Machu Picchu and Inca Trail planning
Plan Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail and Cusco
Compare Inca Trail & Machu Picchu tours
Rosa Quispe
Trekking Guide and Machu Picchu Travel Writer
Start here
Decide how you will reach the citadel
Most Machu Picchu plans turn on one choice: walk in on a permit-controlled trail, or ride the train and bus. Each option needs its own ticket, and tours differ in what they include.
Start with the route, then check what each listing books for you. Pages with booking cards compare current Viator tours; planning guides stay neutral. Read how to get to Machu Picchu if you are starting from zero.
Three ways in
A day trip, the classic trail or the high route
Prices and ratings come from Viator and change; the guide for each explains what the listing includes and who should skip it.
Classic Inca Trail
Inca Trail 4-Day Trek to Machu Picchu, Return by Vistadome Train
Salkantay trek
Classic 5-Day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu: Small Group Hike
Tours and treks
Choose your trip
Tour optionsMachu Picchu in a day
Train, bus and timed entry in one long day from Cusco.
Read the guide →Tour optionsClassic Inca Trail
The four-day trek, its permits and who should choose it.
Read the guide →
Tour optionsShort Inca Trail
The two-day route and what it leaves out.
Read the guide →Tour optionsSalkantay trek
The high alternative when trail permits are gone.
Read the guide →
Tour optionsSacred Valley
Maras, Moray, Pisac and Ollantaytambo, compared by stop list.
Read the guide →
Tour optionsRainbow Mountain
A day hike above 5,000 metres, and when to skip it.
Read the guide →
Tour optionsHumantay Lake
An early start, a steep climb and a glacial lake.
Read the guide →
Tour optionsMachu Picchu tickets
Where official entry is sold and what bundles add.
Read the guide →
Tour optionsHuayna Picchu
The peak behind the citadel and the tours that include it.
Read the guide →
Tour optionsLares trek
Weaving villages and high passes, no Inca Trail permit needed.
Read the guide →Before booking
Planning guides
Rules, seasons and altitude decide more of the trip than the tour you pick.
Circuits explained
Three circuits, ten routes, in decision order.
Read the guide →Planning guideCusco altitude
Order the trip around acclimatisation.
Read the guide →Planning guideWhen to go
Trail closure, rain and seasonal routes.
Read the guide →Planning guidePacking list
Pack for the citadel rules and the high pass.
Read the guide →Compare before you commit
Each comparison names the deciding question first. Start with the comparison library.
Edited from Cusco, Peru. Check the Ministry of Culture and the rail operator for current tickets and timetables before travelling.
Rosa edits Machu Picchu Planner's route and tour comparisons using published tour details and official ticket and rail sources. About Rosa.