The Inca Trail is the most famous trek in South America
and rated by many to be in the top 5 treks in the world. It
is 26 miles (45km) long culminating at the lost city of the
Incas, Machu Picchu. The trail is usually covered in four
days, and you arrive at Machu Picchu at sunrise on the
fourth day. Whilst you don’t have to be super fit to
do the Inca Trail, it helps to be in good shape as the
highest point of the trail is 4,200m. Most people hike the
trail from April to October, when it is drier. The peak
tourist months are July to August, so if you are planning
your trip during this time, it may be advisable to make
advance bookings of both trek and hotels.
Each year, the Inca Trail is closed for one month during
February. This is in the middle of the rainy season, so
would normally be very quiet anyway.
The number of people allowed on the Inca Trail at any
one time is limited to 500. This figure includes trekkers,
guides, assistant guides, cooks and porters. Out of the 500
people, it is estimated that around 220 people are
trekkers. The maximum group size is 16 people. Groups of
more than 10 require a guide and an assistant guide.
Contrary to popular belief it is still possible to
undertake the Inca trail without the services of a tour
operator. If you have a group of less than 8 people you can
hire the services of a guide. The guide must be
professionally qualified and must also accept
responsibility for the group. The guide will have to
purchase the Inca Trail trek permits in advance for the
group. The downside of this is that if you hire a guide you
will have to carry all your own equipment such as tents etc
and you will have to cook for yourselves since you are not
allowed to hire additional trekking staff such as cooks and
porters. The guide must comply with all Inca trail
regulations including carrying first aid equipment and
emergency oxygen. In reality making such a contract with a
guide is difficult since tour operators are not interested
in hiring out their guides and the majority of the best
guides are contracted to work for the tour operators.
The adult Inca Trail entrance fee is US$50 which also
includes entry to the ruins of Machu Picchu. Students under
the age of 26 years old in possession of a valid
International Student Identity Card (ISIC) receive a US$25
discount. Youths under 16 years old also receive a US$25
discount. Children under the age of 12 years old are not
charged an entrance fee.
http://www.incatrailperu.com
says i
f you are searching the web for information about the 4
day Inca Trail you’ll find hundreds of tour companies
offering this popular trek amongst their services. Many of
these companies are acting only as agents for the
relatively few specialist trekking companies that actually
operate the trek. Prices for the 4 day trek start at US$240
per person for a basic service (including entrance fees and
return on train) and can climb anywhere up to $1000
depending on the service and comfort on offer.
A good and valuable resource for anyone thinking about
doing the Inca Trail says that purchasing the trek directly
with a local tour operator in Cusco can often be less than
half the price of buying the trek in your own country
through an agent. However, great care should be taken in
choosing a tour company especially using the internet. The
page “Choosing
a Trekking Company” has been written to help you
avoid many of the pitfalls. The Beetle reckons that this is
a pretty good resource to check things out with.
Source:
http://www.incatrailperu.com