Accommodation

You will stay camping for 3 nights. We use A-frame, Eureka Timberline, 4-man tents. we place only two people per tent to ensure there is plenty of room to sleep and store gear. A foam mat is included to insulate you from the ground. We also provide dining tents, tables, and chairs.

Meals

Food: The Alpaca Expeditions chefs cook delicious meals that many previous trekkers have raved about. We honor all food restrictions. Be sure to remind your tour guide of any food restrictions at the beginning of your trek. Food is typically served family-style. You will enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day of the trek, along with a happy hour of tea and snacks. You will also be provided a snack each morning, for you to enjoy along the hike. Your last meal with your chef will be after breakfast on day four. You will enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day of the trek along with a happy hour of some tea and snacks. You will also be provided a snack each morning for you to bring with you and enjoy along the hike. Lunch the last day is not included.

Guide

Professional Guides: All of our guides studied English and tourism at University. They all grew up in this region and have a true passion to teach others about their heritage. They are fun yet professional and will ensure you are safe and happy.

Others

Included. Briefing : The night before your trek, you will come to our office for your briefing. You will receive your duffel bag that will stay with your porters, while you hike. This bag should not exceed 7 kg/14 lbs and does need to include your sleeping bag and air mattress. Professional Guides: All of our guides studied English and tourism at University. They all grew up in this region and have a true passion to teach others about their heritage. They are fun yet professional and will ensure you are safe and happy. Permits and Machu Picchu: In order to hike the Inca Trail, you must have a permit to enter the trail. This can only be obtained by licensed Inca Trail tour operators, like Alpaca Expeditions. As soon as we receive your details and deposit we will purchase your permits. These permits are given for a specific date and in your name. They can’t be changed, once they are confirmed. The only thing that can be updated is your passport number. The permit includes entrance to Machu Picchu. Porters: We include a personal porter, who is responsible for carrying your duffel bag containing your personal items. There is no additional fee for this. We will give you your duffel bag at your briefing the night before, to be filled with the things you will need for the next night and day. You will not have access to your duffel bag until your arrive at your evening campsite. Transportation: All your transportation is included in this trek. You will be picked up directly from your hotel around 4,15am and brought to the trail head. Your guide will hand out your bus ticket to make your way down from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes, and you will be booked on the expedition train leaving that afternoon. If you prefer, you can upgrade your train leaving Aguas Calientes to the Vistadome train for $75 per person. Once you arrive to the train station, we will bring you back to your hotel in Cusco. Equipment: Alpaca Expeditions has the best equipment. We use four man, Eureka, Timberline tents that are shared by only two people. You will have a spacious dining tent to enjoy your meals in. Food: The Alpaca Expeditions chefs cook delicious meals that many previous trekkers have raved about. We honor all food restrictions. Be sure to remind your tour guide of any food restrictions at the beginning of your trek. Food is typically served family-style. You will enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner each day of the trek, along with a happy hour of tea and snacks. You will also be provided a snack each morning, for you to enjoy along the hike. Your last meal with your chef will be after breakfast on day four. Lunch the last day is not included. Water: Beginning from your first lunch until your last breakfast, Alpaca Expeditions will supply all the water needed. This water will be boiled, filtered and then cooled, before distributing. You must supply your own water bottles or camel back. We recommend carrying about 3L worth. We will refill our waters at each meal. First Aid: Every Alpaca Expeditions guide has received training in first aid from a physician. We conduct mandatory training sessions every February, which every single Alpaca tour guide must attend. Your tour guide will always have a first-aid kit for basic medical problems (traveler’s diarrhea, cuts, scrapes, etc.) and oxygen. We will get you off the trail as quickly and comfortably as possible, if needed, and ensure you get directly to a clinic for treatment. Portable hot shower tent at the Wiñay Wayna campsite on Day 3. This is for the exclusive use of Alpaca Expeditions travellers. Extras: We believe it’s the attention to small details that separates us from other tour companies. Every trekker receives a small pillow to sleep with, a foam mat for insulation, a day pack cover to protect their things while hiking and a rain poncho. We will work hard to create your best vacation. Satellite Phones: Our top priority will always be the safety of our clients and our team. While we are prepared and all our guides are trained for most of the issues clients have on the mountain, being a phone call away from any doctor, hospital or friend helps everyone feel assured that they are safe. Radios, which all our guides have, are limited in how far they can reach, so Alpaca Expeditions has added Satellite Phones to every trek. Every guide will have a fully charged phone that can be used anywhere on the mountain to connect us anywhere in the world. And they can be used by our clients for non-emergencies as well. While they are not cheap to use, they are available just in case you need to check in on the puppy you left at home with grandma. Private Toilet Tents: We offer private, clean, environmentally-friendly toilet tents at your camp and lunch sites. Learn why this is a really big deal for our trekkers!. Are there bathrooms on the Inca Trail? Of course. Along the way there are many opportunities to stop at a facility when nature calls. When you first begin the trek, the bathroom facilities are managed by locals and you need to pay to use them. A sole will grant you entry and the bathrooms are generally clean. By the time you leave lunch the first day, you will notice the bathroom conditions start to deteriorate. You will no longer need to pay for the facility, but you will have to deal with piles of dirty tissue. The later in the day you use the facility, the worse the condition will be. All the toilets are squatters and you are not allowed to flush any paper – which is fine since they rarely offer you any paper – make sure to have some on you. There are often bins in the bathroom that you are meant to leave your dirty paper in. Bathrooms are not regularly cleaned and the paper quickly builds up. Once full, people start throwing the tissue anywhere on the ground, where it ends up piling around where you are meant to have your feet.

Hygieneprotocol

Alpaca Expeditions’ Safety Protocols Alpaca Expeditions is ready to operate the allowed tours with all the needed safety protocols. To guarantee an amazing but safe experience to you and your loved ones. The protocols are as follows: All of our staff. Including guides, porters, cooks and drivers will go through a COVID19 molecular discard test before being able to work. Our doctor will check on our staff to go through a discard triage for any risk of infection before every service. Temperature control is mandatory to both staff and passengers. Hand-washing is mandatory for both our staff and clients. Alpaca guides always carry a personal first-aid kit including masks, gloves and thermometers, etc. The usage of masks is mandatory to both staff and passengers. The 1 and a half meters minimum-distance between each person will be respected and organized by our guides. Our vehicles will be disinfected following the biosecurity protocols given by the Health Ministry in Peru before and after every service. Inside our vehicles there will always be masks, hand sanitizer and a first-aid kit with oxygen masks, etc. in case any of our clients need them. We will only use 50% of the vehicle capacity in order to respect the social distancing requirements.

Transport

All your transportation is included in this trek. You will be picked up directly from your hotel around 4,15 a.m. (unless you are staying in Ollantaytambo, before the trek) and brought to the trailhead to begin your trek. Hiking will end on day three and you will head to Ollantaytambo, once your hike is over, and train to Aguas Calientes, where you will spend the evening in a hotel. This train, as well as your train back from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo, is Expedition class. Your trip leaving Aguas Calientes can be upgraded on your way home to the Vistadome train, for $75 per person. Once you arrive at the train station, you will be brought back to your hotel in Cusco. Your round-trip bus ticket from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu is also included.

Not included:

Insurance

Travel Insurance To protect your travel investment, we highly recommend the purchase of travel insurance. Obtaining travel insurance before you leave home is strongly encouraged and very easy. In fact, we work with a great agency in the United States that has helped to make it easy and affordable. This is a great way to protect yourself while visiting Peru.

Optional

Other activities and services are not included.

Flights

No Include

Others

Not Included Rentals: Every trekker needs a sleeping bag when camping. Inflatable air mattresses and walking sticks (with rubber tips) are optional but encouraged. If you don’t want to bring any of the above, they are all available for rent: Sleeping Bag: $25 Inflatable Air Mattress: $20 Walking Sticks (Pair): $20 Huayna Picchu: Huayna Picchu is the mountain that stands next to Machu Picchu. It is a 45 minute hike to the top. Going back down is quite steep, if you are scared of heights. This is done after your tour of Machu Picchu. The cost is $75 per person. Arrangements need to be made at least one month in advance, due to popularity. Since you are hiking the Inca Trail, you will experience a similar view from the Sun Gate. Please understand that weather is out of our control. Day packs: Day packs are not provided by Alpaca Expeditions. You must bring your own. Be sure you don’t being anything too large, as you don’t want it to be too heavy while you’re trekking. Plus, Machu Picchu will not allow you to bring in a bag larger than 25L, so if you have a large backpack it will need to be stored before your tour. Only essentials are needed while trekking: water, snack, camera, sunhat, warm layer, rain layers, insect spray, sunscreen, and a first-aid kit. Headlamps: It is strongly encouraged to bring a headlamp for your night camping. There will be no lights at the camping sites and it is hard to get to your dining tent or you bathroom tent without one. Flashlights are acceptable, if you don’t have a headlamp, but make some tasks more difficult. Flights: Flying to Cusco can be tricky. Delays occur often and it is not uncommon for flights to be cancelled. Please be sure to arrive in the city at least two days before your trek start date. LAN Peru is the most reliable of the airlines. Avianca and Peruvian Airlines are acceptable companies, as well. You will not return from your trek until around 8 p.m. on the last day, so be sure your flight is not until the next day, when leaving Cusco. Gratuities: Tipping is always appreciated and should be based completely on your satisfaction. Although it may not be customary to you, it is of considerable significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels. Travel Insurance: This is not required, but always recommended. For those of you who live at sea-level, landing in Cusco will take an adjustment period. Most people need one or two days to adjust. In case you have a hard time adjusting to the altitude, it is suggested to have protection for missed tours. Hotel: hotel in Cusco before and after the hike is not include.

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Day 1 Day 1: Cusco - Piskacucho Km 82 - Llactapata- Ayapata
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Cusco - Piskacucho Km 82 - Llactapata- Ayapata

The Alpaca Expeditions team will pick you up from wherever you are staying in Cusco, Urubamba, or Ollantaytambo. Pick-up from Cusco will be between 4:00 and 4:30 AM, from Urubamba between 5:30 and 6:00 AM, and if you are staying in Ollantaytambo, you’ll get to sleep in a bit with pick-up between 6:30 and 7:00 AM. We will take you to the Porter House located in Ollantaytambo, where after a delicious breakfast prepared by your cook, your guide will introduce you to your team of porters. We will then drive to Km 82, where we’ll go through the first Inca Trail checkpoint to begin our trek. Please ensure you have your original passport with you to enter the Inca Trail. The first 2 hours of the trek are relatively easy as we make our way to our first Inca site. Patallacta is an ancient Inca checkpoint for the approach to Machu Picchu. From Patallacta, it’s another 2-hour hike to our lunch stop. After lunch, we will hike for another 2½ hours until we reach the first night’s campsite at Ayapata (3300 meters). On this last stretch, we pass through 2 small communities. If you want to buy any energy drinks, snacks, or essential items you may have forgotten, such as batteries, you can do so here. We’ll arrive at our campsite by 5:00 PM. After settling in a bit, you can relax and have a hot drink and snack with your team of porters, chefs, and guides. By 7:30 PM, your dinner will be ready, and after that, you can get some well-deserved rest.

Accommodation: Camp

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 2 Day 2: Dead Woman’S Pass - Runcuraccay Pass - Chaquiccocha
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Dead Woman’S Pass - Runcuraccay Pass - Chaquiccocha

Your porters will wake you up early with a hot cup of coca tea to prepare you for the day. We will start early as it will be our longest day. We’ll hike for approximately 4 hours to reach the highest pass of the trek, Dead Woman’s Pass (4215 meters/13,829 feet). Upon reaching the pass, we’ll take a short break to enjoy the views before continuing our descent into the next valley (Pacaymayu Valley - Hidden River). It’s another hour and a half down the valley to our lunch spot, where you’ll have the opportunity to refill your water bottles. After lunch, we’ll begin ascending again to the second pass of the trek. It’s a 2-hour hike over the pass where we’ll stop at a small Inca site (Runcu Raccay) and view two large waterfalls cascading down the opposite side of the valley. After crossing the second pass, we’ll descend for another hour to reach the impressive Inca site, Sayacmarca (an otherwise inaccessible village). We’ll stop here to rest and take a brief tour. Following this, we’ll watch the sunset over the Vilcabamba mountain range. It’s just another 20 minutes until we reach our second campsite, Chaquicocha (Dry Lake, 3600 meters). After dinner, if you’re not too exhausted, we can do some stargazing and point out the fascinating Inca constellations. The Southern Hemisphere sky, free from artificial lighting, is truly a sight to behold!

Accommodation: Camp

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 Day 3: Chaquiccocha - Phuyupatamarka - Wiñaywayna
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Chaquiccocha - Phuyupatamarka - Wiñaywayna

Completing Day 2 and starting Day 3 certainly deserves a pat on the back! We’ll begin early again, waking up at 6:30 AM. Our hike will start with 2 hours on what we call “Inca flat” (gradual inclines), as we enter the jungle known as the Cloud Forest. Along the way, we’ll have the chance to see Salkantay, the second highest snow-capped mountain in the Sacred Valley, and enjoy a fantastic panoramic view of the Vilcabamba mountain range. Towards the end of the Inca flats, we’ll ascend to the last peak at Phuyupatamarka (3600 meters), where we’ll have great views overlooking the Urubamba River. Down the valley, we’ll get our first glimpse of Machu Picchu Mountain, though the site itself will still be hidden.

From Phuyupatamarka, it’s a 3-hour descent down a flight of steps to our final campsite near Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young). Wiñay Wayna is the most spectacular Inca site on the trail after Machu Picchu and the most popular campsite due to its proximity to Machu Picchu. During the descent, we’ll visit two Inca ruins: Phuyupatamarka (Town in the Clouds) and Intipata (Terraces of the Sun). We’ll reach our campsite around 1:00 PM for lunch and then relax to prepare for your final day at Machu Picchu.

Around 4:30 PM, your guide will give a short orientation, and you’ll visit the Inca ruins of Wiñay Wayna for an hour and a half. Your guide will explain the significance of the site and recap all the information shared during the trek, so you’ll be fully prepared for your visit to Machu Picchu the following day. We like to spoil our guests with a final feast alongside the porters and chefs. It’s advisable to go to bed at a reasonable time to wake up early and arrive at Machu Picchu at dawn, hoping for beautiful sunrise views over the ruins.

Accommodation: Camp

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 Day 4: Sun Gate - Machu Picchu - The Lost City Of The Incas
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Sun Gate - Machu Picchu - The Lost City Of The Incas

Wake-up time is at 3:30 AM. We’ll have breakfast at 4:00 AM and then wait at the checkpoint to be among the first to start trekking when the gates open at 5:30 AM. We’ll say goodbye to our team of porters and chefs and then proceed to the Sun Gate (Inti Punku). From there, we’ll have spectacular views of the mountains and Machu Picchu in all its glory. We aim to reach the Sun Gate by 6:30 AM, and then it’s just an hour’s trek down to the Lost City of the Incas. As we hike closer to Machu Picchu, the views of the city become more breathtaking!

At approximately 7:40 AM, we’ll reach the final checkpoint and enter Machu Picchu for a 2-hour private guided tour. After the tour, you’ll receive your bus tickets to travel to Aguas Calientes. You’ll have plenty of free time to explore the city on your own or to climb one of the neighboring mountains, such as Huayna Picchu (which must be arranged in advance). Your guide may offer to meet you in Aguas Calientes for your last lunch at a local restaurant. This is optional and not included. During lunch, your guide will hand out your train tickets, so if you choose to skip the lunch, please make sure to collect your tickets before leaving Machu Picchu. Be sure to be on the platform at least 30 minutes before your train’s departure. The train journey to Ollantaytambo or Poroy (depending on your train) takes about 2 hours. An Alpaca driver will meet you at the train station and drive you back to Cusco, where you’ll be dropped off at your hotel.

Location: Machu Picchu

Meals: Breakfast

4 days tour

Classic Inca Trail Trek 4D/3N To Machu Picchu (Group Service

This tour includes:

Not included:

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Itinerary of your trip Classic Inca Trail Trek 4D/3N To Machu Picchu (Group Service

Day 1: Cusco - Piskacucho Km 82 - Llactapata- Ayapata

Day 2: Dead Woman’S Pass - Runcuraccay Pass - Chaquiccocha

Day 3: Chaquiccocha - Phuyupatamarka - Wiñaywayna

Day 4: Sun Gate - Machu Picchu - The Lost City Of The Incas

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