Field log by Rosa Quispe, Peru and Bolivia planner at our Cusco desk. Distances, altitudes, and prices checked for the 2026 season.

Why this route

The Inca Trail remains the most controlled trek in South America: 500 entries per day for trekkers, guides, cooks, and porters combined, and in 2026 the permit portion of a licensed 4-day trek sits near 80 to 95 USD per person, locked to a passport number months ahead. We route nearly all first-time trail clients through the classic 4-day, 43 km version because the altitude profile works in your favor. You sleep at 2,792 m in Ollantaytambo, start walking at 2,720 m at KM 82, and cross Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 m only on the second walking day, after four nights above 2,700 m.

The 2026 season runs under timed entry and fixed circuits inside Machu Picchu, with no re-entry on a single ticket. A standard 4-day trek enters through the Sun Gate around 06:00 on the final morning and follows Circuit 2, which covers the main terraces, temples, and viewpoints in about three hours. Guided 4-day group departures from Cusco list at 750 to 950 USD per person in 2026, with private departures from 1,150 USD. Porters carry your 6 kg duffel, cooks prepare hot meals at camp, and the return train to Ollantaytambo or Cusco is included. Book five to six months ahead for May through September departures.

The log: Cusco to the Sun Gate

Seven dated entries from touchdown to the train home. Morning, midday, and evening notes are kept where the day is long.

Day 1 - Arrival in Cusco, 3,400 m

Our driver meets you at the airport, about 15 minutes and 8 USD by taxi from the historic center, and we settle you into a partner hotel near San Blas where doubles list at 60 to 90 USD with breakfast. The afternoon rule is strict: coca tea, water, and one slow loop around the Plaza de Armas, nothing more. At 17:00 we hold the trail briefing at our El Sol avenue office: duffel weigh-in at 6 kg, sleeping bag check, and passport verification against the permit. Dinner is soup and an early night.

Day 2 - Sacred Valley warm-up, 2,792 m

We drive 60 km to Pisac by 08:00, walk the market for an hour, then continue 35 km to Ollantaytambo for the night at 2,792 m, which gives your body its second night of useful acclimatization. Midday is a salt-and-potato lunch in Urubamba, about 12 USD, and an afternoon visit to the Ollantaytambo fortress terraces, entry 70 soles on the tourist ticket. In the evening the guide re-checks boots, headlamps, and rain layers over coffee. Lights out by 21:00; the KM 82 pickup is at 04:30.

Day 3 - KM 82 to Wayllabamba, 12 km

Permits are checked at the KM 82 control at 2,720 m around 06:00, and the trail follows the Urubamba river through eucalyptus and cactus scrub. By midday we reach Miskay for a hot lunch prepared by the cook team, then climb gently to the Wayllabamba camp at 3,000 m by 15:30. Total walking is 12 km in six to seven hours with a 280 m net gain. Evening is tea, a briefing on tomorrow's pass, and sleep by 20:00.

Day 4 - Over Dead Woman's Pass, 4,215 m

This is the demanding day: 11 km from Wayllabamba over Warmiwanusca, the pass at 4,215 m, then down to Pacaymayo camp at 3,600 m. Morning is a steady three-hour climb with rest stops every 40 minutes, and most groups top the pass between 10:30 and 11:30 for photos and a snack. Midday the descent drops 600 m over stone steps, which is harder on knees than the climb, so poles matter. We reach camp by 15:00, and the afternoon is rest, laundry rinse, and an early dinner.

Day 5 - Ruins traverse to Winay Wayna, 16 km

The longest walking day at 16 km, but the kindest profile: up to Runkurakay at 3,800 m by 08:30, then contour through cloud forest past Sayacmarca and Phuyupatamarca. Midday brings the stone tunnel section and lunch with a view over the valley, and by 15:30 we descend the 800 Inca steps into Winay Wayna camp at 2,650 m. Evening is the cook team's farewell dinner, usually soup, trout or chicken, and cake baked in a pressure cooker. Bed by 20:30 ahead of the 03:30 wake-up.

Day 6 - Sun Gate and Machu Picchu, Circuit 2

We leave camp at 04:00, clear the final control, and climb 60 minutes to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate at 2,730 m, arriving near 06:00 as the citadel opens below. The guided Circuit 2 visit runs about three hours across the terraces, the Temple of the Sun, and the main plazas, ending near 10:00. Midday is the bus down to Aguas Calientes, 12 USD each way, lunch at the market food court for about 10 USD, and an optional Huayna Picchu climb at 75 USD if booked ahead. The afternoon train to Ollantaytambo takes 90 minutes, with Cusco transfer adding two hours, and we debrief over dinner in Cusco.

If you go

Permits are the whole game on this route. Everything below reflects the 2026 booking rules we work with.

• Book five to six months ahead for May to September; the permit is tied to your exact passport number and date.
• Budget 750 to 950 USD for a group trek, from 1,150 USD private, plus 70 soles for the Cusco tourist ticket used on Day 2.
• Train your knees for descents: day four drops 600 m on stone steps, and poles cut the load measurably.
• Pack for four seasons: freezing mornings at 4,215 m, hot midday valleys, and rain from October through April.
• Carry cash in small soles for trail snacks, the Aguas Calientes bus, and porter tips of 60 to 80 soles per trekker.
• Plan two buffer nights in Cusco after the trek before any domestic flight, in case of train delays.

We run a 30-minute walk-through call before any booking, then draft the route, lock the permit, and brief you in Cusco the night before departure. On-trail support runs through the guide and our office line daily.