Private Inca Trail 4 Days: The Andean Path Travel Trek

Included, Stated Clearly

The inclusions are private transportation, personal tents, air mattresses, porters and cooks, an expert tour guide, and breakfast, lunch and dinner on the trail. Every hiker sleeps in their own tent rather than sharing. That is the whole comfort story, and it is a fair one for the money.

What the listing does not state matters more. It does not say the Inca Trail permit is included, it does not say the Machu Picchu entrance ticket is included, it does not name the return train, and it does not say how many nights are camped. Email the operator and get those three answers in writing before you pay, because the permit and the citadel ticket are the difference between a working price and a broken one.

Not Included, and What You May Pay

The exclusions are explicit. Tips, the last-day lunch and dinner, the last-day hotel, sleeping bags and walking poles are all outside the price. You will need to rent or bring a sleeping bag and poles, and budget a night of food in Aguas Calientes or Cusco after the trek.

If the permit and Machu Picchu entry are not covered, add them yourself. The Consettur bus from Aguas Calientes up to the citadel costs $12 one way and $24 round trip, with rides of about 25 to 30 minutes. Tips are the other on-the-day cost, and one operator guide puts them at $45 to $50 per person for a 4-day trek, while luxury operators suggest far more.

Line by Line

The table sums up the money picture from the listing itself, plus the published bus fare to the citadel. Anything marked not stated is a question for the operator, not a promise from this page.

Day 1: Cusco to the Trail

The meeting point is by the fountain in the centre of the main square in the historical centre of Cusco, with hotel pickup included although the pickup time is not stated. From Cusco the drive to the trailhead runs via Ollantaytambo, a journey of about 61 kilometres and around 1 hour 40 minutes to Ollantaytambo, with Piscacucho at Km 82 about 3 hours from Cusco by bus. After permit checks you walk the first gentle kilometres along the Urubamba River and camp for the night.

Porters and cooks set up your personal tent and air mattress, and the cook serves dinner.

Day 2: Over Dead Woman's Pass

Day 2 is the hard one. The trail climbs to Dead Woman's Pass, the highest point of the route at 4,200 to 4,215 metres depending on the source, and the climb from camp takes 4 to 5 hours. The name comes from the silhouette of a woman lying on the mountainside, best seen from the Pacaymayo camp and Runkurakay.

You cross the pass, descend, and camp on the far side. Cusco sits at about 3,400 metres, so this pass is a real step up. Spend two or three nights in Cusco before the trek to acclimatise.

Days 3 and 4: Ruins, Cloud Forest and the Sun Gate

Day 3 crosses the second high pass at Runkurakay, passes the ruins of Sayacmarca and Phuyupatamarca and drops into cloud forest towards Winay Wayna for the last camp. Day 4 starts early for the walk to the Sun Gate, which sits about 2 km from the Machu Picchu entrance at roughly 2,720 to 2,745 metres depending on the source. From the Sun Gate you look down on Machu Picchu, built around 1450 to 1470 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.

After the guided visit, hikers take the bus down to Aguas Calientes and the train back. The whole trail is about 42 kilometres long (some sources give 44 or 45) with roughly 2,500 metres of total elevation gain, and the listing does not state which train you return on.

Fitness, Altitude and Health

The listing asks for at least a moderate level of physical fitness and is not recommended for pregnant travellers, people with spinal injuries or anyone with poor cardiovascular health. The route itself rates moderate to challenging, and the 4 to 5 hour climb to Dead Woman's Pass at 4,200 to 4,215 metres is the reason. Altitude sickness can appear from about 2,500 metres.

If four days of camping and a pass above 4,200 metres sounds like too much, the short 2-day route is easier. The Short Inca Trail with 4-Star Hotel walks from Km 104, sleeps in a hotel and has 4,069 reviews.

Booking Risk and Reviews

All sales are final. There is no refund for cancellations at any point. Inca Trail permits are issued to one person on one passport and are non-transferable, with only 500 a day including about 200 trekkers.

If there is any chance your dates or health will change, book a listing with free cancellation up to 24 hours instead. The Premium 4-Day Inca Trail Trek and the 4-Day 3-Night Inca Trail Trek both offer that. The 5.0 score here rests on 9 reviews, a thin record next to the listings above.

Ages, Group Size and the Gap in the Price

The listing takes bookings for travellers aged 8 to 74, split into child, youth, adult and senior bands. The group is private, with no cap stated, which is a plus for families. The bigger rule-out is the unknowns.

Because the permit, Machu Picchu ticket and train are not stated, this listing shifts risk onto you. If you want those locked in, the 4-Day Small-Group Inca Trail includes the entrance fee to the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu, caps the group at 8 and includes a sleeping bag and air mattress.

Acclimatise in Cusco

Cusco sits at about 3,400 metres, and the trek climbs higher still, so arrive at least two or three days early. Altitude sickness can appear from about 2,500 metres, and Dead Woman's Pass at over 4,200 metres is well above that. Spend the pre-trek days walking gently in the city or the Sacred Valley, where Ollantaytambo and Pisac sit at about 2,800 to 2,870 metres.

The route, read in full on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu guide, is usually walked in 4 to 5 days.

Permits, Passport and Timing

Permits are sold only through authorised agencies and are issued to one person on one passport, non-transferable. Only 500 people a day get in, and about 300 of those slots go to guides, porters and staff. Ministry of Culture sales open months ahead, month by month, so book as early as you can.

The trail closes every February for maintenance and reopens on 1 March, and February is also the wettest month. Read the detail in the Inca Trail permits guide, and pick your window with the best time to hike the Inca Trail guide.

After the Trek: Tickets, Trains and Luggage

The listing does not say which Machu Picchu circuit you walk, so ask. If you want more, Huayna Picchu and the mountain routes need separate tickets, and the Machu Picchu plus Inti Punku ticket runs in high season only. On the last day you bus down to Aguas Calientes at about 2,040 metres, and the Consettur bus costs $12 one way.

PeruRail allows one backpack up to 8 kg or one carry-on up to 12 kg on Machu Picchu trains, charges $15 for excess carry-on and $25 for checked baggage, and offers free luggage storage at Machu Picchu station. Consider a night in Aguas Calientes to rest, and note that PeruRail trains from Ollantaytambo take about 1 hour 30 minutes.