How to Choose an Inca Trail Tour Company
What to compare on an Inca Trail tour company's 4-day trek: the Machu Picchu circuits, the train, the porter's kilos, group size, cancellation, reviews.
Search for the best Inca Trail tour company and you get rankings; this page has none. The companies sell nearly the same four days, from Km 82 to the Sun Gate, and the permit system means the company buys your place on the trail. What differs is in the details: which Machu Picchu circuits are included, which train brings you back, how many kilos the porter carries for you, how big the group is, and whether you can cancel. Compare those, then the reviews. The trek on this page’s calendar, TreXperience’s 4-day Inca Trail hike & panoramic train, includes Circuits 1 and 3 and the Vistadome, at US$840 per adult (read 12 November 2026).
1. Is it the Inca Trail?
Check the route before anything else. The 4-day Inca Trail starts at Km 82 (Piscacucho) and crosses Dead Woman’s Pass; the trek should include the Inca Trail entrance or permit. Some listings use “Inca Trail” in the title for the Inca Jungle trek, a bike, hike and hostel trip that reaches Machu Picchu by another way and includes no Inca Trail permit: classic vs short Inca Trail shows one. The 2-day short Inca Trail starts at Km 104 and is a real part of the trail, with its own permit.
2. Which Machu Picchu circuits are included
Machu Picchu is visited on 3 circuits since 1 June 2024 (machupicchu.gob.pe), and the treks include different ones:
- TreXperience (GetYourGuide): “Entrance tickets to the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu (circuit 1 and 3)”: the Sun Gate and the upper path, then a guided Circuit 3 tour.
- Alpaca Expeditions (GetYourGuide): the citadel ticket is Circuit 3, and day 4 also takes in the Circuit 1 viewpoint.
- AB Expeditions (Viator): the Machu Picchu entrance ticket is Circuit 1, with a guided tour of about 2 hours.
- Inkayni Peru Tours (GetYourGuide): the entry tickets are Circuit 1; the 2-hour guided tour after it is optional and needs a new ticket at extra cost to re-enter.
That last line is the kind of detail to read before you book.
3. The train back
The trains change with the company and the date. TreXperience’s GetYourGuide trek returns on the Vistadome. On Alpaca Expeditions’ treks, tours through January 2027 return on the Vistadome, and from March 2027 on the Expedition train, with the Vistadome US$20 per person extra. AB Expeditions includes the Expedition train, with the Vistadome US$20 extra. TreXperience’s Viator trek returns on the Vistadome or the 360 train.
4. What the porter carries for you
| Company | Porter allowance for your things | Group or booking limit |
|---|---|---|
| TreXperience (GetYourGuide) | up to 7 kg (15 lb), with a 7 kg duffle bag | group limited to 16 |
| Alpaca Expeditions (GetYourGuide) | personal porter, up to 7 kg | group limited to 16 |
| Inkayni Peru Tours (GetYourGuide) | a porter for 5 kg of your things | maximum of 10 per group |
| AB Expeditions (Viator) | duffel bag and porter for up to 7 kg | up to 12 per booking |
| Bamba Travel (Viator) | Complete option: 7 kg in total (3 kg for the sleeping bag and mattress plus 4 kg of personal items); Basic option: none | max 15, average 6 |
Bamba Travel’s Complete option carries 3 kg for the sleeping bag and mattress plus 4 kg of personal items. A smaller allowance means more on your own back over the pass.
5. Whether you can cancel
Most 4-day treks cannot be refunded. TreXperience’s GetYourGuide trek: “This activity is non-refundable”. Alpaca Expeditions’ and TreXperience’s Viator treks: “This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason”. Two treks compared on this site can be cancelled: AB Expeditions on Viator (“For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time”) and Inkayni Peru Tours on GetYourGuide (“Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund”; the calendar showed “Cancel for free until Jan 14” for a 15 January 2027 date, in November 2026).
6. The fitness it takes
Read it as a warning, not as small print. TreXperience’s GetYourGuide trek is for hikers with at least a moderate level of physical fitness; its Viator trek, and AB Expeditions’, are marked for a high level. Alpaca Expeditions’ GetYourGuide trek is not suitable for children under 12 or people over 70; Inkayni Peru Tours’ small-group trek on GetYourGuide is not suitable for people over 70 either.
7. Then the reviews
Review counts measure volume, not fit: TreXperience’s GetYourGuide trek has over 600 reviews, and Alpaca Expeditions’ Viator trek over 11,600 (Viator and Tripadvisor together, November 2026). Read the recent ones for the things that matter on the trail: the guide, the food, the camps and the toilets, the tips at the end. In TreXperience’s 350 most recent GetYourGuide reviews, at least four raise the tips, one on 24 July 2026 asking that the “recommended tipping levels” be “mentioned while making a purchase”.
Three companies, three reasons
TreXperience, 4-Day Inca Trail Hike & Panoramic Train
Group limited to 16, a porter for 7 kg, the Sun Gate at sunrise and a guided Circuit 3 tour. Non-refundable.
Check datesInkayni Peru Tours, 4-Day Inca Trail in Small Groups
Circuit 1 entry, a porter for 5 kg, inflatable mattress included; free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The guided Machu Picchu tour needs a second ticket.
See the trekAB Expeditions, Inca Trail 4-Day 3-Night Trek
Circuit 1 with a guided tour of about 2 hours, the Expedition train, a porter for 7 kg; full refund up to 24 hours before.
See it on ViatorRegular US$ prices read in November 2026. Companies price by date, so treat them as the shape of the market, not a quote; the checkout decides.
The Inca Trail price has every trek’s price with its unit and the extras.
Around Cusco
More Treks and Tours from Cusco
Other bookable days out of Cusco, on GetYourGuide.
Compare, Then Check the Dates
TreXperience's 4-day Inca Trail hike & panoramic train: Circuits 1 and 3, the Vistadome back, a porter for 7 kg, a group limited to 16. This activity is non-refundable.
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