Inca Trail, Titicaca & Nazca

Discover the contrasting landscapes of Peru, as shaped by ancient civilizations

This tour combines the Inca Trail, one of the world’s great treks, with a taste of Peru’s diverse landscapes and cultures. Along the way, we visit Lake Titicaca, where indigenous groups inhabit floating reed islands, and the barren coastal deserts with their mysterious Nazca Lines. Cuzco is the ideal base for archaeological discovery and for embarking on the spectacular Inca Trail trek to the inspiring citadel of Machu Picchu, one of the New Wonders of the World.  Our classic Inca Trail trip is designed to give you more time to enjoy the trail by arriving to Machu Picchu in the afternoon for iconic photos and overnight in Aguas Calientes. We return the next morning, fresh and well rested, for our in-depth tour of Machu Picchu and train back to Cuzco.

Sustainability and Impact

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is rated Activity Level 4 (Moderate & Challenging). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

Journeys: The size of Peru means this trip involves some long drives and you should be prepared for this. However, the buses we use are comfortable and the scenery is outstanding, plus there are several stops to break up the long journeys. The road between Nazca and Cuzco involves long descents and ascents on winding mountain roads and this, combined with the increase in altitude, may affect you if you are prone to travel sickness.

Suitability: The Inca Trail is an Activity Level 4 (Moderate & Challenging) trek. There are four days of point-to-point walking with full porterage, reaching a maximum altitude of 13,830ft (4,215m), average 10,005ft (3,050m). Though not without its difficulties (in particular the ascent and descent of the first pass, known as Dead Woman’s Pass!) this trek is possible for anyone in good health and fitness. However, we would not recommend it to someone with no trekking experience. If you are not a regular walker you should put in physical preparation beforehand. The trek is also not particularly suitable for those with bad knees due to the number of steep and uneven steps, particularly on the third and fourth days of the trek. Walking hours stated within the itinerary are given as approximates only. Timings stated include lunch and photo stops and vary depending on the group’s pace.

Altitude: This trip spends time above 9,842ft (3,000m); please refer to the Altitude Warning within the Trip Notes for more information and advice on how to limit the effects of altitude sickness. We run the tour from Lima to Lake Titicaca to allow for gradual acclimatisation and have days in Cuzco (11,155ft/3,400m) before the trek, which should be ample time to adjust.

• Maximum altitude: 15,158ft (4,620m)
• Maximum sleeping altitude: 14,173ft (4,320m)

Delays: Protest action/strikes are not uncommon in Peru; while these are generally peaceful, they can involve roadblocks and cause disruption to travel. Occasionally, your leader may have to adapt your itinerary in response to this.

Important information on Inca Trail Permit availability: Access to the Inca Trail is strictly limited to 500 people a day, including support staff, and we will purchase the requisite Inca Trail Permit on your behalf. Permits are issued from October each year on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis; to avoid ‘stockpiling’, individual traveller passport details are required at the time of application, so we can only apply for these once you book with us. For these reasons, we highly recommend you book your Inca Trail trip as far in advance as possible.

Therefore, while a specific departure date may show as ‘Guaranteed’ on our website, Inca Trail Permits remain subject to availability, and we cannot guarantee they will be available on any given date.

In the event permits are sold out for the departure you are looking at, we will discuss alternative options such as a different travel date, alternative trek or a refund of any monies paid. We highly recommend you do not book any non-refundable flights until your place and permit are secured. If you are in the UK, booking your flights through Exodus means we take care of all of this for you, giving you full peace of mind over your Inca Trail arrangements. For more details on booking flights with us, see our flights page.

Please note, it is essential you read the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu regulations in the Important Information section of the Trip Notes before you book this trip.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Vaccinations and Health

Peru

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies, typhoid, tuberculosis and yellow fever. Additionally, Zika fever, a mosquito‐borne viral disease, is a known risk in Peru. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so you should take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Please check all vaccination recommendations with your doctor or travel clinic.

Amazon: If you are travelling to the Tambopata reserve in the Amazon rainforest, the risk of malaria is slight, but you may wish to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice. We also strongly recommend that you obtain a yellow fever vaccination. Additionally, dengue fever and chikungunya are known risks in the Amazon region. Both are tropical viral diseases spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for either, and therefore the best form of prevention is to take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Methanol: The FCDO warns travellers to be cautious of methanol poisoning when travelling in destinations visited on the trip.

Visa

Peru

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Peru. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/americas/peru
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/peru
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/peru/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Peru.html

Food & Drink

Peruvian cuisine is loved for its flavours and originality; it’s well worth digging into the local delicacies. Among these are ceviche (seafood or fish marinated in lime juice), lomo saltado (a Peruvian take on a beef stir-fry), and various hearty soups including the delicious quinoa soup. Other dishes include roasted cuy (guinea pig) and alpaca steak. To drink, there’s pisco sour, the national beverage.

Drinking water is provided as tap water in Peru is not safe to drink; boiled and filtered drinking water is provided on the trek and elsewhere your leader buys large water containers from which you can refill your bottle.

Hotel breakfasts are normally simple buffets, usually including bread/toast and jam, cereal, sometimes eggs or a cooked dish, sometimes fruit, tea/coffee and fruit juice. We cannot guarantee that wheat-/gluten-free products are available for breakfast in all locations – if you have an intolerance you may wish to bring your own breakfast food.

Where lunch and dinner are not included in Cuzco/Aguas Calientes, we visit a variety of cafes and restaurants.

On the Inca Trail, hearty breakfasts are served and good quality cooked lunches and dinners are provided. These usually consist of soup or a starter, a main course with meat/fish and some form of carbohydrates, followed by a dessert. Snacks are also provided. Tea/coffee is brought to your tent each morning and juice or hot drinks are provided with all meals during the trek.

Weather

The diverse geography of Peru results in a very varied climate between different regions.

Lima, Ica and Nazca fall within the coastal desert region of Peru, with a mild climate and very little rain all year. From April to November, the sky is almost always grey and cloudy and the air humid. Average daytime temperatures in Lima remain 18C-24C (64F-75F) during this period, with July and August typically being the coolest. Nights are also mild, typically 15C-18C (59F-64F). From December to March, the skies in Lima are clear and temperatures at their warmest but elsewhere in the country this is the rainy season.

Cuzco and the Andes have a temperate climate. December to March is the rainy season in Cuzco/the Andes and April to November is the dry season, characterised by clear skies and strong sunshine in the mornings, sometimes clouding over as the day progresses. Daytime temperatures are usually pleasant (20C/68F on average) but night times only 5C-10C (41F-50F), except for May, June, July and August when days are cooler and nights are often close to, or a few degrees below, freezing. In the Andes, anything is possible at any time of year, including cloud, rain or even snow, and rapid and unexpected changes.

Lake Titicaca is high, lying at 12,470ft (3,800m) above sea level. At this altitude, the sun is strong but the air can be cold, and nights can be close to freezing. You need to bring warm layers and a waterproof or windstopper.

Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu are in the cloud forest and, as such, attract large amounts of precipitation all year as clouds move up from the Amazon Basin. Rain here can be heavy but is seldom prolonged. Cold fronts sometimes occur from July to August.

Peru is affected by El Niño, a weather phenomenon where warming of Pacific Ocean surface water off South America drives a shift in the atmospheric circulation resulting in abnormally high levels of rainfall over parts of South America. These events occur at irregular intervals of two to seven years, and last nine months to two years.