5-Day Ancascocha Trek and Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
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TripsPeruCusco

5-Day Ancascocha Trek and Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

Cusco
4 Nights·5 Days
PeruHiking & TrekkingCamping & Wild Camping

Overview

Recognized as one of the best treks in the world, the 46-kilometer Ancascocha trek crosses the remote high valleys of the Peruvian Andes, in a region far less crowded than other classic routes. The first days are a peaceful hike past small farming communities and their fields, where the loudest sounds are often your own footsteps and the wind across the mountains.

On the fourth day, trekkers join the famous Short Inca Trail for the final stretch to Machu Picchu. Hikers walk down the colorful Orchid Trail to the rush of the fast-flowing Silque River, climb past the weathered stone of Wiñay Wayna, and step through Inti Punku, the Sun Gate. The citadel then spreads out below in one panoramic view. From there, the path descends to rest in Machu Picchu Village.

Accommodation keeps the experience immersive and authentic. The first three nights are spent at different campsites in quiet valleys, waking up to the white outline of snow-capped peaks. The last night is in a comfortable hotel in the village, so the next morning’s tour of the ruins starts well rested.

  • Full itinerary: the drive from Cusco to the Pachar gorge; three days on the Ancascocha route past the Inca viewpoint of Qosqoqáwarina; Chi Chusqasa Pass; Silque River valley; the train to Km 104; Short Inca Trail via Chachabamba; Wiñay Wayna; Sun Gate; guided visit to Machu Picchu.
  • Cross Chi Chusqasa Pass at 4,500 m (14,763 ft) on Day 2, with camp facing the Huayanay Glacier.
  • Walk down the Silque River valley on Day 3, a trail known for its pink to magenta Masdevallia orchids, over a series of small footbridges.
  • Finish on the Short Inca Trail: a 3-hour climb from Chachabamba to Wiñay Wayna, then the ridge path to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate.
  • Three nights in quiet camps at 3,840 m, 3,900 m, and 2,800 m, then a hotel night in Machu Picchu Village before your visit.
  • Horses and their drivers carry the camping gear and your luggage, so you hike with a daypack.
  • Activities guided by a professional bilingual guide, supported by a cook and field staff.
  • All-inclusive experience: transport from Cusco and back, the Inca Trail permit, train and bus tickets, 3 camp nights and 1 hotel night, all meals on the trek, pack horses, a cook, and a bilingual guide.

  • Please note: Walking times are estimated, as your guide may modify the daily itinerary depending on weather and trail conditions. We recommend spending at least two days acclimatizing in Cusco prior to Day 1.

Itinerary

Day 1

Cusco / Pachar Gorge / Qosqoqáwarina Inca Viewpoint / Chilipahua Camp

  • DriveCusco → Huarocondo → Pachar gorge · 45 km · 1h20
  • HikeParpishu footbridge → Watuq’asa Pass → Chilipahua · 11.2 km · 6h
  • OvernightChilipahua camp · 3,840 m (12,598 ft)

Leave Cusco by bus, heading north to the village of Huarocondo, then down into the gorge of Pachar toward the Urubamba River, at 2,900 m (9,514 ft). The Ancascocha trek starts here, at the Parpishu footbridge.

The trail climbs slowly, leaving the valley below you, to Watuq’asa Pass at 3,800 m (12,467 ft). An Inca wall and an old storage and administrative building, a tambo, stand at the top. The site is called Qosqoqáwarina, the “Viewpoint of Cusco”; lunch is served here.

In the afternoon, the path drops to the left into a quiet valley with a stream. Camp next to the community of Chilipahua.

Meals included: Lunch / Dinner

A lone trekker pauses on a narrow dirt path at dusk on the ancascocha trek, silhouetted against a hazy Andean valley with snow-capped peaks and a small village visible below
Narrow stone-walled tunnel corridor on the ancascocha trek, with rough-cut rock walls, wooden support beams, and a faint blue light visible deep in the passage
A lone hiker climbs a steep rocky path flanked by golden ichu grass on the ancascocha trek, with billowing white clouds filling the blue sky above

Day 2

Quencomayo / Chi Chusqasa Pass / Silque River / Ancascocha Camp

  • HikeChilipahua → Quencomayo → Chi Chusqasa Pass → Ancascocha · 11 km · 7h
  • Chi Chusqasa Pass· 4,500 m (14,763 ft) · Highest point of the trek
  • OvernightAncascocha camp · 3,900 m (12,795 ft)

From camp, head northwest, climbing slowly through wet highlands to Quencomayo, an icy stream that flows down from Chi Chusqasa Pass. Sustaining a steady climb toward the high pass presents the day’s main challenge, making this 7-hour trek the most demanding leg of the journey.

On the far side, descend to the gully of the Silque River and reach the area called Ancascocha. The camp sits in sight of the Huayanay Glacier.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

A white alpaca stands alone among tussock grass clumps on the ancascocha trek high plateau, with snow-capped Andean peaks rising under a dramatic cloudy sky in the distance
A vivid turquoise and deep blue glacial lake reflects steep snow-streaked rocky cliffs under a low overcast sky on the ancascocha trek, with smooth stones visible through the clear shallow foreground water.
A lone hiker with a backpack climbs a rocky, grass-covered ridge on the ancascocha trek, dwarfed by a dramatic sky of billowing cumulus clouds over the high Andean landscape

Day 3

Silque River Valley / Orchid Trail / Camicancha Camp

  • HikeAncascocha → Silque River valley → Camicancha · 12 km · 5h
  • Masdevallia orchidsalong the river, when in bloom
  • OvernightCamicancha camp · 2,800 m (9,186 ft)

After breakfast, the Ancascocha trail follows the fast-flowing Silque River down toward the Sacred Valley. This stretch is known for its Huakani, or Masdevallia orchids; if they are in flower, the deep pink to magenta blooms line the path.

Cross many small footbridges and lose about 1,100 m of altitude during the day. The walk ends at the community of Camicancha, near Km 77 of the railway to Machu Picchu.

The camp sits on volcanic rock, in sight of the snow-capped Huacayhuilque, also called La Verónica.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

A lone hiker in a red jacket walks a narrow dirt path along a ridge on the ancascocha trek, surrounded by rolling green hills covered in tufted highland grasses and deep valleys stretching into the distance
A flock of red-marked sheep moving along a narrow stone-walled lane on the ancascocha trek, with a horse, terraced hillsides, and Andean peaks in the background
A lone hiker with a backpack and hat stands beside a rocky Andean stream on the ancascocha trek, with two small cascades dropping into a clear pool and steep grass-covered mountains rising under a stormy sky

Day 4

Train to Km 104 / Chachabamba / Wiñay Wayna / Sun Gate / Machu Picchu Village

  • Transfer and trainCamicancha → Ollantaytambo by private vehicle · Train Ollantaytambo → Km 104 · 37 km · 1h10
  • HikeKm 104 → Chachabamba → Wiñay Wayna → Inti Punku · 11.7 km · 6h
  • OvernightHotel in Machu Picchu Village

After breakfast, a private vehicle takes you to Ollantaytambo, where you board the train to Km 104. This is where the Short Inca Trail begins: the last section of the classic route, walked on a separate permit.

Cross a hanging bridge over the Urubamba River and visit the ruins of Chachabamba, believed to have been a spiritual center dedicated to water deities. From there, a 3-hour climb on the Km 104 Inca Trail leads to Wiñay Wayna, a second spiritual center built into a steep slope.

The path then crosses the ridge above the citadel to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, with Machu Picchu spread out below. A bus takes you down to Machu Picchu Village for the night. Dinner this evening is on your own.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch

Aerial view of the multi-gabled stone ruins of Wiñay Wayna on the ancascocha trek, with rows of roofless Inca buildings set into green terraced slopes and dense cloud forest above
View through a gap in weathered stone blocks on the ancascocha trek, framing distant ruins and rolling Andean highland hills under a cloudy sky
A large bird soars in front of snow-covered Andean peaks rising above a green valley on the ancascocha trek, under a vivid blue sky with billowing clouds
A backpacker photographs a series of ancient stone doorways aligned along the ancascocha trek, with Andean mountains visible through the frames in the distance

Day 5

Guided Tour of Machu Picchu / Train and Transfer to Cusco

  • BusMachu Picchu Village → Machu Picchu · ~30 min
  • Guided tourof the Machu Picchu citadel
  • TrainMachu Picchu Village → Ollantaytambo · 43 km · 1h45 + Drive to Cusco · 79 km · 2h

After an early breakfast, a half-hour bus ride takes you up to the ruins. Your guide conducts a tour across the citadel’s buildings and landmarks, sharing insights into the daily lives of its historic inhabitants.

Return to the village in the afternoon and board the train to Ollantaytambo (about 1 hour and 45 minutes). A vehicle covers the last 79 km to Cusco in about 2 hours. Tonight’s hotel and dinner are not included.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch

A brown llama stands in the foreground at Machu Picchu, with the ancient Inca citadel's stone terraces and ruins spreading below and Huayna Picchu mountain shrouded in morning mist — the reward at the end of the ancascocha trek
Wide panoramic view of the Machu Picchu citadel from the upper terraces, with Huayna Picchu peak emerging through clouds above the Inca ruins — the reward at the end of the ancascocha trek

What is Included

  • Round-trip transfer (Cusco ⇌ Pachar gorge trailhead, Camicancha → Ollantaytambo, Ollantaytambo → Cusco), including the trains to Km 104 and from Machu Picchu Village and the bus between the village and the citadel
  • 3 nights in double-occupancy tents with Therm-a-Rest sleeping pads and 1 night in a hotel in Machu Picchu Village
  • Meals (full board on the trek, from lunch on Day 1 to lunch on Day 5, except dinner on Day 4)
  • Non-alcoholic drinks
  • Inca Trail permit for the Short Inca Trail (Km 104) and the Machu Picchu entry ticket for the guided visit on Day 5
  • Kitchen and dining tents, eco toilets, and solar lamps for the tents
  • Horses and their drivers to carry the camping gear and your luggage
  • A cook and field staff
  • Duffel bag for your luggage on the horses
  • Proper garbage disposal
  • First-aid kit and oxygen tank
  • Guided tours (the Qosqoqáwarina viewpoint, Chi Chusqasa Pass, the Silque River valley, Chachabamba, Wiñay Wayna, the Sun Gate, and a guided visit of Machu Picchu)
  • Professional bilingual guide for the whole trip

Not included

  • Flight tickets
  • Hotel nights in Cusco before and after the trek
  • Dinner in Machu Picchu Village on Day 4 and on Day 5
  • Personal travel insurance
  • Sleeping bag (rental available)
  • Personal gear
  • Alcoholic drinks
  • Laundry service
  • Tips
  • Additional services and extras

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$ 1,290/ per person