Location: The Inca trail starts at 82 Kms (50 miles) from Cusco city and ends in Machu Picchu. The path is 40 Kms (25 miles) long and the starting point can be reach by car or train.

Climate: The weather along the Inca trail changes, during the day is very similar, sunny and warm, but in the first two days is dry, and in the last days is humid. Also, at night is different, the first 2 nights are cold, but the last one is cool. It rains between December and March, and of course it makes it harder, but the fields and landscapes are more green due to the rains.

Landscapes: The sceneries change a lot also along the trail. The first two days, you see snow-capped mountains, valleys, forests and rivers, but on the third day, it is more tropical with lagoons and lush forests. It's amazing how fast it changes. Along the path you will see llamas, hawks, lizards, and if you are very lucky, a deer.

History: The Inca trail is the remains of one of the paths to Machu Pichu. This path wasn't for the transportation of products, people or animals, it was used for religious purposes as a pilgrimage done by the Inca king, the royalty and the priests. Along the path, they did many ceremonies to worship the snow-capped mountains as Veronica Mount, because they considered it as gods and protectors of the Inca people and their towns and cities as Machu Picchu.

Inca Trail (4 days / 3 nights):

Many hikers from the whole world come to Peru, not only to visit Machu Pichu, but also to hike the Inca trail, one of the most interesting treks in the world, not only because the challenge, also because the beauty of its sceneries, the ruins along the trail and the mystery at the end of the path.

It are 3 alternatives to get in Machu Picchu by the Inca Trail, the first one, and longest, is the one that takes 7 days, the last 3 days are the same as the second option that takes 4 days and 3 nights. Finally, it is also a short trail that takes only 2 days and 1 night. We will describe the second one that is the most popular, the one of 4 days and 3 nights.

The 1^st day: All excitement
You leave the city of Cusco early in the morning, with your backpack and the excitement in your body. In the bus are other hikers like you, and also porters who will help you to succeed in this challenge. After 3 hours of bus ride, you will get at Km. 82, the beginning of the trail. There you have to register yourself in the check point, and then, the only obstacle between you and Machu Pichu is 40 kilometers of mountains, valleys, rivers and cloud forest.

Advice: It's mandatory to present your passport at the check point to begin the trail, so don't leave it in the hotel.

It takes 2 hours to reach the lunch site, on the way you will see the first Inca ruins on the trail, Llaqtapata. From the lunch spot the path goes through a smaller valley shaped by a river. It takes 2 more hours to reach the Wayllabamba campsite at 3,000 meters above sea level (9,840 ft.). There you will dinner and sleep in tents. My advice is to watch the stars in the night, it's amazing, you can see the milky way and different constellations, including the Southern cross.

The 2^nd day: the endless climb
The porters will wake you up at 6 am to pack your stuffs and breakfast. Then you have the whole morning to reach the highest point of the whole trail, the Warmiwanusca pass (dead woman's pass). It takes between 4 and 5 hours to get there, the whole way is uphill, and you climb more than 1,200 meters or 3,960 ft. between the campsite and the pass at 4,200 meters (13,860 ft.). But it is worthwhile, the sceneries are beautiful, and once you have conquest it, you will forget all the pain and effort on the way up, you will be proud of yourself.

Advice: You can hire a porter to carry your backpack until the top of the pass or to the campsite, I suggest to do this if you don't feel prepare to deal with the extra weight and the altitude. Pay him well, at least 10 US dollars. You can arrange it with your tour guide.

At the pass you can rest for a while, usually the groups gather again here. It's usually very cold and windy, so bring some warm clothing with you if you give your backpack to a porter. After a short rest, you will continue downhill for one hour and an half more until the Pacaymayo campsite. There you will eat and rest until next day.

The 3^rd day: where the mountains end, the jungle appears
The porters again will wake you up at 6 am. After breakfast, you will hike to the second pass, it's lower but steeper than the one the day before. The first stop on the way is the Runkurakay ruins, it's half of the way to the top that is at 3,950 meters (13,000 ft.) above sea level. On the way up you will see two lagoons and if you are very lucky, a deer drinking water in one of the lagoons.

From the Runkurakay pass (2nd pass), the path is mostly downhill to the campsite. On the way you will tour 4 ruins more, the first one, Sayacmarca, then Phuyupatamarca and finally Intipata and Winaywayna next to the final campsite. You will also pass through two tunnels done by the Incas in the rocky slopes of the mountains. Also, the path takes you to the cloud forest, where the sceneries and landscapes are totally different than the ones the days before. The views are breathtaking.

Finally, you will get in the Winaywayna campsite in the afternoon, be careful and don't get too late there because it gets dark at 6 pm. There is a restaurant and showers with hot water, and you can also buy a cold beer, but don't celebrate too much, remember that it's one day left and you have to wake up very early next day.

The 4^th day: the clouds open to let you see the treasure
Today, the porters will wake you up at 4 am, when the sky is still dark blue, and the sun hasn't shown yet.  After breakfast, you will start to walk when is still dark, don't forget to buy some batteries for your flashlight. After 1 hour and an half, you will reach Inti Punku (Sun’s gate), from there you are able to see for first time Machu Picchu, like in a dream, among clouds, like a mysterious treasure. My advice is to wait there if it's still cloudy, and wait for the sun. It will rise behind the mountains and you will see how the sunbeams hit the ruins. After that, it's only half hour more to the Inca's citadel, leave your backpack in the luggage storage and discover all the secrets of this mysterious ruins.

What do you need to bring?
First of all, it's mandatory to take a tour or hire a professional guide to hike the Inca trail. If you take a tour, it includes everything except sleeping bags, backpacks and flashlights. But if you will do it by yourself (with a guide), you will need also tents, mattress, burners, propane gas, a kitchen set, a first aid kit, and food for 3 days. It's important to bring a raincoat or rain-jacket for the rainy season (November to March). In regard to clothing, we suggest hiking shoes, long pants, t-shirts, a fleece and a jacket for the cold.

As regards water, you can buy bottles of water on the first two days, on the third one you have to purify water from streams. You can use purification pills or iodine. Also, it's important to bring sun-block and insects repellent.

Toilets:
You will camp outdoors in tents, not in lodges, but it are toilets in the campsites. In the last campsite it are even showers with hot water. Also, it are rangers stations in the campsites to help the hikers in cases of accidents or health problems.

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