Inca Trail with Kids 5 days

The Inca Trail offers a rich educational experience, allowing children to learn about ancient civilizations, history, geography, and cultural diversity. If your family goes on regular walks,

hikes, and camping trips, your kids should be able to hike Inca Trail to Machupicchu. If your family appreciate archaeological sites, stunning landscapes, and challenging hikes, trekking the Inca Trail could be a lifetime family adventure for you!

Embark on an unforgettable Family adventure to Machupicchu. A pérfect journey to strengthen family bonds. Hiking Inca Trail with kids offers a wide range of physical, mental, and developmental benefits. Beyond just exercise, it serves as a "natural classroom" that fosters curiosity and family connection.

Benefits of Hiking with Children
Physical Health & Development: Hiking is a fun way to improve cardiovascular health, build stamina, and strengthen muscles and bones. Navigating uneven terrain like roots and rocks also helps develop fine motor skills, balance, and agility.
Mental & Emotional Well-being: Spending time in nature—often called "green time"—is shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and symptoms of ADHD. It boosts mood-enhancing endorphins and provides a calm environment that can improve focus and concentration.
Building Confidence & Resilience: Hiking encourages kids to test their limits. Overcoming a steep slope or reaching a summit helps them build self-confidence, perseverance, and a sense of achievement.
Educational Opportunities: The trail provides hands-on lessons in biology, geology, and geography. Children can learn about local flora and fauna, practice map reading, and understand environmental concepts like Leave No Trace principles.
Family Bonding: Hiking offers a rare "unplugged" environment free from digital distractions. It creates dedicated space for open conversation, shared problem-solving, and the creation of lasting memories.
Better Sleep & Eye Health: Regular exposure to natural light and fresh air helps regulate sleep cycles. Some studies also suggest that time spent outdoors can lower the risk of developing myopia (nearsightedness).

Itinerary

Day 1: Cusco – Piscacucho km 82 – Llactapata – Hatunchaca
We will pick you up very early from your hotel and transport you to the start of the trail (km 82). There, you will begin the journey, warming up on the relatively flat part of the trail. After 2 hours, you will reach the first archaeological center of Llactapata, where you will appreciate the impressive landscapes, flora and fauna. This site and others will show the importance of this valley in the context of Incan history. After lunch, we will continue ascending to a semi-tropical valley for two hours until arriving at our camp, Hatunchaca, where we will spend the night.

Day 2: Hatunchaca – Dead Woman's Pass – Pacaymayo
After breakfast, we will start hiking early in the morning of the second day, passing through different climatic and ecological zones. We will ascend to Warmiwañusca. Private inca trail 5 daysWe will walk among abundant vegetation with various types of trees. This pass is known by many as the world’s highest cloud forest. After the toughest part of the journey, an ascent of nearly 5 hours, we will arrive at the highest point, known to some as Dead Woman’s Pass. From there, we will take a well-deserved break and observe the beauty of the deep valleys. If we’re lucky, we will see the flight of the condors flying among the thick clouds in the sky. After this break, we will descend towards our second camp at Pacaymayo.

Day 3: Pacaymayo – Sayacmarca – Phuyupatamarka
We will climb steeply up the opposite side of the valley wall, towards the second pass. About halfway up lies a small, round, roofless stone building. This Incan ruin is known as Runkuracay, a building thought to have been an astrological site . After a short tour, we will continue to ascend towards the second pass, the Abra de Runkuracay. On the far side of the pass, the trail descends towards a valley and a shallow lake. The trail after the pass leads to a second, larger Inca site, Sayacmarca (“Town in a Steep Place”). This Incan ruin was built on a rock overlooking the trail and is accessible only via a single narrow stone staircase. This site is roofless and slightly overgrown, but the walls still stand strong and the shape of the fortress can easily be seen. We will also see a stone aqueduct, which carried water to the farmlands. After touring Sayacmarca, we will descend to the valley floor. We will stop at this valley to enjoy lunch. After lunch, you will begin to climb again. At this point, you will pass through interesting Incan structures, including a Inca tunnel that is eight meters long and just wide enough to allow humans and animals to pass through. After this tunnel, we will reach the third pass and enjoy the third Incan site, Phuyupatamarca (“Cloud-level Town”). We will learn about the ritual functions that the Incas used this site for. Here we will see baths that Incas bathed in before they reached Machu Picchu. Third night campsite is at Phuyupatamarka.

Day 4: Phuyupatamarka – Wiñay Wayna – Machu Picchu – Aguas Calientes
After breakfast we will descend for approximately 2 ½ hours and arrive to the Incan site known as Intipata, a huge farming terrace, where you will have a gorgeous view of the valley. Then, we will descend to the fascinating Wiñay Wayna at 8,700 feet (2,650 meters). We will stop at this site that means “eternally young”, and have lunch before continuing to the Sungate. After an hour of walking, we will arrive to the Sungate where we will have our first view of Machu Picchu. After a short break, we will descend towards Machu Picchu where we will take pictures and rest before taking the bus to the Aguas Calientes for sleep in the hotel.

Day 5: Aguas Calientes – Machu Pichhu – Cusco
We will wake up very early to take the first bus to the city of Machu Picchu, where we will be the first visitors of the day to enjoy the magic and mystery of one of the wonders of the world. The tour with your guide will take about 2-3 hours. After that you will have free time to explore the entire city on your own. In the afternoon, we will take the bus down to Aguas Calientes to board the train to Cusco.

Included

Prices

Why Explore

THE EXPLORE ADVENTURES PERU® DIFFERENCE - DISCOVER THE DIFFERENCE
Explore Adventures Peru® has been setting the standard for Trekking Peruvian Andes since 2010. As one of the few specialist companies organizing high quality expeditions, we are recognized as one of the best operators on the Peruvian Andes. Come see why we are the premier Andes outfitter. When you travel with us, you gain access to people and places. You’re enriched by the knowledge of our experts and guides, and by local experts we meet along the way. And you give back. Simply by taking a trip with Explore Adventures Peru, you support the work of our explorers and indigenous Quechuas villages.

WE HAVE A 99.8% CLIENT SATISFACTION RATE!
Undoubtedly, the most honest and accurate feedback comes from our clients themselves. With the goal of constantly improving our service, a post-Hiking survey is taken from each client in order to assess our staff, equipment, and food.

LOCAL GUIDES
KNOWLEDGE: LET OUR EXPERTS GUIDE YOU
- Professional, experienced, licensed local Quechuan guides
- Our guides are formed by expert Photographers, Explorers, History teachers, Archaeologists
- Honest, hardworking, team oriented support staff
- Over 600 times hikes on Inca Trail success experiences and client satisfaction

QUALITY EQUIPMENT
HIGH QUALITY EQUIPMENT & SERVICE.
• Rugged, four season North face, Mountain Hardwear, Doite, Vango tents
• Super warm North face, Mountain Equipment, Mountain Hardwear -30F sleeping bags
• Spacious mess tents and private toilets
• Outdoor utensils in stainless steel

FANTASTIC MEALS
• Delicious meals made from fresh, local ingredients
• Clean water treated with Water Guard
• we customize our menus depending on the preferences of the group,
• we never use freeze-dried backpacking meals
• Hearty, delicious meals that will optimally fuel and inspire you during your trip!
• We also regularly accommodate vegetarian, vegan, kosher, non-gluten and other specialty diets

FOCUSED ON SAFETY
WE HAVE MANY LAYERS OF SAFETY BUILT INTO OUR OPERATIONS TO MINIMIZE THE RISKS ON INCA TRAIL AND BEYOND .
• We have established protocols for handling emergencies on the mountain, including rescue and evacuation
• Certified Wilderness First Responders
• Certified of the oficial firemen of Peru
• Daily pulse and oxygen saturation monitoring
• We provide evacuation by helicopter Andes Corp. For hikers seriously injured or sick.
• Emergency oxygen, portable stretchers and medical kits
• Emergency horse available in all our Alternatives treks

RESPONSIBLE TREKKING
GIVE BACK: WHEN YOU TRAVEL WITH US, YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE
• Environmentally and socially responsible company
• Member of Inca Trail Porters Welfare
• Member of Leave No Trace
• Fair and ethical treatment of porters
• Empowering Peruvian women

EXPLORE PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION
Instead of local buses, which other companies use to reduce their costs,
we always provide private transportation. This service allows our clients
flexibility and privacy.

HAPPY CUSTOMERS
• "Great experience!"
• "Very well planned & organized"
• "Excellent service all around"
• "A solid company"
• "Highly recommended!"
• Genuine, authentic, and flexible with deep local knowledge
• Absolutely Amazing

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