It’s a given that you’ll want to choose one of the best TOP Inca Trail tour operators for your trek to Machu Picchu in 2025 – 2026. One with a good reputation, that fits your budget, and that offers the style of trek you really want (simple or luxury, two-day or four-day, group tour or private).
The Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu is considered to be one of the most amazing hikes in the world! This historically renowned trail was built approximately 900 years ago by the Incas to connect their capital city of Cusco to the Sacred Citadel of Machu Picchu. Today tourists start their hike from KM82, which is located along the railway leading to the town just south of Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes. This challenging hike offers trekkers incredible vistas of the Andes as they travel the total distance of 45km /26 miles. Understandably, access to the Inca Trail is extremely regulated by the Peruvian government. Entrance to the trail is restricted by a permit process and only 500 permits are issued per day. Everybody entering the trail, trekkers and trekking staff, needs a permit so they sell out quickly. A typical day on the trail consists of approximately 200 trekking tourists and 300 trekking staff made up of guides, chef’s and porters
If you are beginning your search for an Inca Trail tour operator, this list is a good place to start. There are more than 200 licensed Inca Trail operators in Peru. This list includes some of the most well-established and reputable Peru-based companies.
We have put together a list (below) featuring some of the best TOP Inca Trail operators based in Peru, based on a few different criteria. This includes personal experience with a number of companies (be it trekking, kayaking or other); recommendations from friends and colleagues working within the Peruvian tourism industry, especially in Cusco; and positive reviews in travel guides and travel websites, like TripAdvisor and travelers blogs.
We don’t claim that this is a definitive list; there are certainly other tour companies, both new and old, that probably deserve to be featured here but aren’t. You can recommend a company in the comments section below and we can add that one too.
The list takes a variety of recommendations into account including Machu Picchu tour companies that are featured regularly in the latest Peru travel guidebooks, review sites, travel forums, as well as some personal insight.
All of these companies are based in Peru, so the money you spend should stay in Peru. Besides being more sustainable, local companies have more updated information and usually have better guides too. All these companies offer alternative treks to Machu Picchu, as well as various other tours around Cusco and beyond.
*** Inca Trail Permits are officially on Sale for 2025 season!
“Our company’s mission and goals are to lead by example by being a socially responsible tour operator. As we trek through the Andes day after day, we want to share our love, respect and commitment to our local communities and surrounding environment by holding events such as our annual clean up campaigns. We raise awareness and also help maintain our beautiful and pristine trails by removing all the litter from the trails and regenerating our forests.
Web site: https://www.samtravelperu.com/
Orange Nation Peru is a company that has a social responsibility to contribute to the well-being of society and the environment in which it operates. As a socially responsible organization, Orange Nation Peru strives to create a positive impact on the communities its serves by running a variety of educational workshops.
Web site: https://www.orange-nation-peru.com/
We aim to have a positive impact in all the communities we visit. Through our training sessions and social projects, we empower women, indigenous communities and the youth. We are committed to working in a way that is socially and environmentally conscious with the aim of promoting a positive change.
Web site: https://www.glampingperutreks.com
It’s important to us that our communities and staff benefit from tourism and are able to sustain themselves. A Peruvian based business that helps to create employment throughout Peru and helps to alleviate poverty. Our goal is touch the most untouched and hard to reach areas in Peru.
Web site: https://www.samcorporations.com/
Welcome to 69 Explorer, a premier tour operator based in the heart of Cusco, Peru. As a company born and nurtured in the lap of the Andes, we specialize in creating unforgettable travel experiences in one of the world’s most enchanting destinations
Web site: https://www.69xplorer.com/
As noted earlier, there are plenty of Inca Trail operators out there, some good, some bad, some in-between. Here are some more companies with a generally positive reputation:
As for non-Peruvian International Inca Trail operators, there are companies like SAM Corporations and Intrepid Travel that offer treks, typically as part of a larger package. These larger international tour operators often use local operators to actually run their treks.
Generally speaking, if you just want to book a trek along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, or any alternative route, it’s best to use a truly local company. But if you want a full package (for example, Lima to Cusco to Machu Picchu and back again, all included), then a well-known international tour company might be worth considering but it will be more expensive than traveling to Cusco independently and then using a local company.
Just got back from our wonderful trip two days ago! Our group was a group of adult siblings/SOs ( age 27-35) with our 64-year-old parents. Most if not all of the positive reviews you see are similar to what my family experienced, so sharing a few other highlights that may get a little less shine:
Amanda A
January 19, 2024Just got back from our wonderful trip two days ago! Our group was a group of adult siblings/SOs ( age 27-35) with our 64-year-old parents. Most if not all of the positive reviews you see are similar to what my family experienced, so sharing a few other highlights that may get a little less shine:
Amanda A
January 19, 2024Just got back from our wonderful trip two days ago! Our group was a group of adult siblings/SOs ( age 27-35) with our 64-year-old parents. Most if not all of the positive reviews you see are similar to what my family experienced, so sharing a few other highlights that may get a little less shine:
Amanda A
January 19, 2024Just got back from our wonderful trip two days ago! Our group was a group of adult siblings/SOs ( age 27-35) with our 64-year-old parents. Most if not all of the positive reviews you see are similar to what my family experienced, so sharing a few other highlights that may get a little less shine:
Amanda A
January 19, 2024Just got back from our wonderful trip two days ago! Our group was a group of adult siblings/SOs ( age 27-35) with our 64-year-old parents. Most if not all of the positive reviews you see are similar to what my family experienced, so sharing a few other highlights that may get a little less shine:
Amanda A
January 19, 2024Just got back from our wonderful trip two days ago! Our group was a group of adult siblings/SOs ( age 27-35) with our 64-year-old parents. Most if not all of the positive reviews you see are similar to what my family experienced, so sharing a few other highlights that may get a little less shine:
Amanda A
January 19, 2024
All our guides have many years of experience in the industry and come highly recommended. They are fully versed in the values and vision of Spider Travel and will provide a service inline with those values. Our guides are knowledgeable and passionate about Inca Heritage and culture and in Peru as a whole. They dedicate themselves to continuous professional development and growth to ensure that you receive the most recent accurate and recognized theories about Inca and Andean culture. They are well educated, usually holding a degree in more than one field of study and can therefore hold a conversation on a broad spectrum of issues. Finally, expect to have an amazing time while trekking, our guides are fun loving and great sportsmen.
Our porters personify hard work. We employ about 90 porters from local communities. They are mostly farmers by trade and are native Quechua speakers. They mainly come from the indigenous communities around the trail. We refer to our super porters as ¨Red Machine¨. This is because they work hard during the treks but carrying duffel bags, camping gear, and more! It is important to us that we employ porters from local villages because we are supporting them to become self-efficient and helping communities grow their economy to better the quality of lives.
We provide the following items to our porters and cooks for free: Working insurance, Jacket, sun hat, warm hat, t-shirt, pants, hiking boots, comfortable duffle bags, canteen, girdle for protecting their spine, sleeping bags, mattress.
Our porters are what make everything look seamless and smooth. They have your tent ready before your arrival in your tent and most importantly they significantly lighten that camping gear load.
This is where youth comes in handy. Our chefs are fully trained to provide the most scrumptious, abundant and simply mouthwatering meals in the outdoors with limited equipment. Our chefs prepare the best of fusion cooking that includes Peruvian and International dishes, using organic local and exotic ingredients. Our chefs are very versatile, serving even better specialty dishes for those with food allergies and specific dietary requirements. It has been a highlight for a majority of our hikers and we have yet to disappoint a trekker. Enjoy a complete and immersive culinary experience while trekking through the rugged Andes Mountains.
Enjoy a good night sleep in our 4 season igloo waterproof, spacious and professional EUREKA tent. All our tents are 4 person tents. ONLY 2 people will sleep in each, leaving lots of room to spread out comfortably and store your duffel bag. They also include a little vestibule in front, giving you some extra outdoor space to leave your boots and walking poles so you don’t have to bring the dirt inside. We also bring our own portable camping toilet, so you can use our clean facilities instead of the ones provided by the government. Our dining tent is spacious, with room to hangout during meal time and get to know your fellow hikers and guide.
