Huayna Picchu Hike: The Stairs Of Death In Peru
The Huayna Picchu hike in Peru can be a bit challenging and scary at times, but it’s hands down one of the best things to do in Machu Picchu, the legendary lost city of the Incas.
This is a bucket list hiking trail that takes you to the top of Wayna Picchu (the iconic mountain behind Machu Picchu), and at the summit you get to see original Inca buildings and panoramic views.
Don’t be too scared by the nickname — even though these have been dubbed the ‘stairs of death’ (for their steepness and narrowness), there have been very few accidents here over the years, and overall it’s quite safe as long as you don’t goof off.
This travel guide will explain how to get to Huayna Picchu mountain, how to safely hike the ‘stairs of death’, and everything else you need to know before you go!
Huayna Picchu: Quick Facts
- Distance: 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) round trip
- Elevation Gain: 305 meters (1,000 ft)
- Top Elevation: 2,693 meters (8,835 ft)
- Duration: 2 – 3 hours round trip
- Difficulty: Moderate / Hard
What Does Huayna Picchu Mean?
The name ‘Wayna Picchu’ comes from the Quechua language, meaning ‘young mountain’ (‘wayna’ is young and ‘picchu’ is mountain).
An alternative spelling for the same name is ‘Huayna Picchu,’ and it’s more commonly used on the internet nowadays.
Where Is It?
Huayna Picchu is the mountain behind the famous Machu Picchu citadel in Cusco, Peru, which was home to the Incas in the 15th century.
This mountain is sometimes confused with Montana Machu Picchu, which is another nearby peak you can hike, but Huayna is actually the iconic mountain you see directly behind the ruins when you first enter the citadel and stand at the famous viewpoint.
To reach Huayna Picchu and start the hike, you first have to walk through the ruins of Machu Picchu, since the trail starts on the north side of the park.
Huayna Picchu Hike: What To Expect
The Huayna Picchu hike is a scenic trail that takes you up a jungle-covered mountainside on stone stairways built by the medieval Inca empire.
It’s a bit challenging, but entirely non-technical, and fit hikers can reach the top of the mountain in 1 hour or less. The steepest staircases are at the end of the hike, near the summit.
In spite of its difficulty, this trail is in high demand and it’s limited to only 400 hikers per day, so you often have to book several months in advance to get a spot.
The details below will explain each part of the hike and what to expect. It’s an unforgettable experience!
Trail Beginning
The good scenery starts almost immediately on the Huayna Picchu hike.
Right away, you get clear views of Putucusi mountain and the Urubamba river, with a row of dramatic green peaks in the distance.
From here on, there is really only one path leading to the top of Huayna Picchu, and plenty of other international hikers headed in the same direction, so you can’t get lost.
The rest of the hike is an uphill trudge on Inca stone stairways, although many of the switchbacks have enough plant cover to give you some shade from the sun.
These stone steps are not in the greatest condition, but they still make the hike a bit more manageable than stairless hikes where you’re walking on dirt or mud.
Inca Buildings
After about 20 or 30 minutes of hiking, you’ll get your first views of the Machu Picchu citadel behind you in the distance, reminding you how high you already are!
At this point, the stairway becomes a lot more steep and narrow, so there’s a steel cable you can hold for extra balance. The stone steps are still secure enough, but their small size makes them a bit awkward.
This is also where you’ll encounter your first Inca buildings and terraces on the path ahead, which you’ll traverse on your way to the summit of Huayna Picchu mountain.
Most of these Inca buildings are open to the public, so you can walk around in them and take a breather before continuing the Huayna Picchu hike.
A few of the buildings have windows with stunning views of the Andes mountains. What would it have been like to live up here? Can you imagine?
We wanted to stay longer and spend hours exploring these ruins, but we were too excited to see the grand finale of this hike — the Huayna Picchu ‘Stairs of Death’ — and the final summit!
Machu Picchu Stairs of Death
It’s time for the ‘stairs of death’! This epic stone staircase is your final challenge before reaching the summit of Huayna Picchu mountain.
In spite of the scary name, you’re really not in imminent danger here and the path is plenty wide. Don’t get me wrong though, the views are dizzying!
There are steep drop-offs, but they’re not as close as they seem. Even if you somehow fell off the stairway, you would land on one of the grassy terraces with room to spare.
It’s not known how many steps there are in total, but many of them are irregularly shaped and quite stubby, so you may not always be able to fit your whole foot on them.
The traffic on this stairway only goes in one direction (up), and there are several places to step off the trail and let other hikers pass, so you don’t need to rush through it.
These stairs were my favorite part of the whole Huayna Picchu hike. We must have spent the better part of an hour here, just soaking up the views and trying to take pictures that capture the vertigo-inducing scene.
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