Ancascocha Trek + Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 7D/6N
$1300
per person
This spectacular trek is world renowned and we are the only company in the Cusco area that offers this combination Ancashcocha/Inca Trail trek.
The Ancashcocha Trail in the Peruvian Andes is a spectacular trail that remains off the beaten path. It is listed as one of National Geographic’s 20 dream hikes on their World Best Hikes list. The trek wanders through traditional villages like Chillipahua, and its namesake Ancashcocha (3,900 m/12,795 feet). Along the way, it humps over big passes, including the high point at the Huayanay Pass (4,650 m/ 15,252 ft), and takes in views of towering 20,551 foot (6,266 m) Apu Salkantay.
On day 4 of the hike we join the Classic Inca Trail. The Classic Inca Trail is the most famous hike in South America – perhaps the world. It is a must-do and one of the biggest highlights of your trip to Peru. It offers astounding trekking along original paved Inca pathways and a range of spectacular Inca ruins along the way. The stunning scenery is breath taking. The trail spans through altitudes in the valley from 2,680 m (8,792 ft) to mountain passes of 4,215 m (13,825 ft). Finally it passes through the cloud forest to arrive at the majestic Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu itself.
- Day 1 – Cusco – Soqma – Rayan
- Day 2 – Rayan – Ancashcocha
- Day 3 – Ancashcocha – Paucarcancha
- Day 4 – Paucarcancha – Llulluchapampa
- Day 5 – Llulluchapampa – Chaquicocha
- Day 6 – Chaquicocha – Wiñay Wayna
- Day 7 – Wiñay Wayna – Machu Picchu – Cusco
You will have a thorough briefing with your guide 1 or 2 days before your trek. Your guide will meet you at our office in Cusco and you can take this opportunity to ask questions and make any final preparations.
What is Included?
- Bilingual English speaking tour guide
- Pre-Departure Briefing at your hotel 1 or 2 days before your trek
- Pick up from your hotel and transportation to Soqma
- Four person tent for each 2 persons.
- Inflatable Mattress and pillow
- Kitchen tent
- Dining tent with tables and chairs
- Toilet tent
- Chef
- Wranglers, porters and horses to carry all the equipment (food, tents, chairs, table, etc) and eight kg (15 lbs) per hiker for your own belongings
- Emergency horse in case we need it
- Seven breakfasts, six lunches, and six dinners
- Daily hot water for washing.
- Daily morning boiled and cold water to fill the water bottles.
- Emergency oxygen bottle and medical kit.
- Expedition train ticket from Aguas Calientes to Poroy
- Private van transportation from Poroy to your hotel in Cusco
- Inca Trail permit
- Entrance to Machu Picchu
- Bus ticket from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu
What is not included?
- Sleeping bag – you can rent one from us
- Huayna Picchu mountain ticket – US $75
- Day 7 Lunch in Aguas Calientes
- Tips for the crew (guides, porters, cooks, wranglers)
We recommend that you bring?
- Original passport (if you have acquired a new one after you made your booking, bring both)
- Down or synthetic feather sleeping bag (can be rented from us)
- Clothes (trekking boots, warm fleece jacket, a few t-shirts, socks, sun hat, warm underwear, light long pants, gloves, rain jacket)
- Toiletries (toilet paper, wet wipes, personal towel)
- Sunscreen SPF 35+ recommended
- Head lamp
- Sunglasses
- Camera with spare batteries (batteries run down faster at high altitudes)
- Binoculars
- Trekking poles (recommended especially for the steep descents (can be rented from us)
- Insect repellent
Optional
Rentals
- Hiking poles – US $20.00 (pair)
- Sleeping bag – US $25.00
- Private Tent – US $30.00
Upgrades
- Vistadome train – USD 50
- Hiram Bingham train– USD 380
- Belmond sanctuary lodge (5-star hotel) – USD 490 Per person
- Sumaq Machu Picchu hotel (5-star hotel) – USD 245 Per person
- Tierra viva Machu Picchu (3+ star hotel) – USD 50 Per person
- Private Tent – US$30.00
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Reviews
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Departure/Return Location
Lima, Perú -
Included
Professional licensed guide fluent in English -
Not Included
private van to trailhead at km 82
From our gallery
Tour Plan
1
Day 1: Cusco – Soqma – Rayan
We leave Cusco early in the morning and drive 1 hour and 45 minutes to Soqma (3,205 m / 10,512 ft). This is the starting point of our trek and where we meet the horsemen that will join us during the hike. Additionally, our chef will be waiting for us here with a delicious and energizing breakfast.
We begin the hike with a 1 ¾ hour walk to the Perolniyoc cascade lookout. This is a perfect opportunity to stop for photos and a snack. The waterfall that you will see at this location is breathtaking! We will then hike a further 35 minutes until we visit the Inca site of the same name, where we will have a brief tour. This will be our lunch site.
After a refueling lunch, we will ascend 45 minutes until our camp at Rayan (3,700 meters/9,350 ft)
- Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
- Lowest Elevation: 3,205 m/ 10,512 ft
- Highest Elevation: 3,700 m/ 12,136 ft
- Distance to walk: 8 km/5 miles
- Approximate walking time: 4 to 5 hours
- Level of Difficulty: Moderate
- Area: Dry Mountain
2
Day 2: Rayan – Chancachuco – Ancashcocha
We depart camp at about 6:30 AM for a 4 hour uphill trek with incredible views of the “nevadas”/snow-capped peaks, llamas, valleys, and if we are lucky, a passing condor – the largest bird in the Andes with a wing-span of up to 10 feet across. Here we reach the Kuychicassa pass (4,450 m /14,596 ft) where we take a break and soak in the magnificent views of the Chancachuco Valley on one side of the pass and the Sacred Valley of the Incas on the other side.
Then we start our descent and hike for another hour until we reach the location where we will take our lunch break.
After lunch we ascend for 30 min by way of a narrow trail following a stream with beautiful views of Mt. Veronica (5,822 m/ 19,100 ft).
This is followed by a 4 hour walk downhill to reach the small community of Ancashcocha (3,700 m/12,136 ft), our campsite for the evening, in a small, gorgeous wooded valley with a stream running through it.
- Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
- Highest Elevation: 4,450 m/ 15,250 ft
- Campsite elevation: 3,700 m/ 12,136 ft
- Distance to walk: 16 km/ 10 miles
- Approximate walking time: 8 to 10 hours
- Level of Difficulty: Challenging
- Area: Dry Mountain
3
Day 3: Ancascocha – Huayanay pass – Muyu Muyu community – Paucarcancha
Views of a nearby glacier and well preserved Inca remains are the highlight of this day. After a hearty breakfast we are ready for this challenging day. Ascending towards the Huayanay Pass (4,650 m/ 15,298 ft) for 4 hours, the highest point of our trek, which is a steep zigzag trail uphill, we find an original cobblestone paved Inca trail. On the way, we see the beautiful waterfall that feeds into the Ancashcocha lake.
After this stunning view, we descend for 45 minutes until the Inca site of Incarajay. We will have lunch here.
At this point we will embark on a long descent into greener vegetation. During this stretch of the trek we will have views of the classic Inca trail to Machu Picchu appear in the distance, and fascinating views of the communities of the Qésqua valley. We will pass by the quaint Muyu Muyu community (3,850 m/12,628 ft).
From Muyu Muyu it is a further 2 hour descent to our campsite next to the beautiful Inca remains of Paucarcancha (3,133 m/10,276 ft). This camp is a unique Inca settlement recently restored that served as a “Tambo.” A Tambo was an Incan structure that was built for administrative and military purposes.
- Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
- Highest Elevation: 4,650 m/ 15,298 ft
- Campsite elevation: 3,133 m/ 10,276 ft
- Distance to walk: 16 km/ 10 miles
- Approximate walking time: 7-8 hours
- Level of Difficulty: Challenging
- Area: Dry Mountain
4
Day 4: Paucarcancha – Ayapata – Llulluchapampa
Today we change pace as we join the classic Inca Trail. This is where we will say goodbye to our horsemen and the horses, and meet our porters.
From Paucarcancha we will hike 25 minutes downhill to the last village on the Classic Inca Trail, Huayllabamba (2,866 m / 9,400 ft). This will be followed by a 4 hour uphill hike to Llulluchapampa (3,700 m/12,136 ft). On the way we will hike through many ecosystems, including the cloud forest. Llulluchapampa is our camp for the night. It is located very close to Dead Woman´s Pass.
- Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
- Minimum Elevation: 2,866 m / 9,400 ft
- Highest/Campsite Elevation: 3,700 m/12,136 ft
- Approximate walking time: 4 – 5 hours
- Level of Difficulty: Moderate
- Area: Dry Mountain
5
Day 5: Llulluchapampa – Pacaymayo – Chaquicocha
Your porters will wake you up early with a hot cup of coca tea to get you ready for the day. Today is the longest day of the Inca trail portion of the hike and we will start early. We’ll hike for roughly 2 hours to the highest pass of the Inca trail, Dead Woman’s Pass (4,215 meters/13,829 feet). On reaching the pass we’ll stop for a short break to enjoy the views before setting off again to descend to the next valley (Pacaymayu Valley – Hidden River).
It’s another hour and a half down the side of the valley to our lunch spot and a chance to refill our water bottles. After lunch we begin ascending again to the second pass of the trek. It’s 2 hours to the pass and along the way we’ll stop at a small Inca site (Runcu Raccay) and see two huge waterfalls cascading down the opposite side of the valley. After the second pass, it’s another hour downhill hike to reach the magnificent Inca site, Sayacmarca (an otherwise inaccessible village).
We’ll stop here for a rest and have a tour of the site and then watch the sunset over the Vilcabamba mountain range. It’s then just another 20 minutes until we stop for the night at our campsite Chaquicocha (Dry Lake, 3,600 m/ 11,808 ft). After dinner we can do some stargazing and your guide will point out the fascinating Inca constellations. In the magnificent Southern Hemisphere sky, away from all the artificial lighting, this sky is something to behold!
- Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
- Highest Elevation: 4,215 m/ 13,829 ft
- Campsite elevation: 3,600 m/ 11,808 ft
- Distance to walk: 16 km/ 10 miles
- Level of Difficulty: Challenging
- Area: Andes and Cloud Forest
6
Day 6: Chaquicocha – Phuyupatamarca – Wiñay Wayna
After another fantastic breakfast we will hike for two hours until we reach Phuyupatamarca (3,680 m/ 12,073 ft). From this location we will have astonishing views of Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu Mountain, and Huayna Picchu mountain. We will also have a guided tour of the Phuyupatamarca Inca site.
Now it is time to head into the rain forest! We will walk downhill for 2 ½ hours until we reach our camp. During this stretch of the trail we will visit Inti Pata. Many people feel that the most beautiful pictures of the entire Inca trail can be taken from this location! After Inti Pata it is a further 30 minutes to our campsite at Wiñay Wayna (2,680 m /8,792 ft). When we arrive at the camp we will have lunch. After relaxing for a short time we will visit the archeological site that bears the same name as the camp.
Wiñay Wayna is the largest and most beautiful archeological site on the Inca trail and means forever young in Quechua. We are one of the few companies that provide a guided tour of Wiñay Wayna.
- Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
- Accommodations: Camping
- Maximum altitude: 3,600 m/11,808 ft
- Minimum altitude: 2,680 m/8,792 ft
- Distance to walk: 10 km/ 6.2 miles
- Approximate walking time: 5 hours
- Area: High Cloud Forest
- Difficulty: Easy
7
Day 7: Wiñay Wayna – Sun Gate – Machu Picchu – Cusco
We will rise very early to complete the final stretch of the Inca Trail, which brings us to Inti Punku or the Sun Gate, the principal entrance of the crystal city of Machu Picchu. The trail here is fairly easy going and after about an hour we will arrive to Inti Punku (2,400 m/ 7,875 ft), an awesome location to observe the citadel of Machu Picchu and the sunrise in the Andes.
From Inti Punku it is a further 40 minute downhill hike to the citadel of Machu Picchu. We will go to the classic “photo” spot and take pictures once we arrive. Then there will be a short break prior to starting our tour of Machu Picchu. The tour will last two hours. If you elect to climb Huayna Picchu mountain, your hike will begin after the tour, at 10 AM.
When you are finished exploring the extraordinary city of Machu Picchu you will travel to Aguas Calientes by bus. You will then take the train from Aguas Calientes to Poroy/Ollantaytambo where our private van will be waiting to transport you back to your hotel in Cusco. Arrival time in Cusco depends on the time of your train ticket.
- Meals: Breakfast
- Maximum altitude: 2,700 m/ 8,856 ft
- Minimum altitude: 2,400 m/ 7,875 ft
- Distance to walk: 5 km/ 3.73 miles
- Approximate walking time: 2 hours
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