Treks to Machu Picchu: Every Route Compared

Classic Inca Trail

This is the original. SERNANP describes Route 1, the Main Inca Trail, as a 33.7 km circuit starting at Piskacucho, also called km 82, then passing Wayllabamba and climbing over Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 m before dropping through Sayaqmarka, Phuyupatamarka and Wiñay Wayna. The trail climbs about 3 km of steps to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, where hikers get the first view of the ruins before a short downhill walk to the site.

Per Wikipedia, the government has capped the trail at 500 permits per day since 2001, and only about 200 of those go to trekkers, the rest go to guides and porters. All the year's permits are released in October and sold first come, first served, so the trail sells out months ahead. It also closes every February for maintenance.

The SERNANP trail fee for the 4-day route is US$86.00 (S/292) for adults, and that fee sits inside the operator's tour price, since access is only through licensed agencies. The full breakdown of costs and campsites lives on the Inca Trail page.

Short Inca Trail / Km 104

This family uses the same network and the same Sun Gate finish but squeezes the walking into one long day or a 2-day trip. Per Wikipedia, the Km 104 trail, also called the One Day route or Camino Real de los Inkas, involves 6 to 7 hours of hiking on its walking day and joins the Classic route above Wiñay Wayna. Because it uses the same SERNANP-managed network, it needs a permit through an agency, but the fee is lower: US$65.30 (S/222) for adults on Route 5.

It is not released a year ahead in the same rush as the Classic trail, so there is no early booking panic. Hikers take the train to Km 104, walk past Chachabamba and Wiñay Wayna, and reach the Sun Gate by late afternoon on the 2-day version. It suits anyone who wants the Sun Gate arrival without four days of camping or a 4,215 m pass.

The 2-day overnight version, prices and packing list are on the Short Inca Trail page.

Salkantay Trek

Salkantay is the highest peak in the Vilcabamba range, with a summit of 6,271 to 6,279 m, and Machu Picchu sits directly north of it at the end of a ridge running down from the mountain. Per Wikipedia, the oversubscription of the Inca Trail is exactly why the routes around Salkantay became known collectively as the Salkantay trek. It runs mostly outside the SERNANP-managed Inca Trail network, so no SERNANP trail permit applies.

The route crosses a high Andean pass and usually includes the turquoise Humantay Lake, and operators run both 4-day and 5-day versions. It reaches Machu Picchu Pueblo on foot via the km 122 Hidroeléctrica access point, which SERNANP lists with visiting hours 07:30 to 16:30, April to October. Expect cold nights at altitude and a longer, harder walk than the jungle routes, with big mountain scenery as the reward.

Distances, pass conditions and tour options are on the Salkantay trek page.

Inca Jungle Trek

This is the most physically varied route and the cheapest family in the table. Instead of pure hiking, it mixes mountain biking down from Abra Málaga with hiking through cloud forest and jungle, and many operators add optional rafting and ziplining. It reaches Machu Picchu Pueblo the same way the Salkantay often does, on foot along the rail corridor from the km 122 Hidroeléctrica access point, open 07:30 to 16:30 from April to October per SERNANP.

Because the route runs outside the managed Inca Trail network, no SERNANP trekking permit is needed, so it can often be booked closer to the travel date. Check what is included: rafting and zipline are usually paid extras of roughly $40 more. Full route notes and the operator comparison sit on the Inca Jungle trek page.

Lares Trek

The Lares trek is the fifth family and the only one without its own page on this site, so it is covered fully here. The route runs through Andean valleys and Quechua weaving villages, with a stop at the Lares hot springs, and the listed 4-day tour also visits the Maras salt mines and Ollantaytambo before the final approach to Machu Picchu. Two things set it apart.

First, it runs outside the SERNANP-managed Inca Trail network, so it needs no trail permit and no permit scramble. Second, it does not use the Sun Gate arrival, so if that first view through Inti Punku is the whole point of walking for you, book the Classic or Short Inca Trail instead. For travelers who want the multi-day camping-and-porters feel of the Classic trail without fighting the October permit release, Lares is the practical alternative.

See the Lares trek card above for the current price, group size and what is bundled in.

Match the Route to Your Trip

Cusco itself sits high, and altitude sickness is a real factor on every one of these routes, most of all on the Salkantay pass. Read altitude in Aguas Calientes before committing to a high-pass route. The day counts below are total days in the Cusco area, not walking days alone.

Why Two Families Need Permits and Three Do Not

SERNANP manages the Inca Trail network, the Red de Caminos Inka, inside the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu. Its fee table lists exactly five numbered routes, Routes 1 to 5. The Classic trail is Route 1, the 4-day hike, and the Short trail's day walk is Route 5.

Access to that network is only through SERNANP-authorised agencies, independent trekking is not permitted, and no consumer page exists to buy a single permit alone. The Classic trail fee is US$86.00 (S/292) per adult and the Route 5 fee is US$65.30 (S/222), always bundled into the agency's tour price. The Salkantay, Inca Jungle and Lares routes do not appear anywhere on that five-route list, because they run mainly outside the managed network before rejoining it near Machu Picchu or bypassing it via Hidroeléctrica.

No SERNANP trekking permit fee is published for them, so the operator's price plus the standard Machu Picchu entrance ticket are the costs that apply. Every trekker, on every route, still needs the Ministry of Culture entry ticket for the citadel itself, covered on Machu Picchu tickets.

How Far Ahead to Book

For the Classic Inca Trail, book as far ahead as you can. All of the year's 500 daily permits are released in October and sold first come, first served, each one tied to a passport, and the trail closes every February for maintenance. Peak-date permits are gone months ahead.

The Short Inca Trail uses the same agency system but has no early booking rush of the same scale, though a few weeks of lead time is still wise. The Salkantay, Inca Jungle and Lares routes need no trail permit at all, so operators can confirm them much closer to the date, and several listed tours allow cancellation up to 24 hours before the start. From 1 May 2026 SERNANP also applies a new conservation surcharge of US$3.24 (S/11) for foreign tourists at the sanctuary, which does not apply to visitors entering via the Inca Trail network.

For season and weather, SERNANP recommends April to October, with rain from November to March, more on the best time to visit.