Inca Trail Hike to Machu Picchu: map, weather and gear
The exact gear list for this trek, built on the real weather along the route: the night at the highest sleeping point, the heat at the low point, rain and snow month by month.
- Distance
- 21 mi
- Duration
- 4 days Bardy’s calculation version
- Elevation gain
- ≈ 2,625 ft per day
- High point
- 13,829 ft Warmiwañusca
- Nights
- In a tent highest: Pacaymayo, 11,811 ft
- Season
- May → Sep
- Field data
- 11 hikers including 9 with no commercial link
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in May: what to pack?
10 required items and 9 advised for a May departure, the first month of the season. Every threshold comes from the route’s weather and from what 11 hikers really had in their packs.
- RequiredSleeping bag comfort 39°FNights down to 39°F: comfort rating 39°F or lower
- RequiredSleeping pad R 3Ground at 39°F at night: insulation R-value 3 minimum
- RequiredRain jacket 10,000 mmRain on 30% of days, 0.08 in on wet days: waterproof rating of 10,000 mm or more
- RequiredFleece or insulated jacketEvenings and nights down to 39°F
- RequiredSunscreen SPF 50UV 12, elevation 13,829 ft: SPF 50
- RequiredSunglasses cat. 4Elevation 13,829 ft: category 4
- RequiredWater 1.5 L3 h without a water source at 70°F: carry 1.5 L
- RequiredWaterproof shoesRain on 30% of days: waterproof membrane; high or low cut, whichever suits your foot
- RequiredHeadlamp 200 lmStarts before dawn
- RequiredDay pack 20–35 LPorters carry your travel bag: day pack of 20 to 35 L
- AdvisedRain pantsRain on 30% of days
- AdvisedPack coverKeeps your pack dry (not needed if the pack has a built-in cover)
- AdvisedBeanieNights at 39°F
- AdvisedGlovesMornings at 39°F
- AdvisedHat UPF 40UV 12: neck and face covered
- AdvisedMerino socks4 days: merino picks up less odor
- AdvisedTrekking poles2,625 ft of climbing per day, with a loaded pack: easier on your knees downhill
- AdvisedBase layerIn the pack of 9 of 11 hikers (8 of 9 with no commercial link)
- AdvisedSandalsIn the pack of 8 of 11 hikers (7 of 9 with no commercial link); for the evening, at camp or in the shower
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: your pack, for your dates.
Change the month, the length or the type of night: we recalculate the weather and build the gear list, product by product, with the price and the weight.
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: the weather month by month
10-year normals (2015-2024), brought to the route’s elevation. Nights are the coldest expected at Pacaymayo (11,811 ft), days the hottest at Machu Picchu (7,972 ft). For a departure within 9 days, the tool above uses MET Norway forecasts instead of normals.
| Month | Nights | Days | Rainy days | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | down to 41°F | up to 72°F | 98% | — |
| February | down to 43°F | up to 72°F | 100% | — |
| March | down to 43°F | up to 72°F | 99% | — |
| April | down to 41°F | up to 72°F | 92% | — |
| May | down to 39°F | up to 70°F | 30% | — |
| June | down to 36°F | up to 70°F | 11% | — |
| July | down to 36°F | up to 72°F | 17% | — |
| August | down to 36°F | up to 72°F | 37% | — |
| September | down to 37°F | up to 72°F | 57% | — |
| October | down to 41°F | up to 72°F | 86% | — |
| November | down to 41°F | up to 72°F | 90% | — |
| December | down to 43°F | up to 72°F | 98% | — |
Sources: Copernicus ERA5-Land and ERA5, WorldClim 2.1 for rain. A rainy day counts from 0.06 in. Details are on the Transparency page.
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: route map
The trail’s route, from OpenStreetMap.
- Start · Piskacucho
- Wayllabamba
- Warmiwañusca
- Pacaymayo
- Wiñaywayna
- Finish · Machu Picchu
Before you go
The rules written in the trek’s official texts, with their source.
Licensed agency or guide required
Access only through an agency authorized by the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (SERNANP), in a group led by an official guide; 500 people a day at most on routes 1 to 4 (2025 ministerial resolution)
A porter carries no more than 44.1 lb, a woman porter no more than 33.1 lb
Sources: SERNANP, Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu; SERNANP, Inca Trail reopening, March 2025; Resolution RM 000294-2025-MC, El Peruano
Read more on Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
- Inca Trail Packing List by Month: What to Pack for Machu PicchuAn Inca Trail packing list that changes with the month: what the operator provides, porter limits, the Machu Picchu bag rules, and the pack computed on 10 years of weather.
- How Long Is the Inca Trail? Miles, Days and the Five RoutesThe classic Inca Trail in miles and days from SERNANP, the five routes into Machu Picchu with their daily limits, the shortest one from km 104, the high pass, the February closure and the nights on the trail month by month.
Frequently asked questions
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: how many days does it take?
Bardy calculates the gear list for a 4-day version, with about 2,625 ft of elevation gain per day. Enter your own length in the tool: the climbing is spread over your days.
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: how hard is it, and how much climbing?
Bardy gives no difficulty rating: no single grading covers every trek. The figures that make it up: 21 mi in 4 days, about 2,625 ft of elevation gain per day; high point: Warmiwañusca, 13,829 ft; highest night: Pacaymayo, 11,811 ft.
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: when is the best time to go?
Bardy uses the season from May to September. Over those months, based on 10 years of weather normals, the coldest night drops to 36°F at 11,811 ft (June).
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: what is the weather month by month?
Based on 10 years of normals (2015-2024) brought to the route’s elevation, nights at the highest sleeping point (Pacaymayo, 11,811 ft) drop to 36°F in June, the coldest month, and days at the low point (Machu Picchu, 7,972 ft) climb to 72°F in January. During the season, the share of rainy days ranges from 11% in June to 57% in September. For a departure within 9 days, the tool uses MET Norway forecasts instead of normals.
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: what gear should you bring in May?
In May, Bardy counts 10 required items, including sleeping bag comfort 39°F, sleeping pad R 3, rain jacket 10,000 mm and fleece or insulated jacket, and 9 advised. Every threshold comes from the route’s weather and from the packs of 11 hikers who filmed it.
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: how should you dress in May?
In May, nights drop to 39°F at 11,811 ft and days climb to 70°F at the low point (7,972 ft), based on 10 years of normals. Bardy’s gear list includes: rain jacket 10,000 mm, fleece or insulated jacket, waterproof shoes, rain pants (advised), beanie (advised), gloves (advised), hat UPF 40 (advised), merino socks (advised) and base layer (advised).
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: what budget should you plan?
Bardy does not price the whole trip: not the transport, not the food, not the total for the nights. What it calculates: the May gear list, all bought new, the cheapest item line by line at the prices Bardy tracks, comes to $2,230 for a man and $2,062 for a woman (one line is left without a product and is not counted). What you already own comes off the list in the tool.
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: do you need a permit or a reservation?
Before you go: a licensed agency or guide. Details and official texts are in the “Before you go” section.