Inca Trail Packing List by Month: What to Pack for Machu Picchu
Published November 6, 2026
The Inca Trail packing list changes with the month: the sleeping bag, the rain jacket, the rain pants, the pack rain cover and the footwear. You must book an operator, and its camps take the tent out of your bag. For a June start, everything bought new costs $2,230 for a man and $2,062 for a woman, and you carry at least 13.8 lb on your back.
What the operator provides
SERNANP, Peru’s protected areas service: “The entrance to the Inca Trails Network of the HS of Machu Picchu is done only through travel and tourism agencies authorized by the headquarters of the SH of Machu Picchu.” Its March 2025 notice makes the official guide responsible for the group keeping the rules. The operator sets up the camps. PromPerú, the country’s tourism board, adds: “It is recommended to choose formal agencies that guarantee the traveler’s safety.” Ask your operator what it provides, and remove it from the pack.
Porters carry the camp, and the law caps their load: under Law 31614 (2022), a porter carries at most 20 kg (44 lb), and a woman porter 15 kg (33 lb). The share left for your own things is set by the agency: ask for it before you pack.
The list, month by month
PromPerú gives one list for the whole season: “You need to prioritize what is truly essential, such as light clothing for trekking and warm clothing for the nights, a sleeping bag, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, a hat, suitable footwear, sunglasses, water, a first aid kit, flashlights, batteries, personal hygiene items, identification documents, and cash.” The month decides how warm the clothing for the nights has to be. Bardy computes it on 10 years of weather at the altitude of the route, for 4 days; these are the lines that change from one month to the next, for a man.
| Month | Sleeping bag | Rain jacket | Rain pants | Rain cover | Footwear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | Sleeping bag comfort 39°F | Rain jacket 10,000 mm | Rain pants (advised) | Pack cover (advised) | Waterproof shoes |
| June | Sleeping bag comfort 36°F | Rain jacket 10,000 mm | Rain pants (advised) | — | Hiking shoes |
| July | Sleeping bag comfort 36°F | Rain jacket 10,000 mm | Rain pants (advised) | — | Hiking shoes |
| August | Sleeping bag comfort 36°F | Rain jacket 10,000 mm | Rain pants (advised) | Pack cover (advised) | Waterproof shoes |
| September | Sleeping bag comfort 37°F | Rain jacket 20,000 mm | Rain pants | Pack cover (advised) | Waterproof shoes |
The weather and the whole pack, month by month:
| Month | Cold night at Pacaymayo | Rain days | Snow at Warmiwañusca | Pack, man | Pack, woman | On your back (man) | No product yet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 39°F | 30% | rare | $2,230 | $2,062 | at least 13.8 lb | Pack cover |
| June | 36°F | 11% | rare | $2,230 | $2,062 | at least 13.8 lb | none |
| July | 36°F | 17% | rare | $2,230 | $2,062 | at least 13.8 lb | none |
| August | 36°F | 37% | rare | $2,230 | $2,062 | at least 13.8 lb | Pack cover |
| September | 37°F | 57% | rare | $2,230 | $2,062 | at least 13.8 lb | Pack cover |
The coldest nights of the season fall in June: 36°F at Pacaymayo (11,811 ft). The trail is closed in February: “the Inka Trail is closed for maintenance and conservation work during February.” And access is limited: “the Peruvian government allows access to only 500 people per day, and 300 of them are workers such as tour guides.”
Prices are for everything bought new, the cheapest product that meets each line, read from US stores; where a store could not be read, the price is to check. “On your back” is the published weight of the gear you carry plus the water, without food, shoes and poles (“at least” when some items publish no weight). “Rain days” counts days with at least 1.5 mm (0.06 in) of rain at the wettest of three points of the route; a “cold night” is the temperature one night in ten falls below, at Pacaymayo. For your own dates, days and sleeping arrangement, and to remove what you already own: the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu pack for your dates.
The rules that change your pack at Machu Picchu
The citadel has its own code of conduct from the Ministry of Culture. It applies on the last morning, not on the trail. Among what it prohibits:
- “Carry backpacks, bags or purses larger than 40x35x20 cm (16x14x8 inches).” Leave the big pack with your operator.
- “Enter with food or kitchenware, i.e. plates, cutlery, thermoses, etc.”
- “Enter with umbrellas, walking sticks, portable chairs, tripods, monopods, selfie sticks or other photography/film stabilization accessories.”
- “Enter with heels or hard-sole shoes.”
- “Enter with any type of aerosol.”
- “Fly over with paragliders, drones or any type of craft.”
Plastic: PromPerú wrote in December 2018 that “from December 18 it will be forbidden to enter our Wonder of the World with non-reusable plastics,” and asked visitors to “Use water canteens instead of disposable bottles.” We did not find the current rule: ask your operator. Bardy has not read the trail’s own 2017 regulation (only its approval resolution is online): ask your operator what it allows on the trail, trekking poles included.
Health, for US travelers
The CDC lists “the highland tourist areas (the city of Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca)” among the areas without malaria. On yellow fever: “Vaccine is not recommended for travel limited to areas >2,300 m (7,550 ft) elevation”, and it names “the Inca Trail, and Machu Picchu” among those areas; lower regions, such as the jungle, get different advice. On altitude: “Many popular destinations in Peru, such as Machu Picchu, are at high altitudes. You may experience altitude sickness as a result.”
See the pack for your own dates on the Inca Trail page.
FAQ
Can you wear jeans to Machu Picchu?
No official text we read mentions jeans. The citadel’s code of conduct prohibits entering “with heels or hard-sole shoes.”
How much do you tip porters on the Inca Trail?
No official text we read sets an amount: PromPerú and the Ministry of Culture say nothing on tips. Ask your operator.
How big can my bag be at Machu Picchu?
The code of conduct prohibits backpacks, bags or purses “larger than 40x35x20 cm (16x14x8 inches).”
When is the Inca Trail closed?
In February: “the Inka Trail is closed for maintenance and conservation work during February,” says PromPerú.
Read next
- How Long Is the Inca Trail? Miles, Days and the Five Routes
- Camino de Santiago Packing List by Month: Camino Francés
- Kilimanjaro Packing List by Month: What to Pack for the Machame Route
- Tour du Mont Blanc Packing List by Month: What to Pack for the TMB
- W Trek Packing List by Month: Torres del Paine, Patagonia
Sources
- PromPerú, Inka Trail: 5 tips (August 4, 2023)
- Ministry of Culture of Peru, Machu Picchu code of conduct
- PromPerú, Machu Picchu plastic free (December 2018)
- Peru, Law 31614 on porters (2022, Spanish)
- SERNANP (Peru’s protected areas service), Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu
- SERNANP, reopening of the Inca Trail network, March 2025 (Spanish)
- CDC Travelers’ Health, Peru