Inca Trail to Ingapirca

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Overview

Available languages

English
Spanish

10 hours

Mobile ticket

The Inca Trail is by far the most famous trek in South America. Our tour takes you to the Ecuador's Major Inca Trail, in just 6 miles (10km) we combine beautiful mountain scenery and the stunning mix of Inca paving stones.

Highlights:

• Hike a portion of one of the most famous Inca trails and enjoy the pristine Ecuadorian paramo.

• Visit the largest Inca archaeological site in Ecuador and the only elliptical temple in the Inca empire

• Enjoy the beauty of the Ecuadorian Andes while you drive through the fertile ranchland of the countryside.

Additional Info

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

A moderate amount of hiking is involved

Operates in all weather conditions, please contact us for more details

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

1

In just 6 miles (10km) Our tour takes you through the pristine Ecuadorian paramo hiking a portion of Ecuador’s best preserved Inca Trail. Made up of a 7 meter wide stone road that follows the high mountain ridges of the Andes, in the ancient times this trail connected Quito to Cusco. Along the route we will pass by a beautiful lagoon called Culebrillas, ranches and Incan Tampus (stone buildings constructed by the Incas, where Chasquis or Incan messengers took refuge hundreds of years ago)

Admission Not Applicable
2

Ingapirca Ruins

Reaching a maximum elevation of 4,100 m (13,276 ft.) above sea level, making it one of the highest points of the Royal Road in the entire Incan Empire. We finish our hike at San José village where hikers often receive a warm welcome by local children. Afterwards, we will visit Ingapirca archeological site, considered to be the most important Incan site in Ecuador. Here you will explore both cultures, Cañaris and Incas

Admission Not Included

What‘s Included

All fees and taxes

Lunch

Professional Tour Guide (Licensed)

Transport by private vehicle

Gratuities

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Options

3-day Achupallas-Ingapirca

Duration: 3 days
Breakfast 2, Lunch 3, Dinner 2
Private Tour for your party
Pickup included

1-Day Culebrillas-Ingapirca

Duration: 12 hours
Lunch
Private Tour: You will have a private and flexible tour only for you and your party
Pickup included

Reviews

4.80

5 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

4
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  • very friendly guide,...

    JACQUELINE S,Nov 18, 2025

    - Review from Viator

    4.00

    very friendly guide, wanted to tell us a lot, however there was sometimes a language barrier. In 1 hour we went up 800 m and that was pretty tough. We could have taken longer because we still had to wait 40 min for the driver because the driver did not answer his phone.

  • Easy booking an cancellation

    milester,Jan 14, 2024

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    The booking process for this tour was very easy and felt very secure. We ended up having to cancel at the last minute since we decided to postpone our trip to Cuenca because of recent unrest. Cuenca Bestours were willing to cancel our tour and processed a full refund within a couple of days. We will definitely book with them again when we return.

  • stunning mountain hike and impressive historic ruins

    Sasha I,Jun 23, 2023

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    A highlight of our trip to Ecuador! The hike starts at the beautiful Laguna Culebrillas. We walked past ruins, along the mountains, on the Inca Trail, and finished at the Ingapirca ruins. Absolutely stunning mountain views the entire time. Our guide, Wilson, was fantastic! He was perfectly professional and extremely knowledgeable; we learned a lot over the course of the day.

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  • Incredible Trek through Sangay Park

    Porquekay,Sep 13, 2022

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    The hike was incredible, Juan was so knowledgeable about the landscape, plants, and animals. We were the only people we saw for the entire hike and had Sangay all to ourselves! El trek fue increíble, Juan tuve mucho conocimiento sobre el paisaje y la naturaleza. Fuimos solos en todo el trek y no vimos a nadie.

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  • A Great Experience from Beginning to End

    Nicki E,Sep 25, 2021

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    While staying in Cuenca, we did two half-day hikes at nearby national parks. Both were arranged ahead of time through Cuenca Bestours. Great communication all the way along, and our guides were wonderful. Each tour included pick up and drop off at our hotel. The Ingapirka/Inca Trail hike started in Sangay National Park at Laguna Culebrillas. From there our guide, Luis, led us along a portion of the Inca trail that once connected Quito with Cusco, including a stop at the ruins of an Incan way station. We never saw a single other hiker along the way—just a couple of caballeros going in the opposite direction. It was a fairly easy hike, not too much going up, but it’s soggy and there was a lot of puddle & stream jumping toward the end, so we were glad to have waterproof boots because our shiny new hikers were COVERED in mud by the end of the hike. I also recommend wearing quick-drying wool socks because I sometimes slammed a foot into water that flooded my entire boot. This biosphere was also a paramo, but it felt different from Cajas. Cajas is, like, this crazy terrain that completely changes every time you turn a corner, whereas the scenery along this portion of the Inka Trail is more uniform with incredible views of mountainscapes and clouds. We hiked for 3 ½ hours with gorgeous views, and then a driver brought us to the town of Ingapirka where we relaxed in a local restaurant and enjoyed a hot lunch and warm Ecuadorian moonshine (which I suspect was a perk of being with Luis, a homegrown Ingapirkan). Next came a short guided tour of the Ingapirka ruins. It was interesting to see the blending of Cañari and Incan traditions in the structure, and Luis provided great background to what we were looking at. The drive from and back to Cuenca was an hour and a half each way. Luis pointed out interesting sites along the way and told their stories. He was also happy to stop along the road when we wanted to take a picture. Once you get to the town of Ingapirka, it’s a very bumpy vertical drive of almost an hour to the starting point of the hike.

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From US$120.00

4.80
(5 reviews)