Inca trail
 

Just starting to ponder trip to Machu Picchu in June/July 2007 with wife and college aged daughter. Have only looked at tours from GAP and Iexplore thus far- big price variation. We have 13 days max. including travel time from the Northeast USA. Would like to hike the Inca Trail but need some perspective on how difficult a trek this is. My daughter and I still manage long day hikes and occasional back packs in the high peaks of New York and New England, which can be steep, rocky, wet and eroded. My wife is active, but does not hike too much. Can anyone suggest a particular tour or company or itinerary. We tend to like good food and drink and some creature comfort at the end of a hard day, though some camping on a trail is a reasonable expectation. We are equally interested in all aspects of the area including the scenery, culture, archaeology and people. Getting away from the crowds is always good, but we realize that this is a busy place and a crowded time of year. Is splitting up an option, ie; is it a safe place for my spouse to do some interesting, but less demanding activities if I choose to hike for part of the trip?

The trek is tough, but anyone with a reasonable level of fitness should be well able for it. The second day is pretty tough with a lot of uphill, but other than that it's a very nice hike and mostly pretty easy. If your wife spends some time on the step machine in the gym before you go, she'll be fine.

We did the trek with llama path and I cannot recommend them highly enough. The food was outstanding. However yes, you do have to camp. I would recommend hiring a porter - that way they will carry your bag for you, so all you have to carry is your small day bag with water, camera, etc. You can also rent air mattresses - this is the one thing I regret not getting as I didn't sleep very well on the trek with just a regular roll-up mattress. It also gets very very cold at night, so bring lots of layers.

For some luxury at the end of the trip, we booked into the Pueblo Hotel at Aguas Calientes - it was fab!

If you've any more questions, just ask.

Thanks Cailin. I am sure I will have more questions as we move along. Freddle

Many companies do an abbreviated version of the Inca Trail. (Most of them bill it as something like "the Sacred Inca Trail.") It is essentially Days 3 and 4 of the standard four-day trek, thereby eliminating Day 2, which, I agree, was rough for me too.

Whichever you decide to do, June-August spots fill up quickly. You'll probably need to make reservations by February-March at the latest.

Cailin, if you are out there. I looked at Llama Path and was impressed. Under terms and conditions it seems they require payment by cash within 48 hours of trip. I am naive about travel in this area, certainly. Is that not an awful lot of cash to be travelling with? Am I missing something? Will all goods and services on such a trip require cash? Fred

I am also planning a trek to MP. A friend of mine was there last year, so I emailed her today about my trip, so when I saw your post, I thought I would share. This is her advice (and she sent me pictures that were truly spectacular):

The trek company was United Mice
http://www.unitedmice.com/en/ We did the Salkantay trail (as oppossed to the very popular and overcrowded Incan Trail route). Salkantay is more remote and natury. Incan is always overbooked way ahead of time, and they are limiting numbers because of damage. I believe our trip was 4-5 days and nights (can't remember exactly). Defiitely the most incredible trip I've taken. It's very physical. Altitude is a whopper on your body, that you can't really anticipate because it has nothing to do with what shape you are in. I did ok with it without too much of a problem (yet I had a hallucination and some breathlessness) but some of the folks really suffered from it. It's intense, profound, but hardly relaxing.

Yes, they do require payment by cash 48 hours in advance - which is the only downside of booking with Llama Path. However we just went to the ATM on our way, so we weren't carrying cash for too long. The centre of Cusco (where their office is based) is very safe and I didn't feel unsafe walking from the ATM to their office with the cash.

Also, one major advantage that we found with Llama Path is that we started the first day of the trek about 4 hours ahead of the rest of the groups (this does make for a VERY early start on day 1). This meant that we were always a half day of all of the other groups, so we rarely met other hikers until day 3. On Day 3 we arrived at our campsite at lunchtime and the other groups started arriving later that afternoon.

I recommend SAS - I didnt tour with them, but always followed their guides around to get info (did take a sacred valley tour with them and had several friends take their trips). They split people up by age, so you're not trying to keep up with the youngsters. they also train their own guides, which is a huge difference. A few tips: make sure you have at least 2 days in Cusco to get used to the altitude (spend the time wandering around the city and sacred valley - it's the most beautiful area in Peru. I spent 2 months in Peru). Also, don't pay more than about 350-400 for the trip. Finally, don't listen to criticisms about the crowds - that's what guides who run the Salkantay tell people to make them feel better. :) Only 200 permits are issued per day for the trail, so it's limited - and why you have to book early. Inca is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You'd love it.

My husband and I did the Inca Trail 2 summers ago, we were in our mid-30s, healthy and occasional exercisers but not very fit. I tried to exercise more regularly and climb the 11 floors to my office every day before the trip.

We went with GAP adventures on a comfort class trip (Quest of the Gods), and GAP used Enigma outfitters for the trek. I thought Enigma was good and the food was excellent.

The trek was not easy - partly because we did not have adequate time to acclimatize first (GAP has since added an extra pre-trek day in Cuzco to this itinerary). Some members of the group quit mid-way through day 1 and we ended up 1/2 day behind and struggling to catch up over the next few days. Also it rained most of the time which made the steps slippery and more difficult. It was a great experience but acclimatization and achievement of a decent level of physical fitness are critical!

Sorry to criticise another poster, but please do not use SAS. Our guide with Llama Path used to work for them and said they really exploit their workers. If you search other web fora (e.g Lonely Planet) you will also find bad comments about them and they are to be avoided at all costs. They also tend to have huge groups. Smaller companies like Llama Path give a much more personal service (there were only 3 of us our our trek). I believe United Mice are also good.

Hi: If you like, you can book the 2 day Inca Trail which will separate you from your wife for half a day. You can all take the same train from the Sacred Valley and you and your daughter can get off (with your guide)to start the trail. This day you hike up and arrive at Machu Picchu and then come down to the village of Aguas Calientes where you will stay for the night. Your wife will have stayed on the train and can get there and go to the hotel and get settled in. It is a small town and she can wander around. If you stay at El Pueblo, she will be delighted to wait for you. I have a custom service in Peru and figure these things out all the time. I hope this helps.
Nina - www.ancientsummit.com

My husband and I are going to Pery\u and Machu Picchu in October. We plan on hiking the 4 day Inca Trail. Since our time is limited and we want to assure smooth sailing, we were thinking of booking our whole trip w/ a company like "the world outdoors" (1 day biking, 1 day rafting, Inca trail and more). Are we being overly cautious and spending more than we need by booking a comprehensive trip or is this a good plan with limited time??