The 2nd day: 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"). The name is due to the shape of the mountain that looks like the face of a woman who is laid down. It takes 4 to 5 hours to reach the pass, the whole way is uphill and in some parts there are steps. You will ascend 1,200 meters (3,960 feet) that is the altitude difference between the campsite from where you start the hike this day 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 about the rest, you will be proud of yourself too.

Advice: You can hire a porter to carry your backpack to 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 15 US dollars. You can arrange it with your tour guide but pay the porter directly to avoid misunderstandings.

At the pass you can rest for a while, usually the groups gather again there. 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 3rd day: The porters will wake you up at 6 am again. After breakfast, you will hike to the second pass, it's lower but steeper than the one the day before. On the way up you will stop at the Runkurakay site, there is an Inca ceremonial site. Then you will continue for another half hour to the top that is at 3,950 meters (13,000 ft.) above sea level. The whole climb takes one hour with a half hour stop at the Inca site. On the way up you will see two lagoons. Sometimes deers come to the lagoons to drink water, but it rarely happens.

From the Runkurakay pass (2nd pass), the path is downhill to the lunch site. On the way you will tour the Sayacmarca Inca site. After lunch the trail goes up and down, the hardest part is a long section of steps down. This part of the hike is the most beautiful though. You will tour other 3 Inca sites, Phuyupatamarca, Intipata and Winaywayna next to the final campsite. You will also pass through two tunnels done by the Incas on the rocky slopes of the mountains. Also, the path takes you through the cloud forest, there the sceneries and the forest are totally different than the days before. The views are breathtaking.

Finally, you will reach the Winaywayna campsite in the late afternoon, don't get too late there because it gets dark at 5:30 pm. There are showers with warm water (never hot) and you can also buy a cold beer at the campsite, but don't celebrate too much, remember that it's still one day left and you have to wake up very early next day.

The 4th day: The porters will wake you up at 4 am, when the sky is still dark and the sun hasn't raised yet. Once pack and breakfast, you will start to walk when it is still dark, so don't forget to carry 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 light Machu Picchu up. 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 site.

Also, it is available in all our Private tours.

Current Inca Trail Regulations:
First of all, it's compulsive to take a tour or hire a professional guide to hike the Inca trail. Also, no more than 500 people per day are allowed to start the Inca Trail. This number includes all support staff (ie. porters, cooks and guides) and it applies to the Long (7 days), Classic (4 days) and Short Inca trail (2 days) all together. Once this limit of 500 people is reached, the trail is effectively closed off for the day and no further bookings can be made.

Reservations are not held on the trail and all permits to trek must be bought as far as possible in advance with complete and correct passport information, to which no modifications can be made. This passport information will be used to identify yourself as you enter the check point at the start of the trail and throughout the hike. If this information does not match the information you have submitted at time of booking, then you will be subject to delay, fine, and/or cancellation of admission to the Inca Trail.

What do you need to bring?
If you take a tour, it includes everything except sleeping bags, backpacks and personal items as clothing. 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 or boots, long pants, t-shirts, a cap or hat, a fleece and a jacket for the cold.

Other items you should bring are flashlight, batteries, toilet paper, tooth paste, tooth brush, your personal medicines, and a medium size towel, remember you can shower at the 3rd campsite. Also, bring sun-block and insects repellent.

As regards water, you can buy bottles of water on the first two days, on the third day you have to purify water from streams. You can use purification pills or iodine.