Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Tour: the Classic 4-Day Trek
Four days on the Camino Inca with a personal porter, three nights under canvas and a guided walk into the citadel on the last morning.
Updated 9 October 2026
In shortThis is the classic four-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu tour from Cusco: three nights camping, a personal porter for up to 7 kg of your kit, all meals on the trail, citadel entry and the tourist-class train back on the final day. It costs from $835 per adult, groups run to 14 people, and the briefing plus the written lecture notes sent afterwards are in English. It suits fit walkers who hold a permit for their chosen month and have spent two or three days acclimatising in Cusco first.
4 daystour length
from $835per adult
★ 5.011551 reviews
up to 14people per group
What the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu tour covers in four days
The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu tour on this page runs four days with three nights of camping, a personal porter carrying up to 7 kg of your own kit, and 4-man Eureka tents used by two people. Every lunch, dinner and breakfast on the trail is included, drinking water is handed out along the way, and the group has its own portable chemical toilet rather than sharing the campsite facilities. Entry to the citadel is included, and the price starts at $835 per adult, with a rating of ★ 5.0 from 11551 reviews and groups of up to 14 walkers.
You meet the crew the night before at 6pm in the operator's office for the briefing, then pickup is from your hotel on the first morning. The guides carry a first aid kit, an oxygen tank and a satellite phone, and at least one guide walks behind the group so nobody is left to find the way alone. After the trek the lecture material is emailed to you in written form.
The return train depends on when you travel. Tours running through January 2027 come back on the Vistadome service; from March 2027 the included train is the Expedition, with an upgrade to Vistadome at plus $20 per person. The last day also includes an Expeditions tourist-class train seat for the leg back down the valley.
Sleeping bag, trekking poles and air mats sit outside the price and can be rented from the operator. Travel insurance and tips for the crew are yours to arrange. Children are priced from 5 to 17 and adults from 18, so a family can walk this route together if the younger ones are used to long days on foot.
Permits decide whether the trek happens at all. The Inca Trail network closes every February for rain-season maintenance, so no reservations exist for that month, and the 2026 permits were released month by month between 27 October and 4 November 2025 at 9:00 a.m. local time. Daily carrying capacity on routes 01 to 04 is 500 users, which is why popular months disappear within hours of release.
From 2026 everyone arriving on the trail network enters the citadel on Route 3-B, Realeza Disenada, under a reserved daily quota that is booked and paid only through agencies registered with the Ministry of Culture, with validity of up to five business days. The agency submits nominal lists at entry and exit, a registered guide may be changed up to 24 hours before entry through TuBoleto, and groups cannot be merged once inside. The separate SERNANP sanctuary conservation charge does not apply to visitors who arrive on foot via the Inca Trail network.
Spend time in Cusco before you set off. The city stands at 3,399 m, a good deal higher than the citadel at 2,340 m, and the trek crosses high passes on days two and three. Two or three days of acclimatising in Cusco is the sensible order, and it also puts you in town for the 6pm briefing.
The classic route, walked over four days
Porter for up to 7 kg, camping in 4-man tents used by two, every trail meal, citadel entry and the train back to Ollantaytambo. Permits run out month by month, so check the dates you want early.
Briefing: the night before the trek at 6pm, in the operator's office in Cusco.
Cancellation: All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Ages: child 5–17, adult 18+
Photos: ours and the tour operator's
What is included
Included
Personal porter carrying up to 7 kg per person
Drinking water along the trek
Portable chemical toilet for the group only
Briefing session the night before the tour at 6pm in the operator's office
Tours taking place through January 2027: return on the Vistadome train
Lunch
Dinner
Camping in 4-man Eureka tents used by two people
Breakfast
Tours taking place from March 2027 onward: return on the Expedition train
First aid kit, oxygen tank and satellite phone
Entrance fee to Machu Picchu
Expeditions tourist-class train for the return on the last day
Not included
Sleeping bag, trekking poles and air mats (available for rent)
Tips for the crew (optional)
Travel insurance
Upgrade to the Vistadome train from March 2027 onward: plus $20 per person
Other Inca Trail to Machu Picchu tours compared
Four days is the full classic route and the one that needs a permit booked months ahead; the other four-day listing in the table covers the same walk at a higher price. The two-day versions put you on the trail for one long walking day with a night indoors instead of three nights of camping, which works if your dates are short or if the four-day quota for your month has gone.
Tour
Length
From
Rating
Inca Trail 4-Day Trek to Machu Picchu – Return by Vistadome Train (this page)
Permits are released month by month and the daily cap on routes 01 to 04 is 500 users, so look at the month you want before you fix flights. The operator's page lists current departures, prices from $835 and which return train applies to your date.
