Hiking Tour: The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Trek the Inca Trail, Explore Cusco and Mountain Bike the Sacred Valley
Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is a true classic that should be on every adventurer’s “to-do” list. Exploring ancient paths and exquisite ruins in this spectacular setting will send shivers down your spine. This haunting fortress city nestled below stunning peaks is perhaps the greatest mystery of the Inca Empire. The four-day trek on the Inca Trail to reach this pre-Columbian site is a pilgrimage through time. Beautiful Andean scenery, as well as cultural history, unfolds as we hike up and down steep stone staircases past ancient Inca outposts.
Before we hop on the trail, we spend few days in Cusco, acclimatizing and exploring the many ruins and sites that are so unique to the city that was once the capital of the Inca Empire! We then travel to the Sacred Valley where we bike or hike through the Peruvian countryside, stopping to see Maras salt mines and the Moray ruins, a large-scale agricultural research area.
All of these experiences combines will give you a true sense of the magic of Peru!
Itinerary Snapshot
Day 1 Arrive and overnight in Cusco. We will gather in the evening for a trip briefing.
Day 2 Half-day tour of the Inca ruins around Cusco including: Sacsayhuaman, Qenco, Puca Pucara & Tambomachay ruins.
Day 3 Transfer to the Sacred Valley. Incredible cross-country mountain bike ride from Moray to Maras. Explore archaeological sites and visit traditional Peruvian villages along the way.
Day 4 Begin hiking the Inca Trail! Approximately four hours of hiking to our first camp in a canyon alongside Inca ruins.
Day 5 Climb through the cloud forests of Yunkachimpa and Corralpunku. Overnight just below Dead Woman’s Pass, 12,000 feet – approximately 5 hours hiking.
Day 6 Ascend over the high point of the Inca trail, 14,000 feet, then walk through rolling terrain to arrive and camp at Puyupatamarca – above the clouds. Approx. 5 hours hiking.
Day 7 Approximately four hours of hiking, stopping an hour before Machu Picchu at the incredible ruins of Winay Wayna. We reach the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu in the golden afternoon light and enjoy a brief initial visit to the ruins. Overnight in the small town of Aguas Calientes.
Day 8 In the morning, we return to Machu Picchu where we spend most of the day with our knowledgeable guide. In the late afternoon, we climb aboard a first-class train for a ride back to Cusco.
Day 9 Transfer to airport for flight back home.
Kathy Burns –
Hi Wendy – hope this finds you and the Bio Bio team well! I just wanted to thank you for all you and the team did to make our trip so amazing. Our group collectively agreed that this was one of the most incredible travel experiences ever! Everything was perfect from start to finish; and I also appreciate all your assistance with our unexpected travel snafus.
A special thanks to Darwin and Elias for sharing their knowledge, expertise, humor, and culture. They are truly awesome guys and did such an unbelievable job with all the logistics and management of our motley crew : ) Plus, they were so much fun to be with!
The rest of the Inca Trail team: cooks, waiters, and porters were wonderful; and it was really nice to interact with them as encouraged by Darwin and Elias. Getting to the Sun Gate and “money shot” of Machu Picchu with no one else around was also an unexpected and huge treat.
We had high expectations given Catherine and Tom Silva’s rave reviews of their previous trip. However, those expectations were totally exceeded times 10 – we can’t say enough about what an amazing experience this was. We certainly hope to embark on another Bio Bio adventure in the future and have already told several friends about this one. I’ve also posted a trip advisor rating – thanks for suggesting it. Again, many thanks and all the best!
Kathy & John
Catherine Silva –
We returned from our adventure in Peru today. I really can’t express how delighted our entire group was with the experience. We ( Tom and Catherine Silva) had taken this trip in 2016, and our description so intrigued our friends that they decided to take the trip—and we returned with them. We had heaped praise on the beauty of the country and the quality of your team, but the reality is far above what we could describe. Our guides, Darwin and Elias, were outstanding in their knowledge and explanations, took amazing care of the group, and were delightful companions – we laughed a LOT! (Tom and I had met Darwin on our last visit and were very happy to see him again. ) We were amazed at the work the porters, waiters, and cooks did, and loved that Darwin made sure we got to meet them. We are so thankful to your entire team, for the adventure and memories that we shared.
—Catherine Silva 2019 Inca trail
Nidhi –
Hi Tory and Marc,
I just have to say that this trip was an awesome experience and I can’t stop raving about it to my colleagues! I’m dredging up business for you guys and am happy to be your spokesperson!
From day 1, once I arrived I’m Cusco, I felt safe and comfortable. The group was easy going. The guides were great and knowledgeable. I learned so much. The food was outstanding. Hats off to the chef and staff for providing such food in those conditions. Thank you for accommodating my dietary restrictions! The porters were an inspiration to us all. Loved the hot water in AM and upon arrival to camp. I think you guys do a phenomenal job with thinking of everything. Everyone just goes above and beyond! This trip is my top favorite along with Patagonia! Looking forward to many more with you guys!
Thanks again
Nidhi
John Ober –
Dear Marc,
Once again, not to my surprise (but always a pleasure), BioBio hit a home run for me with this fantastic trip to Macchu Piccu. It was the epitome of worldwide CE/travel with a ‘personal touch.’ You’ve always sourced really great hike support crew…porters, cooks, et cetera, but I’m most amazed by your local guides. The know all the important little secret places and tricks as if they’ve lived there for years…and often they have!! All the safe, lovely, interesting restaurants, how to time arrival to and departure from busy but interesting places for the highest quality if experience, and a quiet awareness and anticipation of our likely needs and interests are all clearly important to our fantastic guides.
I need to tell you that Darwin, in particular, is an employee/contractor who merits retention, promotion, or whatever else you do to let employees know that they’re unusually impressive. His depth of knowledge and interest in his subject, his passion for sharing this with us, and his sensitive awareness and support of our needs was truly impressive. He and I spoke about my BioBio experience in Kilimanjaro (I started the conversation). I think you would be VERY well served by having him there, though I’ll concede that I have too much BioBio ahead of me to consider repeating that soon.
My fiancée and I are very excited about our upcoming honeymoon, but Galapagos is on her bucket list as well as mine…and you have enough choices available for a lifetime of travel. Still, as I sit in this airport in Peru, I wish I could go back to Macchu Piccu tomorrow!
With gratitude,
John Ober, DVM
Carol S. –
The trip far exceeded our expectations. The level of service could not have been better. We were exceptionally well cared for from the time we stepped off the plane in Cusco until the moment we left. Have never had better guides both in Cusco and on the Inka Trail. Truly a trip of a lifetime!
Wendy Damonte –
Dear Bio Bio, I’ve traveled all over the world with well known touring companies and I have to say you guys are the best!! For my 40th birthday, a group of 16 friends headed down to Peru to hike the Inca Trail and visit Machu Picchu. We were thrilled mountain biking and horse back riding were also included. And while we knew the trip would be filled with adventure, we didn’t expect the level of luxury Bio Bio offers. The hotels we stayed in were beautiful. The food tent on the trail is out of this world! And speaking of the food, it was gourmet at every stop. We still can’t figure out how the chefs make such amazing meals on the trail. But I think the best part of Bio Bio is the people you have working with you. Our guides (Piero, Jose, Jairo and Reuben) made the trip! They are fun and great to hang out with, but also really knowledgeable about the local area. And they go above and beyond. Here are two examples. One was in the cloud forest. The guides woke up at 5am to see if the sky was clear. It was, so they woke everyone up and we climbed to the top of the hill to have a view from the top of the world. Plus, the porters had already set up our coffee table so we drank hot coffee and gazed out over the Andes. The second was when we arrived through the sun gate at Machu Picchu. Bio Bio got us there in the late afternoon. While I was skeptical about this at first (most get there at sunrise), it was the best plan! We literally had Machu Picchu to ourselves. No crowds. No lines. Plus, the guides hiked for 4 days with champagne in their packs so we could toast to our accomplishment. I can’t say enough about this trip. Our entire group is now looking at going to Chile together, of course with Bio Bio. With tons of love and admiration, Wendy W. Damonte Evening News Anchor, KTVN-TV Channel 2 Wendy W. Damonte Evening News Anchor, KTVN-TV CHANNEL 2 p. 775-861-4234 f. 775-861-4246 — Wendy W. Damonte Evening News Anchor, KTVN-TV Channel 2
Jim Kupczak –
It as fabulous!!! The trek was as exciting if not more exciting than seeing Machu Picchu . Jose, yuri and Ricardo were fantastic – very knowledgeable, attentive to individual needs – all questions were answered. The food surpassed our expectations. The organization of the camp and trekking timing was fantastic. Please continue to use this crew!!!! We will look at bio bio for other activities. Thank you Jim Kupczak
Linda and Jeff Kaufman –
Jeff and i had an absolutely wonderful time with you. We felt pampered and safe and, most importantly, part of your very, very unique family of obviously good friends. i can’t think of a single moment I’d change. i appreciated how you changed plans when necessary but always had choices and alternatives from which to choose. each and everyone of your guides was remarkable – seemingly willing to do anything to insure us all having the time of our lives. thank you so very much. we both wish you all the success in the world!
Jill Habig –
Hi Marc, We just returned home from Peru, and I just wanted to tell you how fantastic our trip was. We filled out our formal evaluation, but I wanted to personally relay how incredible Piero and Jose were as our main guides. We really couldn’t have asked for more from either of them. They were knowledgeable, funny, conscientious, and super attentive to the whole group, which isn’t always easy to do with 16 people! Whenever any of us wanted to do something a little different from the plan for the day, they always had recommendations and offered to make arrangements for us, and they never led us astray. We were really impressed with the whole trip, but the staff – from the guides to the cooks (wow Edgar, what an amazing chef – he baked a birthday cake at 12,000 feet!) to the porters – really surpassed our expectations. Thanks so much for an amazing trip; we hope to use Bio Bio again in the future! Best, Jill Peru – Inca trail May 2011
Ginger Alden –
I have to say that our experience in Peru exceeded my expectations in virtually every way. Piero and Patty and Zak took exceptional care of us. We were utterly free from decision making and I lost track of days and dates right away. Sign of a good trip. As you may know, Piero had more than a few amazing surprises for us, which added to the terrific itinerary that you planned, made our trip unique and wonderful. Logistics were precise and well planned. Drivers prompt, hotels expecting us and efficient check-ins, water available, bags handled behind the scenes and magically appearing in hotel rooms. I didn’t know until we were off the trail how skilled Zak and Piero were at limiting our contact with other groups. We felt like we practically had the trail to ourselves and certainly the sungate when we arrived there.
Colleen Klein –
Marc, The trip was honestly amazing….best trip I have ever been on! It had the perfect balance of tons of adventure and luxury mixed in (food was great everywhere!), and the fact that I didn’t have to worry about a detail because Piero had it all taken care of was fantastic! I can’t say enough good things about the trip, about Piero and the other amazing guides (specifically Jose) that made my experience with Bio Bio and the trip to Peru amazing. I’m planning to look into Bio Bio future trips…maybe Patagonia and/or Mt Kilimanjaro…and would highly recommend your travel group to others. Thanks again!! Also – I will send a few of my fav pics when we get them downloaded! -Colleen Peru Inca trail May 22nd 2011
Chamille Yarborough –
What a wonderful trip!! I have been on many adventure trips–from running across the Morrocan Sahara for 9 days in the Marathon des Sables, to the Himalayan Run and Trek, a 10-day stage run in northeastern India and Sikkim, and private treks and climbs in Nepal–yet this Inca trek in Peru was the best of them all. Likely it was our exceptional group of women “of a certain age” who laughed and struggled together up the trail that made it so special; but our spirits couldn’t have stayed so high without the special attention to detail from your Peruvian staff. Piero Vellutino kept us all smiles with his funny comments and big bear hugs. Each time we achieved a goal, a high pass, the end of a long day, the end of the trek to Intipunku, our guides Piero, Omar and Jairo, congratulated and hugged us. They quietly made sure that all camp details were perfect and had friendly words for all the porters. It was a happy trip. Some of us felt poorly from time to time, but were buoyed up by Piero and company so that no one ever considered stopping short of the goal. The trip was a wonderful blend of comraderie, physical challenge, Inca and Quechua cultural immersion and nature education. We were blessed with good weather and fun shopping excursions to top it all off. I can’t wait to go back next year to see more of Peru and its lovely people! Regarding highs and lows, there were only highs. The hotels were all very nice, with the Pueblo Inkaterra the loveliest. My only wish is that the trip were longer!!! Though it is best to leave for home wishing for more, rather than wishing to go home–so it was just the right length.
David Green –
Hello Marc, I suspect it is no surprise to you, but our recent trip was fantastic. Piero, Zacarias, and Elias were wonderful guides, combining both personal and professional skills. They represented BioBio extremely well. I know that the quality of their work was such, that if any of the 14 of us seek adventure travel again, our first choice would be bio bio.