The top-rated Inca Trail tour is a 4-day classic from Cusco at $798 with 617 reviews; the cheapest guided 2-day short trail starts at $585. Here every tour on GetYourGuide is compared on trail length, permit, group size and the price one person really pays.
Pick by days and by how much real Inca trail you want. The classic 4-day walks 42–46 km from Km 82 over Dead Woman's Pass (4,215 m) with three nights camping. The 2-day and 1-day tours walk the last ~12 km from Km 104. Salkantay, Inca Jungle and Lares need no permit and stay bookable when classic dates are gone.
The whole trail from Km 82: Dead Woman’s Pass on day two, three nights in camp, and Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate before the gates open on day four.
For a first, full trek the best pick is TreXperience's 4-day classic: 4.94 from 617 reviews, a panoramic train home and sold to one person. With only two days, or when classic permits are gone, the same Sun Gate arrival costs $592 on the 2-day short trail. Each card below answers one kind of trip.
First time · 4 daysTop rated
Included: permit, Machu Picchu entry, meals, porters, Vistadome train
Circuit 1 & 3 with the guide and a 7 kg porter allowance.
Only 2 daysMost booked
Included: permit, Machu Picchu entry, guide, hotel, Vistadome train
Km 104 → Wiñay Wayna → Sun Gate, guided citadel next morning.
Small group
Included: permit, Circuit 1 entry, meals, porters, 5 kg personal allowance
Free cancellation up to 24 h. The listing says from $823 — that is per person for two; one adult pays $1,605.
Budget · no permitMost reviews
Included: bike & safety gear, meals, eco-house night, guide
Not the classic trail: biking, a rafting option and short Inca sections.
Permits sold out
Included: Machu Picchu entry, meals, Vistadome or 360° train
Camping and a high pass like the classic — without the quota.
Villages · fewer people
Included: Machu Picchu entry, horses, meals, Vistadome train
Weaving villages and high lakes, then the train to Machu Picchu.
All of these start with a hotel pickup in Cusco between 4:00 and 6:00 am. What really separates them is the kilometres of Inca trail, whether one person can book, and group size — the price follows from those three. The honest last row covers the question everyone asks: can you do it without a tour?
| Tour | Inca trail | Nights | Group | Sells to | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4-Day Inca Trail & Panoramic TrainOur pick · Circuit 1 & 3 | 42–46 km | 3 · tents | ≤16 | 1 adult | ★ 4.94 (617) | $798 | Book |
 4-Day Inca Trail Guided TrekHuayna Picchu add-on | 42–46 km | 3 · tents | ≤16 | 1 adult | ★ 4.93 (123) | $835 | Book |
 Inca Trail 4-Day TrekCheapest classic | 42–46 km | 3 · tents | ≤14 | 2 adults | ★ 5.0 (2) | $750 | Book |
 4-Day Inca Trail, Small GroupsListing $823 · solo pays more | 42–46 km | 3 · tents | ≤10 | 1 adult | ★ 4.87 (17) | $1,605 | Book |
 Inca Trail 2-Day OvernightCheapest 2-day for one | ~12 km | 1 · hotel | ≤16 | 1 adult | ★ 4.92 (228) | $585 | Book |
2-Day Inca Trail with VistadomeMost-booked short trail | ~12 km | 1 · hotel | ≤16 | 1 adult | ★ 4.84 (344) | $592 | Book |
 Machu Picchu 2-Day Inca TrailTwo options | ~12 km | 1 · hotel | ≤13 | 2 adults | ★ 4.93 (12) | $653 | Book |
4-Day Inca JungleNot the classic trail | short stretch | 3 · hostel | ≤15 | 1 adult | ★ 4.82 (957) | $470 | Book |
4-Day Salkantay & Panoramic TrainNo permit needed | 0 km · no permit | 3 · camp | ≤16 | 1 adult | ★ 4.78 (31) | $564 | Book |
| Hike it without a tour Honest row | Not possible: Inca Trail permits are issued only through licensed operators, with a guide. Without hiking — train to Aguas Calientes plus a citadel ticket. | How → | |||||
Not possible: permits go only through licensed operators, with a guide. Without hiking — train to Aguas Calientes plus a citadel ticket.
Every Inca Trail tour is guided by law: you walk with a licensed guide, cooks and porters, and you carry only a day pack. Porters take the tents, the food and a personal allowance of 5–7 kg per hiker. On the classic trek you sleep three nights in camps such as Wayllabamba and Pacaymayo, cross Dead Woman's Pass on day two and reach the Sun Gate before the citadel opens on day four.
The guide explains each site on the way — Patallacta, Runkurakay, Sayacmarca, Wiñay Wayna — and leads the tour of the citadel. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are cooked on the trail, usually with a snack at tea time. What most tours leave to you is the sleeping bag and walking poles, which you rent in Cusco or from the operator, and cash for tips at the end.
"Roger gave very good explanations and Celso prepared a great meal 3 times a day. There are many breaks, and the tent is set up for you."
Philipp · Oct 2026 · 4-Day Inca Trail & Panoramic Train, on GetYourGuide
Porters carry the camp — 5–7 kg of your things
GetYourGuide doesn't run the trek — a licensed Cusco operator does, and its name sits on every listing. On the tours compared here that means companies such as TreXperience, Alpaca Expeditions, Inkayni Peru Tours and Inka Altitude. An "agency" between you and them only resells the same departures, usually at a higher price.
Brand names matter less than five things you can check on any listing: the maximum group (8 to 16 here), the porter allowance, the train class home, which Machu Picchu circuit is guided, and whether one person can book. Those decide your days on the trail far more than a logo does.
Reading a listing takes a minute once you know where to look: the operator's name sits under the title, the group cap and porter allowance in "What's included", the train class in the itinerary. A tour that leaves one of them out is not worse by default — ask the operator before you pay.
Read the reviewsThe most useful sustainability check is how a tour treats its porters — and part of that is printed on the listing. Look for the personal allowance per hiker, a stated maximum group and a toilet tent. A small group needs fewer porters and leaves less waste on a trail that is capped at 500 people a day, guides and porters included.
Peru's porter law sets a maximum load and a minimum pay per shift; operators that publish their porter policy are easier to hold to it. Green "eco" badges on listings are not verified by anyone. The numbers on the right are, and every tour card on this site carries them.
Tipping is part of the same picture: porters, cooks and guides are paid by the operator, but tips at the end of the trek are expected and reviewers repeatedly say to bring "quite a lot" of cash. Budget it before you leave Cusco — there is no cash machine on the trail.
The classic route starts at Km 82, climbs to 4,215 m and enters Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate. The short route starts at Km 104 and joins the classic at Wiñay Wayna. The no-permit routes cross other passes — Salkantay, the Lares valley, the Inca Jungle — and reach Aguas Calientes by train or on foot.
April to October is the dry season and the trail's high season; June to August permits sell out first, so book those months as soon as permits open. November to March brings rain and fewer people. In February the trail is closed. 2027 permits were not yet on sale in November 2026. Pick a month to see the trail, the crowds and the tour that fits.
Clear days and cold nights at the high camps; permits are still available a few months ahead, unlike June to August.
Dry and stable; frosty mornings at the highest camp.
Warm sleeping bag, hat and gloves for the camp nights.
Qoyllur Rit’i pilgrimage near Cusco (late May or June).
Several months ahead.
A guided 2-day short trail starts around $585 per person, the 4-day classic around $750–835, and small-group treks run $1,290–1,605. Those prices include the permit, Machu Picchu entry and the train back; tips, the sleeping bag and flights to Cusco are extra.
Salkantay, Inca Jungle, Lares · 4–5 days
2 days with hotel · many need 2 adults
4 days camping · the top-rated tours
≤8–10 people · premium camps
Listings showing $40–70 are deposits, not the tour price — we always show what the tour really costs.
Your permit is issued in your name and passport number and cannot be moved or refunded once bought — so check dates, documents and who can book before you pay. These six points cause most of the surprises travellers report on the trail and at checkout.
The name and number must match on trek day.
Classic tours can't refund a bought permit.
Sold as an add-on, about $75 on some tours.
Most short-trail tours won't sell to one adult.
Some listings show only the advance payment.
No permits, no departures on the trail.
The top-rated classic trek scores 4.94 from 617 reviews on GetYourGuide. Guides, cooks and porters get the most praise in every top tour; the most common complaint is the cash needed for tips at the end, followed by rain gear and the very early starts.
"Incredible tour! Very capable guides. A hard trek, but there is never any rush, and everyone will make it to camp."
Daniel · Nov 2026 · 4-Day Inca Trail & Panoramic Train"Roger as a guide was fantastic and the group of workers so supportive. You will need quite a lot of money for tips at the end."
Zuzana · Nov 2026 · 4-Day Inca Trail & Panoramic Train"Everything was so well organized, the food was amazing. It all worked out really well despite a very rainy couple of days."
Ismail · Nov 2026 · 4-Day Inca Trail & Panoramic Train"The trip was professionally organised, the food was amazing, the trail itself was amazing and the guides were very helpful."
Øystein · Nov 2026 · 4-Day Inca Trail & Panoramic TrainYou book and pay on GetYourGuide; the Cusco operator then registers your permit with your passport details, so the date is locked from that moment. The whole booking takes minutes — getting a date in June to August is the hard part, which is why the live calendar matters more than anything else on this page.
Check live availability — dates disappear as permits sell.
Some tours allow reserve-now-pay-later; classic tours are usually non-refundable.
The operator registers your permit — name and number must match.
A safety briefing the day before; pickup from your hotel at 4–6 am.
Two things decide whether the booking goes smoothly. First, the name and passport number you send must match the passport you carry on trek day — a new passport means telling the operator at once. Second, most classic tours cannot be refunded once the permit is bought, so pick a date you are sure of, or one of the few tours with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Yes, if you want to arrive at Machu Picchu on foot through the Sun Gate and can plan months ahead — no train ride replaces that walk. With one day or no permit, the 2-day trail or Salkantay gives most of the experience for less.
No. Permits are issued only through licensed operators and every group walks with a guide. You can reach Machu Picchu without hiking by train to Aguas Calientes plus a citadel ticket.
Not here: every tour starts with a hotel pickup in Cusco, and flights to Cusco are booked separately. Packages that include flights bundle the same Cusco operators with a markup.
The recurring advice matches the reviews: book months ahead for June–August, budget cash for tips, rent a warm sleeping bag and, if you travel alone, pick a tour that sells to one person.
US brands resell the same licensed Cusco operators. On GetYourGuide you book the operator's own departure directly, priced in USD.
Yes — book online from anywhere. Your passport details go to the operator for the permit, and the tour starts in Cusco.
For June–August, as soon as permits open — they sell out first. For other months a few months ahead usually works; the live calendar shows what is left.
Take the 2-day short trail, which has its own quota of 250 a day, or a no-permit trek — Salkantay, Inca Jungle or Lares — which also end at Machu Picchu.
Yes, as two bookings from Cusco: Rainbow Mountain is a long day trip. Do it after the trek, not as acclimatisation right before the 4,215 m pass.
Yes, as separate trips: the Amazon (Puerto Maldonado) is a short flight from Cusco, the Galápagos a flight via Lima and Guayaquil. Plan the trek first — its date is the one you can't move.
An Inca Trail holiday adds flights and hotels around the same trek; the trek itself is the same guided tour you can book here.
Yes, with a few weeks of walking practice and two days in Cusco to acclimatise. The hard part is altitude on day two; guides set a slow pace and nobody is rushed.
The quickest way to know if your date is still open is the live calendar below: it shows exactly what TreXperience can still sell on its 4-day trek — 4.94 from 617 reviews, open to one traveller, with the Vistadome train home. If your month is gone, try the 2-day short trail, which has its own permits.