After an early breakfast you start the walk. The porters are still busy taking down tents, but will quickly catch up with you during the walk.

This second day you will pass the highest point of the trek, the 'Dead Woman Pass' (Warmiwañusca), at 4,215 meters. The views from the top are magnificent and you can see the Salkantay and Veronika mountains up close. After this pass you will descend to the camping spot for this night, Pacaymayu.

This day is considered by most hikers to be the toughest day. The distance you cover on foot is not very long, but the many ascents and descents on stairs at this altitude make it a tough walk today. Walk at your own pace and do not be rushed by others who walk faster. It is impossible to get lost and you have more than enough time to arrive today. Because you started early in the morning, you will arrive back at the campsite early in the afternoon.
Walking time: approximately 7 hours.

In the morning you walk to Runkurakay. This day you walk on the original Inca trail through beautiful forests, the habitat of animals such as the puma. After a second mountain pass you arrive at the ruins of Sayaqmatka. Then you walk through the jungle where you see many tropical flowers and colorful orchids. Along the way you see remains of the Sayacmarca, Conchamarca and Puyupatamarca ruins. This last ruin is on the third and last mountain pass of this day. You spend the night at the Wiñayhuayna base camp, an impressive and well-preserved Inca site, at an altitude of 2650 meters.

Unlike the first 2 nights, this is the only camping spot at this location. This means that all hikers who started with you on day 1 (500 in number) will spend the night here. This can make it quite restless here tonight. There are a small number of showers and electricity points at this camping spot that many people want to use, so expect that you will not be able to shower or charge your phone/camera tonight either.
Walking time: approximately 8 hours

Tip: On day 4 you will most likely not see the porters anymore. Porters earn little and are therefore dependent on tips. Make sure you tip the porters by the end of day 3 at the latest and give this tip to the porters yourself, then you know for sure that they really get the money they deserve.

Today you will be woken up by your guide at 4 in the morning. You will leave early to be at Intipunku at sunrise, from where you can see the ruins of Machu Picchu. The weather has to be a bit nice, but the most magical thing you can experience is that Machu Picchu is still shrouded in clouds, the clouds disappear because of the sun's warmth of the rising sun and you can see the ruins of Machu Picchu better and better through the clouds. This is really so beautiful!

From Intipunku (also called the sun gate) you walk to Machu Picchu itself in about an hour. In the morning you will get an archaeological tour of the complex from your guide. After this you will have some time to wander around the complex yourself.

In the afternoon you will leave by bus to the village of Aguas Calientes, about half an hour's drive from Machu Picchu. In this village there are many restaurants where you can have lunch and there is also the possibility to visit the hot springs of Aguas Calientes. In Aguas Calientes you will take the train to Cusco in the middle of the afternoon. Your guide will tell you whether you have to get off in Ollantaytambo and from this village you will be taken to the city of Cusco by private bus or whether you will travel directly by train from Aguas Calientes to the town of Poroy and from there you will be taken to Cusco by private bus. Upon arrival in Cusco you will be taken to your hotel and you will have gained an experience of the Inca Trail Peru!