The optimal periods for a Machu Picchu visit and Inca Trail hike are from late March to May and from September to mid-December. These months are situated just before and after the rainy season, ensuring decent weather and fewer crowds. However, the dry season from June to August is also an excellent option, albeit more popular and potentially crowded.

There are many routes on the Inca Trail, ranging from moderate difficulty to challenging. For the more difficult trips, a good level of fitness and trekking experience is expected.

To show the relative difficulty of our trekking holidays, each trip is graded on a scale of 1 to 12, with 12 being the most challenging.

Depending on the route taken, a trek along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu can take between 8 and 14 days.

Trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu involves going to high altitude. During the course of your trip you will reach altitudes in excess of 3,500m. This is not something that you should worry about; the human body is quite capable of adapting to a very wide range of altitudes but it is important that we follow some simple rules in order to acclimatise successfully.

The local currency in Peru is the sol. US Dollars are widely accepted in many establishments but are mainly used for expensive purchases.

It is recommended that you engage in regular exercise and hiking to maintain good fitness levels.

Visits to Machu Picchu are controlled by the Peruvian authorities and most tickets allow only a single entry to the site. One of the benefits of trekking the Inca Trail means that you arrive at Machu Picchu at the Sun Gate and descend through part of the site on the last day of the trek – your permit allows for this. A full visit to the site takes place on the following morning when you will take the bus from Aguas Calientes up the zigzag road to Machu Picchu for a visit that must be hosted only by an official Machu Picchu guide. So you get 2 visits!

This is the case for our Inca Trail and Beyond and Inca Trail and Machu Picchu holidays. Note that an early start is needed on the Machu Picchu visit day to allow enough time for boarding the bus and seeing the site. Generally our groups are able to spend 4 – 6 hours at the site before they need to descend to Aguas Calientes and take the trip back to Cusco. Generally our clients take the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo or Poroy before boarding a bus for the final journey back to Cusco. If you have trekked the Salkantay or Choquequirao Trails, your first view of Machu Picchu is from Llactapata and you will not enter the site at the end of your trek. However, you will have a full morning (with an early start) the following day to wander round and walk up to the Sun Gate should you wish. It’s a good idea to talk to your guide to explain what you want out of your visit to Machu Picchu so he or she can make the best decisions on planning the day for the entire group.

Of all the routes that KE offers, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is the one that involves the least trekking as we walk the trail in just 4 days. The trek does involve crossing high passes and descending into the deep Andean valleys so there is a significant amount of ascent and descent each day and the trek is a KE Grade 4. 

Such is the popularity of the classic Inca Trail, the numbers of trekkers is controlled by the Peruvian government and permits are limited to 500 people per day. This is for sound ecological reasons and means that the trails stay unspoiled and pristine. Of these 500 permits, approximately 200 are allocated to tourists and 300 to porters, cooks and guides. Permits go on sale in January each year and are allocated on a first-come first-served basis. Each year we see the permits sell out more quickly than the year before with popular dates selling out immediately.

For this reason we strongly recommend that you book one year in advance to be sure of a place. Once we receive your booking and your passport details, a member of our team in Cusco will collect your permit in person immediately so we are sure to have it for the day you will begin the trail. Note that the most popular months to trek the Inca Trail are May, June and July. If you are planning to travel at this time, please do make sure you make your plans well in advance to ensure you get the permit.

The quietest option is the most challenging one, the Choquequirao trek which is a Grade 8 trek. This trek is more remote from Cusco and involves more trekking, with longer and more sustained walking than our other Machu Picchu treks.

If this sounds too tough for you then it is worth considering the Salkantay Trail. This trek is a grade 5 and includes 5 days trekking around Mt Salkantay on a quieter trail that is notable for the variation in stunning landscapes along the way, from tropical cloud forest to the high Andes. This tour also includes a visit to Lake Titicaca, making for a perfect mix of walking and cultural exploration.

If you would like a bit more comfort then take a look at our Luxury Salkantay Lodge trek where you can chill out in the hot tub at the end of the day’s walk before retiring to the tasteful and well-appointed lodge for a 3 course dining extravaganza. If you would like to trek the Inca Trail but ALSO get off the beaten track, then choose the KE classic Inca Trail and Beyond trek. This trek includes 3 days walking across the Ancaschocha Pass beneath Mt Huanay before joining the Inca Trail. The Ancascocha Pass is stunning and of course everyone arrives fit and acclimatised when they join the Inca Trail for the ascent to Dead Woman’s Pass!

The beauty of group travel is trekking alongside a group of like-minded travellers with a wide range of ages, interests and abilities. Each day is planned to ensure there is plenty of time to take photographs, enjoy refreshment stops and take in the fantastic scenery. Although there is a certain distance to cover each day, a group holiday is not a “route march” so our leaders don’t expect everyone to walk at the same pace. At KE, we’ll ask you about your previous trekking experience to ensure you book on the right holiday and grade for you, it is your holiday after all!

If you would like to walk to Machu Picchu and want more of a challenge, or want to just spend more time hiking in the beautiful Andean mountains, the Choquequirao to Machu Picchu trek could be the one for you. With 9 days trekking, this is a more sustained trek in a remote area, further from Cusco and the Sacred Valley and is a KE Grade 8 trek.

There are several consecutive long trekking days, a couple of high pass crossings and a lot of accumulated ascent and descent as the trek traces through the deep canyons of the Apurimac and the Rio Blanco. The pay-off is quiet trails and a visit to the amazing ruins of Choquequirao, the so-called “Cradle of Gold”, a sacred Inca sight that has only recently been rediscovered and where more buildings are being exposed each year.

Water on the trail will be boiled by the crew for your drinking bottles. This will usually happen at breakfast, lunch and dinner so you can fill your bottles several times each day. We recommend taking 2 x 1 litre bottles so you can alternate them allowing the water to cool.

Wide-necked and durable plastic bottles such as those made by Nalgene are perfect for the job. If you prefer to trek with a Platypus or similar drink system or drinking bladder, we recommend bringing a Nalgene bottle along too. Our crews take care to boil the water for long periods of time so you can be assured that the water provided to you is safe and good to drink.

We usually employ a team of muleteers and their “arrieros” (mules) for transporting baggage on our treks in the Andes. However, pack animals are not allowed on the Inca Trail and all baggage must be carried by porters, generally Quechua people from villages in and around the Sacred Valley and a joy to be around. Each group trekking the trail is restricted to a maximum number of porters as designated by the park authority, another measure designed to minimise impact on the Inca Trail pathways and ecosystems.

As a result of this limit, unlike our other treks, we request that you limit the weight of your baggage for the trail itself to 8kgs. When you get to Cusco, you will be provided with a small duffle bag to use for the trek in which you must pack your sleeping bag and personal belongings needed for the 4 days trekking. 8kgs may sound like a small amount but as you will only be camping for 3 nights you should not need to take too many additional things with you. Your trip leader will give advice on what you really need to pack. Of course you can leave your main baggage safely at the group hotel in Cusco. On occasion, we are able to transport luggage to Aguas Calientes for use at the end of the trek – your guide will coordinate this.

Peru is an incredibly diverse country with a fantastic Pacific coastline, pristine rainforest, high altitude lakes and incredible mountain landscapes. South America is well-served by an excellent domestic flight service and it is very easy (and surprisingly economical) for us to “add on” internal flights to your international flight booking. Many of our clients travelling to Peru extend their holiday to include additional elements. Options include a visit to the Tambopata Reserve in the Amazonia region of Peru where the order of the day is spotting the Amazon’s top predators – Jaguar, Giant Otter, Black Caiman, Harpy Eagle and Anaconda.

It’s just a short hop on a plane from Lima or Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, the gateway to the rainforest. An alternative option is a visit to Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world which sits at 3,800m on the border with Bolivia. A highlight of any visit here is a visit to the man-made floating reed islands of the Uros people. Taking the overland journey from Cusco to Lake Titicaca by train, aboard the luxurious Belmond Express train, is something everyone should do!

The Andes are a great place to see Andean Condors. If you really want to guarantee a sighting of these lords of the skies, visit Colca Canyon, one of the world’s deepest canyons and home to many of these enormous birds who come to ride the morning thermals every day. Stay in the lovely town of Arequipa that sits at the edge of the Altiplano in an area well known for its vibrant indigenous culture and local handicrafts. If you really want to push the boat out you can extend your stay to visit the Galapagos Islands, the islands famed as the most important in the natural world and a favourite of Charles Darwin. The Galapagos are part of Ecuador but it is very easy to fly from Lima to Quito, the Ecuadorean capital, from where you can journey out to these mystic islands.