Cusco, the former Inca capital, is the gateway to Peru’s best-known trekking country and the start (or staging point) for every route in this region. Chief among them is the Inca Trail itself — a strictly permitted, 26-mile stone path built by the Inca and still the only trek that ends by walking directly into Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate at dawn. Because permits are capped and sell out months in advance, the region has grown a strong bench of alternatives: the Salkantay Trek beneath a 6,271m glaciated peak, the Lares Trek through Quechua weaving villages, and the more remote, ruin-studded Choquequirao Trek.
Beyond the Machu Picchu routes, the region is also home to Vinicunca — Rainbow Mountain — whose naturally striped, mineral-banded slopes have made it one of the most photographed trekking destinations in South America, usually combined with a circuit around the Ausangate massif for those wanting more than a single day.
Elevations here run high — most routes cross passes above 4,000m, several above 4,600m — so acclimatisation in Cusco (itself at 3,400m) for a couple of days before setting out is standard practice. The dry season from May to September offers the clearest trails and mountain views; the Inca Trail closes entirely each February for maintenance.
