One trail, 16 treks from $750. Km 82 to Machu Picchu in four days: 42–46 km, over Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 m, three nights in tents, porters carrying your gear. February the trail is closed. Nearest open date on the trek we recommend: 18 Oct 2026.
The porter carries 7 kg of your gear over 4,215 m, so you climb with a daypack. Most reviewed of all 16.
Each criterion shows how our pick answers it.
We don't name operators on this site, and you don't need us to. Every 4-day trek on GetYourGuide walks the same 42–46 km with the same 500-permit cap; the price difference — from $750 to $1,499 per person — buys six things, and each one is written on the listing if you know where to look.
What you get inside Machu Picchu. The permit gets you through the Sun Gate, but the visit itself is a separate ticket bundled by the operator. Some treks include a guided tour of Circuit 3 plus the upper panoramic path of Circuit 1; one lists the panorama only and charges extra for the guided walk through the citadel. Huayna Picchu is never included — it is a $75 add-on on one trek and must be booked months ahead on all of them.
The train back. Vistadome, with its glass roof, is included on the two most-reviewed treks; others send you on the Expedition class, charge a supplement for the panoramic train, or list the train as an add-on you buy yourself.
Group size. From 8 to 16. Smaller groups walk at a more even pace; the two most-reviewed treks run groups of up to 16.
Whether they will take you alone. Six of the sixteen sell to one person at the listed price. Nine require a minimum of two. One accepts a solo booking at $1,605 — nearly double the advertised $823 — and you will only discover that at checkout unless a site tells you first.
How much a porter carries for you. 5, 6 or 7 kg, and whether the sleeping bag and mattress are included, rented, or your own. Seven kilos with a bag included means you climb Dead Woman's Pass with a daypack; five kilos and a rented bag means you carry your own warmth.
What is left out. Tips, trekking poles and travel insurance are in the price on none of the sixteen, and eleven leave out lunch on day four. Read the excluded list as carefully as the included one.
The recommended trek scores three of our four comfort items — only the sleeping bag is a rental — and is the most-reviewed trek that sells to a single traveler at the listed price — that is why it is our pick, not because it is the cheapest or the most expensive. If your priority is the lowest price and you are two people, the $750 trek is honest value; if it is a group of eight with the bag included, pay $980. There is no wrong answer here — only a wrong assumption.
Every guide, cook and porter counts, so roughly 200 trekkers start at Km 82 each morning.
Next year's permits go on sale month by month over about a week in November.
The peak months sell out first; April and May within one to three days.
Your passport number goes on the permit. A mismatch at Km 82 means no entry.
The permit is bought in your name, so most treks are non-refundable.
The whole trail shuts for maintenance every February.
Dry peak. Clear mornings and the best chance of a view from the Sun Gate. June and July permits are gone within 24–48 hours of the November release.
“We traveled with our 3 children aged 9 to 15 and he managed to engage all of them. The food was delicious and varied and the cooks and porters are essential to the smooth running of the whole trip.”
“Everything was perfect except for the quality of the equipment; the tent and sleeping bag were not suitable for the temperatures we encountered.”
“The guides were outstanding, the food was incredible, the porters worked unbelievably hard, and the cooks prepared amazing meals.”
“absolutely amazing! we ended up doing the salkantay trek instead of the inca trail due to the inca trail being closed. we were offered the salkantay trek as an alternative option.”
42 to 46 km, or 26 to 29 miles, from Km 82 to Machu Picchu.
Moderate to hard, because of altitude rather than distance.
$750 to $1,499 per person on GetYourGuide, checked on 26 Sep 2026.
No.
Permits for a year go on sale in November, month by month.
No.
Yes, on six of the sixteen treks at the listed price.
5, 6 or 7 kg of your gear on the treks that state it; four sell a personal porter only as an extra.
On one trek in our comparison, yes.
No.
Many 4-day treks are non-refundable because the permit is bought in your name.
Check the 2-day Short Inca Trail from Km 104, which uses a separate permit pool, or a no-permit trek such as Salkantay or the Quarry Trail.
Most reviewed of the sixteen, sells to one traveler, Vistadome home. Pick your date in the partner calendar below.