Machu Picchu & Inca Trail Trekking Tour
October 17-25, 2010: Royal Inca Trail
April 15-23, 2011: Classic Inca Trail

Peru is one of the hot spots of adventure travel and the combination of Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail is the primary reason. What you might not know is there are many Inca Trails, including two that end at Machu Picchu. The trails are called the Cápac Ñan network, after the Emperor Cápac, and we will be walking on the very stones laid down by thousands of workers more than 500 years ago.

We offer two distinct tours to Peru. Both tours are nine days long, starting and ending in Lima, and include four days hiking on the Inca Trail. Click on each tour for complete information.

Classic Inca Trail
The Classic Inca Trail is used by most trekkers in Peru and has been immortalized as a phenomenal adventure travel destination. It is an amazing four-day hike that crosses Dead Woman's Pass (4,200 meters or 13,860 feet in elevation), offers stunning views of the surrounding cloud forest, visits several isolated Incan ruins en route, and ends at the Sun Gate overlooking Machu Picchu. Choose the Classic Inca Trail if you are looking for a challenge or have always dreamed of hiking the Inca Trail as it is known to most travelers around the world.

Royal (Original) Inca Trail
What most people don't realize is there are actually two Inca Trails from the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu. The path Pachacuti, the Incan ruler who built Machu Picchu, took to visit this amazing place that was his hideaway retreat is called the Royal (or Original) Inca Trail. It is a much easier trail that stays along the Urubamba River. On our Royal Inca Trail trek, we follow this original route, avoiding the intense climbs and high altitude issues of the Classic trail. The trail goes through much lusher vegetation than the Classic trail and because it is so infrequently visited, our only neighbors are local Quechua Indians and the daily trains running on the opposite side of the river from the trail. We recommend the Royal Inca Trail if you want the same fantastic experience of the Classic Inca Trail but are concerned about the high altitude, your fitness level, or your knees (the long downhills of the Classic Trail can be tough on knees).