Inca Trail holiday in Peru
| country: | Peru |
| location: | Inca Trail |
| departures: | 2010: 4 Apr, 17 Apr, 26 Apr, 8 May, 19 May, 27 May, 10 Jun, 25 Jun, 5 Jul, 16 Jul, 8 Aug, 16 Aug, 25 Aug, 4 Sep, 13 Sep, 30 Sep, 10 Oct, 26 Oct |
| price: | From £895 (7 days) excluding flights |
| more info: | Price includes: hotel accommodation (twin or double), full time guide throughout, entrance fees, camping, porters, train tickets, private transfers and meals as per itinerary |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Inca Trail holiday Walk the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu over a relaxed four days, avoiding the crowds. Travel as part of an exclusive small group to enjoy more time exploring Cusco and the Sacred Valley as you acclimatise to the altitude. Visit smaller Inca ruins on the way to Machu Picchu while enjoying spectacular views of the Andes.
Experience the unique feeling of arriving at Machu Picchu on foot after the crowds have gone. Enjoy all of this in comfort: with porters, guides and good hotels. We also offer the one-day ‘Royal’ Inca Trail walk and the train trip to Machu Picchu for anyone less active.
Experience the unique feeling of arriving at Machu Picchu on foot after the crowds have gone. Enjoy all of this in comfort: with porters, guides and good hotels. We also offer the one-day ‘Royal’ Inca Trail walk and the train trip to Machu Picchu for anyone less active.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Travel to Cusco. Fly to Cusco this morning. Meet your guide who will be with you throughout your time here. Acclimatise gently to the altitude (3,300m) with a walking tour. |
| Day 2: | Discover the Sacred Valley. Spend today with your guide exploring the Inca sites both in and around Cusco and the Sacred Valley nearby. |
| Day 3: | Start the Inca Trail. Explore the Inca ruins at Ollantaytambo. Start your four day hike with a walk alongside the Urubamba River. Walk 5km, 2hrs, up 50m. |
| Day 4: | Steady walk to altitude. Today you walk at relatively low altitude (3,000m) through a pretty wooded landscape camping in a lovely spot at around 3,800m. Walk 10km, 6.5hrs, up 850m |
| Day 5: | High Trail. Today is the hardest day of the trail as you cross over two high passes, effectively hiking an ‘m’ shape. Walk 15km, 8hrs, up 650m, down 850m. |
| Day 6: | Arrive at Machu Picchu. The final day of the trail is the most beautiful, starting with what can be the most stunning sunrise. Arrive in Machu Picchu this afternoon. Walk 11km, 6hrs, down 700m. |
| Day 7: | Explore Machu Picchu. Enjoy a full guided tour of Machu Picchu this morning. Return to Cusco by train this afternoon. Overnight in Cusco |
| Day 8: | Return home |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
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Community
We only run our own dedicated Inca Trail holiday departures exclusively in conjunction with a small family business in Cusco. We have our own team of local guides and porters in place in Peru. We can be sure that we are only working with the best and most experienced guides. It also means that we work with a single community to provide portage services thus ensuring a stable and reliable source of income for local families. Our porters come from the community of Chacllanca, about 45km from Cusco. Generally they are subsistence farmers who supplement their earnings by working on the Inca Trail. Our two head chefs, Virgilio and Herlin are in charge of getting the teams together and are therefore the bosses. Your team of porters is usually therefore made up of friends, family and neighbours who respect one another and work well together. Needless to say, we adhere strictly to the Porter Protection Policies in place on the Inca Trail. The hotels we use on this holiday have employment policies in place which encourage employment, training and promotion from within the local community. Environment We take longer to walk the Inca Trail on this holiday, keeping you away from the overcrowded and environmentally depleted campsites. Instead you stay at peaceful campsites where numbers are very low and therefore environmental impact minimal. We are scrupulous about carrying everything out with us. Groups are small and create minimal disruption. |
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. |