Four days of original Inca paving through cloud forest and over the 4,215-metre Dead Woman's Pass, ending at the Sun Gate with Machu Picchu arranged below at dawn — the Inca Trail earns its fame honestly. Permits are capped at 500 people a day including porters and vanish months out, so book early through a licensed operator, ideally one certified for porter welfare. Acclimatise in Cusco for two or three days first; the pass punishes the impatient.
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