Preparing for the Inca Trail

The Inca Trail was the main thing that drew us to Peru in the first place and caused us to plan our trip. But I will say when I was doing research on the trail I was completely overwhelmed by what I found. I’m hopeful that by sharing the information I’ve found it will help to cut down on others’ time as well.

1. Which trekking company do I go with?

   This is perhaps the most overwhelming part of all as there are so many companies to choose from! You will find all sorts of price points from the different groups and different dates of departure and inclusions as well. We went with Eco Path Trek and couldn’t have been more pleased with our decision. They were one of the cheapest quotes I found which made me a little wary, but this was mostly due to the fact that they’re a new company. This also made me slightly nervous as I could only find a total of two reviews for them online, but what I read looked good so we went with it and paid $385 per person. Some things to know about what was included and not included in this price:

• Bus from Machu Picchu down to Aguas Calientes NOT INCLUDED: $12 a person. You can also walk down but it will take about an hour. It was cold and raining the day we were there and we were tired from already hiking a ton that day.
• Train ticket and bus transportation back to Cuzco INCLUDED: The pricing on these tickets can vary greatly.
• Porters to carry our packs NOT INCLUDED: I would absolutely highly, highly recommend paying for this if it’s not included in your trek. We tried to tough it out and do it ourselves and gave up after day 1. Hiring porters was the best decision we made (and literally EVERYONE on the trail does it).
• Guide, porters to carry cooking/tent equipment and transportation to the start of the trail INCLUDED. Tents were two people per tent and very spacious, we didn’t feel squished at all.
• Meals along the way MOSTLY INCLUDED. Breakfast the first day was not and on the last day lunch/dinner was not. We did make a stop on the first day at a small breakfast place where we ordered food and on the last day we ate at a restaurant in Aguas Calientes.
• Entrance ticket to Machu Picchu INCLUDED.
• Tips for guide and porters NOT INCLUDED. Be prepared to pay around 70 soles for a tip to each porter- however this is divided among all the hikers in the group. The more people, the more porters needed, but the more people to divide the cost between.

Our guide, Edwar, was fantastic!!!! He spoke excellent English and of course Spanish and was very knowledgeable about everything we saw along the way. The food was also extremely impressive- who knew they would be cooking us multiple course plates for each meal! I barely manage spaghetti when we go camping so not sure quite how they did it. One night they even produced a freshly baked cake! Edwar did say he sees some other companies do less of the carbs and more just focus on serving salads for the meals. This caters more to the European crowd, but the last thing I wanted to be eating after hiking for hours each day was a salad. This would be a good question to ask whatever company you book with.

2. Is it really that hard?

Short answer- YES. While I wouldn’t consider myself to be an expert hiker, we do like to go on several good hikes each year and the Inca Trail was by far the hardest I’ve ever done. It’s also the longest one I’ve ever done so keep that in mind. Up until this point climbing Mt. Kinabalu in Malaysia was the winner but that was only two days.

What makes it so hard? First of all, the altitude. It’s so difficult to breathe up there! I absolutely would recommend everyone to get altitude sickness medicine when attempting it just to be on the safe side. We got diamox from our doctor before leaving and in Cuzco bought some at a local pharmacy as well (make sure you buy the actual stuff to help you with the altitude- there’s other meds you can buy that are pretty much just a lot of caffeine which also helps, but is not what  you really want). Note, your face, hands and feet will probably feel very tingly when hiking- this can be a side effect of the meds or just from being at a high altitude in general; it’s weird at first but after a while you won’t even notice it anymore. Second, there are hardly any flat sections of the trail. It’s almost uphill or downhill and mostly also over rocks. My feet were sore by the end just from constantly stepping on uneven ground and not having a soft smooth surface. I can’t stress enough how much hiring a porter helped and using trekking poles. I think I would have been crying on the trail without those two pieces.

3. How do I train for this hike?

From what I had read the best advice is to start at least 3 months in advance and work up to using the stair master for 2 hours a day. Yes, you read that right, 2 HOURS EACH DAY. We never made it to quite that level of dedication, but we would regularly go to the gym at least 3-4 times a week and do the stair master for 1- 1 1/2 hours each time. It’s really hard, but I think really helpful as well.

We also spent some time getting used to the weight in our packs by carrying them with us on walks. If you can find hills to walk up and down with your pack on, even better. My advice here would be to actually fill your pack with the exact items you will be taking as the date of departure approaches. I tried to fill it with weight I thought would be equivalent, but then had a surprise in store for me when I put the actual stuff in there. It was slightly heavier, but more than that it took up so much room! My pack was jammed full!

4. When is the best time to go?

I believe April-October are the main months for doing the hike. You may be able to do it in November or March, but during the months of December, January, February it’s rainy season and you can’t access the trail. August is the peak month go, which is when we went right at the beginning of the month. Do keep in mind they’re below the equator so August was actually wintertime in Cuzco.

5. How far ahead should I plan this?

We made our reservations 11 months in advance. This is probably a bit on the safe side, but it’s definitely strongly recommended to reserve at least 6 months in advance, especially for the busy season. Our guide told us he thinks a year in advance is the best option so that trekking companies can put in reservations early to get the best campsites along the way. Keep in mind that if you have exact dates you need to do the hike you really want to make a reservation as soon as you can. If you have some flexibility, you probably have a bit more time.

6. Can I just hike this on my own?

No, no one is allowed on the trail without a guide and all the proper paperwork. Don’t forget to bring your passport!

7. Why is it so expensive?

This was my first thought too, but when I looked at all the costs that are actually included it doesn’t start to look so bad in the end. Here’s some estimations to help you understand (and rationalize) the spending better.

For example, it’s 299 soles (US$105) for the entrance ticket for the Inca Trail, 126 soles (US$44) for your Machu Picchu pass and around 45 soles (US$16) for a guided tour of Machu Picchu. On top of this is your US$48 train ticket and bus transport to and from the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu.

If you add all these costs up, you’ve got US$213 vital elements included in your ticket, meaning you’re paying around US$45.50 per day for your food, porters, camping equipment and guide.

8. Any tips for the trail?

I know I sound like a broken record, but HIRE PORTERS AND BRING HIKING POLES. This will make your hike so much more enjoyable. Other than that, pack bug spray because the mosquitoes were annoying (sprays are hard to work at the high altitude so if you have a cream or lotion even better). Sunscreen is important, sunglasses, a buff was great and a water bladder. Other than that, enjoy each day along the way as it’s all fun, not just when you reach Machu Picchu!