About this trip
This four-day trek takes the quieter route to Machu Picchu, away from the busier Inca Trail crowds. You walk through remote Andean villages, meeting local families and sharing the trail with llamas and alpacas rather than queues of other trekkers.
Along the way there's time to soak in natural hot springs, visit the salt mines at Maras and wander Ollantaytambo's old Inca streets, before the trek builds to a full day exploring Machu Picchu itself.
You return by panoramic train, watching the valley scenery roll past instead of retracing your steps on foot.
What you'll do
- Trek through remote Andean villages and highland communities
- Hike alongside llamas and alpacas on quiet mountain trails
- Relax in the natural hot springs at Lares
- Visit the Maras salt mines and explore Ollantaytambo's Living Inca City
- Spend a full day exploring Machu Picchu with your guide
- Ride back through the valley on the Vistadome or 360° train
- A mountain trek at altitude — some fitness and acclimatisation matter here
- Suited to those who'd rather meet local families and avoid crowds than tick off the classic Inca Trail
Worth it if you value exceptional guides, outstanding food, and attentive service on a genuinely strenuous trek. Think twice if you need shorter days or prefer larger group dynamics.
- Guides consistently knowledgeable, encouraging on hard climbs, and treat you like friends not clients.
- Food quality remarkable: five to six dishes per meal, vegetarian options catered daily, even birthday cakes baked.
- Staff go beyond basics: hot water basins delivered to tents, applause when you arrive, feet washing service included.
- Trek is genuinely strenuous with steep mountain passes; altitude sickness affects some, slow pace needed.
Distilled from real traveller reviews on TourRadar — we don't edit out the bad bits.
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Getting there
Opens Trip.com, pre-filled — one-way so you can book your return whenever. Prices & booking shown there.
Where to stay
A night before your tour in Cusco · 20 Jul – 21 Jul
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