Chat on WhatsAppMy trekking experience with Inca Trail Reservations was a thoroughly positive and memorable one that I would definitely recommend to anyone considering doing the Inca Trail. I am a fairly experienced hiker, and I found the trail challenging and very rewarding. I would not recommend the trek to anyone in poor shape, or who has not been training a little bit. The hike was definitely the most beautiful one I have ever done, and it was full of exotic plant life, animals, Incan ruins, and SPECTACULAR mountains and landscapes. Our guide Jose was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, patient, and he was clearly interested only in making sure that we had the best experience possible. If your guide advises you to do something, I highly advise you take his advice.. The food was surprisingly good, also! We had expected mostly cold, packaged food, but we were pleasantly surprised to be served hot, creatively and skillfully prepared meals with no repeats! There was no food that I didn't like. The entire crew of guides, cook and porters worked very hard, and it showed. Don't forget to tip the crew!
I would recommend that anyone considering doing this hike SPEND THE MONEY, and buy a proper poncho that can cover the legs and pack of the hiker. There will be disposable ponchos for sale for $1 along the way, but they will not adequately keep the hiker dry. I spent $50 on a good poncho at a sporting goods store in Canada before I left for Peru, and it was well worth the money. You can probably get one for cheaper, but I would recommend this option over relying on waterproof pants and jacket alone. The weather on our trek was wonderful overall, but we did experience periods of rain, which did not last long, but were sufficient to get your clothes wet enough to make you uncomfortable if you were unprepared. The nights do get somewhat cold, and so I would recommend bringing a light coat and a light sweater/fleece. I was informed that I should buy a sleeping bag rated to 5 degrees C, which was the coldest temperature we would encounter at the time of year that we were trekking, but I cheaped out and bought one rated for 7 degrees C, and I was slightly cold on the coldest night. I would recommend buying or renting a sleeping bag to at least the coldest recommended temperature. The trek was visually stunning, and I would recommend lots of spare memory for cameras as well as EXTRA BATTERIES. I would also bring some salty and sugary snacks, to provide a boost in between meals.
Cusco is my favorite place I have visited in Peru so far, and I regret not having more time to spend here. The people are friendly and helpful, and it feels safe for a city of it's size, especially compared to Lima. The food and drink in Cusco is excellent, and there is a lot to see and do.
On the night before the trek, I stayed in the Inca Trail Reservations "Stay With Us" room, which was very cheap and convenient, and I would recommend this to anyone looking for an inexpensive private room. However, there are also much fancier and luxurious rooms in Cusco if you desire them, and they are affordable (I stayed in a beautiful hotel for $45 a night).
Inca Trail Reservations took care of ALL transport accommodations, including picking me up in the morning on the first day, the train and buses on the last day, and they even had someone waiting for me at the bus stop when it arrived to Cusco at the end of the hike who hailed and paid for my cab back to my hotel.
Machu Picchu was beautiful, but I would make all efforts to ensure that your group is the first, or among the first, to arrive there on the last day of the hike. There are many other people hiking to Machu Picchu, but later in the day there will also be buses and trains bringing people to visit the site who did not hike, so I would recommend getting up as early as possible on the last day, and getting in some awesome pictures before the site gets too busy.
Overall, my trek experience was wonderful. I met many wonderful people, saw some mindblowing things, took many beautiful pictures, and made some wonderful memories. If you are considering the Inca Trail, or any trek for that matter, I would definitely recommend this company!!
Marshall
Newfoundland, Canada
Marshallpicco@gmail.com
