Will it be a rainy nightmare? And Is flying from Lima to Cuzco just asking for altitude sickness?
My wife and I are considering doing the Inca Trail around the 18th of November and are well aware that this is the start of the rainy season. We are well travelled so under no misconceptions that weather is predictable BUT if anyone has had a terrible time int he rain on the Inca Trail, please let me know.
Also, we've heard stories of altitude sicknes due to the flight into Cuzco - what's the alternative?
Reply to this I am not sure about the rain but instead of the flight you can take a bus to cuzco or a train which is very pretty and much less expensive than a flight.
Reply to this Hi andrewandlara - I did the Inca Trail at the end of the rainy season in April. There had been a lot of rain in the weeks leading up to then which had caused a landslide and part closure of the trail, but our group was incredibly lucky and had perfect weather. Regarding the altitude issue, I flew Lima to Cusco, took a diamox tablet in Lima the night before the flight, and was fine. I would suggest the main priority is giving yourself as much time as possible between arriving in Cusco and starting the trail. Theres plenty to do in Cusco at a snail's pace, and given the Inca Trail is probably a oncer, you want to be in the best condition to enjoy it!! Have a great time over there!
Reply to this Thanks for that. Very encouraging. It's all booked now so there's no turning back. I'm confident it'll be awsome because I have never a bad word said in the same sentence as "Inca Trail".
Reply to this Hey guys, i wouldnt worry about altitude sickness from flying to Cusco, me and a bunch of mates did last year and were interested to see what would happen. All the reccomendations say not to drink alcohol for the first two days arriving etc, but as we landed at 6am on Australia Day we really had little choice!. So we basically did EVERYTHING they say not to, flew, drank, partied etc.. and were completely fine. The only thing we noticed was that we were really short of breath (our hostel was up a steep hill) but that was it. I guess it may depend on your body.
Reply to this hey andrew and lara
may see you there! myself and jake are heading out to equador and making our way to brazil via peru and the inca trailfrom october, ive been worried about altitude sickness to, im a bit of a sicknote and have problems with my ears but fingers crossed will be okay, i hear if your reasonable fit and take a few days to get used to the altitude before doing anything to vigorous you should be fine
do you have anywhere else on your itinary?
Em x
Reply to this For the altitude sickness, pack some cocoa leaves. If you chew on them in the side of your mouth, it helps soothe the altitude sickness. Cocao tea is the way I had it when I was there, but I figured that would be harder to carry on a hike. Most all the hotels in Cuzco provide this in their lobbies. If yours does not, it is easy to find in the markets. Have fun!
Reply to this Emily and Jake,
In answer to your question, we are going overland from Cuzco to Lapaz after the trail and hoping to get to see the salt planes before flying to Venezuela for a friend's wedding. Hope your plans come together. Good luck!
Andrew
Reply to this Hi Andrew,
My wife and I are going to be in Cuzco on the 17th November (I think) and I'll be starting the Inca Trail on the 18th - I am also a bit worried about the possibility of crap weather....but, I guess we're just going to have to cross our fingers and hope we'll be lucky - if not, at least it's a good story to tell.
Reply to this Hi WW Wanderers,
Welcome to TravelBlog.
Unless you are arriving in Cuzco from a location which is at a higher altitude I would recommend arriving there a few days ahead of starting the Inca Trail if at all possible. There's plenty to do in and around Cusco while you adjust to the altitude, and some Inca Trail companies actually require you be there a certain number of days before.
Have a great time on the Trail.
Reply to this Thanks Jo - I just checked our itinerary and it looks like we'll be in Cuzco two days ahead of starting the Inca Trail. Also, we'll be coming from 3 days in Puno so hopefully we'll have adjusted to the altitude by then!!
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