Peru

Inca Jungle Trail to Machu Picchu (4 Days)

9

Hike, bike, zip-line, and raft your way to Machu Picchu on the Inca Jungle Trail, an incredible combination of hiking and extreme sports!

Highlights in 60 seconds

Itinerary

Day 1: Cusco to Santa Maria: Biking and Rafting

Start your adventure with a hotel pick-up around 5:00 AM (time to be confirmed). Our morning drive takes us to Malaga Pass(4,350 meters), arriving at around 11:00 AM.

Let the fun begin! We descend the pass on mountain bikes, on an exhilarating ride that takes approximately 3 hours, passing by small villages, orchards, and rivers.

We reach Huamanmarca around 1:30 PM. From there, it's a short (approx. 30 min) ride in our private van to the town of Santa Maria.

Next up is a 2-hour rafting trip. We encounter class III and IV rapids, accompanied by a professional safety kayak.

Tonight, we spend the night in a hostel in Santa Maria.

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Day 2: Santa Maria trek to Santa Teresa: Trek through the Inka Jungle

After a delicious breakfast, we begin our trek to Santa Teresa at 6:00 AM.

The first 2 hours are uphill, but we pause to learn more about the diverse flora and fauna. Take a break at a family house to drink water and maybe refuel with some tropical fruit.

Resume the trek to cross the section of the Inca Trail that historically connected Machu Picchu with Vilcabamba. Your guide will tell you more about the history of the Incas.

Afterwards, we will descend to the small town of Quellomayo for a lunch stop.

Finally, it's a 2-hour trek to the thermal baths of Cocalmayo, where you can spend time and unwind.

Tonight's hostel accommodation is in Santa Teresa.

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Day 3: Santa Teresa to Aguas Calientes: Trekking and zip-line

After breakfast in Santa Teresa, we walk 20 minutes from the hotel to the zipline meeting point.

This canopy activity has 12 platforms and 5 cables suspended 250 meters above the valley - the longest zip line is 1000mts!

After about an hour and a half of high-flying, a bus takes us to Hydroelectrica. We stop for lunch and check out a series of waterfalls as well as an astronomical sundial used by the ancient Incas.

After 2 to 3 hours of walking along the train tracks, we arrive in the small town of Aguas Calientes. Rest and relax in a comfortable 3-star hotel.

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Day 4: Visit Machu Picchu and return to Cusco

This last day starts very early, around 5:00 AM. Have breakfast, then take one of the first buses to Machu Picchu.

Your guide will give a tour, telling you about the history of Machu Picchu and showing you the famous temples, altars, and viewpoints. After that, you have free time to explore the city or climb one of the mountains.

Meet your guide back in Aguas Calientes to collect train tickets and for a last lunch (this is optional and not included). The train takes you to Ollantaytambo, where our bus is waiting to drive you back to Cusco.

Note: a popular activity to do at Machu Picchu is to climb either Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain. If you would like to do this, please let us know in the Skyhook guide's chat after making your booking.

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What's Included

Included
  • Pre-departure briefing: Meet your guide and group at the local guides office around 5:00 PM the evening before the trip begins.
  • Accommodation: 1 x night in a 3 star hotel in Aguas Calientes, and 2 x nights in a basic hostel.
  • All Transportation: Including bus from Cusco to start point, train ticket return to Ollantaytambo, and bus back to Cusco.
  • Food: 3 x breakfasts, 3 x lunches, 3 x dinners.
  • Guide: An experienced, bilingual guide + an assistant guide for groups with 8+ people.
  • Activities: Full suspension mountain bikes, helmets, and gloves. Rafting activity with all equipment. Zipline activity.
  • Bus trip from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu (one-way).
  • Entrance to Machu Picchu + Guided tour.
Not Included
  • First breakfast in Cusco and last lunch in Aguas Calientes.
  • Travel Insurance – you are strongly recommended to take out travel insurance for the duration of your trip.
  • Any international or domestic flights.
  • Entrance ticket to the hot springs in Santa Teresa (extra US$5).
  • Huayna Picchu entrance fee (extra US$85).
  • Return bus from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes (extra: US$12).
  • Tips and gratuities.
  • Single supplement: if you're travelling alone, you will need to pay an additional US$60 for your own room.

Rated 5.0

9 verified reviews

Dwayne G
Dwayne G

(Sep 2023)

Jonathan was a great tour guide, good option for a fun approach to Machu Picchu with great activities built in along with some medium difficulty hiking including parts of the Inca Trail with spectacular views.

Nathan
Nathan

(Jul 2023)

We did the Inca jungle 4-day adventure hike, culminating at Machu Picchu. Accommodation, food and organisation was top class . Our guide Saul was very knowledgeable, and great company for the 4 days. He taught us many things about Incan culture, the jungle & Machu Picchu!

Eduard C
Eduard C

(Apr 2023)

We had the best time with Jonathan as a tour guide. We hiked through the jungle, had amazing food, stunning views, did some zip lining, downhill mountain biking, rafting and much more. It was great getting to know Jonathan and to spend time with him. He really did an amazing job teaching us about Peru.

Declan
Declan

(Mar 2023)

Wilber was our guide who could only be described as outstanding, having never been to Peru we were keen to see the sights and have some fun along the way which the Inca Jungle experience certainly offered. Wilber was super professional, considerate and attentive of our needs at all times and really made all the activities a joy to do. I'd like to say that his knowledge of Machu Picchu the Inca's and wildlife was exceptional - there wasn't a question he couldn't answer which when visiting such a magical place really made everything come alive - would recommend the Inca Jungle experience with Wilber to anyone!

Alex V
Alex V

(Oct 2022)

Great Tour. Best way to Machu Pichu. All the activities were so much fun and we felt save all the time. Everything was perfectly organised and our Tourguide Jonathan was the best.

FAQs

Before you go

Please see what's included and not included in the section above.

Yes, if you are a solo traveler, you will need to pay a single supplement (US$60). This will mean you get private accommodation during the tour, and don't need to share a room. You'll need to make this payment in cash to the local guide once you arrive in Cusco.

Please consult with your physician or local travel clinic regarding your visit to South America. If you are visiting the Amazon, a yellow fever vaccination is recommended. Illnesses are more common in the Amazon than in the Andes mountains, where this trek takes place. Entrance requirements for Peru in regard to COVID-19 vaccinations and tests change regularly. You should check up-to-date restrictions before traveling.

There is a total of 3 hours of mountain biking. 95% of the road is downhill and paved, therefore, the cycling part of the tour is not difficult. You do need to know how to ride a bike but only basic to intermediate experience is required.

You need to pack the following essentials for Inca Jungle Trail: - Original Passport - Walking shoes - Waterproof jacket/rain poncho - Warm jacket - Hat and gloves - T-shirts - Comfortable Trousers - Sun hat - Sun cream (factor 35 or higher) - Insect repellant - Toiletries and hand sanitizer - Personal medication - Camera and film - Torch with spare batteries or headlamps. - Swimwear for rafting

We recommend a backpack that can hold between 40-50 liters with only the necessary clothes for the 4-day trip. The rest of your luggage will be left in a storeroom at your hotel/hostel in Cusco or our office. During part of the trip, you will have to carry your own backpack. Pack only the essentials.

We recommend that you arrive in Cusco at least 48 hours before the start of your trek. This will give your body time to acclimatize to the high-altitude conditions. There's no sure-fire way to tell how each person reacts to the change in altitude, give yourself as much time as possible in order to begin your tour comfortably. There is plenty to do in Cusco and in the Sacred Valley. We can help arrange a few day trips for you.

On your trip

Any baggage that is not necessary for your trek may be stored in your hotel in Cusco (most hotels offer this service free of charge). In the case that your hotel does not provide this service, we will store your baggage safely in our office free of charge.

Hiking up the neighboring mountains to the Machu Picchu site (Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain) is an extremely popular add-on to this tour. These mountains have an additional cost of $85 USD per person and need to be booked in advance. If you would like to add one of these mountains to your Machu Picchu visit, please let us know once you have confirmed your booking (use the button on your Skyhook dashboard; MESSAGE THE GUIDE). This extra activity is subject to availability. You will need to pay this balance at our offices once you arrive in Cusco. You will have time to climb the mountain after the main tour of Machu Picchu. Your guide will unfortunately not join you for this activity.

We take a maximum of 10 people per group.

We will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco. After your tour, we will drop you off at your hotel in Cusco.

Other FAQs

The only events that may jeopardise your travel dates are natural disasters or other circumstances that may put your safety at risk. Otherwise, our departures are guaranteed.

We happily receive clients with food allergies (nuts, wheat, dairy, etc.). Please inform us in detail of your condition upon making your reservation. If in doubt, ask us. We kindly ask that you declare the severity of your reaction and any medication that you take in case of an emergency. If your allergy is severe, you need to be accompanied by someone who will take responsibility for your situation and carries the necessary medication. WE CAN NOT ACCEPT CLIENTS WITH LIFE-THREATENING ALLERGIES.

Of course, without any additional costs! When you make your reservation, please inform us of any dietary requirements, including allergies. We provide vegetarian options and can cater to lactose-intolerant or gluten-intolerant diets. Most of our main meals are buffet-style, so you can pick and choose. If you have preferences (for example, if you strongly dislike onions, tomatoes, or mushrooms) we will ask our chef to leave out or separate these items.

Machu Picchu entrance tickets can sell out, especially in season. So, it is advisable to book your trip in advance. We can only confirm your trip once we have secured your Machu Picchu entrance ticket. If we are unable to get a ticket for your date, we will recommend an alternative date or refund your booking in full. Please immediately follow your booking by providing your passport information to your host on your Skyhook dashboard.

Your head guide is Lisseth

All trips on Skyhook are run by small, hand-picked local guiding companies. For this trip your guides run Inkayni Peru Tours, based in Cusco.

By booking through Skyhook you'll be joining a small-group trip. This can make it nice and sociable (you'll be added to a group chat after booking), and guarantees great value for money!

Lisseth