Machu Picchu & the Royal Inca Trail
October 17-25, 2010

Price	$2,500 per person
Single Supplement	$800 (always optional)
Length	Nine Days & Eight Nights
Activities	Trekking
Guides (Tentative)	Santiago
Difficulty Level	Moderate
Navigation Required	None
Other	$280 Internal Flight Not Included.
Private Trek	Book this as a Private Trek.

Are you interested in traveling to Machu Picchu and hiking on the Inca Trail but nervous about the altitude or the difficulty? We have the alternative for you.

Most people don't realize there is an entire network of Incan trails in Peru, including two separate paths leading from the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu. What's more, the easier Royal Inca Trail is likely the original route built and traveled by the Incan emperors when they visited their mountain retreat, Machu Picchu. For a description of the route, read a quote from discoverer Hyram Bingham to the left.

This nine-day tour is similar to our other Inca Trail trips, with airport pickup in Lima, two pre-trek days in the Sacred Valley, and a post-trek day in Cusco. We also spend four days on the trek itself but take the lower, flatter Royal Inca Trail along the Urubamba River. We have the same great staff carrying our equipment, setting up our tents, and cooking our meals. We pass by and have time to explore a number of Incan ruins and finish at Machu Picchu. Best of all, almost no one else takes this route and so we will have the trail mostly to ourselves.

So why join us on this Royal Inca Trail trek? Simply put, it is an easier trek that makes hiking to Machu Picchu more accessible to more people. The Classic Inca Trail is tough - it crosses a 13,800-foot pass and involves a lot of uphill and downhill. The Royal Inca Trail, by contrast, stays relatively low and only has one significant uphill on the rise from the river to Machu Picchu itself. If you want to experience the majesty of the Inca Trail but are worried about your lungs, your legs, or your knees, this is the perfect tour.

Special Notes
1) Each Peru trip is limited to 15 participants due to group size limitations on the Inca Trail. Minimum group size is five. 2) Not included in the trip price are sleeping bag rental of $75, an internal flight from Lima to Cusco and back, and domestic departure taxes of about $6 per flight. The internal flight is estimated at $280 ($180 if you only need a one-way ticket because of your post-tour plans) and will be billed on your invoice. 3) Inca Trail passes are limited to 500 travelers and local staff each day. Passes always sell out! Please book as early as possible.  4) Because we must provide a deposit to ensure space on the Inca Trail, which is limited in numbers, the $500 deposit for this trip is not refundable or transferrable to another trip, starting seven days after you receive your trip confirmation email and Pre-Departure Packet. Please strongly consider trip insurance!

Accommodations
Our hotels in Peru are three-star or four-star quality; they are always clean and sometimes luxurious. We start our stay in Lima at the Casa Andina hotel, located in a good area of the capital city. In the Sacred Valley town of Ollantaytambo we stay in the Hotel Pakaritampu, a beautiful hotel located right next to Incan ruins. In Aguas Calientes near Machu Picchu, we stay in the pleasant but simple Inti Inn, while our final night in Cusco is at the Picoaga, a four-star, 17th century Spanish mansion.

For More Information

• See our Peru Frequently Asked Questions and Itinerary pages.
• Visit our entire Inca Trail Hiking website.
• Request a detailed Trip Description by email.
• See our special page on Machu Picchu.