8 daysThe Classic Inca Trail
Two nights acclimatising first, then four days on original stone paths to the Sun Gate.
From US$3,600 pp
Cusco & the Sacred Valley
The Inca Trail & Salkantay
Two great walks to Machu Picchu, each with its own rules
- Altitude
- ~4,215 m (13,829 ft)verify
- Altitude band
- Very high
- Time needed
- 4–5 days trekking
The Classic Inca Trail is a permit-only walk on original stone paths, finishing at the Sun Gate. Salkantay is a wilder route around a glacier peak that needs no Inca Trail permit. Both reach high passes, so both need a few days of acclimatisation first. The Inca Trail closes every February for maintenance. Your knees will be grateful you knew.
Altitude note: Highest point on the Classic Inca Trail is Dead Woman's Pass (about 4,215 m); Salkantay Pass is about 4,600 m (verify).
Sleep here only after acclimatising lower down. Go slowly. Altitude, explained
Highlights
- Dead Woman's Pass
- Wiñay Wayna
- Arriving at the Sun Gate
- Humantay Lake
- Salkantay Pass
What to eat here
Mate de coca
Coca-leaf tea, offered on arrival at many Andean hotels. A traditional mild remedy for the altitude, though not a substitute for acclimatising.
Quinoa
Grown around Lake Titicaca for thousands of years. Try it in a soup, or puffed as a breakfast cereal.
Native potatoes
Peru grows thousands of potato varieties: purple, yellow, knobbly, striped. Ask for papas nativas and see how many you can tell apart.
Coffee
Grown on the misty eastern slopes. Salkantay trekkers pass coffee farms on the way down to Machu Picchu.
Journeys
Journeys that go here
8 days
9 daysSalkantay to Machu Picchu
A wild, permit-free trek from a glacier pass down through coffee country to the citadel.
From US$3,900 pp
Cusco & the Sacred Valley
Nearby too
Cusco
~3,400 mInca walls under colonial balconies, at about 3,400 metres
The Sacred Valley: lower, greener and the best place to start
Machu Picchu
~2,430 mThe citadel itself, and everything you need to get the timing right
Rainbow Mountain
~5,000 mStriped mineral slopes at about 5,000 metres. Only once you're acclimatised
Add The Inca Trail & Salkantay to your trip
Tell us when you'd like to go and what you'd love to see. Your Peru Specialist will come back with ideas, honest advice on altitude and timing, and a clear price.