Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

The trail is closed every February for cleaning. This was

originally done informally by organizations such as South
American Explorers [2] but is now managed ocially.

1 Classic trail

Patallacta viewed from above

Trekkers normally take four or ve days to complete the

Classic Inca Trail but a two-day trek from Km 104 is
also possible.[3]
It starts from one of two points: 88 km (55 miles) or
82 km (51 miles) from Cusco on the Urubamba River
at approximately 2,800 metres (9,200 ft) or 2,600 metres
(8,500 ft) altitude, respectively.[3]

Much of the trail is of original Incan construction

Both of these trail segments meet above the Inca ruins

of Patallaqta[4][5] (sometimes called Llaqtapata), a site
used for religious and ceremonial functions, crop production, and housing for soldiers from the nearby hilltop
site of Willkaraqay, an ancient pre-Inca site rst inhabited
around 500 BC.[3] The trail undulates, but overall ascends
along the Kusichaka River.

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (also known as Camino

Inca or Camino Inka) consists of three overlapping trails:
Mollepata, Classic, and One Day. Mollepata is the
longest of the three routes with the highest mountain
pass and intersects with the Classic route before crossing
Warmiwausqa (dead woman). Located in the Andes
mountain range, the trail passes through several types of
Andean environments including cloud forest and alpine
tundra. Settlements, tunnels, and many Incan ruins are
located along the trail before ending the terminus at the
Sun Gate on Machu Picchu mountain. The two longer
routes require an ascent to beyond 4,200 metres (13,800
ft) above sea level, which can result in altitude sickness.

At the small village Wayllapampa (grassy plain, Wayllabamba) the trail intersects with the Mollepata Trail at
3,000 metres (9,800 ft).[3]

Small, permanent settlements are located adjacent to

the trail, and Wayllapampa has approximately 400 inhabitants (130 families) spread along this portion of
[3]
Concern about overuse leading to erosion has led the Pe- the trail. Pack animalshorses, mules, donkeys, and
ruvian government to place a limit on the number of peo- llamasare allowed.
ple who may hike this trail per season, and to sharply limit At Wayllapampa the trail to Machu Picchu turns west and
the companies that can provide guides. As a result, ad- begins ascending along a tributary of the Kusichaka. Bevance booking is mandatory. A maximum of 500 people cause of previous damage caused by hooves, pack aniare allowed on the trail each day, of which only 200 are mals are not allowed on the remainder of the trail. For
trekkers, the rest being guides and porters.[1] As a result, the same reason, metal-tipped trekking poles are not althe high season books out very quickly.
lowed on the trail.
1

CLASSIC TRAIL

viewpoint overlooking two valleys: the Urubamba and

Aobamba (a broken word), are passed.[7][8]

Inca Trail cloud forest

As the trail ascends toward Warmi Wausqa, or Dead

Womans Pass, which resembles a supine woman, it
passes through diering habitats, one of which is a cloud
forest containing Polylepis trees. The campsite at Llulluch'apampa (Llulluchapampa) is located on this stretch
of trail at 3,800 metres (12,500 ft). The pass itself is located at 4,215 m (13,829 ft) above sea level, and is the
highest point on this, the Classic trail.
After crossing the pass the trail drops steeply into the
Pakaymayu drainage. At a distance of 2.1 km and 600
m below the pass is the campground Pakaymayu.

Phuyupatamarka ruins

Another high point at altitude of 3650 m is crossed, followed by a campground, and then after a short descent,
a site with extensive ruins. The name Phuyupatamarka
The tambo Runkuraqay
(cloud-level town) (phoo-yoo-patta-marka) is applied
[3] [6][9]
After passing Pakaymayu the trail begins steeply ascend- to both the campground, and the ruins.
ing the other side of the valley. One kilometre along the Hiram Bingham III discovered the site, but left most of
trail, at an altitude of 3,750 metres (12,300 ft) is the In- it covered with vegetation. The Fejos team named the
can tampu Runkuraqay, ruins which overlook the valley. site, and uncovered the remainder. Design of the site
The site was heavily restored in the late 1990s.[3]
closely follows the natural contours, and includes ve
and an altar, which was probably used for llama
The trail continues to ascend, passing a small lake named fountains[10]
sacrice.
[6]
Quchapata (Cochapata) in an area that is recognized as
deer habitat. This site had been used as a camp site. As
with other sites that were being degraded due to overuse,
camping is no longer allowed. The trail reaches the pass
at an altitude of 3950 m.

The trail then descends approximately 1000 metres including an irregular staircase of approximately 1500
steps, some of which were carved into solid granite. Vegetation becomes more dense, lush, and jungle like with
A secThe trail continues through high cloud forest, undulat- an accompanying increase in butteries and birds.
[11]
ond
Incan
tunnel
is
along
this
section
of
trail.
ing, sometimes steeply while aording increasingly dramatic viewpoints of mountains and dropos. Next, the Even before passing through the tunnel there are views
Sayaqmarka (steep-place town) is reached followed by down to the Willkanuta River, the rst since leaving
the tampu Qunchamarka. A long Inca tunnel and a the river at Patallaqta. The number of these views in-

3
19 springs runs between the two groups of buildings.[11]
From Wiay Wayna the trail undulates along below the
crest of the east slope of the mountain named Machu Picchu. The steep stairs leading to Inti Punku (sun gate)
are reached after approximately 3 km. Reaching the crest
of this ridge reveals the grandeur of the ruins of Machu
Picchu, which lie below. A short downhill walk is the
nal section of the trail.[8][12]

2 Inca Trail Permits

Intipata

creases. After the tunnel the town of Machupicchu

(Aguas Calientes) can be seen, and trains running along
the river can be heard. As the trail nears Intipata, it affords views of the Two Day Inca Trail (aka Camino
Real de los Inkas or One Day Inca Trail).[8] A small
spur of the trail leads directly to Wiay Wayna, while the
main route continues to Intipata.
Intipata (aka Yunkapata)[9] is a recently uncovered extensive set of agricultural terraces which follow the convex
shape of the terrain. Potatoes, maize, fruit, and sweet
potato were grown here.[11]

Because of its popularity, the Peruvian Government instituted several controls to reduce human impact upon
the trail and within the ancient city. The most notable
is a quota system, introduced in 2001, whereby only a set
amount of people (including hikers, porters, and guides)
would be allowed to hike along the Inca Trail each day.
This system is still in eect; any person wishing to hike
the Inca Trail must obtain a permit beforehand. As of
2016, 500 permits are issued for each day. All of the
years permits are released in January, and are sold on
a rst come rst serve basis. Permits sell out quickly,
particularly those for the high season. Most operators
advise hikers to purchase permits at least 6 months in
advance.[13] The government also mandated that every
trekker on the trail must be accompanied by a guide. Because of this rule, permits can only be obtained through
a government registered tour operator. All permits are
paired with an individual passport, and are not transferable. The government monitors the trail closely; there are
several control points along the trail.

3 Inca Trail Altitude

The Inca Trail altitude varies quite signicantly and people often struggle with altitude sickness, especially if they
have not spent much time in Cusco prior to trekking the
trail.
Cusco stands at 3,200 metres and is already signicantly
higher than Machu Picchu itself, however, many sections
of the Inca Trail are much higher.
Wiaywayna, showing upper and lower structures

Starting at 2,600 metres, the trail ascends to 3,300 metres on the rst day. The second day ascends over Dead
Womans pass- the highest point on the Inca Trail at 4,200
metres. This is the most dangerous point in terms of altiude sickness, however, you do not spend long at this altitude and by the afternoon you'll be back at 3,600 metres.

The name Wiay Wayna (forever young) (win-yay-wayna) is used to refer to both a hostelrestaurantcamp site
and a set of Inca ruins. Two groups of major architectural structures, a lower and upper, are set among multiple
agricultural terraces at this concave mountainside site. A The trail only descends from this point until you reach
long ight of fountains or ritual baths utilizing as many as Machu Picchu at 2,430 metres. See graph.

EXTERNAL LINKS

6 References
Box, Ben; Frankham, Steve (2008). Cuzco & the
Inca heartland (4 ed.). Footprint Books. ISBN 9781-906098-20-9.
Jenkins, Dilwyn (2003). The Rough Guide to Peru.
Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-84353-074-9.
Megarry, Jacquetta; Davies, Roy (2006). Explore
the Inca Trail. Rucksack Readers. ISBN 978-1898481-25-6.
Inca Trail Altitude Graph

Citations

[1] Inca Trail Policy. Intrepid Travel. Retrieved 2016-0321.

[2] Operation Overbite (PDF). Retrieved February 22,
2013. South American Explorer, No. 7, December 1980
[3] Explore the Inca Trail, p. 50
[4] Elorrieta Salazar, Fernando E. & Elorrieta Salazar, Edgar
(2005) Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas, page 123
ISBN 978-603-45-0911-5
[5] Adams, Mark. (2001) Turn Right at Macho Picchu. New
York, NY:Dutton. pp.233,268271,300.
[6] Cuzco Region Machu Picchu Peru. ITMB Publishing
International Travel Maps
[7] Explore the Inca Trail, p. 46
[8] Explore the Inca Trail, p. 51
[9] Camino Inka. Instituto Nactional de Cultura. Direccion
Regional de Cultura Cuzco. Parque Arqueologic National
de Machu Picchu. Ley No 28296
[10] Explore the Inca Trail, p. 52
[11] Explore the Inca Trail, p. 53.
[12] The Rough Guide to Peru. Dilwyn Jenkins. Contributor
Dilwyn Jenkins. Rough Guides. 2003. page 169. ISBN
1-84353-074-0, ISBN 978-1-84353-074-9
[13] Inca Trail Availability and Permits - Machu Picchu
Trek. Machu Picchu Trek. Retrieved 2016-01-19.

See also
Lares trek, one of the alternative routes to Machu
Picchu
Salcantay trek
Tourism in Peru
The Chilean Inca Trail
Inca road system

7 Further reading
Moseley, Michael 1992. The Incas and their Ancestors: The archaeology of Peru. Thames and Hudson,
New York.
Hyslop, John, 1984. Inka Road System. Academic
Press, New York.
Inca: Lords of Gold and Glory. Virginia: Time-Life
Books, 1992.
Andean World: Indigenous History: Culture and
Consciousness by Kenneth Adrien.
Footprints Cusco and The Inca Trail Handbook by
Peter Frost and Ben Box
Jenkins, David A Network Analysis of Inka Roads,
Administrative Centers and Storage Facilities. Ethnohistory, 48:655685 (Fall, 2001).

8 External links
Coordinates: 131529S 721548W / 13.25806S
72.26333W
Inca Trail travel guide from Wikivoyage
Santuario Histrico de Machu Picchu, SERNANP
(in Spanish)

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_Trail_to_Machu_Picchu?oldid=722898164 Contributors:

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