and local events can change the day's plan. When that happens your guide decides on the ground and explains why. Wildlife is the same: the sanctuary has spectacled bears and hundreds of bird species, but nobody can promise you'll see any of them.

Altitude
The trail tops out at 4,215 m on Warmiwañusca. Altitude sickness doesn't care how fit you are, so give yourself at least two full days in Cusco before the trek starts. Not one. If something feels wrong on the trail, tell your guide immediately instead of pushing through. Guides, chef and porters are trained in first aid, and we work with clinics and hospitals across Peru.

Passports and permits
Permits are issued against your passport number. They can't be transferred, and they can't be corrected once issued, so send exact details when you book. Machu Picchu runs timed entry with assigned circuits and tickets are limited; your circuit is confirmed at the time of booking, subject to availability. No single circuit covers the entire citadel. See our Inca Trail booking policies for current rules.

Groups and circuits
We keep groups together wherever availability allows, but circuit assignment comes from the Ministry of Culture, not from us.

Your luggage
Porters carry 5 kg of your personal gear: sleeping bag, clothes, toiletries. Everything else goes into free storage in Cusco until you're back. The 5 kg limit isn't us being difficult; porter loads are capped by law and weighed at the control point.

February closure and the rains
The Inca Trail closes every February for maintenance, without exception. Between January and April rain can affect the route and the campsites. If the trail closes unexpectedly we move you onto the Lares Trek rather than cancel.

Staying in touch
Tell us your Cusco hotel when you book. Your guide visits the day before for the briefing and confirms pickup times by WhatsApp. If your flight slips or you change hotel, message us straight away; support runs 24/7.

Out there
No electricity, no reliable phone signal, no Wi-Fi for most of two days. Bring a power bank. And there are no hot showers on this trek: a bowl of hot water each morning is what you get, so pack wet wipes if that matters to you.

Every Tierras Vivas group walks with a state-licensed Guía Oficial de Turismo, registered to work the Inca Trail network and based in Cusco or the valleys around it. They work in English and Spanish, and they know this trail because they've walked it dozens of times, not because they read the same guidebook you did.

What that means on the ground: they read the sites for you as you pass them, they set the pace on day two so the group doesn't string out over three kilometres, and they know which flight of stairs breaks people and when to call a rest before it does. Ask them where to eat in Cusco when you get back. It'll be a better answer than anything you found online.

Groups of up to 8 walk with one guide. Above that, two.

Your briefing, the day before

Your guide comes to your hotel or Airbnb one or two days before departure to go through the route, the packing list, and what the second day actually asks of you. Send us your accommodation details when you book so we can set it up. They'll bring your duffel bag at the same time, which means you can pack it that night instead of at 4am.

Leaving Machu Picchu takes more coordination than getting there. All of it is handled for you.

Your guide gives you the shuttle ticket before you leave the citadel and tells you where to meet in town. When you're done inside, walk out through the main gate and join the queue; buses leave every few minutes and the ride down to Aguas Calientes takes about 25 minutes.

Your duffel bag is waiting at the restaurant in town, and so is your guide, who walks you to the station from there.

The train to Ollantaytambo runs about two hours alongside the Urubamba. It's the stretch where most of the group falls asleep.

At Ollantaytambo our driver is on the platform with your name on a sign, and it's roughly two hours by road from there to Cusco. You're dropped at your hotel or Airbnb, usually around 7pm, though traffic through the Sacred Valley can push that later.

One piece of advice we give everyone: don't book a flight out of Cusco on the evening of day three. Leave the next morning at the earliest.

The dry season runs May to September, and that's when the trail is at its best: firm ground underfoot, clear mornings, and nights that drop close to freezing at Llulluchapampa in June and July. Pack for that.

If you want our actual preference, go in May or early September. You get dry-season conditions without the July and August crowds, and in May the hillsides still hold the green from the rains. July is the busiest month on the trail by a wide margin, and it shows at every campsite.

The rainy season runs December to March. People will tell you it's beautiful then, and they're right: everything is green, there are far fewer walkers, and the sun still comes out most days. All true. But wet stone on the descent from Phuyupatamarca is a different proposition, and a soaked camp at 3,850 m stops being charming within about an hour. If you're coming to hike rather than to sightsee, pick another month.

February the trail is closed. Every year, for maintenance, no exceptions. If your dates fall in February we'll move you onto the Salkantay or Lares trek, which stay open, though neither one walks you into Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate.

Book more than six months ahead. Permits are released by the government for the whole year, and dates between May and September are usually gone about six months out. If your travel dates are fixed, secure the permit first and build the rest of the trip around it. Check availability before you buy flights, not after.

Pack light. The extra porter included in your trek carries up to 5 kg of your gear, sleeping bag and clothes included, for all three days. Your duffel is waiting for you at the restaurant in Aguas Calientes on the last afternoon. Everything else travels on your back in a daypack: water, rain layer, snacks, camera, whatever you actually want during the day.

The thing people underestimate is waterproofing. Weather on this trail turns within the hour and no forecast is worth much up there. A rain cover for the daypack is the minimum. Better is to line both bags with heavy-duty bin liners or dry bags and pack inside those. A wet sleeping bag at 3,850 m makes for a genuinely bad night.

What to wear

Hiking trousers and a T-shirt during the day, with a fleece and a waterproof shell kept in the daypack rather than buried in the duffel. Rain can arrive in minutes.

Nights are the cold part. Llulluchapampa sits at 3,850 m and drops close to freezing in June and July, so bring thermals and something warm for sitting around camp. A down jacket earns its space; a fleece under a shell will do if you don't have one.

Day three is warmer. Machu Picchu is at 2,550 m and mild by mid-morning, so convertible trousers or a spare pair of shorts are worth packing.

Documents and money

• Your original passport. It's checked at KM 82 and again at Machu Picchu, and it has to match the name on the permit.
• If you booked the student rate: your physical university card, in plastic, showing your full name, photo, the institution and an expiry date. You must be under 25 and enrolled in undergraduate studies. ISIC cards are not accepted at Machu Picchu, and neither are library cards, enrolment receipts or postgraduate cards. Under-18s get their own reduced rate with a passport.
• Cash in soles, in small notes, for drinks in Aguas Calientes, souvenirs and tips.

On your feet

• Broken-in waterproof trekking boots with ankle support. Not new ones.
• Sandals or trainers for camp, so your feet get out of the boots in the evening.
• Blister plasters. Bring them even if you never get blisters.

Clothing

• Rain jacket, and rain trousers if you have them.
• Thermals and a warm jacket or fleece for the nights.
• Sun hat for the day, warm hat for camp.
• Swimsuit, just in case. Day three normally runs straight from Machu Picchu to the train, but if the schedule leaves you a gap in Aguas Calientes, the hot springs are a short walk from the plaza.

Sun, insects and skin

• High-factor sun block. Above 4,000 m you burn faster than you expect, cloud or no cloud.
• After-sun or a hydrating cream. The air up there is very dry.
• Insect repellent, 20% DEET or higher, mainly for the cloud forest on day two. There's no malaria risk on this route.

Gear and sundries

• Headlamp with spare batteries. Day three starts in the dark.
• Camera and spare batteries; cold drains them faster than you'd think.
• Refillable bottle, metal or hard plastic. Single-use plastic bottles aren't allowed into Machu Picchu. Bring your own water for the first four hours of day one; after that we refill you with boiled filtered water.
• Tissues and toilet paper.
• Small towel.
• Personal medication, including whatever you'd want for a headache at altitude.

Trekking poles are already included in your trek, fitted with the rubber tips required on the Inca Trail. Bring your own only if you'd rather walk with poles you know, and check they have rubber covers.

Both nights are full-service camping. The crew walks ahead, has the tents up before you arrive, cooks, and strikes camp in the morning while you're still looking for your other boot. You carry a daypack and nothing else.

Each campsite has a dining tent with table and chairs, a private toilet tent, and a bowl of warm water morning and evening for washing.

The tents. Eureka Mountain or Eureka Timberline Outfitter, subject to availability. Both are four-season, four-person capacity, used by two people. The extra space is deliberate: your packs sleep inside with you instead of getting damp in the vestibule, and at 3,850 m in July you'll be glad not to be climbing over each other to get out at night.

Travelling alone? We'll pair you with another trekker of the same gender at no extra cost. If you'd rather not share, the single supplement is USD $40 for the trek and you get a two-person tent to yourself.

Upgrades. Train class and an extra night in Aguas Calientes can both be arranged. Write to info@tierrasvivas.com and we'll confirm before you book.

Is three days enough to walk the Inca Trail?
Yes, and it's the same trail. You start at KM 82 like the classic route and finish at the Sun Gate. What changes is day two: 21 km in one push instead of split across two. You lose a night on the trail and get a day of your holiday back. Whether that's a good trade depends on how you feel about nine hours of walking at altitude.

Is the 3-day harder than the 4-day Inca Trail?
Yes, noticeably. Same distance, same passes, one day less to cover them, and day two carries the weight of that: Warmiwañusca at 4,215 m and Abra Runkurakay at 3,800 m in the same stretch. If you have the extra day free, we'd point you at the classic 4-day Inca Trail instead.

Do I need to train for it?
You don't need to be an athlete, but don't arrive cold either. If you can walk six hours on hilly ground at home without struggling, you'll manage. What matters more than fitness is acclimatisation: give yourself two full days in Cusco before the trek starts.

How far in advance should I book?
More than six months. Permits are released for the whole year and dates between May and September are usually gone about six months out. Secure the permit before you buy flights.

Can I add Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain?
Neither is included in the trek, which covers your Inca Trail permit and Machu Picchu entrance. Both are optional add-ons and both are subject to availability, since each needs its own timed ticket alongside your Machu Picchu entrance and the options change by date. Ask us for prices and availability when you book rather than once you're in Cusco, and see how to buy Machu Picchu or Huayna Picchu tickets for the details.

What do you need from me to book?
Your full name exactly as it appears in your passport, passport number, nationality and date of birth. Once we have those, our booking team asks for 50% up front so we can secure your permit, your Machu Picchu ticket and your train seat. The remaining steps are on how to book and send payment.

Can I cancel or change my dates?
Permits are issued in your name and can't be transferred, so what's possible is set by the Ministry of Culture rather than by us. Our Inca Trail booking policies set out exactly what's refundable and when.

Still have questions? Our full Inca Trail FAQ covers permits, fitness, weather and gear in more depth.