Inca Trail vs Alternative Trek to Machu Picchu

Written by: Sam Travel | 30 June, 2016

WHAT IS AN INCA TRAIL TREK?

The Classic Inca Trail Trek is one of the most popular hikes in the world! It leads to the mysterious citadel of Machu Picchu, UNESCO World Heritage Site and New 7 Wonder of the World, through the amazing Sun Gate. It is also known for its high quality spectacular archeological ruins along the Inca trail. Since 2001 the Peruvian government has enforced a quota and permit regulation, in order to preserve the 500 year-old trail. 

trail. Since 2001 the Peruvian government has enforced a quota and permit regulation, in order to preserve the 500 year-old trail. 

Below are all of the SAM Travel Treks that are part of the Inca Trail: 

WHAT IS AN ALTERNATIVE TREK?

An alternative trek is an alternative option of a trek instead of the classic Inca Trail, also in the Andes Mountains and Cusco region.  The classic Inca Trail Trek is one of the most popular and well known, but unfortunately it sells out very quickly and bookings must be made well in advance.

There are some great alternative treks that still lead to Machu Picchu.  These are gaining in more popularity as they become more well known.  These are not restricted by the government so they are available any time of the year.  The two most popular are the Lares trek 4D/3N or the Salkantay trek 5D/4N.  There are others that do not end at Machu Picchu, such as Choquequirao 5/4N, a new lost city of the Incas larger than Machu Picchu.

The actual hiking views on these Alternative Treks to Machu Picchu might be even more spectacular than what you see on the Inca Trail but instead of hiking directly into the ruins, your trek ends at Aguas Calientes and spend the night there in a hotel. These treks tend to be less crowded and you still have the Machu Picchu tour the next day and in fact get to the ruins 2 hours before the Inca Trail trekkers. On clear mornings you will see the sun rising over Machu Picchu the surrounding mountains.

All Alternative Treks of Sam Travel that end at Machu Picchu are:

What Makes the Inca Trail so Special?

  • It’s one of the most famous treks in the world
  • It hikes right into Machu Picchu using the Royal Road of the Incas – no other trek does this
  • You arrive at the Sun Gate with an impressive view over Machu Picchu at dawn
  • It has a wonderful array of fascinating ruins every day
  • Breathtaking scenery – from snowcapped mountains to dense lush cloud forest and jungle
  • Good facilities and toilets are available at the campsites
  • Despite large amounts of people, there are still moments for solitude in the mountains
  • The feeling of completing a very famous trek
  • Hiking through the ancient path to Machu Picchu

What may be inconvenient on the Inca Trail?

  • 500 people depart every day. (this includes tourists and trekking staff)
  • You need to book about 4 months in advance for high season and you MUST make the date you booked for. No changes are allowed. If someone cancels, then their permit will not be used. There is no waiting list
  • Many groups are as large as 25 people. (SAM Travel Peru maximum group size is just 8 people)
  • Campsites are very full, with full facilities – it’s not exactly a wilderness or adventure camping experience

Good aspects of the alternative treks

  • Trekking “OFF the beaten track,” exploring new places no one else goes
  • On some of the treks you may be the only group departing that day
  • A sense of adventure and discovering new trails
  • Real wilderness camping
  • Isolation and remote atmosphere
  • Incredible Mountainous views and lots of wildlife
  • Lots of herds of Alpaca, Llamas, and Vicuña
  • What is lacking in ruins is usually made up by cultural interaction and the meeting of locals
  • You still get to trek to Machu Picchu and experience the same tour of Machu Picchu as the Inca Trail
  • You get to be at Machu Picchu in time for sun rise

Some inconveniences of the alternative trails

  • You don’t walk into Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate, because you get the bus up to Machu Picchu.
  • They are not as well known (but are becoming more well known such as the Lares & Salkantay treks) therefore there may be some concerns that you are making the best choice for you.
  • There are not the high quality spectacular ruins along the other treks that you will find along the Inca trail.
  • You will need to spend the night before your Machu Picchu visit in Aguas Calientes, we recommend you take the bus up in the morning of your visit.
  • When you get home, no one is going to say “WOW,” “You did the Lares or Salkantay trek!” (That is changing as they become more well known)

Join the thousands of satisfied customers who rate us #1 on TripAdvisor

Bernie s 2023/03/02

Had a great trip with our guide Ray Herrera and driver Alfredo. Lots of good experiences in a short period of time 4 days. Learnt a lot not just about the main tourist destinations but Peru in general by Ray. Ray has a passion for Inca history and local produce. Ray knows all the good photo spots and we managed the sun out every day .. Good culture and if you want to get on a tour ask for Ray at Sams Travel = amazing

Tanya H 2023/03/02

Ray was our Tour Guide and Alfredo was our driver for a 4 day tour we did with SAM Travel Peru. Ray's knowledge of the history of Cusco and Machu Picchu was outstanding. Ray was very accommodating with all our needs. He stayed alongside us when trekking and helped where he could. His sense of humour was pleasant to be around. Ray spoke very good English. He is such a nice guy. I would strongly recommend Ray to be your tour guide to visit Machu Picchu. Ray explained everyday what the plans were for the next day, which was reassuring what we needed to take etc

Captanjack 2023/01/012

Our 1 day tour thru the Sacred Vally with Danny was wonderful. He was very knowledgeable and able to answer all our questions in detail. I would recommend asking for him personally if you are able.

Sherry 2022/12/26

We booked the Classic Cusco to Machu Picchu tour with SAM travel which we really had a good experience. SAM travel is very responsive during the communication and cater to our changes needed. Our guide is Ray who is also an very awesome guide. He is knowledgeable, patient, humorous as well reliable, he help us take many good photos and also go extra mile to help with our request. Thanks Ray! Thanks SAM travel that gave us good memories in Peru! Highly recommend if you consider booking any tour in Cusco.

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C Clark 2023/01/20

Wow. We had such an incredible experience in Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Our guide, Dayvit, is the most knowledgeable guide we have ever had. He has such an extensive knowledge of the history and is very friendly and helpful. If you are planning a trip to Peru, I highly recommend SAM travel and be sure to request Dayvit!

Emma Dinzebach Clark 2023/01/10

2 day tour sacred valley / Machu Picchu highly recommend! David was the best tour guide. He knows an incredible amount about Incan culture and is personable and funny. He also kept us up to date on a political situation happening when we were there and was informative. Overall, this tour checks all the boxes. Thank you!

Nupur Joshi 2023/01/02

We used SAM Travel for a 2D/1N trip from Cusco to Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu on Dec 25-26, 2022. The team was good with communication from the start - both Saul and Junior were very helpful and professional with answering any questions and clearing up any misunderstandings. Our guide, Miguel, was prompt, pleasant, and quite knowledgeable. We enjoyed his company and insight over the 2 day trip and recommend him to anyone booking with SAM Travel.

Xueying Chen 2022/12/20

We booked the Classic Cusco to Machu Picchu tour with SAM travel which we really had a good experience. SAM travel is very responsive during the communication and cater to our changes needed. Our guide is Ray who is also an very awesome guide. He is knowledgeable, patient, humorous as well reliable, he help us take many good photos and also go extra mile to help with our request. Thanks Ray! Thanks SAM travel that gave us good memories in Peru! Highly recommend if you consider booking any tour in Cusco.

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Brandon Slater 2022/09/30

My wife and I just completed two excursions with SAM Travel Peru and we absolutely loved them. We did the 4 Day Salkantay Wilderness + Machu Picchu and then the 2-Day Rainbow Mountain + 7 Lakes trek with guide Carlos Estrada, chefs Nerio & Lucio, and horseman Unarato. Over the last 6 days we have learned so much about the Inca culture, discovered some of the most incredible sights, and ate delicious food every step of the way. We would definitely recommend SAM Travel (especially with Carlos!) to anyone that wants an incredible Peruvian adventure. The Wilderness trek is a much quieter trail than the standard Salkantay and goes a bit higher elevation, but camping at the base of Salkantay was incredible. Carlos's guided tour through Machu Picchu was so informative. We would have missed so much without him taking the time to share his knowledge.

Kellie Taylor 2022/04/06

Big thanks to David he was an amazing tour guide who really cared for our group. He allowed us to go at our own pace and was a brilliant photographer He was really funny and is full of interesting information & his passion for his inca ancestors is very obvious and warming. He also brought us to great restaurants! This company are very good and from what I can recall were cheaper than most. Thank you!

Mike Geelhoed 2021/06/10

They took care of everything! Saul the owner is very responsive and helpful. Johnny our guide was fantastic, as were our chef, assistant chef and horsemen. I can’t recommend them highly enough and will definitely use them again if we return to Peru!

Janice-Kaneki Chen 2020/01/28

Three of us decided to choose Sam Travel Peru, reason being is it is a local travel company that help indegenious communities. We picked Lares Trek 4D3N to have cultural experience while hiking. Good foods provided by talented Mario Chef! Johnny is our tour guide, very helpful tour guide. He even helped me to carry my daypack as I was too exhausted to carry it on day 1 hiking. Strongly recommend to those like to have local experience while hiking.

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