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High Andes

Machu Picchu Inca Circuit

Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu

Stone roads climb cloud forest toward the citadel. Dawn at the Sun Gate catches terraces still in shadow.

Days
8
Effort
Moderate
Window
May–Sep
From
$6,500

The ground

The Sacred Valley sits lower than Cusco, which is why we sleep in it first — Urubamba at 2,870 m is a kinder place to acclimatise than the city at 3,400 m, and it puts Ollantaytambo, Moray, and the Maras salt pans on your doorstep.

The Classic Inca Trail is 43 km over four days on original Inca paving, crossing Warmiwañusca — Dead Woman's Pass — at 4,215 m on day two, with Runkurakay, Sayacmarca, and Wiñay Wayna on the way down before the Sun Gate. It is a moderate trek with one hard day and a lot of stone stairs.

The rules changed meaningfully. Since 1 January 2026 the Inca Trail permit no longer includes citadel entry. Those are two separate capacity-controlled purchases for the same date, and trekkers enter Machu Picchu via a designated route. Miss either one and the trek ends at the Sun Gate.

Shape of the days

A shape, not a script. Order and pacing move with weather, permits, and how the first days actually go.

  1. Days 1–3

    Cusco and the Sacred Valley

    Sleep low in Urubamba, then Ollantaytambo, Moray, and Maras with a proper archaeological guide. Graded walks to prepare for the pass.

  2. Days 4–7

    Inca Trail or an alternative

    The Classic four-day trail from Km 82 with private camp and porter support, or Salkantay, Lares, or the Km 104 short trail when Classic permits are gone or the calendar says February.

  3. Day 8

    Machu Picchu

    Timed entry on the assigned circuit with a licensed guide, then the train and transfer back to Cusco.

Conditions

Dry-season days 18–24 °C in the valley, below freezing at the high camps. Cusco's altitude is the main physiological issue. The wet season from December brings mud and cloud; February is the wettest month.

Fitness bar

Moderate. Four consecutive walking days at 2,700–4,215 m, with one sustained 1,200 m climb to the pass and long descents on uneven Inca stairs. Comfortable if you have trained; unpleasant if you have not. Altitude medication is a conversation with your own doctor; we do not prescribe.

Best months

May through September for the Classic trail. The Classic Inca Trail closes for the whole of February for maintenance — Salkantay, Lares, and train-based itineraries run normally then.

Private or small group

Private trek with your own guide, cook, and porter team; the trail itself is shared with other permit holders and the campsites are fixed. Sacred Valley days fully private.

What to bring

A bag rated to freezing for the high trail camps, layers for 4,215 m at the pass, and broken-in boots for long stone-stair descents. Poles help. Your passport travels with you and is checked against the citadel ticket, so it is a packing item, not an afterthought.

Access and permits

The constraints that actually decide whether a date is possible.

  • The Classic Inca Trail is capped at 500 permits a day including guides and porters, and peak-season dates sell out roughly six months ahead. Permits are per person, per date, non-transferable.
  • From 1 January 2026 the Inca Trail permit and the Machu Picchu entrance are separate purchases for the same date, both capacity-controlled, with trekkers entering on a designated route.
  • Citadel entry is time-slotted with a 30-minute grace period, no re-entry, a specific assigned sub-route, and passport checks against the ticket. Daily caps run 5,600 in high season and 4,500 in low season.

Included

  • Inca Trail permits and, separately, Machu Picchu citadel tickets with a timed slot and assigned circuit
  • Licensed archaeological guide, cook, and porters carrying personal kit
  • Private camp equipment, all meals on trail, Sacred Valley and Cusco hotels
  • Train and all transfers

Not included

  • Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain unless booked at the time of ticketing
  • International flights
  • Any date in February for the Classic route

What the price reflects

From $6,500. The floor sits here rather than lower because a genuine Sacred Valley programme with the better lodges, a private guide and porter team, and both sets of capacity-controlled tickets does not come cheaper. Group treks with shared guides sell for a fraction; they are a good product and a different one.

Bands are per person sharing and move with party size, season, and lodge choice. Nothing is confirmed until it is confirmed in writing. How we price.

Where this is

Valle Sagrado, the Inca Trail, and Machu Picchu, Cusco, Peru.

Elevation: Cusco 3,400 m · Warmiwañusca pass 4,215 m · Machu Picchu 2,430 m. Season as published: May–September (Classic); closed February; Salkantay/Lares alternatives shoulder. Difficulty as assessed: Moderate.

trekkingarchaeologyIncahighlands

What we checked

Seasons, altitudes, permits, and caps on this page were checked against park authorities, monitoring agencies, and operators on the ground. Where a fact changes with the year, we say so rather than round it off.

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