Machu Picchu ruins.

Latin America

Peru Hiking Tours

Ancient Ruins & Andean Adventures

Breathtaking landscapes, abundant archaeological sites, fabulous cuisine, and vibrant textiles make Peru a world-class destination. WT got its start in Peru, and we’ve been honing our wide array of hiking trips to perfection for more than 40 years. Whether you choose a cultural exploration to Machu Picchu or an exhilarating trek to the Cordillera Blanca, our expert Trip Leaders immerse you in the culture and landscapes and show you Peru the right way.

A meal for two set up outdoors after a hiking trip to Machu Picchu's Sanctuary Lodge

What Makes Our Peru Hiking Trips Special?

  • Over 40 Years of Experience in Peru — We got our start in South America, and have perfected our itineraries over the decades—choosing only the most rewarding sites and timing our visits to avoid crowds.
  • Travel With Incomparable Trip Leaders — Our Trip Leaders have deep local knowledge of Peru, Inca history, and Quechua culture, and a unique gift for sharing it; they enrich your trip and bring camaraderie and fun to the journey.
  • The Best Lodges and Camping Amenities — We stay in the best properties, including the only hotel right at the entrance to Machu Picchu. Our Inca Trail private camp has an indoor dining facility, hot showers, indoor toilets, and even a sauna!
  • A True Insider’s Experience — Get the full flavor of life in Peru—visit with weavers, ceramicists, and other artisans; be welcomed by our friends at a Quecha village with a traditional Pachamanca feast; explore little-known Inca ruins in the high Andes. Our local team will open doors you might never find on your own.
  • Customize your Journey — Do it your own way! Our Private Journeys allow you to create your perfect trip with the help of our specialists—select your own dates and accommodations, explore at your own speed, and travel exclusively with your own group.

Everything You Need to Know

All our Peru departures reward you with awe-inspiring views, fascinating archaeological sites, wonderful cuisine, and a warm welcome from WT’s local friends. You can visit comfortably during much of the year because Peru is close to the equator and doesn’t have a lot of variation in temperature.

The two climate seasons are wet and dry. Hiking is best during the shoulder and dry seasons from April through December. Temperatures can vary quite a bit on the trail, so plan to dress in layers.

The Inca Trail is best hiked between April and December. April-May is a shoulder season, June-September is considered the peak season, and October-December is another shoulder season. Each time period comes with its own positives and negatives, which we’ve laid out in a month-by-month overview below:

Local Quechua girls visit a trekker in her tent.

Wilderness Travel offers full-service camping on the Inca Trail. Most trip members are pleasantly surprised by the comfort of our mountain camps considering we’re on an expedition! We use four-person tents for only two people, ensuring a fair amount of space for sleeping. We serve meals in a large dining tent with table and chairs with back support. The dining tent is a nice place to relax and socialize while drinking tea or coffee in the evening. Our trail staff is highly trained and will take care of all the logistics so you can relax and enjoy the climb. 

A group of people hiking the Inca Trail.

Any fit, experienced hiker will enjoy this hike, but it’s important to be adequately prepared both mentally and physically. To accelerate your conditioning, try walking faster than 1.5 miles per hour, walking on steeper inclines, using your gym’s stair-climbing machines, or going on long hikes (also a good way to break in your boots!). If possible, start training several months before departure. 

Can you have the Inca Trail largely to yourself? Yes, when you go with Wilderness Travel. We have perfected the timing of our daily hiking schedule so that the majority of other hikers will be either far ahead or far behind you each day. This delivers a much better experience of this World Heritage Site, and our trip members often comment on the magic of having the Inca Trail to themselves!

  • We are experts on the Inca Trail with over 40 years of experience.
  • A perfectly paced itinerary, with five full trekking days (most companies push it with just four days on the trail—and some even three). This allows for a better pace, fewer crowds, and more sites and exploration along the way.
  • Exceptional camps with the finest equipment, delicious meals, and hot coffee, cocoa, or tea brought to your tent each morning. The first two nights are inprivate campsites completely to ourselves!
  • The most qualified guides — experts in Inca history and culture.
  • Overnight at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, the only hotel just steps away from the ruins, giving you access to Machu Picchu without the crowds.

Six hundred years ago, the Incas developed the richest empire ever seen in the Americas. Originally a small tribe in Peru’s southern highlands, they grew into a civilization of more than 10 million people from more than 100 different ethnic groups—using diplomacy as well as outright conquest. By the middle of the 15th century the empire stretched for 2,500 miles, from Quito, Ecuador, in the north to Santiago, Chile, in the south, making it the largest in the world at that time.

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

We loved this trip, the physical nature of it, the camping, followed by the 5 star hotel, the Inca sites and Machu Picchu, our guide and porters and the other 7 clients we met on this trip. It all exceeded our expectations.

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

Met my hopes and then some. It was an “experience” –more than a vacation. We learned a tremendous amount about the culture, Inca history and, of course, the country is beautiful and people are so very nice!

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

This is a trip of a lifetime. It is so wonderful to see and imagine the Inca Empire. This is a trip with a mixture of explorations in the city, towns and hiking in the wilderness to wonder the accomplishments of the Incas. Would recommend this trip to others. Also the picnics, porters and food was great. Being able to stay at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge was priceless. This was one of the reasons I picked this trip over other companies that offer this trip.

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

I am so glad I took this trip. It was challenging, it was beautiful, it was wild—what could be better! Please continue to offer these types of treks that go beyond ‘glamping’ and offer a true wilderness experience!

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

We were blown away by the accommodations in the mountain lodges—a far cry from camping!

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

A magical tour of some of the most beautiful mountains in the world. Flawless planning and support by Wilderness Travel. Excellent Trip Leaders!

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

An amazing trip! I felt the true vastness of the Cordillera Blanca through the well-planned itinerary and the thoughtful and professional leadership.

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

This was a trip of a lifetime for my husband and me. We were celebrating our 10th anniversary and wanted something special and memorable. This trip surpassed all our dreams. We have both traveled for much of our lives, but never experienced something like this. It was amazing to truly be off the grid, in the middle of nowhere—and in the middle of tremendous beauty. I can’t say enough how much we loved it. Everything was superb—the guides, the camping sites, the organization, the porters, the FOOD (better than any restaurant)! Thank you.

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

The strengths of our experience with WT were: the itinerary and how it was executed, our guides, and the flawless facilitation provided by WT’s local agents. Travel is ALL about attention to detail, and the in-country team was flawless.

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

I can’t give enough wonderful feedback! Our Trip Leader did a superlative job of helping to balance challenge with wonderment. The rest of the team on the trail were warm, professional, and kind. The food was terrific!

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

Hiking the Inca Trail the Wilderness way was an amazing experience we will never forget. The views from the hikes and the campsites, especially the last one, were amazing and possibly even more spectacular than that of Machu Picchu, if that is even possible. The food on the trek was outstanding and we all wondered at how such delicious and fancy meals could be made on the trail. The nights spent hiking were quite luxurious from camp standards—between the porters and the dining tent and the toilet tent, it was easy to forget we were supposed to be camping! And of course, the company, from our Trip Leader Miguel to our fellow travelers, was wonderful as well.

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

I would definitely work with Wilderness Travel again for future trips. The hotels and restaurant ideas were always spot on and a great fit. The mix of hiking, visiting a local market, the shop to see the making of alpaca items, and seeing the culture of Peru was fantastic. Mariela was such a terrific match for us! The drivers were always very courteous and friendly. We felt really taken care of on this trip. When one of my daughters said “where else does Wilderness Travel go?” towards the end of the trip, I knew is was a success! Thanks for making this a special trip for our family.

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

I loved this trip. The fact that we were kept away from the crowds, camped the first and second night at locations far away from others and even the fourth night despite passing by a few groups we had the best view above them. It is evident that there has been a lot of effort in the details to make this unique and unlike the other Inca Trail treks offered by other companies.

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

This was the best trip I have ever been on and made a dream come true in memory of my husband. It was strenuous and difficult but we had a truly spiritual experience, learned a great deal about an amazing civilization, got to know Peru today. It was worth every penny. You don’t know how many people told me to take the train!!! Amazing adventure, a great challenge and a brilliant outcome when we got to the Sun Gate. I would choose Wilderness for any trip that meant a lot!

REVIEWS FROM OUR CLIENTS

Superb trip! Just loved it. The Andes is such a rich area. Natural beauty (mountains, interesting flora and fauna) and such a strong cultural history make for a great trip. And when combined with an excellent leader and support team, the combination is unbeatable.

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Talk to an Expert

Our Latin America Specialists know every detail about our Peru trips. They will be happy to answer any questions and help make sure it’s the right adventure for you. Contact us to learn more or book your trip today!