Hi everyone, i'm travelling solo into South America in a few weeks and so keen to do the Inca Trail (amongst many other things like the Nazca lines, Bolivia...) and was hoping those of you who have done it could help advise on best times, companies, things to considder...
Any and all advise is very welcome. I wish you well on your own journey. Ian.
Reply to this hi, we are a peruvian travel agency and we can provided you all the information you can need about the inca trail.
you can visit our blogsite
and check out our INCA TRAIL EXPERIENCES article, or contact us at
cheers!!!!
Roxana
mention travel blog to get a great discount on your peruvian experience with us!!!!! Reply to this apart from the self promotion above (!) I would say book ahead if you want the Inca trail itself (you need a permit & have to go with a guide), you could do Lares or other treks which are also paths the incas took and less crowded. We did the Inca trail with GAP, good as far as guide, food & tents etc but our train time back to Cusco was VERY early.....check this as it is very disappointing walking for 3 days to get to MP and then having only a few hours to see around. doh!
Think about;
Weather - do you want to be walking in rainy season? We did it in May & weather was perfect - not too cold at night and dry during the day.
Stuff you take - do you want to have all your gear carried?? If so then a good company will mean you only need to carry essential day things like water, jumper, camera etc
Enjoy, it is a fantastic experience!
Reply to this Hi, we did not do the Inca but we have just done the Lares which was absolutely fantastic, we did it with Tucan. We just arrived back in NZ this morning so our trek was recent - 3 weeks ago. We were told to expect -20 degrees C the first night when we camped at 3900 metres but luckily it was just below 0 so it was not too bad. The next day we went through the high passes which reached 4600. Just after the highest point we had hail - 6 inches deep in places but effectively it just made the experience better - the views are stunning and worth the effort. The people we spoke to who had done the Inca trail seemed to have mixed reactions, some were saying it was a bit boring on the third day - others were saying it was good. I would recommend the Lares, we had it to ourselves (not crowded like the Inca trail can be), the views were stunning and the sense of achievement was great. The key thing to do is get used to the altitude - we had one of our group chucking up the entire 1st day due to altitude sickness. The rest of our group were generally OK but we had spent 5 days at altitude before the trek. As for gear, take or hire a walking pole, warm clothes but light (dont worry too much about changing clothes each day), for us it was not really that cold, on the Lares they will carry 7 kilos for you which makes it easier, on the inca trail they only carry 5 kilos.
Ian
Reply to this sure, that's rigth the raining season is coming, and also is important to check on the disponibility because inca trail have a max num of persons per day.
our agency have been created by ex members of gap adventure, so we work with teh same operators, but we don;t charge you like them because we have our main offices in lima. so you have the same treat (some times better) in a better price.
we also have alternative inca trails, let me post in my blog (my website is under remodelation) abut the differents inca trails,
Reply to this Great Info guys, thank you! Think i'm going to book it as soon as the first slot is available. Will check out your guide site too today.
Ian
Reply to this I went with SAS last year who were very good. I have become good friends with a couple of the guides who were excellent. One of them has just set up his own company and you would have the best time with him (OK maybe I'm bias!) Just check out www.peruandeanexperience.com
Having said that you won't get on the Inca trail any quicker with him as it is all about permits. He is however excellent on the Lares or Salkantay.
His name is Javier, tell him I recommended him to you
Lynn
Reply to this Hey Ian
I did the 5 day/4 nights Salkantay trip, it almost killed me but it's awsome. I'ts the longest and 2nd hardest trek, the 1st day was boiling hot as we headed towards Salkantay, the 1st camp was freakin freezing cos we were so close to the massive glacier opposite Salkantay, the sky was a blanket of stars it was unreal. 2nd day was the most exhausting and hard, we climbed at a steady pace upwards, I kept thinking please when we get around the bend I hope thats it but it went on and on until we reached the summit. Then we decended down through the Andean rainforest and the climate changes again to hot/sticky and I got eaten alive by mosi's etc. The camp/food is set up by cooks, the food is ok and you will meet loadsa cool people from all over. Fourth day you end up at Aguas Calientes in a hostel, the town at the foot of Machu Piccu, wher you get a chance to go to the hot springs. You meet at 4am to get the bus, don't bother climbing up it's a killer, save your energy to climb Wayna Piccu, the huge mountain up Machu Piccu and agin thats 40 mins of hard climbing. It sounds gruelling and it is in parts, there were really fit men that struggled at certain points and the altitude can affect anyone. I paid 170 dollars and I think thats good. Shop around and good luck. I want to see much more of South America next September, got any advice on Mexico, whats good/bad, I want to fit that as well.
Take Care
Claire, welsh bird
Reply to this LYNN - awesome tips thank u. have booked it for the 21st and think it was actually with the guys u named so will def say hi to Javier and that you recomended him! cheers.
CLAIRE - Thanks for ur experiances too! sounds like u had a blast and i can only hope my time is as good. am doing the 4 day one so not sure if i get to clime wayna piccu but hope to. loads a new on mexico if u like. i did the ancient civiliastions tour with gap. saw the main 4 sights of teotihacaun, yaxchilan, chichen itza and palenque. all 4 are a must, blew me away. happy to sahre more nfo if u want or will all be on my blog. cheers!
Reply to this Hey Ian
Gracias amigo, that be great. Is Mexico very expensive and did you go to Mexico City, really want to go but been told it's too dangerous? Did you go alone? Fill me in whan you got time. When you get to Machu Piccu, Wayna Piccu is the large mountain in the back drop and when you enter the site it is yours to climb or not. I'll have to get my photos up loaded. Bit worried to go off by myself next year, might combine volunteering with work so I get to meet folk. Take care!
Cheers
Reply to this Hi Ian
I just know he'll do his all to give you the best experience. He is also one of the sweetest, kindest guys I know! Just arranging to go travelling with him next year!
Lynn
Reply to this Hi Ian,
To have a much better experience during your Inca Trail is necessary you spend 2 or 3 day in Cusco in order to acclimatize to the altitude.
Here is a link where you will find some information about trekking:
Inca Trail
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