Classic Inca Trail 4 Days / 3 Nights – Group Tour to Machu Picchu

Full Itinerary to Machu Picchu Trek

Day 1: Cusco – Piskachucho km82 – Llactapata – Ayapata

5:00 am – 8:00 pm
This wonderful Inca Trail Group Tour 4D/3N experience begins with your pick-up directly at the hotel in Cusco, Urubamba or Ollantaytambo. In the case of Cusco, we pick you up at approximately 4:30 AM, from Urubamba at 5:30 AM, and if you stay in Ollantaytambo, you can rest a little longer, since we will pick you up at 6:30 AM . 

Once the whole group has gathered in our private mobility, we head towards Km 82, we will pass through the first control point of the Inca Trail to begin our walk. Please make sure you have your original passport as you will need it in order to enter the Inca Trail. 

The first 2 hours of the walk are relatively easy, since we will go to our first Inca archaeological complex, Patallacta. This is an old Inca checkpoint for the approach to Machu Picchu. From there, we start another 2-hour hike to our lunch point. After our delicious lunch, we will walk for another 2 hours until we reach the camp for the first night, in the magical town of Ayapata (3300 meters).

In this last section, we pass through 2 small communities. In these places you can buy any energy drinks, snacks or anything essential for you, that you have forgotten, as well as batteries. 
We will arrive at our camp at 5:00 PM. about. After you settle in, you can relax and have a hot drink and snack with the team of porters, chef, and guide.
At 7:30 PM dinner will be ready, after that you will have a well-deserved rest, to recover energy for our next adventure.

Day 2:  Wayllabamba – Warmiwanuska – Pacaymayu

We will wake up with the birdsongs and the calm sound of the river, taking our time to enjoy the refreshing country air. 
Next, we will proceed to have our breakfast which will be served in our tents by our chefs and porters. 
Then we will start our trek to the highest point of the trip, the Warmiwañusca Pass (4,215m – 13828 Feet). 
This section will be a personal challenge for each adventurer, once you have passed this challenge, when you reach the top you will have your reward; Getting to this point means you can achieve anything!

The ascent is gradual, and the first section is covered with vegetation up to the middle of the mountain (Llulluchapampa, 3,800m). In this place we will have our well-deserved lunch. You will have time, to rest a little and be able to fill your water bottles
We will rest for a while here, enjoying the fresh and cold air of the Andes. After here, the views are all of the Andean puna, where the mountain is rocky and without much vegetation due to the height, however, we will come across the grass known as PAJA O ICHU, still used by many high mountain communities as material for ceilings. 

The views constantly improve as we climb, revealing different mountain ranges, and after a tough hike we will reach the highest pass of our journey, with rewarding views of mountains and valleys. 

If we are lucky, we will see condors circling over this pass. Condors, are the ancient birds of the peruvian andes, that watch over us as we walk. 
Getting to Warmiwañuska is an achievement you will never forget. We descend smoothly from here, Even with the emotion of having achieved this feat. The trail takes us to our camp in the Quebrada Pacaymayu, where our team will be waiting for us with a hot drink, to recover energy. 

At dinner we will share stories with our group, our porters and our chefs, feeling the contentment and peace that the night sky and surrounding mountain peaks bring.

Distance: 16 km

• Walking hours:  7 – 8 hours
• Minimum Altitude: 3000 masl / 9842 Feet
• Maximum Altitude:  4215 masl/ 13828 Feet (First  Warmiwañusca Pass)
• Camp altitude: 3000 masl/ 9843 feet

Day 3: Pacaymayu – Wiñaywayna

This is our longest day, but the landscapes are the most beautiful. We will pass through archaeological centers, an intact Inca trail, tunnels, a wide diversity of microclimates, inter-Andean valleys and a cloud forest full of birds and hundreds of types of orchids.

After breakfast, we will gradually climb to Runkuracay, an archaeological site halfway up the mountain with a strategic view of the valley. After our visit here, we will finish the last climb to the second highest pass on the trail, Runkuracay Pass (3800m – 12467ft), where we will see how the cloud forest spreads like a green blanket between the valleys. 
From the Runkuracay pass, we will descend into the valley until we reach the next archeological site of Sayacmarca (3,600m – 11,811ft), known as “El Pueblo Dominante” due to its dominant position over the surrounding valleys. 

We continue descending to our lunch spot in Chakicocha, where our team will be waiting for us. Once lunch is over, we will rest a bit to continue our journey. We will walk through unimaginable landscapes, with countless species of orchids, tunnels and foundations up to 10 meters deep. 

This splendid trail takes us through the third pass of the route and descends to the archaeological site of Phuyupatamarca (3,665m – 12,024 feet), from where you will see the Machu Picchu mountain and the Vilcanota river, the valley and the glacial mountain range. If the weather cooperates, we will also see Salkantay (6,274m -20,583ft), the most sacred mountain in the region. 
The path zigzags up many stairs from Phuyupatamarca through thick vegetation to Intipata and Wiñaywayna (2,650m – 8694ft), two Inca sites close to Machu Picchu but with their own impressive architecture. 

We will spend our last night of camping in the pleasant and humid climate of Wiñaywayna where our team will be waiting for us at the camps. This is also our last night with the cooks and porters. 
During dinner, we will say goodbye to them.

Distance: 16 km

• Walking hours:  8 – 10 hours
• Minimum Altitude: 2650 masl / 8694 Feet
• Maximum Altitude:  3800 masl/ 12467 Feet (Second  Runkurakay pass)
• Camp altitude: 2650 masl/ 8694 feet

Day 4: Wiñaywayna – Machu Picchu – Cusco 

This is the last day of the Inca Trail Group tour 4D/3N Our last breakfast will be at 4:00 AM.
We say goodbye to our team of porters and chef to start our most dreamed day, we will wait at the checkpoint to be one of the first to start our trek once they open the door. 
From here we have spectacular views of the mountains and Machu Picchu in all its splendor. 

We will arrive at the Puerta del Sol (Inti Punku) at 6:30 am, and then it is only an hour of walking to reach the Lost City of the Incas. As we walk and get closer to Machu Picchu, the views of the city improve. 

At approximately 7:30 AM we will arrive at the final checkpoint and enter Machu Picchu to begin our 2-hour private guided tour. After the tour, you will be given the bus tickets that will take you to Aguas Calientes, where you will have plenty of free time to explore the city on your own or climb one of the neighboring mountains – Huaynapicchu (must be added in advance). 

Your guide will offer to meet you in the town of Aguas Calientes to enjoy your last lunch at a local restaurant. This is optional and is not included. 

At lunch, the guide will hand out the train tickets, so if you decide to skip, please coordinate this with the guide to obtain these tickets before leaving you at Machu Picchu. Unless you have coordinated an upgraded train, we will reserve an Expedition class, this is a tourist train, leaving Aguas Calientes at 2:55 or 3:20 pm. 
Please make sure you are on the platform at least 30 minutes ahead of time. The trip takes approximately 2 hours to Ollantaytambo or Poroy (depending on the train schedule), where our transfer drivers and drivers will meet you and take you back to the city in our private transportation. 
Our private car will arrive as close as possible to your hotel.

Distance: 6 km

• Walking hours:  3 – 4 hours
• Minimum Altitude: 20400 masl / 6693 Feet