The Inca Trail is one of the longest trails in the World.
It runs in the Andes, connecting important spots of the region. Also known in Spanish as “El Camino Inca”, the ancient road system has a length of 22.530 km (yes, kilometers, not meters!) and an average width variating between 1 and 2 meters. The trails stretch like veins across the western part of South America, starting from north of the city Quito in Ecuador, down through Peru and Bolivia to south of Santiago in Chile.
The trails reach heights above 5.000 m. It is hard to believe today how the chasquis used to run at such altitudes carrying messages. Even to experienced hikers, walking several km can be exhausting. A chasqui could run over 240 km a day.
Over 2.000 “tambos”, sort-of inns were built along the trails to ensure food for those passing by, including the chasquis.
What you’ll find most often referred to as “The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu” is actually a small part of the road system. Many people mistakenly think that it is only that short part that’s called “The Inca Trail”. It is one of the most well preserved ones, the most frequented one by tourists, but just a tiny part of the roughly 23 thousand km long road system.