How Long Is the Inca Trail? Miles, Days and the Five Routes
Published November 9, 2026
The classic Inca Trail, from km 82 to Machu Picchu, is 33.7 km (20.9 mi) long and takes 4 days and 3 nights, according to SERNANP, Peru’s protected areas service. Here are the five routes into Machu Picchu with their length, days and daily limits, the shortest one from km 104, the high pass, the February closure and the nights on the trail month by month.
The five Inca Trail routes: length and days
Peru’s Ministry of Culture lists the routes of the network by their stops, from “Ruta 01: Piskacucho – Wayllabamba – Wiñaywayna – Machupicchu.” to Route 6. SERNANP gives each a distance and a duration. Miles are Bardy’s conversion.
| Route | Start | Through | Length | Days | People a day, at most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piskakuchu (km 82) | Wayllabamba and the Warmiwañusca pass | 33.7 km (20.9 mi) | 4 days and 3 nights | 500 |
| 2 | Qoriwayrachina (km 88) | Wayllabamba and the Warmiwañusca pass | 29.9 km (18.6 mi) | 4 days and 3 nights | 500 |
| 3 | Soraypampa (Mollepata) | Salkantaypampa, Paukarkancha and Wayllabamba | 42.1 km (26.2 mi) | 5 days and 4 nights | 500 |
| 4 | Piscacucho (km 82) | Q’oriwayrachina (km 88), Pacaymayu Bajo and Chachabamba (km 104) | 33 km (20.5 mi) | 3 days and 2 nights | 500 |
| 5 | Chachabamba (km 104) | Wiñaywayna and Intipunku | 10.5 km (6.5 mi) | 1 day | 250 |
Route 6 (Mollepata to km 88 or km 82, 25.9 km (16.1 mi)) does not reach Machu Picchu, and SERNANP publishes no duration for it. In December 2025, Andina reported that the Ministry of Culture was preparing “la próxima apertura de la ruta 6 del Camino Inca”.
The classic Inca Trail: 33.7 km (20.9 mi) in 4 days
Route 1, which SERNANP calls the “Main Inka Trail”, starts at Piskakuchu (km 82), reached “by tourist bus from Cusco to Piscaccuchu”. It climbs past Wayllabamba to the Warmiwañusca pass, then runs by Wiñaywayna to Machu Picchu: “Distance: 33.7 km.” SERNANP sells it as “4 days and 3 nights”. Route 2 joins it at Wayllabamba from km 88 and is 29.9 km (18.6 mi), also in 4 days. Bardy’s Inca Trail page computes the pack for the classic route in 4 days.
The shortest route, from km 104
Route 5 starts at Chachabamba, at km 104, reached “by train from Cusco or Ollantaytambo to Chachabamba”, and climbs by Wiñaywayna and Intipunku to Machu Picchu: 10.5 km (6.5 mi) in “1 day”. Its limit is lower than on the long routes: 250 people a day against 500.
Daily limits, agencies and the February closure
Resolution RM 000294-2025-MC of November 5, 2025 sets the limits: “La capacidad de carga para las rutas 01, 02, 03 y 04 es de 500 usuarios diarios, para la ruta 05 (km 104) de 250 usuarios diarios y para la ruta 06 de 100 usuarios diarios”. It does not say whether guides and porters count in those numbers. You cannot walk on your own: entry “is done only through travel and tourism agencies authorized by the headquarters of the SH of Machu Picchu,” says SERNANP.
In 2026, the network was open all year “con excepción del mes de febrero que se suspende los recorridos para realizar trabajos de mantenimiento y conservación” (Andina, quoting the Ministry of Culture). Bardy found no published dates for 2027: check with your agency.
How high the Inca Trail goes
The classic route crosses the Warmiwañusca pass. No official page Bardy read gives an altitude for it, nor for the camps. Bardy computes the weather at three points whose altitudes are still to be confirmed: the pass at 4,215 m (13,829 ft), where terrain models give 4,244 to 4,307 m at Bardy’s point; the night at Pacaymayo, 3,600 m (11,811 ft); and Machu Picchu, 2,430 m (7,972 ft).
On 10 years of weather (2015-2024) brought to those altitudes, the coldest night of the season at Pacaymayo is 36°F in June, and rain falls on 11% of days in June to 57% in September. The Inca Trail packing list shows what that changes in the pack, month by month.
FAQ
How long is the Inca Trail in miles?
The classic Inca Trail, Route 1 from Piskakuchu (km 82), is 33.7 km (20.9 mi) long according to SERNANP, Peru’s protected areas service. The other routes into Machu Picchu run from 10.5 km (6.5 mi) to 42.1 km (26.2 mi).
How many days is the Inca Trail?
SERNANP lists Route 1 as “4 days and 3 nights”. Route 4 from the same start takes “3 days and 2 nights”, and Route 5 from km 104 takes “1 day”.
What is the short Inca Trail?
SERNANP does not use the name. Its shortest route is Route 5: “starts in Chachabamba (km 104) - Wiñaywayna - Intipunku - Llaqta de Machu Picchu”, 10.5 km (6.5 mi), “1 day”, with 250 people a day at most.
Can you hike the Inca Trail without a tour?
No. SERNANP: “The entrance to the Inca Trails Network of the HS of Machu Picchu is done only through travel and tourism agencies authorized by the headquarters of the SH of Machu Picchu.”
How high is the Inca Trail?
The high point of the classic route is the Warmiwañusca pass. No official page Bardy read publishes its altitude; Bardy computes the weather at 4,215 m (13,829 ft), a figure terrain models put a little higher (4,244 to 4,307 m at Bardy’s point).