The Inca Trail (Capac Ñan, Quechua language) is the name by which the extensive network of roads (more than 40,000 kilometers in total) built by the Incas is known to connect different parts of the vast empire. This network of roads It came to connect various peoples in antiquity in what would now become Northern Argentina and Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia and where the city of Cuzco was the capital and main axis of these. At present, many sections of that road have disappeared, are deteriorated or outdated.
The most famous stretch of the Inca Trail is Piscacucho, Huayllabamba, Warmiwañuska, Runkurakay, Sayacmarca, Wiñaywayna, Intipunku and finally arrives at dawn on the fourth day, to one of the 7 wonders of the world: the Citadel of Machu Picchu. The beauty of the landscape, the flora, fauna, the impressive archaeological remains, the paths that cross the cloud forests, the stories, legends and myths make this road an adventure without equal. The professionalism and delivery of our guides and support staff will make this adventure an unforgettable experience.
| DAY | ACTIVITY | LODGING | FOODS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | CUSCO - PISKACUCHO - WAYLLABAMBA | CAMP | # | L | D |
| 02 | WAYLLABAMBA - WARMIWAÑUSCA - PAQAYMAYU | CAMP | B | L | D |
| 03 | PAQAYMAYU - CHAQUICOCHA - WIÑAYHUAYNA | CAMP | B | L | D |
| 04 | WIÑAYHUAYNA - MACHU PICCHU - CUSCO | NONE | B | # | # |
We will pick you up from your hotel in our comfortable private bus till the locality of Piskacucho located at km 82 from the railway of Cusco – Machupicchu. At the Inca based bridge is the check in point to enter to the Inca Trail and the place where this exciting adventure in the Andes starts. Roughly at 10am. we will start our walk towards the archeological site of Llactapata, the largest ruins at the Inca trail, this walk is going to be gentle and a good warm up for the second part of the day, Then at Hatunchaca our staff of cooks and porters will give us a delicious lunch, after a brief rest we will restart to walk, and approximately 2 hours later we will arrive to the Andean community of Wayllabamba place of our first camp.
Early in the morning we start our walk towards the highest point of the Inca trail. During this walk we will have the opportunity of observing different climates and microclimates, passing through the rain woodlands of Yuncachimpa until the grassy mountain of Warmiwañusca. After a slow ascent we will arrive at 4.200m., the highest pass on this hike, where we will have the opportunity to appreciate the majesty of the Andes. After a brief rest we will restart the descent towards a place where a warm lunch will wait for us. After it we restart the trek towards Paqaymayu’s, known as river of the dawn where our team will be waiting for us with the camp and dinner ready.
After our breakfast we will start our journey towards the archeological site of Runkurakay, where we will have the opportunity to explore this site. After our visit we retake the path and we will pass by two high Andean lagoons until we arrive to the second highest pass at 3.850m. (12631 Ft.). This pass carries the same name of the archaeological site we visited before. A descend waits for us up to Sayacmarca or Dominant Town, from where it is possible to enjoy an impressive view over the valley of the Aobamba. There the path ascends a bit towards the clouded forest until Phuyupatamarca or village of the clouds. This archaeological group possesses a beautiful ritual fountain, a leafy vegetation and a spectacular panoramic view of the valley of the river Urubamba. After a brief rest we will start descending across the clouded forest climbing up a series of long steps that take us towards Wiñaywayna or Forever Young, where our third camp waits for us. We will have free time to visit and to explore the surroundings.
Very early in the morning we will begin a trek of approx. 2 hours, up to Inti Punku’s sector or Sungate and we will have the opportunity to admire the sunrise on the majestic city of Machu Picchu. From there we restart the descending to the city where we will register our arrival in the check out point. Then we will start our visit of approx. 2:30 hours to explore and discover these mysterious ruins of the Lost City of the Incas by yourselves. Later we will descend by bus to Aguas Calientes, where we will take the train with direction to Ollantaytambo. There a bus will wait for us and bring us to our hotel in Cuzco.
Machupicchu was recently honored to be one of the New 7 wonders of the World, plus its one of the top World Heritages on the list of UNESCO. It is not mentioned in any of the chronicles on the Spanish colony. Nowadays no one knows its exact function. It has been studied by scientist for decades but many questions remain unanswered. The town was forgotten for centuries and covered by rich vegetation until July 24th 1911 when American historian Hiram Bingham was led by an 11 year old boy and rediscovered Machupicchu. Actually he was in the search of the lost town of Vilcabamba.
