Complete trips
The classics and the trips travelers ask for most. Operated by Highland Adventures, where the full itineraries and prices live.
The classic southern route, paced gently for the altitude: Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, a night below Machu Picchu, and a Huayna Picchu morning.
7 days
From$1,300
6 nights
per person
Physical rating
Physical rating 3 out of 5
The complete version: full days in Lima and the Sacred Valley, the trek in over the passes, and a second morning at the citadel for Huayna Picchu.
10 days
From$2,100
9 nights
per person
Physical rating
Physical rating 4 out of 5
The southern route through Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu, then two nights at a Tambopata rainforest lodge reached by boat down the river.
9 days
From$2,100
8 nights
per person
Physical rating
Physical rating 3 out of 5Before you book
Our complete packages start at $800 per person, and that is the whole trip rather than a day rate: hotels, trains and transfers, guiding, and Machu Picchu entry arranged as part of it. Longer trips and private departures price higher, and every itinerary is quoted for your dates and group size.
Our packages run 4 to 10 days. 4 days is about the floor for Cusco, the Sacred Valley and a guided day at Machu Picchu without rushing the altitude, since the first days are spent getting used to the thin air. The longer trips make room for more of the valley and a slower pace.
Yes. Daily numbers are capped and the popular routes sell out months ahead in the dry season, and Inca Trail permits go faster still. Your entry is arranged as part of the trip, so the route and dates are locked in when the trip is booked rather than left to chance.
We check availability for your exact dates before anything is confirmed. Once your trip is confirmed, your entry is booked in your name and guaranteed as part of it. If your dates are already full, you hear that first, along with the closest option that still works.
May through September is the dry season, with the clearest views and the busiest trails. The shoulder months, April and October, trade a little more rain for thinner crowds. February is the wettest month and the Inca Trail closes for maintenance.
The tools
Availability, permit releases, and the route that fits, for your exact dates. Free to use, no email asked. If your dates are tight, set an alert and we will map the closest option that still works.
Research
The research questions, answered by the team that operates the trips.
A working method for picking the right Machu Picchu tour: trek or train, group or private, package or DIY, and the questions that expose a weak operator.
When to go to Machu Picchu: how the dry and wet seasons actually feel, month by month, and how far ahead each season sells out.
Cusco sits near 11,150 ft. What the altitude feels like, an arrival plan that works, and how to acclimatize before Machu Picchu or a trek.
The permit-limited, ruins-rich Inca Trail or the wilder, higher Salkantay trek: how the two classic routes to Machu Picchu really compare.
A practical Machu Picchu packing list: layers for four climates, what to carry into the citadel, and what trekkers need that day-visitors do not.
Circuit 2 is the classic postcard view plus the urban core; Circuit 3 is the lower citadel and the Huayna Picchu climbs. How to choose between them.
The rules
The rules behind the tools above, each carrying the date we last checked it.
Current rule
Operator-only, passport-bound permits with a hard daily quota; following-year permits release roughly a year ahead; since 2026, trail arrivals enter the citadel on route 3-B under their own daily allocation.
Current rule
Since June 2024 the citadel is visited on 3 circuits with 10 designated routes; your ticket locks your route.
Current rule
Timed, circuit-specific, capacity-capped entry tickets sold through the official platform.