incatrail4days
EN
EnglishDeutschEspañolFrançais
Home / Reviews
Panoramic train

Inca Trail 4 Day Trek from Cusco Review

The second most-reviewed trek: a guided Circuit 3 visit, a 7 kg porter and a private toilet tent, and it sells to one. The train back is Vistadome for bookings from March 2026, per the listing; non-refundable.

In Machu Picchu Circuit 3Train back VistadomeGroup max up to 16Travelers 1 or more
◆ $835
from · per person · checked 26 Sep 2026
★ 4.9
123 reviews
Check dates
✓ sells to one traveler · nearest open date 1 Nov 2026
Duration
4 days / 3 nights
Distance
42–46 km
High point
4,215 m
Start
4:30 AM pickup, Cusco
Group
up to 16
Travelers
1 or more
Cancellation
non-refundable
Train back
Vistadome
This trek on the trail

Route and Camps

Km 822,720 m
AyapataNight 1
Dead Woman's Pass4,215 m
Wiñay WaynaNight 2
Sun Gate2,720 m
Machu Picchu2,430 m

Pink dots are where this trek camps; other operators use different sites on the same trail.

Inca Trail 4 Day Trek from Cusco, Day by Day

The second most-reviewed 4-day trek on GetYourGuide — 123 reviews at 4.9 — and the closest alternative to our pick: the same 7 kg porter and private toilet tent, a guided visit of Circuit 3 inside Machu Picchu, and it sells to one traveler at the listed price.

  1. Day one. Hotel pickup in Cusco, Urubamba or Ollantaytambo at 4:30 AM, then the first day walked in roughly two-hour intervals to Ayapata at 3,300 m.

  2. Day two. Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 m, lunch in the Pacaymayo valley, then the ruins of Runkurakay and Sayacmarca.

  3. Day three. Phuyupatamarca, where you get the first views towards Machu Picchu, then a three-hour descent to Wiñay Wayna.

  4. Day four. Sunrise at the Sun Gate, a private tour of the citadel, the bus down and the train to Ollantaytambo or Poroy. The listing gives 45 km in total.

The main thing

What the price includes. Permits and Machu Picchu entry for Circuit 3, a trekking guide, a personal porter for up to 7 kg, double-occupancy tents, a portable chemical toilet, four breakfasts, three lunches and three dinners, the bus to Aguas Calientes and the return train. An in-person briefing is held at 6:00 PM the day before. Check dates for this trek.

What it leaves out. Daypacks, headlamps, the sleeping bag, air mattress and poles (rent), tips and travel insurance. Huayna Picchu is a $75 add-on here and must be booked in advance. The listing asks you to carry your own daypack of up to 25 litres.

Options on 1 Nov 2026

Start
4:30 AM
1 adult
$835
2 adults
$835 per person
Check this date

This trek has one option on GetYourGuide: the price is the same for one or more travelers.

Included
Inca Trail permit and entry to Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu: Circuit 3
Porter for 7 kg of your gear
Private portable toilet tent
Train back: Vistadome
Hotel pickup at 4:30 AM
Not included
Day packs
Sleeping bag, air mattress, trekking poles (rent)
Headlamps
Huayna Picchu Mountain — $75 pp, book in advance
Tips
Travel insurance

Trek Comfort: 3 of 4

· hover or tap each for the fact
Porter ≥ 7 kg
7 kg or more
Porter carries 7 kg of your gear — you walk with a daypack
Sleeping bag & mattress
Rent
Sleeping bag is a rental — not in the price
Private toilet tent
Private
Private portable toilet tent in camp
Panoramic train back
Panoramic
Vistadome panoramic train back
sells to one traveler · nearest open date 1 Nov 2026

What Reviewers Rate

Guide
4.9
Transportation
4.8
Value for money
4.8
Out of 5, from GetYourGuide reviews.
Same trail, three different insides

Against the Two Most-Reviewed Alternatives

Bars and squares show size; green marks the best value in each row; dashed means the operator doesn't say.

From
$835per person
✓ best$798per person
$823$1,605 for one
Reviews
★ 4.9123 reviews
✓ best★ 4.9592 reviews
★ 4.917 reviews
Group max
up to 16one square = one trekker
up to 16one square = one trekker
✓ bestup to 10one square = one trekker
Travelers
Sells to one
Sells to one
Sells to one
In Machu Picchu
Circuit 3
✓ bestCircuit 1 & 3
Circuit 1, panorama only
Train back
✓ bestVistadome · panoramic
✓ bestVistadome · panoramic
class not stated
Porter carries
✓ best7 kgof your gear
✓ best7 kgof your gear
5 kgof your gear
Sleeping bag
For rent
For rent
For rent
Trek comfort
✓ best
3 of 4
✓ best
3 of 4
0 of 4 · 1 not stated
Cancellation
Non-refundable
Non-refundable
✓ bestFree up to 24 h
For whom
Solo travelers and groups and the Vistadome home
Solo travelers and groups, who want the most-reviewed trek and the Vistadome home
Solo travelers and groups, who may need to cancel

Good to Know

  1. 01Pickup from your Cusco hotel at 4:30 AM.
  2. 02Your passport number goes on the permit — travel with the same passport.
  3. 03Permits are personal: the date and the name can't be changed.
  4. 04Cancellation: non-refundable.
  5. 05Sells to a single traveler at the listed price.
  6. 06Groups of up to 16.
  7. 07The trail is closed every February.
  8. 08The high point is Dead Woman's Pass, 4,215 m, on day two.
  9. 09The porter carries 7 kg of your gear.
  10. 10Huayna Picchu is not included and sells out months ahead.
  11. 11Train back: Vistadome (panoramic).
  12. 12Tips and travel insurance are not included.

From People Who Walked It

Toni31 Jul 2026
“The guides were outstanding, the food was incredible, the porters worked unbelievably hard, and the cooks prepared amazing meals.”
From Cusco: 4-Day Inca Trail Guided Trek to Machu PicchuReview from GetYourGuide

Questions About This Trek

Yes — this trek sells to a single traveler at the listed $835, so a solo booking pays the same per person as everyone else and joins a shared group of up to 16.

Only six of the sixteen 4-day treks do that; nine require at least two people, and one charges a single adult nearly double the advertised price.

Circuit 3 is what this trek's Machu Picchu ticket covers.

Many tickets now include a single circuit, and a second circuit needs its own ticket, so check the listing if you want to see more. Huayna Picchu is always a separate ticket with limited places, and has to be booked months ahead.

You return on the Vistadome (panoramic), the panoramic train with the glass roof.

The train runs from Aguas Calientes, below Machu Picchu, to Ollantaytambo, and the road transfer continues to Cusco. Other treks use a different class — the Vistadome on the two most-reviewed, a standard or Expedition train on most others.

The porter carries 5, 6 or 7 kg of your own gear on the treks that state an allowance, on top of the group's tents, food and kitchen.

The two most-reviewed treks carry 7 kg, the most any listing states; four treks include no personal porter and sell one as an extra. Whatever doesn't fit — water, rain shell, warm layer, camera — goes in the daypack you carry yourself.

No — the sleeping bag is a rental on this trek, as on most of the sixteen.

Budget for it, or bring your own bag rated for cold: nights at the 3,600 m camp are close to freezing. Only one trek in our comparison includes a sleeping bag and mattress in the price.

Hotel pickup in Cusco is at 4:30 AM on day one, so plan an early night before the trek.

Pickup times on the sixteen treks run from 4:00 to 6:00 AM, and the operator confirms the exact time and meeting point after booking. Bring the passport on your booking — it is checked against the permit at Km 82.

The listing's cancellation terms are: non-refundable.

Inca Trail permits are bought in your name for one date and can't be resold, which is why many 4-day treks don't refund. If your plans might change, compare the treks with free cancellation, and consider travel insurance, which none of the sixteen treks includes.

Groups on this trek are up to 16 trekkers, plus the guide, cooks and porters who walk with you.

Group sizes on the sixteen treks run from 8 to 16. Smaller groups tend to keep a more even pace, and the guide gets to know how each person is coping with the altitude.

From Cusco: 4-Day Inca Trail Guided Trek to Machu Picchu◆ $835 · per person
Check dates →✓ sells to one traveler · nearest open date 1 Nov 2026
Machu Picchu: 4-Day Inca Trail Hike & Panoramic Train
◆ from $798 · sells to one
Check dates