Inca Trail Trek and Amazon

Day 1: Arrival in Lima

Arrive in Lima. Airport assistance and overnight at the Costa del Sol Ramada Airport Hotel just a short 2-minute walk outside customs.

Accommodations: Costa del Sol Ramada

Day 2: Cusco Walking Tour

Airport assistance for one hour morning flight to Cusco. Airport reception and transfer to your hotel. Afternoon half-day guided orientation of ancient Inca temples, Spanish churches and the surrounding ruins of Sacsayhuaman. Your guide will also direct you to shops, museums, and markets where you can explore on your own as well as our recommended restaurants to enjoy Peru’s exquisite fusion cuisine.

Accommodations: Casa San Blas

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 3: Urubamba Valley

Full day private guided exploration through the Sacred Valley of the Incas visiting Quechua villages and the hilltop Inca ruins of Pisac followed by a hike down through the Inca terraces to the village of Pisac with its colorful market. After lunch explore the spectacular hilltop ruins of Ollantaytambo and walk through the narrow streets of the town below, one of the few Inca towns that have survived much as the Incas designed it hundreds of years ago. Here we can see Inca canchas (stone corals), enclosures of multi-family living quarters that share just one exit to the street, ingenious stonework, original cobblestone streets, and an extensive communal water system that survives to this day. Overnight in the serene Urubamba Valley at the Hotel Sol y Luna.

Accommodations: Hotel Sol y Luna

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4: Llactapata

Altitude: 8500-9000'/2575-2750m; Hiking time with rests: 5 hours; Hiking distance: 6 miles;

Camp elevation: 9000'/2750m

Your exploration of the Q'ente ruins today gives you an extra day of acclimatization and also allows for an early start the following morning, ahead of other trekkers starting the Inca Trail. Drive to the small village of Piscaycucho for an easy two hour hike up the mountain to the ancient Inca ruins of Q’ente, a spectacular lookout and spiritual site perched high over the valley. Descending back into the valley we follow the Urubamba River through the semi-arid Cusichaca River gorge, past native gardens and thatched-roof houses. Our camp is set near Llactapata, a large Inca settlement of agricultural terraces that probably supplied the entire Urubamba region during Inca times including Machu Picchu. Over your shoulder Mt. Veronica (18,975 ft.) rises in the background.

Do you have questions about trekking the Inca Trail with Wildland Adventures? Read our Inca Trail Trek FAQ and Inca Trail Trek: The Wild Difference.

Accommodations: Inca Trail Trek Camp

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Llulluchapampa

Altitude: 9000-12,600’/2750-3820m; Hiking time: 6 hours; Hiking distance: 7.5 miles;
Camp elevation: 12,600’/3820m
The trail winds slowly uphill through a small forest to reach the ancient site of Patallacta. After a short walk through the ruins we continue up the Cusichaca Valley passing houses of settlers to finally reach the Andean community of Huayllabamba. Winding up the trail through a narrow hanging valley we enter a cloud forest that harbors the Queñua tree (Polylepis) an endemic species of the Andean forest. The trail ascends steeply to a large pampa below the first pass where we camp. Here we have a breathtaking view of Mt. Huayanay. Camp overnight at Llulluchapampa.

Accommodations: Inca Trail Trek Camp

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Phuyupatamarca

Altitude: 12,600-13,776’/3820-4175m; Hiking time: 8 hours; Hiking distance: 9.5 miles;
Camp elevation: 11,970’/3627m
After a hearty breakfast, continue the steep ascent. The mountain valley opens up as we approach the Warmiwañusqa Pass (13,776 ft., Dead Woman's Pass), the highest point of the trek. Descend into the Pacamayo River valley where you’ll see a waterfall, creeks, and meadows. Then ascend to the Inca watchtower of Runcurakay. Continue up and over the second high pass (12,628 ft.). The trail descends down an ancient stone stairway into a cloud forest transition zone, and to the fascinating site of Sayacmarca, a compact, expertly-built ancient Inca town that you’ll enjoy exploring. Later, pass through a rock tunnel carved by the Incas and follow the well-engineered trail to the Inca site of Phuyupatamarca (Town Above the Clouds, 11,972 ft.). Campsite is located nearby. Magnificent Mt. Salkantay (20,574 ft.), the principal Apu or sacred mountain of local Indians, dominates the landscape on clear days.

Accommodations: Inca Trail Trek Camp

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Winay Wayna and Machu Picchu

Altitude: 11,970-7875’/3627-2386m; Hiking time: 5 hours; Hiking distance: 7 miles
Your last day of trekking is an all day descent into thicker cloud forest including a continuous Inca stairway 2,300 steps long! After a few hours of hiking we arrive at Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young), an Inca town perched on a steep forested slope high above the Urubamba River. This beautiful site is a large complex of ancient dwellings, terraces, and still functioning waterworks - an amazing feat of architecture. The final two hours on the trail leads to the Intipunku (Gate of the Sun), the Inca’s main entrance to Machu Picchu. Surrounded by emerald-green Andean mountains, the view is truly awe-inspiring. Walk through the ruins and take the bus further below to the town of Aguas Calientes, where we check into our hotel. Overnight at the charming Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel.

Accommodations: Hotel Machu Picchu Pueblo

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8: Machu Picchu

Be among the first to arrive in Machu Picchu on one of the early shuttle buses up to the site. Your guide will accompany you on an orientation walk through the mysterious maze of streets and stone buildings of this magnificent site. Enjoy the rest of the morning to wander through and explore the most impressive archaeological monument in the Andes at your own pace. Visit the temples of Inca royalty and see the Intiwatana, the ancient stone sun dial. You can hike up the precipitous stone stairs of towering Huayna Picchu peak to get a breathtaking view of the setting. (Permits required in advance.) Return on the afternoon train to Cusco, where you are met and transferred to overnight at the Casa San Blas.

Accommodations: Casa San Blas

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 9: Tambopata Rainforest

Morning airport transfer for flight to Puerto Maldonado. Meet your rainforest naturalist guide and board a comfortable motorized dugout canoe on the Tambopata River. You travel 2 ½ hours up river, past the native community of Infierno and into the Tambopata National Reserve, a protected area of over 3 million acres. Watch the banks for thirsty capybaras – the world’s largest rodent – pausing for a drink as the scenery varies between red-earth cliffs and low banks thick with Cecropia trees. You’ll also catch the occasional glimpse of children and fisherman from native villages and spot a variety of birds – herons, hawks, cormorants, and vultures – flying overhead or fishing in the churning waters.

Reach your simple yet charming Amazon home for the night and time permitting, enjoy a post-dinner walk along jungle paths or boat ride along the river’s edge, searching for night monkeys, caiman, kinkajous, tarantulas and well-camouflaged amphibians with the beams of our flashlights. Overnight at Refugio Amazonas.

Accommodations: Refugio Amazonas

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Days 10 - 11: Macaw clay-licks / Tambopata National Reserve

The next few days are all about getting in touch with your wild side: mountain bike through the rain forest, travel by boat to the Tambopata Research Center, visit the world's largest macaw clay-lick and head out on guided nature walks. Along the way we look for howler, spider, capuchin and duskey titi monkeys and witness a spectacle of nature– a tumultuous gathering at a clay lick of brightly-colored macaws and parrots, often congregating in the hundreds. Take to the water, following your guide paddling kayaks down the Tambopata watching for herons, anhingas, and the colorful hoatzin. Spend two nights at the Tambopata Research Center.

Accommodations: Tambopata Research Center, Refugio Amazonas

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 12: Canopy Climbing

Replicating the daily work of macaw researchers, we have an opportunity to ascend 100 feet into the forest canopy using a rope, climbing harness and special ascending device called a jumar. The ascent is hard work, but worth the reward as the vantage point at the top is a macaw’s eye view of the entire forest and tree tops. Return to the lodge and board the motor craft for the 3 ½ hour journey back down river to Refugio Amazonas. Our last afternoon in the rainforest is spent paddling the silent waters of a wildlife-rich oxbow lake. Scan the waters for giant river otters and watch the shoreline for caiman and horned screamers. Macaws are frequently heard squawking as they fly overhead to roost for the evening. After dinner, join lodge naturalists to learn about rainforest ecology of the Tambopata, ongoing research projects and conservation initiatives. Overnight at Refugio Amazonas.

Accommodations: Refugio Amazonas

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 13: Puerto Maldonado / Lima

Depart downriver in the early morning, keeping a sharp eye for on the riverbanks during this peak wildlife hour. At Puerto Maldonado board your flight to Lima. Your guide and driver will meet you at the airport for a guided tour of Lima's colonial and modern highlights including the cathedral and San Francisco Monastery and catacombs. Car and river remain at your disposal for 4 hours until you are transferred to the airport for your evening departure.

Meals Included: Breakfast