4-day Trek or Jump on the Train?
Unless you have a very good excuse not to, you should definitely do the 4-day trek. The Inca Trail is a great trek with or without Machu Picchu at the end. Along the way there are breathtaking views and other interesting Inca ruins. Everyone talks about Machu Picchu so much (with good reason, as it is spectacular) but the Inca Trail that gets you there is also fantastic. Plus the sight of the mist lifting off Machu Picchu as you see it early in the morning on the final day is a sight you’ll never forget and something the people who opt to get there by train, typically will not see.
Should I book before I go or leave it to the last minute?
It's becoming more and more important to book the Inca Trail in advance. This was not always the case and in the past you don’t need to book the Inca Trail more than 3 days in advance and, therefore, you could leave it until you arrive in Cusco.
Unless you have a very good excuse not to, you should definitely do the 4-day trek. The Inca Trail is a great trek with or without Machu Picchu at the end. Along the way there are breathtaking views and other interesting Inca ruins. Everyone talks about Machu Picchu so much (with good reason, as it is spectacular) but the Inca Trail that gets you there is also fantastic. Plus the sight of the mist lifting off Machu Picchu as you see it early in the morning on the final day is a sight you’ll never forget and something the people who opt to get there by train, typically will not see.
Should I book before I go or leave it to the last minute?
It's becoming more and more important to book the Inca Trail in advance. This was not always the case and in the past you don’t need to book the Inca Trail more than 3 days in advance and, therefore, you could leave it until you arrive in Cusco.
Cusco | Machu Picchu | Inca Trail
Now, especially in the high season (May - September), it is becoming booked up in advance. Therefore if you are travelling to a fairly tight schedule, or are in a reasonably large group, it is certainly advisable to have you trek booked. If you are in Peru for some time, and are more flexible about the timing of the trail, then you might find you can book it at relatively short notice. This is more likely if you are travelling alone or in a small group, as there are often odd places left on tours that they want to fill. Also remember the trail is due to be closed every February for maintenance. The ruins of Machu Picchu will remain open and there will be alternate treks available - check the travel forum for latest announcements. (A great site for checking availability of the Inca Trail and booking your trek - www.inca-trail.com.pe )
What should I take with me?
With the way the tours have to operate now, there are porters, who carry all food for meals, tents etc.. You’ll need…..
- Your own sleeping bag (a fairly decent one as it will get cold at night)
- Water or water purifying tablets. Personally I didn’t go in for the whole water purifying thing. As porters are carrying the big stuff, I found it ok to carry a few litres of water with me. You get tea with meals and can buy water come day 3.
- Any extra snacks you might want.
- Some water proofs (wet season Dec - March)
- Coca leaves to chew. Not essential, but the locals swear they help relieve fatigue and altitude sickness.
- Some money; enough to but any extra supplies on days 3 and 4 (costs are higher on the trail) Also, it is normal to tip the porters (and rightly so)
That should do it, other than the obvious like a change of cloths, toothbrush etc...
Tough trek or walk in the park?
With the way the tours have to operate now, there are porters, who carry all food for meals, tents etc.. You’ll need…..
- Your own sleeping bag (a fairly decent one as it will get cold at night)
- Water or water purifying tablets. Personally I didn’t go in for the whole water purifying thing. As porters are carrying the big stuff, I found it ok to carry a few litres of water with me. You get tea with meals and can buy water come day 3.
- Any extra snacks you might want.
- Some water proofs (wet season Dec - March)
- Coca leaves to chew. Not essential, but the locals swear they help relieve fatigue and altitude sickness.
- Some money; enough to but any extra supplies on days 3 and 4 (costs are higher on the trail) Also, it is normal to tip the porters (and rightly so)
That should do it, other than the obvious like a change of cloths, toothbrush etc...
Tough trek or walk in the park?
If you are a hardened mountaineer then you’ll find the Inca Trail fairly straightforward. However, if you are not acclimatised to the altitude and lacking a little fitness, then you might find parts of the trek challenging. Don’t let this put you off as the standard 4 day tour is actually more time than is really needed. This ensure that no one has to sleep out under the stars because they failed to make it to base camp one day. A word of warning, with the Inca Trail being so popular, some tour operators are offering different routes for the trek to Machu Picchu. Do make sure before you book, the route you are taking and whether it is the Inca Trail on another trek of some sort. Some of the alternate treks don't take in the other ruins along the way and also may be more difficult, with higher altitude passes and less camping facilities along the way.
What else can I do in and around Cusco?
Ok, you’ve just arrived in Cusco and booked the Inca Trail. You have 3 days to wait so you look to make the most of the city and surrounding area. In around 90 minutes by bus you can be down in the ‘Sacred Valley of the Incas’ (Urubamba Valley). Here there are some nice smaller towns and some more impressive Inca Ruins. To fully explore I would advise 2 days with a stop over in one of the towns. Ollantaytambo is, for me, the most impressive site in the valley and Pisaq is a nice town. Saqsayhuaman can be visited from Cusco in less than a day and is also worth seeing for those with an appetite for all things Inca. It’s also the main location for the annual festival on Inti Raymi. If you are not one for site seeing, they run some good fun day trips out of Cusco, like white water rafting, that are well worth doing. (Photos of Cusco, Machu Picchu and other parts of Peru)
Where after Cusco and how?
This depends where you have come from. Cusco has an airport that is quite well served for internal flights and flights to some other nearby South American Cities. If you are on the whole backpacker / gap year trip, then you might want to jump on a bus, and people tend to head in one of three different directions. You can head west, down to the coastal region, for Nazca Lines, Lima etc.. You can go on to Arequipa in the south, which is a great city and good for tours to Colca Canyon. Or you can head towards Puno on the border with Bolivia and on the shores of Lake Titicaca. See our usual chart of bus times in Peru
Jen Neufeld - 30th October 2006,
Ok, you’ve just arrived in Cusco and booked the Inca Trail. You have 3 days to wait so you look to make the most of the city and surrounding area. In around 90 minutes by bus you can be down in the ‘Sacred Valley of the Incas’ (Urubamba Valley). Here there are some nice smaller towns and some more impressive Inca Ruins. To fully explore I would advise 2 days with a stop over in one of the towns. Ollantaytambo is, for me, the most impressive site in the valley and Pisaq is a nice town. Saqsayhuaman can be visited from Cusco in less than a day and is also worth seeing for those with an appetite for all things Inca. It’s also the main location for the annual festival on Inti Raymi. If you are not one for site seeing, they run some good fun day trips out of Cusco, like white water rafting, that are well worth doing. (Photos of Cusco, Machu Picchu and other parts of Peru)
Where after Cusco and how?
This depends where you have come from. Cusco has an airport that is quite well served for internal flights and flights to some other nearby South American Cities. If you are on the whole backpacker / gap year trip, then you might want to jump on a bus, and people tend to head in one of three different directions. You can head west, down to the coastal region, for Nazca Lines, Lima etc.. You can go on to Arequipa in the south, which is a great city and good for tours to Colca Canyon. Or you can head towards Puno on the border with Bolivia and on the shores of Lake Titicaca. See our usual chart of bus times in Peru
Jen Neufeld - 30th October 2006,
Very few foreign visitors to Peru will pass through and head for home without having visited Cusco. The main reason for going to Cusco is because it is where the whole Inca Trail / Machu Picchu process starts. Whilst the trek doesn’t actually begin there, it's where nearly all the tour operators are based, and it’s definitely the place to head for if it’s Machu Picchu that you’re after.
Questions about this topic are probably the most frequently asked by those heading to this part of the world. Here we aim to address the most frequently asked questions on the topic, but this article obviously doesn't cover every angle. However it gives you a great overview and should be more than enough information to get you going on the trek.
Questions about this topic are probably the most frequently asked by those heading to this part of the world. Here we aim to address the most frequently asked questions on the topic, but this article obviously doesn't cover every angle. However it gives you a great overview and should be more than enough information to get you going on the trek.
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