Inca Jungle Trail
The Experience
Inca Jungle Trail
The Inca jungle trail to Machu Picchu is an adventurous four-day mix of biking and hiking. It is also possible to take a rafting excursion or descend the highest zipline in all of South America! The final destination of this trek is Machu Picchu. Unlike many other trails, you will not spend the night in tents during the Inca jungle trail, but in local hostels along the route.
Tip: Spend your first night with a coffee farmer family and experience local life on a coffee plantation up close!
- Highlights of this excursion .
- Adventurous four-day mix of cycling and walking.
- Possibility to make a rafting excursion and a zipline excursion of the highest zipline in all of South America.
- Overnight stays in hostels along the route and the possibility to stay overnight at coffee farmers’ homes.
- Visit to Machu Picchu on the last day.
What's Included
- Adventure Activities: Biking equipment and guided trekking for the four-day route.
- Accommodation: Overnight stays in local hostels (no camping required).
- Cultural Experience: Coffee farm visit and stay with a local family.
Machu Picchu: Guided tour of the citadel on the final day.
What's Not Included
- Optional Excursions: Additional costs for rafting and the South American zipline tour.
- Personal Gear: Trekking boots, specialized biking apparel, and sun protection.
- Insurance: Personal travel and medical insurance.
- Extra Expenses: Gratuities, laundry, and snacks or purchases along the trail.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Early in the morning you will be picked up from your hotel in Cusco for the start of the Inca jungle trail. You will ride through the towns of Chinchero, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley to the Malaga pass at an altitude of 4350 meters. After a briefing from the guide, you will descend by mountain bike on a quiet road through a beautiful Andean landscape. After about 3 hours of cycling, you will be offered lunch at the Wamanmarca point. The views here are phenomenal. You get back on your bike and on the way it becomes warmer and greener and the surroundings look more like a rainforest than a mountain landscape.
You take the bus in the middle of the afternoon to the town of Santa Maria, on the edge of the rainforest. This town is located at an altitude of 1250 meters. You spend the night in a small local hostal and are offered a typical Peruvian meal there.
NB: It is possible to make a rafting excursion on the Vilcanota river in Santa Teresa at the end of the afternoon. This excursion is not included in the total price, ask for the conditions.
After breakfast, you will hike for three hours on a path up through the cloud forest. Along the way, you will see plantations where coca leaves and tropical fruit are grown. Along the way, you will visit a coca plantation with a local family. You will descend in about 2 hours over a small part of the original Inca trail to the village of Qellomayo where you will be offered lunch. From here, you will hike in about 3 hours along the Vilcanote river to the water sources of Colcamayo. Of course, it is possible to take a wonderful dip in these water sources. You will spend the second night of the Inca jungle trek in a local hostal in the town of Santa Teresa.
In about 3 hours you walk to the town of Colpani from where you have a beautiful view of the surroundings. On an unpaved road you walk to the Hidroelectrica, the energy supply for the town of Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu. Here you will be offered lunch. From this place it is a 3 hour walk along the railway to the town of Aguas Calientes, where you will spend the night in a local hostal.
NB: After breakfast it is possible to use the highest zipline in South America this day. The zipline is located about 15 minutes from the town of Santa Teresa. This excursion lasts about 2 hours and is not included in the total price, ask for the conditions.
Very early in the morning (04.30) you will walk up from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. You will be one of the first visitors to the site. Your guide will give you a tour of about 2 hours on the citadel. Afterwards you will have time to enjoy Machu Picchu yourself. In the afternoon you will walk back to Aguas Calientes from where you will take the train back to Ollantaytambo in the afternoon and then the bus back to Cusco where your Inca jungle trail ends.