Hiking the 4 day / 3 night Inca Trail

Travel Tips

There are so many sites out there that offer huge amounts of detail on the Inca Trail route and exactly what you’ll need for the trek (Dusty Roads for example do a great one, link here), so I won’t repeat what you can find elsewhere.  Instead I’ll just focus on the key tips we found:

• Choosing the right company to go with is obviously super important (you cannot walk the Inca Trail on your own).  We went with Inca Trail Reservations who were recommended to us by a few people and had very good ratings in their various online reviews.  Total came to US$670 per person (US$250 up front, USD395 remaining, US$25 for sleeping bags.  Plus you should probably bring around US$70 for tips for your guides and porters – they earn it), which included all the permits, entry for Machu Picchu, gear for the hikes, guides, food etc etc.  But also included some really useful pieces like pick up from the airport and just managing the whole process beforehand for you.  And the food was surprisingly good considering the porters and teams of donkeys have to carry everything for the 4 days.  Would recommend
• I’d strongly suggest taking 2-3 days after landing in Cusco and before starting the Inca Trail to:
  • 1. Acclimatise to the altitude – the Inca Trail starts at 2,750m / 9,000 feet and by the second day you’re passing the high point of Dead Woman’s Pass at 4200m / 13,780 feet.  That’s high enough to give you altitude sickness (generally feeling a bit like a bad hangover, which isn’t fun).  You can do various things to help, such as take pills (we took Acetazolamide and felt like it helped), drink coca tea, take pain killers to help with the headache etc, but the best way is simply to give your body time to get used to the altitude
  • 2. See the world-class historical sites near Cusco (Walking around some of the Inca sites near Cusco) and the Sacred Valley (Driving through the Sacred Valley) that will give you some of the context to the Inca and also really prime you for the jewel in the crown, Machu Picchu, when you finish the trail
• Level of fitness – the whole Inca Trail is 43km spread over the 3.5 days, but of course this involves a lot of ups and downs, plus the altitude makes the passes harder.  To give an idea, over the 3.5 days my iPhone showed 84,000 steps and 620 flights climbed, so its definitely a challenge.  I’d say though that as long as you have a moderate level of fitness that you can do the Inca Trail.  A few reasons for this:
  • 1. The guides are actually very good at both motivating you and assessing your level of fitness.  Very early they’ll potentially split the group into those who will go quicker and those that will need more rests
  • 2. For those who are bit worried if they’ll be able to walk the full distance to the next campsite, the porters will give you the option to wake up super early to give yourself more time
  • 3. There is the option of giving yourself more days through a 5 day / 4 night hiking option
  • 4. The surrounding scenery really is motivating, and once you’re over Dead Woman’s Pass on the second day, its fairly straightforward from there
• Bring as little stuff as possible – you’ll get told this repeatedly.   The porters are only allowed to carry a certain weight of your stuff (6kg / 13lbs), so the rest will be on you.  Bring clothes for cold, hot, rain, and sun – so, one pair of worn-in hiking boots, waterproofs, lightweight hiking clothes (everyone has their preferences, but a good rule is to combine synthetic fibers and layering), basic toiletries (including toilet paper), something for blisters (don’t faff about with band-aids / plasters – go for something like Compeed which is far more comprehensive for blisters) and my extra tip is a power bank for 3-4 phone charges (there are sometimes places to charge along the way, but they are hit and miss).  You can leave the remainder of your stuff with the company in Cusco
• Showers are very very basic – I always feel like I need a shower at least once a day and am prepared to face up to glacial cold water to get one (and they really are cold on the trail).  There are some warmer showers, but be prepared for them to super stink and not be available each day
• No internet – a nightmare or a dream depending on how you look at it!  We found a couple of high spots that had some mobile / cell reception, but don’t count on them
• Machu Picchu – the view on the final day from the Sun Gate down on Machu Picchu is stunning and well worth the very early start to the day.  But be prepared for a bit of a shock to the senses when you enter actual Machu Picchu in terms of the numbers of tourists, especially after spending the past 3 days in the tranquility of the mountains.  For more tips on the visit to actual Machu Picchu see the Machu Picchu entry
• Inca Context – as with most of the Inca sites, try to read up a bit on the Inca Trail / Machu Picchu and the broader Inca context before your visit.  For sure, the trail and Machu Picchu will be impressive even without the history, but having the background cranks the experience up another notch.  I’d recommend Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams – an easy read as the author re-creates the rediscovery of Machu Picchu and gives enough detail that any first time visitor would need.  For the broader context on the Incas and the other pre-Columbus American civilisations, I’d highly recommend 1491 by Charles Mann which will, I think, open your eyes to just how sophisticated these civilisations were before the arrival, in particular, of Eurasian diseases
• You don’t have to start your tour from Cusco – we actually spent 4 days exploring Cusco and the Sacred Valley and were picked up from a hotel near Ollantaytambo.  The benefits of this is that you don’t have to keep returning to Cusco from your day trips; you get to stay in areas that see a significant drop off in tourist numbers; and because the Ollantaytambo area is 2 hours or so closer to the start of the Inca Trail than Cusco, it gives you a bit more of a lie in on the first day.  We stayed at a gorgeous hotel in the valley that leads up to Machu Picchu called Del Pilar Ollantaytambo Hotel, and would really recommend
• For tips on other great experiences in Peru and for an itinerary for a trip there, see 2/3 weeks for the highlights of Peru