Inca Trail : choosing the right company

The Inca Trail is one of the main attractions in Peru. This mythic trail leads to Machu Picchu, but it is impossible to go alone and it is important to book with a good company.

First thing to know is that you need a permit to get on the trail. On the 500 available each day, 200 are for tourists. The others are for the porters, who will carry the camping material and the food.

For the high season, it is advised to book way in advance. In my case, I booked one and a half month prior to my trip for a trek in November, and we almost took the last permits.

There are a lot of companies that can lead you on the way. You have to determine the size of the group you want and the type of experience you wish to have.

The price will start around 550 $ and can easily go up to 2000 $ depending on what you want. Some will include the sleeping bag, the mattress and the porters services. Walking sticks might be included or not. In most cases, you'll need to pay some fees for each of these items.

The choice of the company is important too for your safety. If you get altitude sickness, which is rare, it will be reassuring to know your guide carries oxygen.

Most of the groups can go up to 16 persons. My company, Wayki Trek, said it wouldn't go higher than 8, which they respected for us.

They also offered to spend one night in the porters' village, in Huayllacoccha. This offer was free and totally worth it. When you get the chance to see how locals live, you shouldn't pass on it.

The food is also included in the trek and, at least in our case, is excellent. I'll say more later about that.

For a complete list of all the companies offering the trek, click on this link.

If there is no permit available for the Inca Trail, don't give up. There are numerous treks leading to the Machu Picchu. Most of them go through Salkantay.

A word about Peru

I reached a decision! In just about a month, I'll hit the road again. Finally!

So I'll leave for Peru, where I plan, of course, to see the famous Machu Picchu. I should then stop in Lima, Arequipa and Cuzco before a pause near Lake Titicaca. I will then continue on to La Paz, Bolivia, where I'll board the plane home.

Small information point about Machu Picchu, which one can reach in many different ways. The most famous one for trekkers probably is the Inca Trail, known to be one of the five most beautiful treks in the world. The trails goes past some Inca ruins. It reaches an altitude of 4200 meters, which can bring altitude sickness.

There are other treks since there are many other ways to reach the summit. We decided to try our luck at the Inca Trail itself. For that, it is necessary to book a long time ahead, especially in high season. Only 500 people can walk the trail each day, 200 of them being tourists. The other 300 permits are solely for guides and porters.

To know if permits are available for a specific day, look on that website.

Whatever the length of the trek is, it is mandatory to get a permit only for the first day of the trek. The permits can't be exchanged, transferred or refunded. They are linked to the passport number. And you can get it through an agency.

In the many agencies, we chose Wayki Trek. This company offers to spend the night before the trek with our guide's family. We're thinking about it.

The complete list of all the companies offering the treks is available here.

With my new trekking shoes, I'm already training for the Inca Trail.