The view from Machu Picchu

On our Inca Trail Private Journey, hike the Inca Trail with your group’s own private guide, porters, and cooks and savor the hiking adventure of a lifetime, with an overnight at Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, right at the ruins.

Photo by Michael Powers

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Inca Trail Private Journey route-map

Trip Details at-a-Glance

Cost From: $4095   see pricing
Length: 10 days
Arrive: Cusco, Peru
Depart: Cusco, Peru
Lodging: 5 nights in hotels, 4 nights full-service camping, including overnight at Machu Picchu describe
Meals: All meals included except 2 lunches and 2 dinners
Activity: Hiking / Trekking, Cultural Adventures
Trip Level: Strenuous hiking, 6-8 hours a day at elevations to 13,650 feet
5 explain

Highlights

  • Enter Machu Picchu on foot through the glorious Gate of the Sun
  • Your own private guide and porters, delicious camp cuisine prepared by your personal cook
  • Tour lively Cusco, ancient capital of the Incas


Fun, exciting, and uplifting.Bruce N.—Malibu CA

Choosing the Right Trip

We work hard to help you choose the right trip for you, paying attention to your individual interests, abilities, and needs. If you have questions about the level of comfort or any of the activities described in this itinerary, please contact us.
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References

We are proud to have an exceptionally high rate of repeat travelers. For more information, we would be happy to put you in touch with a client who has traveled with us.

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Departure Notes

Once you have signed up on the trip, we send a complete packing list, relevant health information, and required travel documents.

Resources

This Private Journey is one of the great hikes of the world! Join your private guide for an amazing trek on the world-renowned Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, lost city of the Incas. On the trail, you just carry a daypack as you experience this unforgettable journey with our famous Wilderness Travel full-service camping support. Many other treats are in store on the Inca Trail: absolutely spectacular campsites, haunting Inca fortresses tucked among the rugged crags of the Cordillera Vilcabamba, the beauty of walking in a cloud forest of bamboo and orchids, and the mysterious dancing clouds that shroud, then reveal, these steep green mountains. We designed the trek for maximum altitude acclimatization and to get the most out of each trekking day on your incredible five-day hike. Along the way, enjoy the rich experience of hiking to three of the most fantastic Inca ruins on the trail: Runkuracay, Sayacmarca, and Phuyupatamarca (“Town in the Clouds”), then make your much-anticipated hike to Intipunku, the Gate of the Sun, to enter the magical world of Machu Picchu.

Itinerary at a Glance

For a more complete description, Download Full Trip Brochure

Days 1-2
Cusco and the Sacred Valley

Enjoy a walking tour of Cusco, with its fine churches, museums, and archaeological sites, then head to the Urubamba Valley for a warm-up hike to the mighty Inca fortress of Pisac, a wondrous ruin that is still an enigma to archaeologists.

Days 3-6
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

The famed Inca Trail to Machu Picchu threads its way across mountain passes and through fascinating Inca ruins accessible only on foot. Intricate stonework, orchid-draped cloud forests, and breathtaking vistas fill your hiking days, while each evening you are welcomed to a spectacular campsite by our experienced staff. Enjoy a private guide, cook, camp staff, and porters, with wonderful meals served to you in your own dining tent. Sharing this amazing adventure with your Peruvian crew is always a highlight of the journey.

Days 7-9
The Lost City

Hike in the footsteps of the Incas through Intipunku, the Gate of the Sun, and see the dramatic ruins of Machu Picchu before you—an unbelievable sight! The most spectacular of all Inca citadels, Machu Picchu is perched on a deeply terraced saddle between two sharp green peaks and set against a vast panorama of mist-shrouded mountains. Enjoy a comprehensive tour of the ruins with your private guide. Return to Cusco in the afternoon of Day 8 and depart on Day 9.

For a more complete description, Download Full Trip Brochure

Optional Extensions

If you would like to continue your adventure, we offer the following extensions:

What the Trip is Like

This trip is Level 5, Moderate to Strenuous, according to our trip grading system. Most hiking is between 8,000 and 12,000 feet, and the maximum elevation reached is 13,650 feet. You will cover about 6 to 8 miles per day (6-7 hours of hiking each day). Trail conditions can be primitive, and there is a good bit of up-and-down (often 2,000 to 3,000 feet of elevation gain and subsequent loss per day). Everyone should be prepared for five days of hardy outdoor living. We expect each participant be in excellent health and physical condition. We recommend that you make a special effort to get in top physical condition for the trip.

Explanation of Trip Levels

 

When to go

April to December

Tour Costs

Prices are for 2012

First Class Option

$4095 (4 people)
$4395 (3 people)
$4795 (2 people)
Single Supplement: $795

Deluxe Option

$4995 (4 people)
$5195 (3 people)
$5695 (2 people)
Single Supplement: $1825

Internal airfare: $450 (subject to change)
Inca Trail Permit: $100 per person

Includes all land transportation and private guides throughout.

Note: Some of the hotels on this trip may apply Christmas/New Year holiday surcharges. Please call us for details.

more on pricing

Extension Costs
Arequipa and Colca Canyon Extension
   from: $895
Amazon Rainforest Extension: Reserva Amazonica
   from: $595
Sipan and Chan Chan Extension
   from: $795
Lake Titicaca Extension
   from: $895

Tour Cost Includes:

  • Accommodations in hotels, based on double occupancy, as described, and in top quality tents on trek
  • All meals included except 2 lunches and 2 dinners
  • Land transportation as noted in the Full Trip Brochure
  • Entrance fee to Machu Picchu
  • Airport transfers
  • Private guided tours per itinerary

Tour Cost Does Not Include:

International airfare, any meals not specified after each itinerary day in the Full Trip Brochure, optional activities, airport departure taxes, optional tipping or gratuities to staff, additional hotel nights made necessary by airline schedule changes or other factors, pre-trip expenses such as medical immunizations (if any), travel insurance, or passports and visas; and other expenses of a personal nature (alcoholic beverages, laundry, etc.).

Trip Payment Schedule

At time of reservation: $500
120 days prior to departure: 20%
60 days prior to departure: Balance

Cancellation and Transfer Fee Schedule*

Minimum fee: $250
46-90 days prior to departure: 25% of tour cost
45 days or less: 100% of tour cost

*Please note that this differs from our regular catalog departures.

Casa Andina Private Collection—Cusco

Casa Andina Private Collection—Cusco (First Class Option)

Days 1 to 2 (2 nights),
Days 8 to 9 (2 nights), Cusco, Peru

Just three blocks from the Plaza de Armas in the heart of old Cusco, this charming hotel is a renovated colonial manor house. It features a series ...
Click here for full description and more photos

Hotel Monasterio

Hotel Monasterio (Deluxe Option)

Days 1 to 2 (2 nights),
Days 8 to 9 (2 nights), Cusco, Peru

A 16th century monastery that is now an elegant hotel, the Monasterio is an Orient Express property and a member of the Leading Hotels of the World. ...
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Inca Trail Trek Camps

Inca Trail Trek Camps

Days 3 to 8 (6 nights), Inca Trail, Peru

We make hiking and camping in the Andes as comfortable as it can get! On the trail, you are accompanied by our experienced team of trail guides, and ...
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Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel

Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel (First Class Option)

Day 7 (1 night), Aguas Calientes, Peru

Located in Aguas Calientes below the Machu Picchu ruins, this hotel is spread over 12 acres of lush cloud forest. The rooms are comfortable ...
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Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge

Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge (Deluxe Option)

Day 7 (1 night), Machu Picchu Ruins, Peru

You can’t get closer to the Machu Picchu ruins than this! With only 31 rooms, this Orient Express property is famously set right at the gate ...
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Ramada Costa Del Sol Lima Airport

Ramada Costa Del Sol Lima Airport (Day Room)

Day 10, Lima, Peru

Very conveniently located right across the Lima international airport, this hotel is just a two- minute walk across the street from the terminal, ...
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Extension Accommodations

If you would like to view the accommodations offered with our extensions options:

Note: Listed above are our signature accommodations for this trip. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.

Optional Extensions

If you would like to continue your adventure, we offer the following extensions:

Peru

Amazon Rainforest Extension: Reserva Amazonica

Exploring Waterways and Nature Trails

Wildlife & Natural History, Cultural Adventures
3 days  -  Level 1

Arequipa and Colca Canyon Extension

Colonial Splendor and Natural Wonders

Wildlife & Natural History, Cultural Adventures
4 days  -  Level 2

Lake Titicaca Extension

Mystical Birthplace of the Incas

Archaeology, Cultural Adventures
3 days  -  Level 2

Frieze at the Temple of the Moon, near Trujillo

Sipan and Chan Chan Extension

Ancient Wonders of Northern Peru

Archaeology, Cultural Adventures
4 days  -  Level 1

Client Comments

Fun, exciting, and uplifting. Bruce N., Malibu CA Awesome! The experience of a lifetime. Sid P., Atlantic Beach, FL Could not have been better. I felt so taken care of by Wilderness Travel. Candace H., Miami, FL All our guides showed such a passion for their work, the country of Peru, the Peruvian people, and the Inca archaeological sites. Gayle G., Silverton, OR I can’t give enough wonderful feedback! Our Trip Leader did a superlative job of helping to balance challenge with wonderment. The rest of the team on the trail were warm, professional, and kind. The food was terrific! Faithi B., Potomac. MD The trail and food were wonderful—hiking in luxury! Rachel G., Fairport, NY What a great time we had on the Inca Trail Private Journey!  We were very impressed with the quality of the staff and the planning that went into the itinerary. Tom H., Raleigh, N.C.
This was the trip of a lifetime - we had a blast! I have wanted to go to Machu Picchu for 25 years, and it did NOT disappoint. The surprise was that the HIKE was the best part of the trip! Beautiful and fabulous in every way! Deborah F., Laguna Niguel, CA First class service from our moment of arrival until departure. It was very apparent on the trail that Wilderness Travel was a higher level experience than any other agency. We were very pleased with all services. Randy F., Laguna Niguel, CA