The Classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

Permits are capped at 500 people per day (only about 200 of them trekkers) and sell out months in advance — and independent trekking is prohibited, so you must book through a licensed operator. Bring the exact passport your permit was issued against; it’s checked at the trailhead.

The dry season gives the most reliable trail conditions. The trail closes completely every February for maintenance — plan around it rather than discovering it at booking time.

Dead Woman’s Pass on day 2 is 4,215 m, and altitude — not distance — is the real challenge. Arrive in Cusco (3,400 m) at least two days early and take it easy before the trek starts.

Your operator drives you to the trailhead at Km 82 (Piscacucho) near Ollantaytambo; the return is by train from Aguas Calientes below Machu Picchu. Confirm which station your train leaves from and book the return leg with the trek.

You only carry your daypack, but the nights are cold and the sun at altitude is fierce. Layers for freezing camps, sun protection for the passes, and as little else as possible.

The final morning delivers you to Machu Picchu on foot through Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, at dawn — the way the Inca road was meant to arrive. It’s why day 4 starts brutally early; don’t fight the wake-up call.

Operators boil water at camps, but carry purification for refills between them, plus high-energy snacks — the long climb to Dead Woman’s Pass is not the place to run empty.