Skip to content
Étaperia

Inca Trail and Machu Picchu in 9 days: complete itinerary

Nine days towards the wonder: four days' walking on the Inca Trail to the Sun Gate, then Machu Picchu explored from every angle, ticket after ticket.

Sequenced by Kylian Updated on 29 August 2026

The Machu Picchu citadel and its terraces at the foot of Huayna Picchu
  • 9 days
  • 14 places
  • 9 nights
  • sustained pace
Start
KM 82, Piscacucho (Sacred Valley)
End
Cusco
Main transport
On foot on the Inca Trail, Consettur shuttles then the return train
Recommended season
May to September; the Inca Trail is closed in February

What you get

  • The complete itinerary: 9 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel
  • The card of every hotel, with the address and a direct booking link
  • Quota tickets, fixed-date tickets and surcharges flagged in advance
  • The country quick guide: weather, transport, formalities, budget
  • A PDF file of 11 pages

What the price does not include

  • Flights
  • Hotel nights
  • Tickets and admission fees
  • Travel insurance
  • On-the-ground assistance during your trip

The travel book preview

The free day in full, with its hotel card. This is the sample.

Day 4

Day 4: the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu

Morning

Inti Punku, the Sun Gate

A night-time start to cross Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, at daybreak: Machu Picchu appears all at once, below, in the raking light.

Afternoon

First crossing of the sanctuary, 3B Realeza ticket

Cross the site with the 3B Realeza ticket included in the trek permit, a first guided visit after four days of walking.

Evening

Down to Aguas Calientes

The bus down to Aguas Calientes for a well-earned shower, at the base camp of the five days of visits that begin.

Hotel · Night 4

Hotel Ferré Machu Picchu

A comfortable hotel in Aguas Calientes, on the riverbank, a few minutes from the station and the bus stop for the sanctuary: the ideal base camp for the five days of visits. Breakfast served from 5 am, handy before the first buses.

Address
· Av. Imperio de los Incas 634, Aguas Calientes (Machupicchu Pueblo)
Check-in
12:00 noon · Check-out 10:00 AM
Book this hotel (new tab)

Buy this itinerary

€39 incl. tax

that is €4.33 per day of travel

The buy button becomes active once the box is ticked.

  • Secure payment through Stripe, bank card, Apple Pay and Google Pay
  • Available immediately in your customer account: online reading with clickable booking links, downloadable PDF for offline use
  • Method: what is checked, and when

A hotel in the itinerary closed or impossible to find, a place to visit permanently closed?

Within 12 months of purchase, email contact@etaperia.com

Itinerary corrected within 7 days, or refunded in full. Terms in article 12 of the T&Cs, on top of the legal warranty (new tab)

€39 incl. tax · 9 days

Buy

A question before buying? Email Kylian, reply within 48 working hours.

The day-by-day rundown

9 stops, 30 km as the crow flies

  1. Day 1 Inca Trail, day 1: KM 82 to Ayapata KM 82 Piscacucho to Ayapata (11 km) Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  2. Day 2 Day 2: the Dead Woman's Pass Ayapata, Dead Woman's Pass, Chaquicocha (16 km) Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  3. Day 3 Day 3: the town above the clouds Chaquicocha to Wiñay Wayna (10 km) Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  4. Day 4 Day 4: the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu Sun Gate, Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes Free
  5. Day 5 The Montaña and the Mandor gardens Machu Picchu: Montaña Machu Picchu Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  6. Day 6 Huayna Picchu Machu Picchu: Huayna Picchu Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  7. Day 7 Huchuy Picchu and the Lower Terrace Machu Picchu: Huchuy Picchu Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  8. Day 8 The classic circuit and the Inca bridge Machu Picchu Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  9. Day 9 Temple of the Moon and back to Cusco Machu Picchu: Templo de la Luna and Gran Caverna Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF

Found an error in this itinerary? Report an error

Country quick guide and logistics

The essentials of the country, scannable in ten seconds.

Weather and when to go

  • Cloud forest: rain possible all year round, poncho and waterproof covers. Mornings are often misty, the sanctuary clears in late morning.
  • A cold-rated sleeping bag for the three camp nights, rubber-tipped poles compulsory on the trail, headlamp.
  • The Inca Trail closes in February; the Dead Woman's Pass tops out at 4,215 m.

Transport and permits

  • The trek agency's minibus to KM 82 (departure around 4 am), then four days on foot; porters and cooks provided depending on the package.
  • Consettur shuttle buses between Aguas Calientes and the sanctuary every 10 minutes from 5:30 am: buy the tickets the day before at the village desk.
  • Return by train along the Urubamba (PeruRail or Inca Rail), booked at the same time as the site tickets: late-afternoon trains sell out.

Formalities and safety

  • Inca Trail permit: 500 places per day porters included, bought 4 to 6 months ahead through the agency, with the final passport number. The same passport is checked on the trail.
  • Sanctuary circuits are booked on tuboleto.cultura.pe several weeks ahead: Huayna Picchu and Montaña go first in the dry season.
  • Seven tickets to buy on this module, one included in the trek permit (3B Realeza), two saved: the summary of the site's ten official routes is in the carnet.

Budget and meals

  • The big suitcase stays in storage in Cusco: one trek bag on the trail, then a light bag for the five days in Aguas Calientes.
  • Hot springs and Mariposario at the desk, in cash (about 20 and 10 soles).
  • Consettur buses and sanctuary tickets on top of the trek permit: this is the most constrained stage, and the most expensive in tickets, of the whole trip.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly do I receive?

Your Étaperia itinerary, available immediately in your customer account after payment: readable online with clickable booking links, and downloadable as a PDF for the trip. Every day is sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening, with the hotel for each night, its address and its booking link, and timed-entry tickets flagged in advance.

How is this better than what an AI gives me?

A generative AI composes a plausible list in seconds, without saying what was checked or when. At Étaperia, every itinerary is sequenced by hand, place by place, with the booking constraints spotted before it is too late to get them. The Method page says what is checked, against which source and on what date.

Can I adapt it to my dates and my pace?

Yes. The days are self-contained blocks: you can shift the departure, stretch a stage or skip a day without breaking what follows. Only timed-entry tickets require adjusting the dates accordingly, and they are all flagged.

What if a hotel or a place in the itinerary has closed?

Email contact@etaperia.com within 12 months of your purchase. If a hotel in the itinerary is closed or can no longer be found, or a place to visit has closed permanently, the itinerary is corrected in your customer account within 7 days, or you are refunded in full. A hotel fully booked on your dates, a seasonal closure or a change in opening hours or prices is not covered. This guarantee comes on top of the legal warranty of conformity; details in article 12 of the terms and conditions of sale.

Who is selling you this itinerary

  • Kylian, sole trader, SIRET 927 587 709 00035
  • Consumer mediator: ANM Consommation
  • Payment handled by Stripe: Étaperia never sees your card number
  • Publisher, not a travel agency: you book flights, hotels and tickets yourself

In the same country

This module is one leg of the full itinerary: Complete Peru itinerary: 82 days, hotels and bookings

The complete itinerary

Or take it one module at a time