Machu Picchu Hiking Tour 4 Days: the Inca Jungle Trail
Four days out of Cusco that start with a bike descent from the Malaga pass, continue on foot through high forest with nights in Santa Maria, Santa Teresa and Aguas Calientes, and finish at Machu Picchu.
Updated 9 October 2026
In shortThe Inca Jungle Trail is a four-day route from Cusco that mixes a downhill mountain-bike descent from the Malaga pass with walking days through high forest, sleeping in Santa Maria, Santa Teresa and Aguas Calientes before the visit to Machu Picchu. The guide works in English and Spanish, main meals and the entrance to Machu Picchu are included, and the return is by train from Machu Picchu station to Ollantaytambo and then by road to Cusco. It suits active travellers who want movement and variety rather than four days of pure walking; the operator takes children from 8 and adults from 18, in groups of up to 8.
4 daystour length
from $430per adult
★ 4.9872 reviews
up to 8people per group
What the Machu Picchu hiking tour 4 days covers
The Machu Picchu hiking tour 4 days on this page is the Inca Jungle Trail, the route that reaches the citadel by bike and on foot instead of following the classic Inca Trail. Day one is road transport out of Cusco up to the Malaga pass, then the long descent on a full-suspension mountain bike with helmet, gloves, goggles, elbow and knee pads and a reflective jacket supplied. Walking takes over after that, on trail sections through high forest, with nights in Santa Maria, Santa Teresa and a hostel in Aguas Calientes. The price starts at $430 per adult and the listing is rated ★ 4.9 from 872 reviews.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are part of the package, apart from the last lunch in Aguas Calientes, which you pay yourself. The guide works in English and Spanish and carries a first aid kit. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Cusco are included, and so is the entrance to Machu Picchu, the train ticket from Machu Picchu station to Ollantaytambo and the road transfer from Ollantaytambo back to Cusco.
Two paid extras sit along the way: rafting and zipline, at $30 each, and the entrance to the Cocalmayo hot springs, which is not in the price. Gratuities are not included either. The included list does not mention the shuttle between Aguas Calientes and the citadel gate, a government-regulated single-operator route costing about US$24 round trip for foreign visitors, so check that point on the booking page before you leave Cusco.
This is not the Inca Trail, so the monthly permit release and the February closure of the Inca Trail network do not govern it. What it does ask for is reasonable fitness, a head for a long downhill on a bike and willingness to be on the move for four days. Altitude is worth planning around rather than worrying about at the end: Cusco sits at 3,399 m and the citadel at 2,340 m, so spend your first nights in Cusco and start the trek once you have adjusted.
Your Machu Picchu ticket is nominal. It carries your full name and ID document number exactly as in the passport you will show at the gate, names and dates cannot be changed later, and an unused ticket is not refunded or rescheduled. Entry is at the hour printed on the ticket, the stay inside is capped at four hours and there is no re-entry. Leave behind anything on the banned list, including bags over 40 x 35 x 20 cm, food, umbrellas and walking poles with metal or hard tips; rented poles can stay in luggage storage at the station.
Inca Jungle Trail, four days from Cusco
Bikes over the Malaga pass, walking days into Aguas Calientes, entrance to Machu Picchu, then the train to Ollantaytambo and transport back to Cusco. Dates and group places change through the season, so look at availability before you lock in your Cusco nights.
Pickup: the operator's representative comes to your hotel the night before the tour, between 19:00 and 19:30. A different meeting time can be arranged, and questions can be sent by WhatsApp to +51 981719681.
Cancellation: all sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Ages: child 8 to 17, adult 18 and over.
Photos: ours and the tour operator's
What is included
Included
Hotel pickup and drop-off
First aid kit
Lunch
Professional guide (English and Spanish)
Dinner
Breakfast
1 night accommodation in Santa Maria
1 night accommodation in Santa Teresa
Transport from Cusco over the Malaga pass to Santa Maria
Transport from Ollantaytambo to Cusco
Train tickets Machu Picchu to Ollantaytambo
Full-suspension mountain bike, elbow and knee pads, gloves, goggles, helmet, reflective jacket
1 night accommodation in a hostel in Aguas Calientes
Entrance to Machu Picchu
Not included
Entrance to the Cocalmayo hot springs
Last lunch in Aguas Calientes
Gratuities
Optional activities: rafting and zipline ($30 each)
Other 4-day hiking tours to Machu Picchu compared
The Inca Jungle Trail on this page is the cheapest of the four and the only one with a bike descent, which makes it the pick for travellers who want variety and some adrenaline on the way in. The Lares Trek keeps to highland walking and villages over the same four days at $602, with only 17 reviews behind its ★ 5.0. The classic 4-day Inca Trail with a panoramic train back costs $820 and depends on a permit for your chosen month, with the whole network closed each February for rain-season maintenance. The second Inca Jungle listing at $550 covers the same hiking and biking idea with a different operator and inclusions, so read both before you decide.
Places go to groups of up to 8, and your Machu Picchu entrance is issued in your name with your passport number, so fix the date early and send your details exactly as they appear in the document. All sales on this tour are final, with no refund for cancellations.
