Great Smoky Mountains
Mar – Sept | 115 km | 7 Days | North Carolina
85-mile trek to Machu Picchu
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Inca Trail
85-mile trek to mystical Machu Picchu
May to
September
0
Miles
0
Days
29h 15m
FKT (Huayhuash)
about the trek
What to Expect
Imagine waking up after 4 days of hiking through the Andes and seeing the sunrise over the ruins of an ancient civilization. With mist rising up from the valley and the first trainload of tourists not arriving for hours, you’re likely to experience one of the magical moments that have made the Inca Trail one of the world’s most iconic hikes. It mixes jungles and mountains with historic mysteries, an adventure unlike any other.
"In the variety of its charms and the power of its spell, I know of no other place in the world which can compare with it."
-Hiram Bingham
With the Inca Trail being so popular and permits being extremely limited, you’ll need to make a booking around 3 months in advance. Otherwise, there are several multi-day hiking routes in the region that some consider even better than the Inca Trail, like the Salcantay Route (5 to 8 days), Lares Route (3 to 5 days), Vilcabamba Traverse Route (7 to 13 days), and the Lodge Trek (7 to 11 days). For each of these routes, it’s easy to access Machu Picchu after, either by train or on foot.
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