Inca Trails

Discover the Inca Trails

The Inca Trail, or “Inca Trail”, is a famous trekking route in Peru that leads to Machu Picchu. It is a historic trail, used by the Incas to reach the citadel, and today is one of the most popular trekking routes in the world. The Inca Trail or Capaq Ñan to Machu Picchu is one of the most classic and sought after treks in the world. The Capaq Ñan was built by the great Inca emperor Pachacutec, at that time governor of the Inca empire. The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is the system of enormous length that links the Imperial City of Cusco with Machu Picchu.

There are several routes for hiking: 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 Warmiwañusqa (“dead woman”). The best time to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is during the high season (May to December). Because of the total absence of rain it is known as the dry season or harvest season throughout the Peruvian highlands.

Concerns about overuse leading to erosion have led the Peruvian government to place a limit on the number of people who can hike this route per season, and to drastically limit the companies that can provide guides. As a result, advance reservations are mandatory. A maximum of 500 people are allowed on the trail each day, of which only 200 are hikers; the rest are guides and porters. As a result, the high season books up very quickly. The trail is closed in the month of February each year for trail clearing.