Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru is the most famous of South America’s trekking routes.
The 26 mile trek consists of a mixture of Inca ruins, mountain surroundings, lush cloud-forest and subtropical jungle, main to the sacred Inca metropolis of Machu Picchu.
Though the terrain will not be extraordinarily troublesome to hike, the excessive altitude will make it arduous for an unprepared hiker. Hikers will want to spend a number of days in Cusco earlier than the hike to alter to the altitude. Drinking numerous water will assist to acclimatize to the altitude.
There are solely 500 Inca path permits obtainable per day, together with help employees equivalent to cooks, porters, and guides. So, we advocate reserving your Inca path tour a minimum of 3 months upfront. During the peak summer season months, nonetheless, you might have considered trying to ebook even additional upfront.
The finest time for mountaineering the Inca Trail
The dry season, which is the finest time of yr to go, lasts from May to October or November and the wet season is from December to April. The Inca path is closed in February due to heavy rains. Day time temperatures can vary anyplace from 50-82ºF, with evening time temperatures from round 32-50ºF.
What to Pack for the Inca Trail
The tour operator you select will assist decide precisely what you want to deliver on the trek. Usually they provide the acceptable duffel for you to pack and for the porters to carry, which might weight up to 17.6 lbs. You will carry solely a lightweight day pack. Usually additionally they present all tenting gear, aside from sleeping luggage, which can be found to lease. We extremely advocate layering with water soluble clothes, or material the doesn’t retain moisture, and advise in opposition to sporting cotton, which absorbs water shortly and is gradual to dry which might make for an uncomfortable trek.
We advocate you deliver the following:
- A small day pack that holds your sun shades, hat, solar display screen, insect repellent, a digital camera, a reusable water bottle, a wind jacket and rain gear.
- One full change of clothes per day.
- Sweater and jacket for cool days or nights, gloves and winter hat beneficial.
- A down jacket is beneficial for evenings, as it could get very chilly at evening.
- Warm sweat pants for night round camp and in tent.
- Comfortable excessive prime and water proof mountaineering boots.
- Comfortable wool socks.
- A pair of sneakers to put on round camp and a pair of flip flops for showering.
- Passport.
- A flashlight and batteries.
- Personal toiletries and medicines.
- Medium sized towel.
- Peruvian foreign money (soles) for ideas and small purchases alongside the means.
- Sleeping bag (for those who select not to lease one).
Check out our hiking gear guide.
What paperwork do you want to hike the Inca Trail?
You will want a passport that’s legitimate a minimum of six months after your date of arrival. Citizens from the US, UK, Canada and Australia visiting as vacationer don’t want a visa. Tourist might keep a most of 90 days, must you be staying longer you have to to request an extension from the Peruvian immigration authorities. All guests should fill out a replica of a vacationer card which can be offered in your flight to Peru; hold this in your passport and current it to authorities when departing the nation.
Tipping on the Inca Trail
We advocate tipping your porters $10 per day and tipping your information $15-20 a day.
Machu Picchu
Your journey will start in Lima, the place you’ll spend the evening and depart the subsequent day for Cusco. On most treks you’ll hike a mean of 4-7.5 miles per day. Once you attain Machu Picchu you’ll spend the evening and return to Cusco by practice the subsequent day. If you do not need to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, you may as well get there by practice.
Hiking the Inca Trail with GAdventures
GAdventures was named the Best Inca Trail Tour Operator by the Regional Direction of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Cusco (RDFTTC) in Peru. By joining this tour, you will be helping to support over 569 local guides, porters, cooks, drivers and staff.
Their four-day Inca Trail trek combines the cultural highlights of the Sacred Valley with hiking through the region’s ruins, mountainscapes, and cloud forests.
