Luxury Inca Trail trek, Peru
| country: | Peru |
| location: | Inca Trail |
| departures: | 2009: 23 Nov, 7 Dec, 24 Dec 2010: 26 Apr, 10 May, 20 May, 7 Jun, 17 Jun, 5 Jul, 19 Jul, 29 Jul, 2 Aug, 19 Aug, 2 Sep, 6 Sep, 23 Sep, 4 Oct, 21 Oct, 1 Nov, 22 Nov, 6 Dec, 23 Dec |
| price: | From US $1096 (5 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK. Single supplement £55. Alternatively, this trip can be tailormade at a time to suit you. We are a UK based company and prices are also available in GB pounds |
| more info: | 2010 price: US $1203, single supplement US $166. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This is is, deservedly, the most famous and popular trek in South America.
It is a spectacular trek through the high Andes on original Inca highway. You visit extraordinary ruins, enjoy beautiful mountain views, and walk through strikingly different climatic zones. The climax of the trek is the unique feeling of arriving at Machu Picchu on foot.
Our luxury trek is five days long; this is the best way to thoroughly appreciate this amazing trail and avoid the busiest campsites. It also gives a whole day at Machu Picchu, allowing us to experience the site at its quietest moments. The return to Cusco is by train, a comfortable journey with superb views of the mighty Urubamba river and our trek route. This is a moderate trek, reaching 4200m at its highest point. This trip can be extended with a variety of interesting tours in the Cusco and Machu Picchu area. Choose from 1 - 2 day Machu Picchu visits to 7 day treks.
Included in the cost of this trip is all camping equipment, thermarests, large two-person tents, qualified English-speaking Inca Trail guide, porters, cook team, hotel, guided tour of Machu Picchu, entry to Ollantaytambo, bus transfers to / from the ruins, train from Machu Picchu to Poroy and bus to Cusco, breakfast and lunch days 1-5, and dinner days 1-3.
Not included are sleeping bag, tips, dinner in Aguas Calientes & Cusco (day 4 + 5) and international flights (although we can book for these for you).
It is a spectacular trek through the high Andes on original Inca highway. You visit extraordinary ruins, enjoy beautiful mountain views, and walk through strikingly different climatic zones. The climax of the trek is the unique feeling of arriving at Machu Picchu on foot.
Our luxury trek is five days long; this is the best way to thoroughly appreciate this amazing trail and avoid the busiest campsites. It also gives a whole day at Machu Picchu, allowing us to experience the site at its quietest moments. The return to Cusco is by train, a comfortable journey with superb views of the mighty Urubamba river and our trek route. This is a moderate trek, reaching 4200m at its highest point. This trip can be extended with a variety of interesting tours in the Cusco and Machu Picchu area. Choose from 1 - 2 day Machu Picchu visits to 7 day treks.
Included in the cost of this trip is all camping equipment, thermarests, large two-person tents, qualified English-speaking Inca Trail guide, porters, cook team, hotel, guided tour of Machu Picchu, entry to Ollantaytambo, bus transfers to / from the ruins, train from Machu Picchu to Poroy and bus to Cusco, breakfast and lunch days 1-5, and dinner days 1-3.
Not included are sleeping bag, tips, dinner in Aguas Calientes & Cusco (day 4 + 5) and international flights (although we can book for these for you).
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Cusco, Ollantaytambo and Llactapata. |
| Day 2: | Huallyabamba and Llulluchupampa. |
| Day 3: | Dead Woman's pass. |
| Day 4: | Arrive Machu Picchu. Hotel Aguas Calientes. |
| Day 5: | Return train to Cusco. |
avoid disappointment - book your Inca Trail holiday in time
Over the last few years, the Peruvian government has imposed increasing restrictions on tourism on the Inca Trail in order to protect it from overuse. The aim is to minimise ecological impact and erosion, mainly by having limited access and improving the quality of the operators. There are now only a very limited number of trekking permits available - 500 per day (around 200 for travellers and the rest for staff) - and they are being issued on a first-come-first-served basis. In order to avoid disappointment we recommend booking well in advance (up to a minimum of 3 months in peak season), unless you are extremely flexible over your travel dates.how this holiday makes a difference
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We recognise that tourism has the potential to cause damage, so we try to minimize this and create benefits in a number of ways. We aim to minimize our impact on the environment, becoming as paperless as possible and using recycled materials in our office.
In Peru we work together with local people, paying them a fair price, and putting money into the local economy. We do this by using local agents, local trek staff and experienced and qualified local mountain and cultural guides who have an in-depth knowledge of their own country. We have regular staff training in responsible tourism management, on-going assessments and quality control of staff conditions, health insurance policies for porters and staff, and provide staff with suitable clothing and equipment. Our guides ensure our clients are informed on environmental issues relevant to their trips and also about local customs and issues. We use locally owned services such as hotels and restaurants, paying a fair price for those services. We buy fresh local produce for all of our treks from markets and small shops in each departure town. We are developing new menus to minimise the use of canned and packaged products and encourage cooking with local Andean products. In preference we choose local over imported goods. We use public transport whenever possible and feasible. We are committed to working in conjunction with local communities in all the countries in which we operate and to to encouraging sustainable tourism projects in conjunction with local communities. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |