4 Days
Inca Trail
Cusco to Machu Picchu
Classic Inca Trail 4 Days
Four days on the original Inca road, through cloud forest and mountain passes to the Sun Gate.
Price
On request
About DSL Adventures
Discover Peru With People Who Call Cusco Home
We’re a Cusco-based team planning trips to Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail and the high Andes, with honest advice and the care of people who know these places well.
Who we are
Rooted in Cusco, Planning Trips Across Peru
DSL Adventures is based in Cusco, the old Inca capital and the starting point for most journeys to Machu Picchu.
From here we plan and organize treks, day trips and longer itineraries: the classic Inca Trail, Salkantay and Ausangate, the Sacred Valley, Rainbow Mountain and Humantay Lake, and extensions to Lima, Paracas and Arequipa.
We work the way we would want to be treated as travelers ourselves: clear answers, realistic plans and a real person on the other end of your messages.
Our home
Cusco Is Home
Calling Cusco home means knowing the city beyond the Plaza de Armas: the markets where families shop, the neighborhoods above the center, the festivals that fill the streets in June and the mountains that locals still treat with respect. That everyday knowledge shapes how we plan.
Andean culture is part of daily life here, not a performance. Quechua is spoken in markets and villages, communities still farm terraces their ancestors built, and offerings to Pachamama and to the apus, the mountain spirits, are part of many celebrations. We encourage travelers to meet that culture with curiosity and respect, and we explain what you are seeing along the way.
Local knowledge
What Local Knowledge Means for Your Trip
- Good timing. How the dry and rainy seasons change the trails, when the popular viewpoints get crowded and how permits and entry rules work.
- Pacing for the altitude. Cusco sits at about 3,400 m (11,150 ft). We order your days so the harder activities come after you have adjusted, and suggest starting lower in the Sacred Valley when it helps.
- An honest fit. If a trek is not a good match for your group, we will say so and suggest one that is.
- Clear details. What is included, what is not, and what depends on permits, trains or the weather, before you commit to anything.
Personal planning
How We Plan Your Trip
Every trip starts with a conversation, so we can shape the plan around your dates, your group and the way you like to travel.
- You tell us your plans. Dates, even approximate ones, who is traveling, how active you like to be and what you most want to see. Use the trip planner, email or WhatsApp.
- We suggest a plan. Our team in Cusco reviews your details and replies with options, explaining what each one involves.
- You decide. We adjust the proposal until it fits. Asking questions or requesting a quote never commits you to anything.
- We confirm and send the next steps. Once you accept a proposal, we confirm the details with you and send the payment instructions. Nothing is booked before that.
Culture and adventure
From Inca Stone Paths to Andean Villages
Some travelers come for the challenge of a high pass; others want to walk slowly through a market, a weaving village or a terraced valley. Most trips mix both. These are three of the journeys travelers ask us about most, and a good starting point for your own plan.
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2 Days Machu PicchuSacred Valley to Machu Picchu
Sacred Valley + Machu Picchu 2 Days
A day among the villages and Inca sites of the Sacred Valley, the evening train from Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu the next morning.
Price On request
4 Days TrekSalkantay to Machu Picchu
Salkantay Trek 4 Days
The classic alternative to the Inca Trail: over the Salkantay Pass at about 4,600 m, down into cloud forest and on to Machu Picchu in four days.
Price On request
Compare Inca Trail routes Machu Picchu tours Treks from Cusco Day tours
On the trail
Why Local Guides Matter
A good guide does more than lead the way. At an Inca site or on a mountain pass, a guide explains what you are looking at and why it mattered, reads the weather, watches how each person handles the altitude and knows when it is wiser to slow down or turn back.
Guides from the region add something more: the stories, the Quechua names and the way communities use the land today. That is the kind of guiding we build our trips around.
On the Inca Trail, every group travels with an official tourism guide, as the trail regulation of Peru’s Ministry of Culture and SERNANP requires.
Visual storytelling
Photos and Stories From the Road
Photography and film are part of how we share Peru. We use our own photos wherever we can, and we keep adding images and short videos from the routes, so you can picture each day before you go: the stone steps of the Inca Trail, the circular terraces of Moray, the first light over the Sacred Valley.
Our Travel Guide follows the same idea: practical advice written in Cusco, with the date each article was last checked against official sources.
Our approach
What You Can Expect From Us
- Straight answers, even when the honest answer is “not this time.”
- Plans built around your pace, your group and the season.
- Clear information on what is included and what can change.
- Respect for the places we visit and for the people who live and work there.
- Real people on email and WhatsApp, from your first question to the end of your trip.
- Responsible Travel
How to visit Cusco’s trails, sites and communities with respect.
- Contact Us
Email, WhatsApp or a short message form.
Cusco
How Many Days in Cusco? Sample Itineraries from 3 to 7 Days
How many days to plan for Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, with day-by-day plans for 3, 5 and 7 days, a slower family version and tips for fitting in a trek.
7 min read
Cusco
Cusco Altitude: How to Acclimatize and Avoid Altitude Sickness
How high Cusco is, what the altitude feels like, a calm plan for your first 48 hours, why starting in the Sacred Valley helps and how many days to allow before a trek.
7 min read
Peru Travel
10 Days in Peru: A First-Timer’s Itinerary from the US
A realistic 10-day route for a first trip to Peru from the United States: Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, then Paracas or Arequipa, with booking and travel tips.
9 min read
Machu Picchu
Best Time to Visit Machu Picchu (Weather, Crowds and Light)
When to see Machu Picchu at its best: the dry and rainy seasons, crowds month by month, the best time of day for views and light, and the dates that fill up first.
6 min read
Plan your trip
Let’s Plan Your Trip Together
Tell us your dates, who’s traveling and what you’d love to see. Our team in Cusco will reply with honest suggestions and clear next steps.