04Experiences

Walking to Machu Picchu

The Inca Trail

The classic Inca Trail reaches Machu Picchu on foot, usually in four or five days. It starts at kilometre 82 or 88 on the railway in the Urubamba valley, at about 2,600 to 2,800 metres, and runs for up to roughly 42.5 kilometres. It passes through cloud forest and high Andean grassland, crosses Dead Woman's Pass on the second day at its highest point of about 4,200 metres, then descends a staircase of some 1,500 steps, some carved into granite. Along the way are Inca ruins and tunnels, the finest being the terraced site of Wiñay Wayna, before the path arrives at the Sun Gate with the whole citadel spread out below. Permits are capped at about 500 a day, of which roughly 200 go to hikers and the rest to guides and porters, and the trail can only be walked with a licensed operator. The year's permits are released in October and sell out fast, so book early. If you are short of time, a one-day trail starts from kilometre 104.

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Daily permits

About 4,200 m

Highest pass

Up to about 42.5 km

Trail length