Machu Picchu hike cost: what each price covers

Each Machu Picchu hike cost here buys more than the walk. All five hikes include pickup, a guided visit inside the citadel and a train on the way back. Our top pick, the $840 four-day trail, adds three nights in camp, in tents with dining and toilet set-ups, and breakfasts, lunches and dinners on the trail, with vegetarian and vegan options. You return on the Vistadome train, then by van to your hotel.

Two of the two-day hikes name a hotel in Aguas Calientes: a 3-star hotel on the $679 trail, a hotel bed on the $585 one. The $630 trail serves a picnic breakfast and lunch on the way. The $585 listing says nothing about food, so ask.

The permit is the line to read closely. Only the $1,290 listing names it: “The official Inca Trail to Machupicchu is included in this program”. On the other four, the Inca Trail section is part of the programme, but the word permit does not appear.

The Machu Picchu 1 day tour price here is $308, $320 or $349 per person. These are not hikes: a van or bus takes you to the station, the train runs to Aguas Calientes, and a bus climbs to the citadel for a guided visit of two to 2.5 hours. Pickups run from 4:00 AM, and the listings give 12 to 15 hours in all.

The small print differs. The $349 day, with 2,334 reviews at 4.7, picks up only in the historic centre and issues your entry ticket itself; once the guided visit ends, you cannot go back in. The $320 day collects you from your hotel and asks for a passport copy to book the tickets. On the $308 day, entry depends on the option you select. Zuzanna from the United States, on the group day: «Highly recommend, great day and worth every penny.»

Divide each Machu Picchu hike cost by its days and the order changes. Our top pick, the $840 four-day trail, comes to $210 a day, the lowest of the five hikes. The two-day hikes come to $292.50 on the $585 trail, $315 on the $630 one and $339.50 on the $679 trail. The $1,290 route works out at $322.50 a day.

So for $255 more than the lowest two-day fare, the four-day trail adds two days on the trail and three nights in camp in place of one hotel night. The Sacred Valley trip comes to $185 a day.

Read the cancellation line before you pay. Seven of the nine listings say “This activity is non-refundable”, including our top pick at $840, the $585 two-day trail and all three day tours. Free cancellation, with reserve now and pay later, appears on two: the $679 trail and the $1,290 route.

A few more rules sit in the small print. On the $349 day and the $370 Sacred Valley trip, the part paid for the entrance ticket cannot be refunded. The $320 day allows no change of dates. The $585 listing asks you to book two weeks before the tour date. Jessica from the United States, on the Sacred Valley trip: «everything included in the tour was clear with no surprises».

Book the four-day trail at $840 if you have the days: it is our top pick, 595 reviewers rate it 4.9, and at $210 a day it is the lowest daily Machu Picchu hike cost here. It is non-refundable, so fix your dates first. Short on time, take the $585 two-day trail, rated 4.9 by 227. If your dates may change, the $679 trail offers free cancellation.