Inca Trail (Classic 4-day)
Inca trail · Chemin de l'Inca au Machu Picchu
Classic Inca Trail, OSM relation 15703494 (not Qhapaq Ñan, not Salkantay). Government permit with a hard daily quota: 500 people/day including guides and porters, licensed operator only, no independent trekking, closed every February. Published OSM line 38.29 km, DEM high 4,211 m.
Last verified 2026-09-21 vs Ministerio de Cultura
Cite this record
The Hiking World, Inca Trail (Classic 4-day), verified 2026-09-21, https://www.thehikingworld.com/trails/inca-trail
How we verify · last checked 2026-09-21
Byline
- The Hiking World editorial · author
Desk byline for seed records. Named surveying editors replace this once a trail is verified.
Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.
Weather forecast
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Permits and fees
Quota / restriction: ~500 permits/day (≈200 for trekkers, rest crew/porters/guides); licensed operator and registered guide mandatory; no independent hiking; sold via DDC Cusco reservation system, months ahead in high season
| Permit | Cost | Quota / restriction | Issuer | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camino Inka network permitReported (secondary) — confirm before travel | S/ 292 adult (Ruta 1, Km 82 classic); S/ 147 student; S/ 135 minor | ~500 permits/day (≈200 for trekkers, rest crew/porters/guides); licensed operator and registered guide mandatory; no independent hiking; sold via DDC Cusco reservation system, months ahead in high season | Ministerio de Cultura — Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura de Cusco | Issuer page | Verified 2026-09-22 vs Ministerio de Cultura — Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura de Cusco |
Inca Trail and Salkantay — stored fields side by side, not a ranking.
Altitude weather delta
High 4,211 m minus low 1,976 m is 2,235 m of relief on this record. A standard tropospheric lapse of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m implies about 14.5 °C cooler at the high point than the valley, all else equal.
That is a model (International Standard Atmosphere environmental lapse), not a forecast and not a trail-closure. Wind, snow, and storms stay in Hazards.
derived:lapse-rate · verified 2026-09-10 · provisionalISA 6.5 °C / 1,000 m · wikipedia.org · 2026-09-10
Line download is the stored OSM geometry, simplified. It is not a surveyed GPS track. GPX · GeoJSON
Editorial v1 · Provisional catalog
Challenging (OSM demanding mountain hiking)
- SAC T3 (mapped — no official SAC grade)
- Demanding mountain hiking. Exposed sections possible; hands may be needed for balance.
- YDS Class 2
- Class 2. Simple scrambling, occasional use of hands.
Log in to view the elevation profile
Ingested from OpenStreetMap relation 15703494 (ODbL). The mapped line and 2D length are derived from that geometry. Ascent, descent, and high/low points are sampled from Copernicus GLO-30 (copernicus-dem:glo-30) and remain provisional. Water, permits, and hazards were not taken from OSM tags and must be verified.
OSM 2D length is 36.0 km (relation 15703494; name=Camino Inca a Machu Picchu, name:en=Inca trail, OSM description=The classic trek to Machu Picchu, distance=38, roundtrip=no, operator=Ministerio de Cultura, Wikidata Q6014019). Two components: longest 36.0 km used; leftover fragments 2.4 km were not glued. Not Qhapaq Ñan and not a 2-day shortcut. Published ~43 km / 4 days is a cross-check only, not this DataPoint. The stored line is oriented to finish near Machu Picchu / Inti Punku; the OSM start is not verified as KM82 (Piscacucho).
typicalDays 4 is the published classic window, not a DataPoint. SERNANP closes the Inca Trail network all February for annual maintenance and reopens 1 March 2026 (checked 2026-08-25). A May–September dry stamp was not taken from an official page this pass.
DEM high 4,201 m is 14 m under published Dead Woman's Pass ~4,215 m — alpine pass, not a valley-only sample. High point left as Copernicus.
Water was not mapped to named WaterSource points (no honest atFraction). Treated water via operators is logistics, not a positioned WaterSource.
Water
No water sources recorded.
Surface
Surface is not recorded. This field is filled only from an OSM surface tag, not from the grade.
Permits & fees
- Permit
- Camino Inka network permit
Log in to view cost, booking, and issuer
Getting there
Sourced legs to the OSM line start (east of Machu Picchu) base start station — where this trail record begins. This is not a route planner: durations are approximate and marked provisional until an official transport page confirms them.
Road · Cusco (CUZ) → Ollantaytambo
Sacred Valley road/rail hub for the classic trail. 2026 Camino Inka tickets are reserved on tuboleto.cultura.pe through authorized agencies (https://www.gob.pe/institucion/cultura/noticias/1290142-ministerio-de-cultura-inicia-hoy-el-proceso-de-venta-de-boletos-de-ingreso-a-la-red-de-caminos-inka-y-a-la-llaqta-de-machupicchu-para-2026, checked 2026-08-25). Airport identity: Wikipedia Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport, checked 2026-08-25.
gob.pe · verified 2026-08-25 · official · provisional
Published trailhead is KM82 / Piscacucho; this record's OSM start was not verified as that kilometre post. Exit is commonly Aguas Calientes. Llaqta de Machupicchu is a separate 2026 ticket.
Plan from your location
Type a city, then pick a match. These links open external search tools — they do not fetch fares or timetables.
Getting there car-free
OSM line start (east of the citadel) · car-free flag: unknown
Classic published start is KM82 / Piscacucho via rail or road from Ollantaytambo. This OSM vertex is the assembled line start after reversing to finish at Machu Picchu; it was not verified as KM82.
Machu Picchu / Inti Punku area (OSM line end) · car-free flag: unknown
OSM end sits at the citadel / Sun Gate area. Exit is commonly via Aguas Calientes; a 2026 Llaqta ticket is a separate reservation from the trail network ticket (Ministerio de Cultura / RM 306-2025-MC, checked 2026-08-25).
Trailheads
- OSM line start (east of the citadel) car-free: unknown
- Machu Picchu / Inti Punku area (OSM line end) car-free: unknown
Log in to view trailhead transit detail
Hazards
- Quota: 500 people per day total, including guides and porters (about 200 trekkers and 300 staff). Licensed operator only. No independent trekking. Permits sell out months ahead. Reported from the Ministry of Culture via the Wave P evidence sheet (2026-09-21), secondary.
- Altitude / AMS: DEM line max 4,211 m (Warmiwañusqa / Dead Woman's Pass landmark ~4,215 m). Do not merge Qhapaq Ñan 3474631 or Salkantay 2376237.
- Closed every February for conservation and maintenance (SERNANP, https://www.gob.pe/institucion/sernanp/noticias/1340984-comunicado-red-de-caminos-inka-suspension-temporal-por-conservacion-y-mantenimiento-anual, checked 2026-08-25); operations resume 1 March 2026.
- 2026 logistics: Camino Inka and Llaqta de Machupicchu tickets are sold as separate reservation processes (https://www.gob.pe/institucion/cultura/noticias/1290142-ministerio-de-cultura-inicia-hoy-el-proceso-de-venta-de-boletos-de-ingreso-a-la-red-de-caminos-inka-y-a-la-llaqta-de-machupicchu-para-2026, checked 2026-08-25). RM 306-2025-MC requires a circuit 3-B citadel ticket for visitors continuing from the trail (https://transparencia.cultura.gob.pe/rm-ndeg-306-2025-mc).
Questions
Do I need a permit for Inca Trail (Classic 4-day)?
A permit is listed as required for Inca Trail (Classic 4-day): Camino Inka network permit. Status is reported (secondary). Confirm with the issuer before travel.
How much is the Inca Trail (Classic 4-day) permit?
Camino Inka network permit: S/ 292 adult (Ruta 1, Km 82 classic); S/ 147 student; S/ 135 minor (Ministerio de Cultura — Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura de Cusco, verified 2026-09-22). Status: reported-secondary.
Inca Trail (Classic 4-day) permit quota and booking
~500 permits/day (≈200 for trekkers, rest crew/porters/guides); licensed operator and registered guide mandatory; no independent hiking; sold via DDC Cusco reservation system, months ahead in high season
When is the best time to hike Inca Trail (Classic 4-day)?
On this record the best season is: Closed all February (SERNANP maintenance); dry season May–Sep is reported secondary.
How difficult is Inca Trail (Classic 4-day)?
Inca Trail (Classic 4-day) is graded OSM sac_scale: demanding_mountain_hiking · SAC T3 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 2. A sourced hazard on this record: Altitude / AMS: DEM line max 4,211 m (Warmiwañusqa / Dead Woman's Pass landmark ~4,215 m). Do not merge Qhapaq Ñan 3474631 or Salkantay 2376237.
How long is Inca Trail (Classic 4-day)?
The OSM 2-D length on this record is 38.29 km (provisional). Published figures may differ. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail
How do I get to Inca Trail (Classic 4-day)?
The record’s base start is OSM line start (east of Machu Picchu). A primary gateway on the record is Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ). Trailhead transit notes are not included in this public FAQ.
Related trails
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