Private Inca Trail: The 5-Day Private Trek to Machu Picchu

In the $1,710

The listing includes hotel pickup in Cusco, the bus to Km 82, all meals on the trail apart from breakfast on day 1 and lunch and dinner on day 5, and 3 afternoon snacks. The camp kit is a dining tent with tables and chairs, a comfortable and very spacious 4-man tent shared by two people, and an inflatable sleeping mattress. A chef cooks, porters carry the cooking and camping equipment, and each hiker gets a personal porter for 6 kg of personal items. Water is included except the first 4 hours of the trek. A professional English-speaking guide leads, and an oxygen bottle and first aid kit travel with the group. The night in Aguas Calientes is at the Waman Hotel, and the way out is the bus from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes plus return transportation by train and bus to Cusco.

Two things are not stated in the inclusions: the Inca Trail permit and the Machu Picchu entrance ticket. The only entry named is Huayna Picchu, and that is excluded. Email the operator before booking and get both confirmations in writing, because a trek to Machu Picchu without a citadel ticket is not a trek you can finish.

• Included: hotel pickup, bus to Km 82, guide, chef, porters, personal porter for 6 kg
• Included: 4-man tent for 2 people, inflatable mattress, dining tent with tables and chairs
• Included: meals as listed, Waman Hotel night, bus from Machu Picchu, train and bus to Cusco
• Not included: sleeping bag hire, day 1 breakfast, day 5 lunch and dinner, Huayna Picchu, tips, insurance
• Not stated: Inca Trail permit and Machu Picchu ticket, confirm both in writing

What You May Pay on the Day

Gratuities are excluded, and tipping is normal practice on the trail, but the listing states no amount and published guidance varies widely. A sleeping bag can be hired from the operator if you do not bring your own, at a price not stated in the listing. If you want to climb Huayna Picchu, that entrance is extra and sold separately from the citadel.

Travel insurance is not included and the operator strongly recommends taking it out.

Day 1: Cusco to Km 82

The day starts with pickup from your hotel in Cusco, at a time the listing does not state, so check your voucher. The bus carries the group to Km 82, the trailhead at Piscacucho, which sits about 3 hours from Cusco by road via Ollantaytambo. Breakfast on day 1 is not included, so eat before pickup or plan a stop.

The first stretch of trail follows the Urubamba River toward the first camp, and for the first 4 hours you carry your own water.

Days 2 and 3: the Passes and the Ruins

The middle of the trek climbs over the high passes, including Dead Woman's Pass at 4,200 to 4,215 metres depending on the source, the highest point of the route, with the climb from camp taking 4 to 5 hours for most groups. The trail then drops past Runkurakay, Sayacmarca and Phuyupatamarca before the next camp. Exact daily distances and camp names are not stated in the listing, so ask the operator to send them with your availability confirmation.

Because this is a private group, the pace and the extra time at each ruin are set for you rather than for a fixed departure.

Day 4: the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu

The final trail day reaches Winay Wayna and then the Sun Gate (Inti Punku) at about 2,720 to 2,745 metres depending on the source, roughly 2 km from the Machu Picchu entrance, with the citadel below at 2,430 metres (7,970 feet). Machu Picchu opens at 6:00 a.m., so trail hikers are among the few who can see it at sunrise. The listing promises extra time at the ruins and viewpoints here.

Afterwards the group takes the included bus down to Aguas Calientes, a ride of about 25 to 30 minutes, and checks into the Waman Hotel.

Day 5: Hotel Morning and the Way Home

Day 5 allows more time in Machu Picchu town, with lunch and dinner on your own account. The return to Cusco is by train and then bus, with the train class not stated, so ask whether it is a standard service or something wider-windowed before you book. PeruRail trains from Ollantaytambo take about 1 hour 30 minutes, and the drive from Ollantaytambo to Cusco is about 61 km and 1 hour 40 minutes.

The listing gives Cusco as the return point.

Fitness, Health and the Pass

Travellers need at least a moderate level of physical fitness, and the listing does not recommend it for pregnant travellers, people with spinal injuries or anyone with poor cardiovascular health. The route gains about 2,500 metres of elevation in total and crosses Dead Woman's Pass at 4,200 to 4,215 metres, a climb of 4 to 5 hours from camp. Cusco sits at about 3,400 metres, so arrive a few days early to acclimatise.

If the altitude or the pass worries you, the short Inca Trail guide covers a 2-day route from Km 104.

Ages, Passports and the Non-refundable Rule

The listing takes bookings for travellers aged 5 to 17 and 18 to 65, and it does not state wheelchair access. Permits are issued to one person on one passport and are non-transferable, so your name must match your document exactly. Every sale is final, with no refund for cancellations at any point.

That makes this a listing to book only when your dates and passports are settled. If you want a safety margin, the premium 4-day Inca Trail trek on GetYourGuide offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Timing and the February Closure

Permits are capped at 500 people a day, of which about 200 go to trekkers, and the operator advises booking at least five months ahead. The trail closes every February for maintenance and reopens on 1 March, and a year earlier the closure ran to late March because of heavy rain, so leave slack in any tight plan. Solo travellers should also ask about a single supplement, which the listing does not state.

If five days of camping sounds like too much, the private short Inca Trail takes 2 days with a hotel night instead.

Acclimatise in Cusco First

Cusco sits at about 3,400 metres (11,155 feet) and the trail crosses a pass above 4,200 metres, so most trekkers sleep in Cusco for two or three nights before day 1. Altitude sickness can appear from about 2,500 metres, and the listing asks for moderate fitness, so use the days in town to walk, hydrate and test how your body reacts. The guide to the best time to hike the Inca Trail explains how the seasons change the camps, where nights above 3,500 metres can drop below freezing in any month.

The Permit, the Passport and the Ticket

Permits are sold only through Ministry of Culture authorised agencies, are tied to one passport and are non-transferable, and the listing advises booking at least five months ahead. Because this listing does not state the Inca Trail permit or the Machu Picchu ticket in its inclusions, get a written confirmation of both, plus the circuit you will walk inside the citadel, before you pay. For the mechanics, the page on Inca Trail permits shows how the release calendar works.

Huayna Picchu, the Train and the Luggage

Huayna Picchu entrance is excluded, so if you want that climb, buy the separate ticket early since mountain slots are limited. The Sun Gate route on the citadel ticket is sold only in high season, which one source gives as 19 June to 2 November and another as 1 June to 15 October, so if you trek outside those dates, check which circuit your day 4 entry allows. After the trek, PeruRail allows one backpack up to 8 kg or one carry-on up to 12 kg on Machu Picchu trains, and charges $15 for excess carry-on and $25 for checked baggage.

Leave the big bag at your Cusco hotel. If you want a night in Aguas Calientes on your own account before or after, the pages on the Sun Gate Machu Picchu and Inca Trail to Machu Picchu cover the town, the buses and the train options.