INCA TRAIL - 5 days
The Inca Trail – 5 Days is a trek for those people that like to observe with detail the landscape and scenic views of the Trail. In the same way that our Classic Inca Trail – 4 Days. The whole trek is 44 Km. However, one of the main difference is that besides the number of days, this trek is recommended for our passengers that want to take more time to explore the Inca trail and do so in a much slower pace. The walking time per day in average is 5-6 hours. Our trekkers will enter Machu Picchu using Old Inca Trail and visiting the smaller Inca ruins that are located along the way. This trekking is suitable for those passengers who plan to stay in Cusco for 1 week or longer. Couples that want to have a personal experience with nature, groups of friends and alone travelers that want to enjoy the nature and the challenge are some of our trekkers on this route.
Itinerary
We’ll have an informative talk about the hike and the opportunity to get to know the other travelers who will be sharing the trail with you. After the briefing, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in the Wayki Experience. This is an optional excursion for travelers who have the time and want to learn more about Andean customs and traditions to spend the night with the community where our porters come from. An unforgettable cultural exchange.
We’ll pick you up early in the morning from your hotel, which can be in Cusco, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo, or your homestay in our porter community, and take you to Km. 82, the start of the Inca Trail. Once we arrive, we’ll take about 30 minutes to ready our backpacks, use the bathrooms, and greet the team of cooks and porters which will make our mountain adventure possible.
We will start with our trek there, after two hours we will arrive to the archeological center of Llactapata (2650 m.a.s.l). We will have lunch at this location and will continue ascending to a semi tropical valley for another two hours until we reach our campsite, which will be Hatunchaca.
- Distance: 10 Km.
- Walking Hours: 4-5 hours
- Low Altitude: 2400 m. / 8228 Ft.
- High Altitude: 2900 m. / 9512 Ft.
- Campsite Altitude: 2900 m. / 9512 Ft.
We’ll wake up to birdsong and the peaceful murmuring of the nearby river, taking our time to enjoy the refreshing countryside air. We’ll next gather in the dining tent, where our chefs will be waiting for us with a hearty breakfast, We will ascend to Wayllabamba (first campsite for the traditional inka trail 4days trekker). Then we will continue our hike to the highest point of the journey, Warmiwañuska Pass (4,215m).
This section will be a personal challenge for each hiker, but reaching the top is well worth the effort; getting up here means that you can accomplish anything!
The ascent is gradual, and the first section is covered in vegetation until halfway up the mountain (Llulluchapampa, 3,800m). We’ll rest a while here, taking in the fresh, cold air of the Andes. After here, the views are all of the alpine puna, where the mountain is rocky and without much vegetation due to the altitude. However, we will come across the grass known as paja, still used by many high-mountain communities for roofing material. The views steadily improve as we climb, revealing different mountain ranges, and after a hard hike we’ll reach the highest pass of our trip, with rewarding views of mountains and valleys. If we are lucky, we’ll see condors circling above this pass, the ancient birds of the Peruvian Andes which guard over us as we hike. Getting up to Warmiwañuska is an accomplishment that you will never forget.
We gently descend from here, still glowing from our accomplishment and appreciating the simple things in life. The trail takes us to our campsite in the Pacamayu Ravine. At dinner we’ll share stories with our group and with our Wayki porters as well, feeling the satisfaction and peace furnished by the night sky and surrounding mountain peaks.
- Distance: 16.5 Km.
- Walking Hours: 7-8 hours
- Low Altitude: 2900 m. / 9512 Ft.
- High Altitude: 4215 m. / 13828 Ft. (First Pass – Warmiwañusca)
- Campsite Altitude: 3636 m. / 11929 Ft.
This is one of the most interesting day, natural and cultural beauty scenaries. We’ll pass by archaeological centers, intact Inca trail, tunnels, a wide diversity of microclimates, inter-Andean valleys, and cloud forest full of birds and hundreds of kinds of orchids.
After breakfast, we’ll gradually climb up to Runkuracay, an archaeological site half way up the mountain with a strategic view towards the valley. After our visit here, we’ll finish the last climb to the second highest pass on the trail, the Runkuracay Pass (3,800m), where we’ll see how the cloud forest spreads like a green blanket between the valleys. From the pass, we’ll descend towards the valley until we arrive at the next archaeological site of Sayacmarca (3,600m), known as “The Dominant Town” due to its commanding position above the surrounding valleys. We continue descending to our lunch spot at Chakicocha, and afterwards hike through unimaginable scenery, with countless orchid species, tunnels, and foundations as deep as 10 meters. This splendid trail takes us over the third pass of the route and down to the archaeological site of Phuyupatamarca (3,665m), from where you’ll see Machu Picchu Mountain and the Vilcanota River, valley and glaciated mountain range. If the weather cooperates, we’ll also see Salkantay (6,274m), the most sacred mountain of the region. Here we will spent the night.
- Distance: 11 Km.
- Walking Hours: 6-8 hours
- Low Altitude: 3500 m. / 11480 Ft.
- High Altitude: 3900 m. / 12792 Ft. (Second Pass – Runkuracay)
- Campsite Altitude: 3640 m. / 11939 Ft.
After breakfast. We will descend the trail zigzags down many staircases from Phuyupatamarca through thick vegetation towards Intipata and Wiñaywayna (2,650m), two Inca sites near Machu Picchu but with their own impressive architecture. After lunch we will continue on our route and will be able to see a great variety of flora and fauna typical of the area. Afterwards we will arrive at Inti Punku the “Sun Gate” (2490 m.a.s.l). It is an excellent opportunity to take panoramic pictures of the Machu Picchu Citadel (2430 m.a.s.l) as it is visible from this point. “The lost Inca City”, without a doubt one of the most important urban constructions of the Inca Empire Era. After a short rest time, we will descend to take the bus which will take us to our last campsite: Ruinas Bridge; close to the town of Aguas Calientes.
- Distance: 11 Km.
- Walking Hours: 6-8 hours
- Low Altitude: 2030 m. / 6658 Ft.
- High Altitude: 3640 m. / 11939 Ft.
- Campsite Altitude: 2030 m. / 6658 Ft.
We will get up early in the morning to catch the first bus that will take us to Machu Picchu; where we will be among the first visitors of the day to enjoy of the magic and mystery of one of the New Wonders of the World. Here you will have a tour of the citadel of around 2 – 3 hours. Later we will take the bus to return to Aguas Calientes. Once in town, you can enjoy the town and grab lunch. Afterwards we will take the train to Ollantaytambo and Cusco
PLEASE READ: Risks and conditions to consider during the hike.
(*) The guide will accompany you from Aguas Calientes back to Cusco. The exact timing of the return journey is to be confirmed.
