Machu Picchu & Inca Trail Trekking Adventure
October 10-18, 2009: Royal Inca Trail
April 17-25, 2010: 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 most people don't realize, however, is the Incas built an entire network of trails and there are actually two Inca Trails from the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu.

The highlight of our trips to Peru are the four days and three nights we spend on one of these two Inca Trails, actual paths used by the Incan Empire rulers. Called the Cápac Ñan network, after the Emperor Cápac, we will be walking on the very stones laid down by thousands of workers more than 500 years ago. Your only decision is whether to walk the Classic Inca Trail or the Royal (Original) Inca Trail.

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 trek 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. See this Classic Inca Trail map for an overview of the trek.

Royal (Original) Inca Trail
As you can see on the map, the Classic Inca Trail starts on the Urubamba River, climbs away from the river (up over Dead Woman's Pass), and eventually returns to near the river. That is not the path Pachacuti, the Incan ruler who built Machu Picchu, took to visit this amazing place that was his hideaway retreat. Instead, he took the Original (or Royal) Inca Trail along the river, not shown on this map. On our Royal Inca Trail trips, we follow this original route along the Urubamba River, avoiding the intense climbs and high altitude issues of the classic trail. The path 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. See Machu Picchu explorer Hyram Bingham's 1911 account of this trail to the left.

Advantages of Each Route

Classic Inca Trail

• World famous trekking route to Machu Picchu
• Spectacular ridgetop views of nearby mountains
• Challenging ascent of Warmiwanusca (Dead Woman's Pass)

Royal (Original) Inca Trail

• Very few trekkers take this route; we will likely have it entirely to ourselves
• Much less difficult
• Avoids any problems with altitude sickness
• Cold showers available each night (temps are warmer on this trek so cold showers work fine)

Advantages of Both Routes
The trekking logisitcs of both routes are similar. The local staff who carry our equipment, cook our meals, and cater to our every need are amazing. We have a staff to trekker ratio of about 1.5 to 1, with all the staff from the same village, Cachiccata, in the Sacred Valley. Both treks involve luxury camping where our tents are set up for us, we have tea delivered to our tent door each morning, and we have group cooking, dining, and toilet tents. Our Peruvian guide, Santiago, is outstanding and is usually helped by Ruben or another assistant guide. On both routes, we pass several isolated Incan ruins and eventually make our way to the end of the trail and to Machu Picchu, the amazing Lost City of the Incas. On both tours we offer airport-to-airport service including Lima transfers, acclimatization hikes in the Sacred Valley, and a post-trek day in Cusco.

Our Recommendation
We recommend the Classic Inca Trail if you are looking for a challenge or have always dreamed of doing the Inca Trail as it is known to most travelers around the world. We recommend the Royal Inca Trail if you are concerned about the high altitude (most people suffer moderate ill effects on the Classic Trail), your fitness level, or your knees (the long down hills of the Classic trail can be tough on knees). If you have limited flexibility, pick whichever trip best fits your schedule or sign up for one of our Private Treks with a minimum of two people.

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) On this trip we do not generally send an American guide. Our Peruvian guides have done the Inca Trail hundreds of time, led our tours multiple times, and speak excellent English. 4) Inca Trail passes are limited to 500 travelers and local staff each day. Passes always sell out during shoulder and high seasons! Please book as early as possible.  5) 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-start 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, 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.
• Request a detailed Trip Description by email.