Practical planning advice from people based in Cusco: permits, tickets, altitude, seasons and honest trek comparisons, checked against official sources.
The questions we answer most often, from permits and tickets to the altitude in Cusco.
Inca Trail
Permits for the Inca Trail are limited, personal and sold only through licensed operators. Here’s how the system works, how far ahead to plan and what to do if your dates are gone.
9 min read
Machu Picchu
Three circuits, ten routes and no switching once you’re inside. What each Machu Picchu route covers, how hard it is, and which one fits your visit.
Machu Picchu
Where to buy official Machu Picchu tickets, how circuits and entry times work, what the September 2026 rules changed and the mistakes that cost travelers their visit.
Cusco
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.
Permits, costs, seasons, gear and difficulty: the practical side of walking the Inca road to Machu Picchu, and how to choose between two days and four.
Explore Inca Trail tours
Inca Trail
What makes one Inca Trail price different from another: permits, the route, the support team, what’s included and the extras worth budgeting for, including tips.
Tickets, circuits, getting there and the best time to go: what to sort out before your visit to the citadel, explained plainly.
See Machu Picchu toursMachu Picchu
Three circuits, ten routes and no switching once you’re inside. What each Machu Picchu route covers, how hard it is, and which one fits your visit.
Machu Picchu
Where to buy official Machu Picchu tickets, how circuits and entry times work, what the September 2026 rules changed and the mistakes that cost travelers their visit.
Machu Picchu
Train from Ollantaytambo or Cusco, the Inca Trail and other treks, or the long road to Hidroeléctrica: every way to reach Machu Picchu, and how to get up to the ruins.
Machu Picchu
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.
Altitude, how many days to plan, what to do in the city and traveling with children, from a team that lives here.
Explore Cusco
Cusco
What to see and do in Cusco, from the Qorikancha and the Inca walls to San Blas, the San Pedro market and the Inca sites above the city, with tips from our team.
Honest comparisons of the treks and day hikes around Cusco, from Salkantay and Ausangate to Rainbow Mountain and Humantay Lake.
Compare our treks
Trekking
A side-by-side look at the two most popular treks to Machu Picchu: scenery and history, difficulty and altitude, permits, camps, crowds and who each one suits.
Trekking
Salkantay, Lares, the Inca Jungle, Choquequirao and Ausangate compared: days, altitude, difficulty, which ones end at Machu Picchu and how to choose.
Trekking
Two famous day hikes from Cusco compared: altitude and effort, scenery, crowds, weather and fees, whether to do both, and the quieter 7 Lakes of Ausangate.
Trekking
What the Ausangate trek is really like: the route options, altitude and cold, the herding communities along the way, the best months and who it suits.
The active route to Machu Picchu by bike and on foot, and how to pick the version that suits your time and energy.
Inca Jungle
Same bike descent, same Machu Picchu finish: how the three- and four-day Inca Jungle routes differ in pace, hiking, optional activities and who each one suits.
Planning a first trip to Peru: how to link Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu and the coast or Arequipa in a realistic route.
Peru Travel
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.
Guides with rules that change are checked against official sources and dated.
Every trip is different. Tell us your dates and what you have in mind, and our team in Cusco will reply with clear, honest advice.