Llama Trail to Machu Picchu with Domes 4D/3N

We pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at around 6:30 a.m., depending on where you are staying. This journey follows two different Inca trails, both of which begin at the same point: Qorikancha. Here, your guide will explain the ceque system—the lines extending from the temple that helped organize Tawantinsuyu. The Inca Trail you will hike on the third day follows one of those lines.
Your first walk begins right in the historic center: along cobblestone streets, past the Twelve-Angled Stone and the Sapantiana aqueduct, followed by a steady climb to Sacsayhuamán, where enormous stone blocks fit together without mortar. This is where the city gives way to the mountains.
Around midday, we reach the Devil's Balcony, with the Cusco valley stretching out below. Our chefs serve the lunch they have prepared for the group right here.
The afternoon takes us to two lesser-visited sites. Ñustapakana is a rocky outcrop carved with steps, niches, and seats, offering panoramic views of the city's red rooftops. Then comes Piedra Resbalosa, often called the Inca slide, a broad slab of polished rock where the carved channels can still be seen.
We take our time: this first day also helps you acclimatize for the rest of the trip. By sunset, you reach our dome camp and check in. You can join an optional rock-climbing activity before ending the day with a hot dinner under a sky free from city lights.

Meals: Lunch prepared by our chefs and dinner.
 Accommodation: Mountain dome (glamping), with a bed, warm bedding, and shared facilities.
Difficulty: Moderate.
Distance: Approximately 9 km / 5.6 mi.
Maximum altitude: Approximately 3,850 m / 12,631 ft.
Sites visited: Qorikancha, Sacsayhuamán, Ñustapakana, and Piedra Resbalosa.
Weather: Mild during the day and cold at night.

Day two prepares you for what lies ahead. After breakfast, you leave the domes and tackle a two-hour climb along an Inca trail to Ruyaq Corralniyoc, at 4,100 m (13,451 ft). The trees disappear, high-altitude grassland takes over, and birds of prey circle above the ravines.
At this altitude, technique matters: take short steps, keep your breathing steady, and if you need a break, stop standing for a few seconds rather than sitting down repeatedly. Your guide sets the pace.
Higher up lie the six Sihua lagoons, lined up one after another. You may spot Andean geese and wild ducks at the first, grazing llamas at the second, and the third is the largest along this stretch. Watch from the trail, keeping your distance and using a zoom lens if you have one. Do not feed the animals: high-altitude vegetation can take years to recover from even a single step off the path.
Our chefs serve lunch beside the lagoons before the final push. Abra Pukamarca, at 4,200 m (13,779 ft), is the highest point. From there, you descend through a canyon that grows warmer with every bend. The grassland gives way to shrubs and cacti, and the Sacred Valley appears between two mountains.
The descent brings you to Huchuy Qosqo, or Little Cusco, with its double-jamb doorway, a large hall built of adobe and stone, agricultural terraces, a water channel, and storehouses. This administrative center is attributed to Inca Wiracocha. Because it can only be reached on foot, you may have the place almost to yourself.
From here, you descend to Lamay, where our transport takes you to Ollantaytambo. You will spend the night in town, just a few minutes from the train station. Tomorrow, at 5:30 a.m., you begin the second Inca trail of this journey.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch prepared by our chefs.
Accommodation: Three-star hotel in Ollantaytambo.
Difficulty: Moderate to challenging.
Distance: Approximately 15 km / 9.3 mi.
Maximum altitude: Abra Pukamarca, 4,200 m / 13,779 ft.
Sites visited: Ruyaq Corralniyoc, Sihua lagoons, Abra Pukamarca, and Huchuy Qosqo.
Weather: Cold in the highlands and mild during the descent into the valley.

Day three begins before dawn. At around 5:30 a.m., we pick you up from your hotel in Ollantaytambo and take you to the station to board the train toward Km 104, the starting point of the Short Inca Trail. You will watch the sunrise through the window as the train follows the river.
At Km 104, you cross the suspension bridge over the Urubamba River and pass through the official checkpoint, where your passport and permit are registered. The hike begins at Chachabamba, a complex of buildings and ceremonial fountains beside the river that once served as a checkpoint along the trail. Few people stop here, so you may have it almost to yourself.
From Chachabamba, the trail climbs for about three hours, through scenery completely different from yesterday's. The dry highlands give way to cloud forest, with ferns, orchids, and bromeliads hanging from the trees, and moisture in the air. We climb at a comfortable pace, stopping for water along the way.
The reward comes in two stages. First is Wiñay Wayna, one of the most beautiful places on the route: a fan of terraces clinging to the mountainside beside a waterfall. Then, after one last short climb, you reach Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, the entrance through which the Incas approached the citadel. From here, you catch your first complete view of Machu Picchu in the distance.
In the afternoon, you descend toward the citadel area and take the bus to Aguas Calientes. After checking into your hotel, your guide will confirm the exact time of your visit the following day.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch or a box lunch, depending on the confirmed program.
Accommodation: Hotel in Aguas Calientes.
Difficulty: Moderate.
Distance: Approximately 12 km / 7.5 mi.
Maximum altitude: Sun Gate, approximately 2,745 m / 9,006 ft.
Sites visited: Chachabamba, Wiñay Wayna, and the Sun Gate (Inti Punku).
Weather: Mild and humid, with cloud forest along the route.

On your final day, there is no hike to reach Machu Picchu: it is just a 25-minute bus ride up the mountain. After breakfast at the hotel, you head to the bus stop according to your confirmed entry time. Unlike yesterday, today you enter through the main gate, with time to explore.
With your guide, you visit the areas included in your ticket and assigned circuit: the terraces, urban sector, temples, and ceremonial plazas. After two days walking parts of the same network of trails that connects these places, the citadel takes on a different meaning. It is no longer just a picture-perfect landmark, but the final point in a network you began exploring at Qorikancha.
After your visit, you take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes, with time to have lunch at your own expense or explore the town before boarding the train to Ollantaytambo. Our transport will be waiting at the station to take you back to Cusco, where the tour ends at your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast. Lunch in Aguas Calientes is at your own expense.
Accommodation: Not applicable; the tour ends in Cusco.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate.
Distance: Approximately 4 km / 2.5 mi within the citadel, depending on the confirmed circuit.
Maximum altitude: Machu Picchu, approximately 2,430 m / 7,972 ft.
Sites visited: Machu Picchu.
Weather: Cool in the morning and warmer during the day.