The Best Inca Trail Tour Operators for Hiking to and around Machu Picchu

Visit Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains from the one of the best Inca Trail tour operators to provides elevated hiking experiences.

Hiking to Machu Picchu is a bucket list opportunity and experience to get to an important and beautiful destination. While the classic trek to the archaeological site is through the classic 4 day Inca trail trek, there are a few other options that may work better for you, depending on the amount of time you have on your vacation, your interests, your personal hiking goals and skills, and the availability of a permit to hike the classic Inca trail. But no matter how you choose to make your way to Machu Picchu, you want make sure that you are using one of the best Inca trail tour operators in Cusco, Peru.

Alpaca Expeditions is the premier Inca trail tour operator to lead you through various multi-day experiences that all end with a guided tour of Machu Picchu.

The Unique Aspects of Machu Picchu and Multi-Day Treks Around Cusco

Machu Picchu, outside of Cusco, Peru, was the religious center of the Incan empire and, today, it is the most visited site in South America. It was built in the 15th century but today, it is known for its incredible destination nestled in the steep Andes mountains, its incredible stone architecture, and its representation of the ingenious engineering and technological knowledge of the Incan empire.

While the archaeological site can be visited with a day tour it is much more rewarding to arrive at the destination from a multi-day trek through the mountains around Cusco and Machu Picchu. The most well known trek is the classic Inca Trail, a 4 day hike that is permitted, limiting the number of people who can be on the trail on a given day to mitigate the negative repercussions of over tourism. Besides limited permits, there are other reasons to do one of the alternative Machu Picchu treks. There are a few of the options available to you to get the rewarding experience that ends at the amazing archaeological site, including the Salkantay trek, Lares trek, and short Inca trail, among others).

No matter how you choose to get to Machu Picchu, doing a multi day trek through the various mountain ranges is a beautiful and challenging experience that allows you to get closer to nature, take in an ancient culture, and reach Machu Picchu in a unique way.

Blueprint Travelers Tour Company Recommendation

Alpaca Expeditions

Alpaca Expeditions is one of the only Inca Trail tour operators that is 100% indigenous Peruvian owned. The agency was founded by Raul who, coming from a rural region of Peru, started working as a porter on the Inca trail. With this role, he fell in love with creating an experience for tourists to the region and pivoted his career to start a company that puts the experience of the tourists along with the experience of the employees at the forefront of the operation.

Not only do they go above and beyond for their guests, they are an organization that truly values the people who work for them. And this is vitally important because many of their employees are the porters, chefs, and guides who’s hard manual labor is what elevates the tourist’s experience. And the way that they treat their porters, chefs, and guides is particularly unique in comparison to some of their competitors, adding to the value of the organization.

The guides speak Quechua (the traditional language of the region), Spanish, and English, teaching you about the history, archaeology, flora, fauna, and culture of everything around you. The chefs travel with the tour group and cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the group. These chefs are true magicians on the trail, even carrying the gear they use and running ahead of tours to make sure the meals are ready upon arrival. Finally, the porters are the backbone of the entire operation. They carry all the gear needed during the trek, including your clothes, either on their backs or with mules and horses. They set up and take down every campsite and are the background characters making the whole experience incredible.

As an organization, they make sure to take care of their workers (lovingly referred to as the “Green Machine”). Beyond the internal community that Alpaca Expeditions has created, this company makes sure to give back and elevate the communities around the Sacred Valley and High Andes regions. You can read more about their efforts to lift up all the people within and around their organization on their website here.

Multi-Day Treks to Consider with Alpaca Expeditions

Classic Inca Trail Trek

The Classic Inca trek is a 4 day hike over the original trail that Incans took during their pilgrimage to Machu Picchu. This is not the most challenging of the multi-day treks but it is most popular due to its history. There are limited numbers of permits for this trail and they sell out in advance so make sure to reserve your trek early if this is the hike you want to do.

Short Inca Trail Trek

The Short Inca trail is a 1 day hike that goes on an alternative portion of the Inca trail with other Incan ruins. This hike ends at the top of Machu Picchu at the end of the day with very few crowds. You will then get to visit the site through a guided tour the following day. We recommend combining the Short Inca trail with the Lares trek for a holistic and challenging experience.

Lares Trek

The Lares trek is more approachable than the Salkantay hike taking you through the beautiful Lares Valley of the Peruvian Andes and winding around waterfalls, over mountains, and through local communities. It is an amazing experience to learn more about the indigenous Andean culture.

photo by Mayur Arvind

Salkantay Trek

The Salkantay trek goes through the snow-capped Salkantay range. It is known to be one of the more challenging multi-day hikes with distances that range between 8-13 miles daily and high altitudes. But that challenge is rewarded with amazing alpine views, unique accommodations, and ending with views over Machu Picchu.