Four days by bike and on foot through the Santa Teresa valley, with nights in lodges and hostels instead of tents.
The short answer
The Inca Jungle trek reaches Machu Picchu in four days: a bike descent from the Abra Málaga pass on day one, a long walk on old Inca paths to Santa Teresa on day two, the railway walk to Aguas Calientes on day three and Machu Picchu on day four. You sleep in lodges and hostels, not in tents.
Rafting and zipline are included only on the tour by Inkayni Peru Tours; elsewhere they cost extra or the listing contradicts itself. Reserv Cusco and Encuentros Peru Adventure allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
The route is the same on every tour here. Compare what the listing says about rafting and zipline, where you sleep and how you get back to Cusco after Machu Picchu.
Tap a column header to re-sort. Where a listing contradicts itself, the table says so.
| Photo | Tour | Rafting and zipline | Nights | Way back | Machu Picchu entry (listing) | Group, age | Cancellation | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Listed as a 4-day Inca Trail Inkas Expeditions | Not listed; coffee roasting on day 2 | Eco house in Pispitayoc, hostels in Santa Teresa and Aguas Calientes | Train to Ollantaytambo, bus to Cusco | Included | Not stated | Non-refundable | ★ 4.8 (954) | $470 per person | Book now |
|
Inca Jungle trail, 4 days Inkas Destination | Optional, at extra cost | Homestay near Santa María, hostels in Santa Teresa and Aguas Calientes | Train to Ollantaytambo, then road | Included | Up to 8; age 8 and over | All sales final | ★ 4.9 (912) | $430 per person | Book now |
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Inca Jungle trail, hiking and biking Reserv Cusco | Not included; Cocalmayo hot springs included | Own lodges in Santa María and Santa Teresa, hostel | Listing says minibus and, in the itinerary, train | Included | Up to 10; age 12 and over | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 4.9 (472) | $550 per person | Book now |
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Inca Jungle with rafting and zipline Inkayni Peru Tours | Both included | 2 nights basic hotel, 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes | Train to Ollantaytambo, van to Cusco | Included (itinerary) | Up to 15 | All sales final | ★ 5.0 (294) | $599 per person | Book now |
|
Inca Jungle trek, 4 days Encuentros Peru Adventure | In the itinerary, listed as optional extras | Family house, Santa Teresa, Aguas Calientes | Train in the inclusions; itinerary also describes the bus from Hidroeléctrica | Included | Up to 15 | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 5.0 (150) | $429 per person | Book now |
Prices and ratings are loaded from GetYourGuide and Viator once a day; on treks the price shown is the cheapest option, which may leave out the sleeping bag, the hiking poles or the return train class you want.
Pick the day you want to go, or the first and last day you are in Cusco. We read the booking calendar of each tour and show the ones that still take bookings. For Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, book early: entry tickets, trains and trail permits are limited.
In the next 7 days, 4 of 5 tours on this page still have places.
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Open a card for the itinerary, the pickup, what is included and what is not, as the operator gives them.
Groups of up to 8, from age 8, a homestay on the first night; rafting and zipline at extra cost.
Pickup at 6 a.m. and a drive via Ollantaytambo to Abra Malaga (4,316 m), where you get a full-suspension bike and protective gear for a descent of about 3 hours and 55 km to Huamanmarka. A van continues to Santa Maria, and you walk to an eco house in Pispitayoc. Day two follows an Inca path through orange, coffee and coca plantations to the Huacarcasa viewpoint, lunch in Quellomayo, the Cocalmayo hot springs and Santa Teresa. Day three is about 3 hours on foot to Hidroeléctrica and 3 more hours to Aguas Calientes. Day four covers Machu Picchu and the return via Ollantaytambo to Cusco; the listing gives no further detail for that day.
Rafting and zipline are optional activities at extra cost, and the Cocalmayo hot springs entrance is not included. Machu Picchu entry is listed as included, as is the train from Machu Picchu to Ollantaytambo; the train class is not named. The inclusions list nights in Santa Maria, Santa Teresa and a hostel in Aguas Calientes, while the day-one itinerary names a homestay in Pispitayoc. Minimum age is 8.
Hotel pickup at 6 a.m. A representative visits your hotel between 7:00 and 7:30 p.m. the evening before.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Own lodges in Santa María and Santa Teresa, Cocalmayo hot springs included; free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Departure between 7:45 and 8:00 a.m. from the operator's office, via Chinchero and Ollantaytambo to Abra Malaga (4,350 m). From there you ride downhill for about 4 hours, with a stop at the Wamanmarka ruins, to Santa Maria (1,430 m) and a lodge. Day two follows Inca paths through coffee and coca fields to the thermal baths at Santa Teresa and a second lodge. Day three starts at 9:45 a.m. with suspension bridges, a cable crossing of the Vilcanota River and the Inti Watana site, lunch at Hidroeléctrica and the walk to a hostel in Aguas Calientes. Day four starts at 5:10 a.m. with a walk of about 1 hour 10 minutes up to Machu Picchu, a guided visit of about 2 hours, and the walk down to town.
The return is unclear: the inclusions list a minibus from Machu Picchu to Cusco, while the itinerary says you take the train back to Cusco. Machu Picchu entry and the Cocalmayo hot springs are listed as included, and the description gives the bike descent as 60 km. One option lists zipline and rafting without saying whether they are included; extra activities are excluded. Minimum age is 12.
Meeting at the Reserv Cusco office between 7:45 and 8:00 a.m., per itinerary; the booking data also lists hotel pickup.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Rafting and zipline included, 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes, train back to Ollantaytambo.
Pickup around 6:00 a.m. and a 3-hour drive to Malaga Pass (4,350 m) for a mountain bike descent of about 3 hours to Huamanmarca (1,800 m), then by bus to Santa María. After lunch there is a 2-hour rafting session on Class II and III rapids with a safety kayaker, and the night is in a lodge. Day two starts at 6:00 a.m. with a climb past a local family's home and a stretch of Inca trail above the Huancarccasa Canyon, lunch in Quellomayo, the Cocalmayo hot springs and a basic hotel in Santa Teresa. Day three is listed as trekking and zip line: about 3 hours on foot past the Intihuatana sector, lunch, and about 3 more hours along the railway to a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes. Day four is an in-depth guided tour of Machu Picchu, lunch on your own and the train to Ollantaytambo with a van to Cusco.
Rafting and zipline are listed as included. The itinerary marks Machu Picchu admission as included; the bus to Machu Picchu is listed one way only. The class of the return train is not stated. Entry to the hot springs, the first breakfast and the last lunch are not included. You carry your own backpack on day two or three, so pack only what you need for the four days.
Pickup from the lobby or door of any hotel, hostel or Airbnb in Cusco's historic center around 6:00 a.m. (time confirmed by the operator).
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Family house and coffee tour; check rafting, zipline and the way back, which the listing describes two ways.
Pickup at 6:20 a.m. and a drive via Ollantaytambo to Abra Malaga for a bike descent of about 2 to 3 hours (around 55 km) to Huamanmarca, then by car to Santa Maria for lunch. The itinerary then describes rafting on the river and a 1 hour 15 minute uphill walk to La Casa del Mono or La Choza, a family home where you sleep. Day two begins with a coffee tour, then a 13 km hike of about 9 hours on Inca paths, lunch at Quellomayu, a cable car river crossing and 1.5 hours at the Cocalmayo hot springs before Santa Teresa. Day three opens with a zip line of four cables, then a car to Hidroeléctrica and a 10 km walk of about 3 hours along the tracks to Aguas Calientes. On day four you go up by bus or on foot (about 1.5 hours) for a guided tour of about 2.5 hours.
The inclusions list Machu Picchu entry and the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo with transport to Cusco. The itinerary also describes a return by car from Hidroeléctrica (a 2.5-hour walk back, then about 6 hours by bus, arriving around 9 p.m.). Rafting and zipline appear in the itinerary and the option name, but the inclusions list them as optional activities that are not included, and Cocalmayo entry is extra too. Some biking experience is needed; non-riders travel in the support vehicle. Pickup covers hotels near the historic center only, not Airbnbs.
Pickup from accommodation near the historic center of Cusco; outside that area the operator arranges a meeting point by WhatsApp. No pickup from Airbnbs or private residences. The tour ends at Plaza San Francisco.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Titled Inca Trail, but the Inca Jungle route: bike from Abra Málaga, eco house, Santa Teresa, train back.
Day one starts at 6 am at the Cusco Main Square and drives through the Sacred Valley to the Abra Málaga pass, followed by about 3 hours (50 km) downhill by bike to the Huaman Marq'a ruins, then on to Santa Maria and a night in an eco house in Pispitayoc. Day two includes coffee roasting and a walk on part of the Qhapaq Ñan via the Huancarcasa viewpoint to Qellomayo, with an optional stop at the Cocalmayo hot springs before Santa Teresa. Day three goes about 3 hours to Hidroeléctrica and 3 more along the railway to Aguas Calientes. On day four you climb on foot from 4 am, about 1.5 hours, for a 2-hour guided tour, then take the train to Ollantaytambo and a bus to Cusco.
The title says Inca Trail, but the route is the Inca Jungle trek by bike and on foot via Santa Teresa, not the classic trail from Km 82, and there is no camping: one night in an eco house and two in hostels. Machu Picchu entry and the return train (afternoon or evening departures) are included. The bus up and down, the hot springs ticket, the first breakfast and the last lunch are not.
Cusco Main Square (Plaza de Armas) at 6 am on day one; no hotel pickup.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Day one is a drive of about three hours from Cusco over the Abra Málaga pass, given as 4,316 m by Inkas Destination and 4,350 m by Inkayni Peru Tours and Reserv Cusco. From the pass you ride a mountain bike downhill for about three hours and 50 to 55 km, from cold puna into warm valley, to Huamanmarca at about 1,800 m. A van takes you on to Santa María, around 1,200 m. Encuentros Peru Adventure notes that you need some cycling experience for the descent.
Day two is the long walk, on a section of old Inca road through coffee, coca and fruit farms, with a viewpoint at Huancarcasa and lunch in Quellomayo. Encuentros Peru Adventure gives about nine hours for 13 km. Many groups stop at the Cocalmayo hot springs before the night in Santa Teresa, at 1,515 m. On day three you walk or drive to Hidroeléctrica and follow the railway for about three hours and 10 km to Aguas Calientes. Day four is Machu Picchu: by bus, or on foot from about 4 a.m., roughly 1.5 hours up from the town.
Apart from the pass on day one, which you cross by vehicle, the trek stays far lower than the four-day Inca Trail or the Salkantay trek. The nights are in lodges, family houses and hostels, not in tents.
Many Inca Jungle tours sell themselves on rafting on the Urubamba and a zipline near Santa Teresa, but the listings handle them differently. Inkayni Peru Tours includes both. Inkas Destination offers them as options at extra cost, and Reserv Cusco lists extra activities as not included. Encuentros Peru Adventure describes rafting on day one and the zipline on day three in its itinerary while listing both as optional activities under exclusions, so ask which applies to your booking. Encuentros Peru Adventure also says the river is grade 2 to 3 in the dry season and grade 4 to 5 in the rainy season; see the page on the rainy season for the months. If you want rafting or zipline without the trek, there are rafting, zipline and quad tours as day trips from Cusco.
The return to Cusco is where several listings contradict themselves. Encuentros Peru Adventure includes the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo, but its itinerary describes walking back to Hidroeléctrica and a bus of about six hours to Cusco, arriving around 9 p.m. Reserv Cusco lists a minibus back to Cusco under inclusions and a train in the itinerary. Inkas Destination, Inkayni Peru Tours and Inkas Expeditions give the train to Ollantaytambo and road transport on to Cusco. Every tour on this page includes the Machu Picchu entry; Inkayni Peru Tours marks it in the itinerary rather than in the list of inclusions. Check both points before you book.
Inkayni Peru Tours tells you to pack only what you need for four days, because you carry your own backpack on parts of days two and three. None of the listings here names porters or mules for your luggage.
The tour by Inkas Expeditions is sold as a "4-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu with accommodation". Its description is the Inca Jungle route: the bike from Abra Málaga, a night in an eco house at Pispitayoc with a coffee roasting session, Santa Teresa and the walk from Hidroeléctrica. It is listed here so you can compare it with the other tours of that kind. It does not use the permit trail from Km 82.
The Inca Jungle trek suits travelers who want activity and warm valleys rather than high camps, and it runs when the Inca Trail is sold out or closed in February. Minimum ages are 8 at Inkas Destination and 12 at Reserv Cusco. Most listings exclude pregnant travelers and travelers with spinal injuries or heart problems. The rafting depends on the river level. All routes from Cusco are side by side on treks to Machu Picchu compared.
Reserv Cusco and Encuentros Peru Adventure allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Inkas Destination and Inkayni Peru Tours are final sales, and the tour by Inkas Expeditions is non-refundable.
No. It walks short sections of old Inca road in the Santa Teresa valley and reaches Aguas Calientes along the railway. The permit trail from Km 82 through the Sun Gate is a different route.
Only on the tour by Inkayni Peru Tours. Inkas Destination sells them as extras, Reserv Cusco does not include them, and Encuentros Peru Adventure lists them both in the itinerary and as optional extras.
The longest day is the walk to Santa Teresa, about nine hours for 13 km according to Encuentros Peru Adventure. The bike ride is downhill but needs some cycling experience.
Most tours take the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo and a van or bus to Cusco. Encuentros Peru Adventure and Reserv Cusco also describe a return by road, so confirm it with the operator.
Inkas Destination takes children from 8, Reserv Cusco from 12. The other listings give no minimum age.
A higher route on foot that meets the same railway at Hidroeléctrica.
The routes that reach Machu Picchu without a trail permit.
Rafting, zipline, quad bikes and riding as day trips.
The permit route from Km 82 with three nights in tents.
Days, highest point, nights and the way back for every route.
Two questions, and the finder suggests a tour from Cusco with two alternatives.
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