Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu with Alpaca Expeditions

This video captures our journey on the Inca Trail trekking 4 days and 3 nights to Machu Picchu with Alpaca Expeditions.
Day One: 6 hours, 14 km
4.5-hour incline to lunch
2-hour incline to campsite
Altitude 2,720m/8,923 ft - 3,300m/10,829 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Day Two: 11 hours, 16 km
4-hour incline to Dead Woman’s Pass 4,200m/13,779 ft
2-hour decline to lunch
2-hour incline
2-hour decline to camp
Altitude 3,300m/10,829 ft - 3,600m/11,800 ft
Difficulty: Challenging
Day Three: 5 hours, 10 km
1.5-hour up and down
2.5-hour steep decline
30 minutes to lunch & campsite
Altitude 3,600m/11,800 ft - 2,680/8,792 f
Difficulty: Easy
Day Four: 2 hours, 5 km
1-hour to Sun Gate
1-hour decline to Machu Picchu
Altitude 2,680/8,792 ft - 2,400m/7,873 ft
Difficulty: Machu Picchu Unforgettable ?
Music Credit: Pachamama Sounds
Here are a few helpful Amazon links to some of the gear we use on our adventures or gear seen in this video: #ad #paidlinks
Trekking Poles: amzn.to/3qpa1wL
Women’s Lightweight Rain Jacket: amzn.to/43oaJbW
Men’s Lightweight Rain Jacket: amzn.to/3NmpaYN
Camelbak: amzn.to/43BGdek
Head Lamp: amzn.to/3MRq9OR
Sleeping Bag Liners: amzn.to/43mWqEu
Dude Wipes: amzn.to/45KMlCW
Camping Blanket: amzn.to/45DUgC2
Hanging Tent Light: amzn.to/3WT3ma3
Tiger Balm: amzn.to/3OV8OXV
Women’s Hiking Pants: amzn.to/43EfoGy
Women’s Comfy Joggers: amzn.to/3MHLuKw
Ear plugs: amzn.to/3oMGdJP
Women’s Hiking Shirt: amzn.to/45XZqcq
Women’s Thermal Shirt: amzn.to/3MOR2Dd
Women’s Hiking Socks: amzn.to/3MPcHey
Women’s Wool Socks: amzn.to/3Ne1dmn

[@Julietothemoon]

Awww! Give Chef Armando a promotion!! Beautiful scenery, definitely worth the hike!!

[@johnrodgers2018]

Great video, Brought back many memories, subscribed

[@Castaways_Travel]

Thanks for watching! Im itching to go back myself. We appreciate the sub!

[@ervinslens]

This is one outstanding adventure, an amazing hike, the scenery is stunning!

[@Castaways_Travel]

Beautiful. It was our first time in the Andes. We will definitely be back.

[@omyanis596]

بالتوفيق لك ، اول لايك ، تحياتي لك 🤝🌹👍👍

[@dcd20001]

Hi. Great video. When did you go on this hike? We will be going in a couple of weeks. Thank you!

[@Castaways_Travel]

The first week of May 2022. Check out of Breakdown video of the trail for more information, tips and suggestions about the trek. Thanks for watching! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJ25i2yuZrmtmNk

[@simonefongkong134]

The new skin you mentioned in your other video was that a liquid bandaid?

[@Castaways_Travel]

Yes. It is a liquid bandage. New Skin is the brand. We just used it every day again for our 11 day trek in Europe and still highly recommended it.

[@KarenAidi]

What a beautiful and well-done video! I have a fear of heights. As long as I don't have to scale bolders and look down on shear cliffs, I think I will be okay. Were there any scary parts like this on the Inca trail trek? I'm trying to figure out whether this trek is too much for me or not. Can you please comment on your experience there? Thanks!

[@Castaways_Travel]

That’s very nice of you to say. Thank you for watching. We had a gentleman ask a similar question not too long ago so I’ll share with you what we replied to him. The Inca Trail can get a little technical in certain potions but I wouldn’t say it’s something that should deter anyone from attempting it. With proper gear (walking sticks and hiking boots), taking it as slow as you need and paying attention to your surroundings, I’m sure you could do it. There are small sections of the trail where a little more focus is needed but it’s all still very doable. One of the great things about Alpaca Expeditions is their amazing guides. You will never feel rushed and they will be there with you ever step of the way to help you if you are feeling insecure about any parts. I remember with us specifically we were a little anxious about what they affectionately refer to as the “gringo killer.” It’s a very steep set of stairs on the very last morning just before you reach the sun gate. One of our guides was with us and even held out walking sticks for us so we could scramble up the stairs with ease. They are truly amazing. I would recommend you join the Alpaca Expeditions Facebook group. It truly is a knowledgeable and encouraging community and I’m sure you get in contact with a ton of people your age (some a whole lot older) or those who had the same concerns before their trek who you could speak to first hand about their experience. I hope you decide to do it. It’s absolutely the trip of a lifetime and I’m positive you could do it and definitely won’t regret it. Keep us posted!

[@KarenAidi]

@@Castaways_Travel thank you so much for the information and Facebook group!

[@PatriciaSavvides]

Hi we plan on doing this trek July 2024 I have a question you went to paracas how long and any details you can share please. Thank you

[@melissasanchez149]

Did you find that you were one of the first in Machu Picchu? Trying to decide if I should take this tour but it woll depend on how early we get into Machu Picchu. We really want to beat the crowd

[@Castaways_Travel]

No, we definitely still had to wait in a line for about 10-15 mins at the main entrance. Even though the Inca Trail hikers all wake up and are ready to trek before daylight it still takes a few hours to get to Machu Picchu from the last campsite. However, those who hiked the Inca Trail get access to a slightly closer viewpoint of the city in the clouds to take their pictures from, whereas those who took the bus from Aguas Calientes have to stay further back. Also, the AE trek comes with a guided tour of Machu Picchu from your head guide. Although there were many people there I never felt like it was super crowded though. If you trek with AE your guide will take your group somewhere secluded and with a view to give the history of Machu Picchu. Do the trek with AE! It was an amazing and once in a lifetime experience that we will never forget and we are very proud to have accomplished it. The joy and pride you will feel from viewing the city after all your hard work is indescribable and irreplaceable. I can’t even imagine if we would’ve just taken a bus to get there. It would not have been anywhere near as special as it was to us. And the friendships you make along the way are worth the trek alone. We highly highly highly recommend it and hope to do Salkantay someday. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching!

[@simonefongkong134]

What power bank did you take to charge your phones?

[@Castaways_Travel]

We use a power bank called The Poseidon from the company Dark Energy. It has a 10,200 mAh power capacity. darkenergy.com/products/poseidon-pro?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn6ew75W4gQMVvEZ_AB3dewOeEAQYASABEgKr6fD_BwE

[@simonefongkong134]

It charged your things for entire hike?

[@Castaways_Travel]

We only used it to recharge one iPhone and GoPro a few times on the trail but it can hold a charge for many days and recharge an iPhone several times before the bank is drained. It’s a good power bank to keep a few electronics topped off at full battery for only a few days.

[@PatriciaSavvides]

Hi we plan on doing this trek July 2024 I have a question you went to paracas how long and any details you can share please. Thank you

[@Castaways_Travel]

We did a long one day tour of Paracas and Huacachina from Lima that wound up taking almost 20 hours. Most of the tour was driving around in a small van to those locations because they are so far apart. We only spent a few short hours in Paracas on the boat tour. It was okay, but I would not travel to Paracas just for the tour of the Ballestas Islands. Our second stop was the Oasis town in Huacachina with sand dunes off roading and sand dune boogey boarding. It was much more fun, but since these locations are so far apart, we did not get to spend much time there either because we had to begin the long drive back already. If we had to do it again, we would take a tour that only went to the Huacachina or even spend a night in the Oasis town. It seemed like there was still much to explore that we did not get a chance to even begin to do. I am sorry we cannot give you more advice about Paracas. We were only there for the quick tour of Ballestas Islands and lunch. If you are going to Paracas either way, we do recommend the boat tour. We saw penguins, sea lions and dolphins and the ancient Candelabra of course.