Inca Trail 4 Day

The 4-day Inca Trail is the classic way to walk to Machu Picchu: a trek from Km 82, at Piscacucho, over Dead Woman’s Pass and past Inca sites to the Sun Gate, with three nights in camps on the way. You cannot do it on your own: entry goes through authorized agencies, so you book a trek company and it buys your permit. The trek on this page’s calendar is TreXperience’s 4-day Inca Trail hike & panoramic train, at US$840 per adult on the December 2026 and March 2027 dates, as of 12 November 2026, with the permit, the Machu Picchu ticket, three nights camping, porters, meals and the Vistadome train back included. It is non-refundable.

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4 day Inca Trail: pick the trek that fits

Regular US$ prices and review counts read on 12 November 2026. Companies price by date, so treat them as the shape of the market, not a quote; the calendar and the checkout decide.

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, on the map

SERNANP, the agency that runs Peru’s protected areas, describes the traditional route as starting at Km 82, at Piscacucho, and lasting 4 days and 3 nights. Its map of the Machu Picchu sanctuary gives Route 1, Piscacucho to Machu Picchu, as 33.7 km, with the highest point at Abra Warmiwañusca, Dead Woman’s Pass, at 4,200 m above sea level. The Inca Trail machu picchu walkers arrive on is the last stretch: through the Sun Gate, Intipunku, with Machu Picchu below.

The road from Cusco to Piscacucho takes about 2.3 hours on the same map. TreXperience and Alpaca Expeditions both drive out early and stop for breakfast in Ollantaytambo, and TreXperience comes back the same way on day 4: the bus down to Aguas Calientes, the train to Ollantaytambo, then the road to Cusco.

The Inca Trail 4 days, one by one

TreXperience’s itinerary, the trek on this page:

1. Day 1, Km 82 to Ayapata. Pickup in Cusco or the Sacred Valley, breakfast in Ollantaytambo, then the trail from Km 82 past the Inca site of Patallacta to the Ayapata campsite.
2. Day 2, over Dead Woman’s Pass to Chaquicocha. The most challenging part of the trail: over Dead Woman’s Pass and the Runkuraqay pass, with the ruins of Runkuraqay and Sayacmarca, to the camp at Chaquicocha.
3. Day 3, Phuyupatamarca to Wiñaywayna. Cloud forest and three Inca sites, Phuyupatamarca, Intipata and Wiñaywayna, then a farewell dinner at camp.
4. Day 4, the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu. Up before dawn to the Sun Gate, the upper path of Circuit 1, then a guided Circuit 3 tour, the bus down and the Vistadome train, with drop-off at your hotel in Cusco in the evening.

The 4-day Inca Trail itinerary goes through each day with the altitudes, the camps and a packing list built from what the treks include and leave out.

Inca Trail permits: why you book a company

SERNANP’s map says it plainly: entry to the Inca trail network must be made through authorized agencies. A culture ministry resolution added in 2025 says the Inca Trail places are reserved and paid through them, as Andina, the state news agency, reported on 25 December 2025. So the permit comes with the trek: the company books it in your name. That is why each hiker’s full name, passport number, date of birth and country are needed when you book TreXperience’s trek, which is confirmed within 24 hours.

For 2026, the culture ministry announced on 3 November 2025 that reservation and payment would open on 17 November 2025. No date for 2027 had been announced as of 12 November 2026. Inca Trail permits has the rules and what to check before you pay.

See which dates are open

Inca Trail tours: what the companies sell

The classic Inca Trail tours sell nearly the same four days. The differences sit in the train back, the Machu Picchu circuits, what you rent and whether you can cancel:

• TreXperience on GetYourGuide, this page’s trek: Circuit 1 from the Sun Gate and a guided Circuit 3 tour, the Vistadome train, a porter for up to 7 kg of your things, US$840 per adult.
• Alpaca Expeditions on Viator: a personal porter for up to 7 kg, the Vistadome train for tours through January 2027 and the Expedition train from March 2027, US$835 per person with a minimum of 2 people per booking. Alpaca also sells a 4-day trek on GetYourGuide.
• AB Expeditions on Viator: the Inca Trail 4-Day 3-Night Trek at US$998 per person, with Circuit 1 and the Expedition train; the Vistadome costs US$20 more. It is the one here with a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before.

How to choose an Inca Trail tour company lists what to compare on a listing, and the Inca Trail price sets the treks and their extras side by side.

When the trail is closed

Routes 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 of the Inca trail network were closed through 28 February 2026, SERNANP announced, for the ecosystems’ recovery and maintenance, and they reopened on 1 March 2026 (Andina, 27 January 2026). The trail also closed after unusual rainfall in August 2026: the culture directorate in Cusco and SERNANP announced that tourist entry would resume on Saturday 5 September (Andina, 4 September 2026). The best time for the Inca Trail has both notices and what they mean for your dates.

Is the 4-day Inca Trail hard?

TreXperience’s trek is for hikers with at least a moderate level of physical fitness, and not for pregnant women or people with back, mobility or heart problems. The hard part is day 2, the climb to 4,200 m. In TreXperience’s 350 most recent reviews, from October 2024 to November 2026, at least two hikers call day 2 the hard one (13 April and 21 May 2026), and at least four bring up tips for the crew, one on 4 November 2026: “you will need quite a lot of money for tips on the end for all staff”. If you have spare days in Cusco around the trek, cusco-rainbow-mountain-tour.com covers the day trips from the city.

The trek starts with an early pickup and ends in Cusco, so most hikers sleep in the city the night before and after: where to stay in Cusco has the areas, with Aguas Calientes and Ollantaytambo.

Check the 4-day Inca Trail