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Inca Trail 4 Day Hike with the Panoramic Train Review

Guided Circuit 3 inside Machu Picchu and the Vistadome home, and it sells to one traveler. Non-refundable; the sleeping bag is a rental.

In Machu Picchu Circuit 1 & 3Train back VistadomeGroup max up to 16Travelers 1 or more
◆ $798
from · per person · checked 26 Sep 2026
★ 4.9
592 reviews
Check dates
✓ sells to one traveler · nearest open date 18 Oct 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
ChaquicochaNight 2
Wiñay WaynaNight 3
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 Hike, Day by Day

This is the trek the rest of the site is measured against: the most-reviewed 4-day listing on GetYourGuide, with 592 reviews at 4.9, and a 7 kg porter, a private toilet tent and the Vistadome train home at a price that sells to a single traveler.

  1. Day one. Pickup from your hotel in Cusco or the Sacred Valley at 4:30 AM, the drive to Km 82 and the first day's walk to Ayapata — a camp further up the valley than the usual first night at Wayllabamba, which shortens the climb waiting on day two.

  2. Day two. Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 m, then the Runkurakay pass and the ruins of Runkurakay and Sayacmarca, to the camp at Chaquicocha. It is a long day, but it puts the second pass behind you.

  3. Day three. Phuyupatamarca, Intipata and down to Wiñaywayna, the last camp, below the Sun Gate.

  4. Day four. The Sun Gate, the upper path of Circuit 1 for the classic view, then a guided walk through Circuit 3, the bus down to Aguas Calientes and the Vistadome train. You are back at your Cusco hotel in the evening.

The main thing

What the price includes. The permit and Machu Picchu entrance, a bilingual guide, chefs and porters, all transport, three nights in 4-person tents shared by two, private portable toilets, four breakfasts, three lunches and three dinners, and a 7 kg allowance for your own gear. A safety briefing the day before and free luggage storage in Cusco are part of it. Check dates for this trek.

What it leaves out. The sleeping bag, air mattress and trekking poles are rentals; lunch on day four after Machu Picchu, the Huayna Picchu ticket and travel insurance are on you. It is non-refundable once booked, because the permit is bought in your name.

Options on 18 Oct 2026

Start
4:30 AM
1 adult
$798
2 adults
$798 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 1 & 3
Porter for 7 kg of your gear
Private portable toilet tent
Train back: Vistadome
Hotel pickup at 4:30 AM
Not included
Sleeping bag, air mattress, trekking poles (rent)
Lunch on day 4 after Machu Picchu
Huayna Picchu entry (advance booking)
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 18 Oct 2026

What Reviewers Rate

Guide
4.9
Transportation
4.9
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
✓ best$798per person
$835per person
$823$1,605 for one
Reviews
✓ best★ 4.9592 reviews
★ 4.9123 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
✓ bestCircuit 1 & 3
Circuit 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, who want the most-reviewed trek and the Vistadome home
Solo travelers and groups 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. 12Travel insurance is not included.

From People Who Walked It

AoifeIreland · 12 Sep 2026
“We traveled with our 3 children aged 9 to 15 and he managed to engage all of them. The food was delicious and varied and the cooks and porters are essential to the smooth running of the whole trip.”
Machu Picchu: 4-Day Inca Trail Hike & Panoramic TrainReview from GetYourGuide
Caitlin4 Sep 2026
“absolutely amazing! we ended up doing the salkantay trek instead of the inca trail due to the inca trail being closed. we were offered the salkantay trek as an alternative option.”
Machu Picchu: 4-Day Inca Trail Hike & Panoramic TrainReview from GetYourGuide

Questions About This Trek

Yes — this trek sells to a single traveler at the listed $798, 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 1 & 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.

Machu Picchu: 4-Day Inca Trail Hike & Panoramic Train◆ $798 · per person
Check dates →✓ sells to one traveler · nearest open date 18 Oct 2026
Machu Picchu: 4-Day Inca Trail Hike & Panoramic Train
◆ from $798 · sells to one
Check dates