Alternatives to the Inca Trail

The Lares trek

Heather Jasper

• Difficulty: Moderate

• Distance: Various routes, classic route approx 33km (20m)

• Duration: Three to four days

• Max elevation: 4,400 metres

• Accommodation: Camping or lodges

• Start/end point: Huarán - Lares Hot Springs

The Lares Trek is known as the “cultural trek” to Machu Picchu, as it offers opportunities to interact with local communities along the way. It’s one of the shorter treks, which makes it a good option for those who are short on time.

This is probably my favourite of all the Machu Picchu region treks, for the cultural interactions that are less common on some of the other routes.

Hiking from the Sacred Valley up to high mountain passes, you’ll be treated to some stunning vistas on this route. However, the real treat here is meeting the local inhabitants of indigenous villages along the way, learning about ancestral weaving techniques directly from the descendants who are still practising them today. An added (and welcome) bonus is finishing at the hot springs in Lares.

Coffee Route Hike to Machu Picchu

The Coffee Route is a unique, alternative experience that takes you to Machu Picchu while meeting and staying with remote coffee farmer families along the way. On this four-day Adventurous Coffee Route you’ll hike beautiful Inca trails with steep stairs alongside high cliffs to reach the houses of the families that will welcome you and show you how to produce their organic and unique coffee. This is one of the most active Coffee Routes in our offer; for hiking and nature lovers. On top of all of this, you’ll be visiting “The Lost City of the Incas”: Machu Picchu is one of the most famous and spectacular sets of ruins in the world.

KM 104

Heather Jasper

• Difficulty: Moderate
• Duration: Six to seven hours' hiking
• Distance: 11km
• Max elevation: 2,500
• Start/end point: Km 104 to Machu Picchu

If it’s important for you to arrive at Machu Picchu by foot, consider doing the KM104 hike to Machu Picchu, which I’ve done twice. You get the epic arrival with a less crowded experience.

Although tour operators typically refer to this as the "Two Day Inca Trail", it actually only involves one day of hiking. The second day you visit Machu Picchu after spending the night in a hotel Aguas Calientes.

A little-publicised benefit to the KM104 trek is that you arrive at Machu Picchu in the afternoon, when the light is beautiful and the crowds are beginning to thin out. You are not allowed to enter the ruins, but you have a great view of them from the Sun Gate (Intipunku) and can stop to take photos on some of the upper terraces. Even better, you return the next morning for a full guided tour.

My ultimate pro tip: combine the Lares trek for the multi-day hiking experience, followed by the KM104 hike for the epic Machu Picchu arrival.

Choquequirao trek

Heather Jasper

• Difficulty: Strenuous
• Distance: Approx 64km (40m)
• Duration: Four to five days depending on pace
• Max elevation: 3,300 metres
• Accommodation: Cabins or camping
• Start/end point: Capuliyoc

Until recently, relatively unknown and vastly overshadowed by the “sister ruins” of Machu Picchu, the Choquequirao complex is a true hidden gem that receives just a handful of visitors each year.

This splendid isolation is down to the ruins’ absolute lack of access: no luxury train and bus connections here, just a gruelling three-to-four day trek over challenging, but hugely rewarding, terrain. The roundtrip distance is 64 kilometres, not counting how much you walk around the ruins themselves.

The Salkantay trek

Heather Jasper

• Difficulty: Strenuous
• Distance: Approx. 60km (37m)
• Duration: Four to five days
• Max elevation: 4,630 metres
• Accommodation: Camping or lodges
• Start/end point: Challacancha - Santa Teresa

The Salkantay Trek is the most popular alternative to the Inca Trail, described by National Geographic as one of the best treks in the world. While there are no ruins along the way unless you do the lodge-to-lodge version, the opportunity for gorgeous landscapes is even greater than on the Inca Trail, leading it to be known as the “Nature Trek.”

From snow-capped mountains down to high jungle, this trek is known for its varied ecosystems and landscapes. You’ll pass high mountain glaciers, walk along rolling fields and pastures, and end up in the high jungle that surrounds Machu Picchu.

The length of this hike can vary, both in mileage as well as in the number of days. The traditional version is four days of hiking, covering a distance of about 37 miles. If you choose the much more comfort-oriented lodge-to-lodge version of the trek, you will hike for six days, covering a bit more distance but with less hiking time per day.

Expert insight, by Miles Buesst of PeruNorth, a specialist in Peru trekking tours: "The last time I did the Salkantay Trek, despite being tired from the first day’s hiking, I made the effort to climb up the lateral moraine left by Salkantay Glacier. Boy, it was worth it! I was rewarded with a vast lunar landscape of rocks and craters, left by the retreating ice sheet. I could hear the occasional sound of the glacier calving a kilometre above me, and falling rocks and ice. It was easy to see why locals - past and present - have worshipped these mountains as gods, called apus."

The Vilcabamba trek

Heather Jasper

• Difficulty: Strenuous
• Duration: Five days
• Distance: 55 km
• Maximum elevation: 4500m
• Start/end point: Huancacalle - Yanatile

The Vilcabamba Trek takes hikers through the remote and rugged Vilcabamba mountain range, home to the last Inca stronghold during the Spanish conquest. Few trekking agencies run trips here but if you do go, you’ll likely have the place to yourself. Two amazing Inca ruins that you’ll visit are Vitcos and Ñustahispana.

The highlight of the trek is the visit to the remote and well-preserved Inca site of Espiritu Pampa, also known as "The Last City of the Incas." Read “Turn Right at Machu Picchu” by Mark Adams for a humorous account of his gruelling trek to Vilcabamba. This is a difficult trek because of the high mountain passes.

The Ausangate trek

Heather Jasper

• Difficulty: Strenuous
• Distance: Approx. 96 km (60 miles)
• Duration: Four to five days
• Max elevation: 5,200 metres
• Accommodation: Camping or lodges
• Start/end point: Tinki - Pacchanta

The classic Ausangate route is a beast of a trek, although - as with Salkantay - there is a lodge version that brings some very welcome creature comforts to the overall experience.

The landscape here is rugged, wild, and pristine. You’ll be surrounded by awe-inspiring glacier mountains, turquoise lagoons of various sizes, and wildlife such as an abundance of waterfowl, raptors, and vizcachas, a cousin of the chinchilla. There are also some high mountain communities in this area who shepherd their alpacas in the region and offer some of the most beautiful weavings you’ll see in Peru. You’ll also get to soothe your aching feet in hot springs along the way.

Choquequirao to Vilcabamba trek

Heather Jasper

• Difficulty: Challenging
• Duration: 10-12 days
• Distance: 184 km
• Maximum elevation: 4350m
• Start and end point: Capuliyoc - Huancacalle

This is a long trek that is perfect for people with time who want to hike to the two best Inca ruins: Choquequirao and Machu Picchu. The trail is difficult but many agencies offer horses for those who want to ride part of the way. You will camp near small mountain communities each night, so bring small change if you want to buy alpaca weavings or other souvenirs directly from the people who make them.

The trek ends at Huancacalle but agencies include transportation to Santa Teresa, from where you can walk or take the train to Aguas Calientes. Check that the agency also includes the shuttle up to Machu Picchu, then train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo and shuttle back to Cusco. Camping on the trail, plus lodging in Santa Teresa and Aguas Calientes should be included.

Choquequirao to Machu Picchu trek

Heather Jasper

• Difficulty: Challenging
• Duration: Nine days
• Distance: 115 km
• Maximum elevation: 4200m
• Start and end point: Capuliyoc - Machu Picchu

This trek is a combination of the Choquequirao Trek and the Salkantay Trek, offering a more challenging and remote experience for adventurous hikers. The trek takes hikers through rugged Andean landscapes, traditional Andean villages, and ancient Inca ruins, past the remote Choquequirao to the iconic Machu Picchu. The highlight of the trek is the opportunity to visit two of the most important Inca sites in the region, as long as you want to walk that far.

Vilcabamba-Lares trek

Heather Jasper

• Difficulty: Challenging
• Duration: Eight days
• Distance: 120 km
• Maximum elevation: 4,500m
• Start and end point: Hidroelectrica - Lares

This trek is a combination of the Vilcabamba Trek and the Lares Trek, offering a more challenging and remote experience for adventurous hikers. The trek takes hikers through the remote and rugged Vilcabamba and Lares mountain ranges, home to the last Inca stronghold during the Spanish conquest and traditional Andean communities. The trek offers a mix of beautiful Andean landscapes, traditional Andean villages, ancient Inca ruins, and hot springs. The highlight of the trek is the visit to Espiritu Pampa, also known as "The Last City of the Incas"