Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: The Classic 4-Day Hike

The classic 4-day/3 night Inca Trail hike from Km 82 to Machu Picchu has a place on many people's bucket list lists (and for good reason!). The challenging trek in Peru is 26 miles long and reaches an elevation of almost 14,000 feet on day 2 when summiting Dead Women's Pass.
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Annette is the author of Bucket List Adventures, co-owner of Sugo Trattoria, a serial adventurer and creator of the award winning travel and lifestyle blog, Bucket List Journey.
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[@angkor5]

Nice video.Brings back many great memories. It is a strenuous hike but worth it. I did it in 1976. Just me and one other person with a crude map that I bought at the market in Cuzco. Never saw another soul the whole trip. A trek I will alway remember!

[@mthaven1530]

🎶 hiked the trail from 88 mile railroad in 1978 alone never seeing anyone the whole trip early December paper map and no trails at all to speak of back then was truly mysterious and mystical playing my flute as I walked around Machu Picchu breathing in the awesome surroundings ☀️⛺️🎶

[@livelovephotograph]

I hiked the inca trail last year in April and absolutely loved every second! Such a challenge but so worth it. I look back on photos all the time! Love seeing videos of it all again

[@magpietexas9475]

What a trip to see this!! I did this in 1982 - by myself, in June, in Converse hightops, with a rented tent and sleeping bag. There was no official trail head, signs, amenities, guides, (what is that? a hostel? porters serving a hot meal at a table?), very few other people along the was. Certainly a trip of a lifetime! Thanks for sharing this!!

[@AnnetteWhite]

Wow! That's amazing!

[@adolfobriceno1635]

I am glad that you enjoyed the Inca Trail. The network of trails that the Inca built extended from Pasto, Colombia to Maule, Chile. Equivalent to driving from NYC to Portland, OR and the to San Francisco, CA.

[@ben-q5d8y]

I’d do anything to go back to a time like that.

[@brendamartz2685]

Thank you for making this video and sharing it with the world. ☮️&❤

[@JohnExploresEverything]

This is awesome. I MUST do this. Thanks for making this video.

[@AnnetteWhite]

It was AMAZING! So I hope you get to do it soon!

[@explorinwithlaurin]

Thanks for Sharing!! We are planning a trip to Peru and plan on hiking the Inca trail. This video helps us know what to expect!!

[@heatherberry7498]

We watched your video for homeschool and are learning about the Inca Trail today. Lana (6) and Hunter (4) want to go to Matchu Picchu now! Thanks for sharing with us! 🥰

[@AnnetteWhite]

I am so happy to hear that they want to go to Machu Picchu!

[@loriphinney8157]

We just did the same exact thing today!! Home schooling, learning about the Inca Trail and looked up a video. Thank you for sharing!! :)

[@KarisLovechild]

definitely taking my alleviate when i do this !

[@MaestroSong]

The Green Machine from Alpaca Expeditions! This tour/expedition group is the best!!

[@AnnetteWhite]

They were amazing!

[@drjohnhong]

That was just terrific. I’m 57 and it nearly killed me 4/8/24. But it was also the most powerful experience too. I’m working on my video. You have much more footage than I do because I was so severely short of breath that I didn’t film as much as I usually do. So it was terrific you got such great footage. Thank You

[@AnnetteWhite]

It was so tough for me, but one of the most memorable experiences in my life!

[@chrismartin7594]

Will be doing this in 5 weeks time. A very good vlog well done .

[@AnnetteWhite]

thank you!

[@qgyg]

Very cool! I’m planning for March, hopefully it won’t be too wet.

[@DrTeresaVanWoy]

Awesome! I just got back myself and made some videos also. Peru is magic!

[@JB_FLYA69669]

Great video you have inspired me to go here

[@jimmygozzu6485]

Buen video me encanta la aventura algun día iré a concer machu pichu .saludos

[@StationaryNomad]

Those trails are impressive. I love your vibe. The trip looks awesome

[@laurentschaer2864]

Pure luxury, with porters running ahead to set up everything and prepare food ! ;-)... I hiked alone with a backpack in six days more than 20 years ago, I even walked a bit on the original (older) path that runs parallel further up, I had to really search for the path because everything was already overgrown...a nice little adventure!

[@AnnetteWhite]

Wow! you must have had quite an adventure!

[@denisemathew8942]

cool story bud..

[@NickandRachel]

Awesome hike!

[@AnnetteWhite]

It was fantastic!

[@ryanmonzon5890]

Hi! we are planning to do this after the RONA-19, which company did you go with? and how much is the cost for the 4 day tour? thanks in advance.

[@RadThings]

Nice video! Thanks for sharing. The hike looks amazing and the final hike views are so beautiful!

[@jessiecurl1843]

Great video.

[@AmazingTrailsYoga]

What month did you hike in?

[@AnnetteWhite]

Mid-September

[@Tawadeb]

Great. Thanks for sharing!!!

[@gautampradhan8765]

Beutiful journey

[@eclecticemissary]

Whoa looks intense! I just did the one day Inca trail hike and I feel like that was enough 😂

[@AnnetteWhite]

Ha! Everyone has their limits :)

[@itsme7285]

did you have to hike back haha! super cool tho!

[@sebastianflorida1186]

Saludos guapa de un peruano que radica en la Florida,muy lindo video

[@Tecstar70]

This is a fab snapshot of the experience. We are planning to go and I was wondering what level of fitness do you think you need for the trek?

[@AnnetteWhite]

I thought it was challenging, and I would say I have a lower mid-level of fitness. I semi-trained for about two months prior by walking hills and stairs, but otherwise did not work out. My husband works out a lot and found it a tiny bit hard in places but not that much. Hope that helps!

[@masterofacestheoriginal5697]

Hello @Annete, If you are happy from the services of the tour company, could please share their name, as I am looking currently to arrange my trip?

[@benpiriz4386]

Great job.. How many miles total? Thanks

[@AnnetteWhite]

26

[@MsIraqi1991]

Hey, how can I sign up? I tried to Google but was afraid of scams! Any website recommendations?

[@AnnetteWhite]

www.alpacaexpeditions.com/

[@jackedwards6401]

Anyone done the inca trail in October ? Looking to book end of year but concerned about the weather

[@AnnetteWhite]

We did it in the beginning of September and weather was good, a little rain. Not sure about October.

[@jackedwards6401]

Thankyou

[@TrekkingPals]

We have done it in November of 2018! The weather was fine. It rained the last day but we packed gear for that.

[@SuperSoundFriendGirl]

Thanks for sharing! What month did you hike?

[@AnnetteWhite]

September :)

[@kylehanson2534]

What time of the year did you guys do the trail? The weather looks wonderful!

[@AnnetteWhite]

We went in September and the weather was great! Not too cold or too hot.

[@AnnetteWhite]

@Charlie Harper there was a few hours here and there. Luckily most of the time it was while we were sleeping.

[@mic.kelly86]

What month did you do the trail?

[@iiDiann3]

I’m sorry if I missed this, what time of the year did you go? What dates?

[@AnnetteWhite]

We went in September :)

[@yazzyxx]

My family is gonna hike machu pichu so I'm just looking at videos to see if it's super difficult- I'm scared of heights so I'm not looking forward to it as much 😭

[@AnnetteWhite]

Just take your time and hopefully it will be fine. It's definitely worth facing the fear, the hike is epic!

[@egd5588]

What month did you go? My husband and I are about to go in 3 days and I’m wondering what the weather will be like lol

[@AnnetteWhite]

We went in September.

[@egd5588]

@@AnnetteWhite thank you for your reply! Was it cold or hot?

[@AnnetteWhite]

It was a little chilly in the morning (not freezing) but warmed up in the afternoons. I wore a light puffer jacket most mornings and a lighter fleece in the afternoons.

[@danielecarbonaro1661]

Could you stop/m for photos or is it all hikes ?

[@AnnetteWhite]

We definitely stopped for photos, especially at all the highlights along the way.

[@massimonotaro607]

You did both passes in 1 day?

[@AnnetteWhite]

Yes!

[@massimonotaro607]

Ohh wow. That must have been hard.. You did the 3 day one then?

[@kevinbankes]

How much time were you all allowed to spend at Machu Picchu on this tour

[@AnnetteWhite]

It was a couple hours.

[@muhammadarslanrajpoot4004]

Which country

[@AnnetteWhite]

Peru

[@aidenlacroix8234]

no video will properly show you how much of an ass kicker dead womans pass is. that being said every minute was worth it.

[@lulupeachey9376]

Where did you sleep, is it only tents?

[@AnnetteWhite]

yes, it was just tents.

[@inesdabe]

U didn’t take a shower in 4 days? There are no restrooms? Omggggg! U brave!

[@AnnetteWhite]

They bring portable toilets. There was 1 potential shower spot, but it was cold and I used shower wipes instead!

[@nelvaquinio7413]

No visa required?

[@AnnetteWhite]

no visa is required

[@samimohapatra7899]

Does not show much about the trail or the difficulty

[@tomryannova]

Train ahead of time -- don't go cold. We did a month of 3 day hikes in Smoky Mtns ( ~ 35 mi/weekend ), w/as much altitude chg factored into the 'training' hikes. The days you go over passes are toughest ~ 2500 ft up / 5500 ft down on the Salkantay trail ( not as bad on the Inca trail ). If you have older knees and lack any modified downhill technique and are new to trekking poles, you may be asking for some/a lot of pain. Best to test yourself on the highest peaks you can find ahead of time. I'd say 1 in 4 will get alt sickness -- throw up, headache and the runs. High likelihood they'll need to bail out for at least a day or two ( on Salkantay can take horses or vehicles at day 3-4 -- no options for this on Inca. I got sick and was able to tough it out, but there are no horses on Inca ). It took a full week to acclimate to 11,000 ft level and have it affect us little ( even if you don't get sick, it tends to gas you going uphill, like a 35 pound pack you didn't realize you were wearing ). After a week, we did not have this effect and it was wonderful going uphill ( both of us, 55 yrs old, were able to smoke two rugby players in their 20s, two women in their young 30s who were runners/triathletes going uphill -- I think the high alt was affecting them ).

[@hothotji]

So there’s nowhere to shower? Lol 😅😅😅

[@AnnetteWhite]

There was one spot, but it was freezing!

[@staixm610]

No Shower in 4 days😵‍💫🥵… wow… Thats something that let me thinking.

[@vicb3787]

omg not the slaves hking ahead carrying all the supplies. WIG