Have you seen that tall mountain in the background of Machu Picchu and decided “I think that would have a great view”? Well, you should know that that is Huayna Picchu and you can climb to the top for a fantastic view of Machu Picchu. It’s a tough climb, especially if you’ve just spent the last four days hiking the Inca Trail, but it can be a fantastic way to cap off your visit to one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Here’s everything you need to know about hiking Huayna Picchu.
What is Huayna Picchu
Let’s get one thing out of the way first and talk about which mountain is Huayna Picchu. It is the tall mountain in the background of all of the photos of Machu Picchu. That smaller mountain in front of it is Huchuy Picchu. You can climb this smaller mountain, but only during certain times of the year.
I’ll admit that I signed up for the hike not necessarily realizing that Huayna Picchu was the big mountain. I wasn’t alone. My Inca Trail hiking group didn’t believe our guide when he told us that Huayna Picchu was the big mountain. In fact, when my group was standing at Machu Picchu, we actually went and asked another tour guide. He confirmed that our guide was telling the truth. Seeing that mountain in person caused four people in my tour group to drop out of the hike (despite having permits for the mountain).
Permits for Huayna Picchu
It’s not enough to have an entrance ticket to Machu Picchu to climb Huayna Picchu. You must have a specific permit that includes Huayna Picchu.
The permit system seems to change slightly every year, so it’s always a good idea to review the official ticket website well before your arrival to Machu Picchu.
However, at the time of writing, you need a permit for Circuit 3-D. This will take you on the main Circuit 3, but will also allow you to climb Huayna Picchu Mountain. Your permit will come with a timed entry for the mountain. This just helps prevent overcrowding and since the path is very narrow and often has two way traffic, this is a necessary measure. Pay attention to the time on your ticket.
Note that if you are doing the Inca Trail (or one of the alternative treks like the Salkantay Trek), your tour company may take care of purchasing your tickets. Confirm this with your tour company in advance. If they are already purchasing Circuit 3 for you, ask them if you can change it to a Circuit 3-D to include Huayna Picchu.
A Note About Passports
Not only will your permit be checked, but you will also need to have a passport that matches the name on the permit. So if you decide not to hike Huayna Picchu last minute and your friend wants to hike it but doesn’t have a permit, you can’t just hand the permit over.
However.
As mentioned earlier, four people in my Inca Trail group decided to back out of the Huayna Picchu hike last minute. Two other people in my group wanted to do it, but they didn’t have permits. They swapped permits AND passports for two hours. The passport photos did not match the people holding the passports, and although they got some funny looks from the officers checking (one hiker was 28 and holding a passport for someone who was 58), they were still permitted to hike.
The biggest thing is that you have to have a passport that matches the name on the permit or you will be turned away.
Hiking Huayna Picchu
Huayna Picchu is basically straight up. Mostly. It’s deceptive because when you start your hike at the checkpoint, the first quarter mile is Peruvian flat. It’s up and down, but nothing crazy. If you’re like me, you’ll be frustrated that you have to hike down before hiking up. All that downhill (not that there’s much) is just more uphill you’ll have to do later!
Now, it’s a half mile of straight uphill hiking. Over that half mile, you’ll gain nearly 800 feet of elevation, so it’s a very steady (and steep) uphill. Rather than strictly uphill, it’s a lot of stairs. In someways this is great, but in other ways it’s terrible. I’m not particularly tall and there were many stairs that went up to my knee. It’s doable, but you’ll likely be going slow.
In addition to those big stairs, there’s also sections of stairs that are incredibly steep. They are so steep that it’s almost like climbing a ladder and you’ll use both your hands and feet for climbing. We referred to these as “Gringo Killer” stairs on the Inca Trail and I think these are worse than anything we encountered on the trail. They are narrow and steep and there’s just more and more of them.
And if this didn’t sound exciting enough, the trail is two way traffic for most of the way. The good news is that hikers are typically pretty good at allowing people to pass. The downside is that there’s not a lot of space to pass so you’ll need to bring your patience.
Once at the top, you’ll do a loop and get that incredible view of Machu Picchu. It was a tough climb to the top, but that view is a fantastic way to cap off a visit to Machu Picchu. You made it!
Follow the loop to join back to the main path. This loop exists just top help ease the chaos at the top, forcing hikers into a one way system. Just note there is one section in here that involves crouching through a small cave. My hiking group who went the day before warned me of the steep stairs but neglected to mention this. Thanks, guys!
Once you rejoin the main trail, it’s just a matter of following it all the way to the end of the trail. The good news is that it’s easier to breathe on the way down. The bad news is that I felt like we passed so many more people on our descent than on our way up. Again, bring your patience because there will be part of your time that’s spent waiting for other hikers.
Huayna Picchu Hiking Stats
I tracked the hike to Huayna Picchu on my watch. Here’s what I logged.
Distance: 1.4 miles (2.25 kilometers)
Elevation gain: 1,001 feet (305 meters)
Elevation loss: 1,043 feet (318 meters)
Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
How Long Does it Take to Climb Huayna Picchu?
As the previous section stated, I hiked Huayna Picchu in one hour and 55 minutes. That includes my stops for photos, to breathe, and to allow other hikers to pass. I’d say this is a good estimate and you should budget about two hours for your Huayna Picchu climb.
My guide on the Inca Trail told us that it’s 45 minutes up and 45 minutes down. I obviously did it slower than this and now looking back, I feel like the 45 minutes up and 45 minutes down feels a bit ambitious. A guide on the second day said two hours round trip, which is nearly exactly what I did.
That said, you can do it faster. Three people in my hiking group did it the day before me. They hiked up in 35 minutes and back down in 25. How they managed to go that fast, I will never know (though one of the guys is active military and is super fit, so that probably helped).
At the same time, I saw people going much slower than that pace.
In general, I’d start with an estimate of two hours for your hike to Huayna Picchu.
How Difficult is the Huayna Picchu Hike?
Huayna Picchu is difficult, but it’s not impossible. I think the biggest thing is to make sure you go slow and watch your step. I’d rank Huayna Picchu as a moderate to difficult hike.
Do You Need Hiking Poles for Huayna Picchu?
It depends. I recommend leaving your hiking poles behind for Huayna Picchu and I say that as someone who hiked the Inca Trail with poles and was grateful for them the entire time. At the advice of our guides, I left the poles behind.
My guides actually said that hiking poles were banned, but I did pass some hikers using hiking poles. Still, I’d recommend leaving them behind. The trail is narrow and there’s not a lot of space for your hiking poles. In addition, during those narrow sections, there’s typically a cable fixed into the mountain that you can hold onto for stability.
More About the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu
There’s two ways that you can visit Machu Picchu. The first is to arrive via the Inca Trail. After four days of hiking, you’ll arrive at the Sun Gate and cross into Machu Picchu on foot. Note that if you enter this way, you’ll have to exit Machu Picchu and then reenter on a different Circuit to be able to hike Huayna Picchu.
The alternative is to enter via the town of Aguas Calientes. If you take one of the alternative treks (like the Salkantay Trek or the Lares Trek), you’ll finish in Aguas Calientes and join the rest of the non-hikers on the bus from Aguas Calientes to the main entrance of Machu Picchu.
Final Thoughts
I’ll admit that I was having a bad day when I visited Machu Picchu. My trip didn’t go quite as planned and I was a bit disappointed in my actual tour of Machu Picchu. However, I am so glad I hiked Huayna Picchu as it turned my day around and allowed me to cap off my visit to Machu Picchu with a fantastic view and a good experience.
