Inca Trail adventure holiday
Trek to Machu Picchu on the fabled Inca Trail, following in the footsteps of Peru’s ancient people on this adventurous small group tour.
Cuzco Sacred Valley Ollantaytambo Inca Trail Optional train to Machu Picchu
Price
£865£735To£1055excluding flights
More info
Single supplement £165.
Offers
Up to £130 off selected dates.
Late availability on these dates: 02 Oct, 05 Oct, 10 Oct, 17 Oct, 19 Oct, 24 Oct, 06 Nov, 13 Nov, 20 Nov, 30 Nov, 07 Dec, 21 Dec, 25 Dec, 26 Dec
Late availability on these dates: 02 Oct, 05 Oct, 10 Oct, 17 Oct, 19 Oct, 24 Oct, 06 Nov, 13 Nov, 20 Nov, 30 Nov, 07 Dec, 21 Dec, 25 Dec, 26 Dec
Description of Inca Trail adventure holiday
On this Inca Trail adventure holiday, you’ll retrace the steps of Peru’s ancient peoples, following the route from Cuzco and through the Sacred Valley before trekking up to the lost city of Machu Picchu.
After a day spend acclimatising in Cuzco, you’ll drive through the Sacred Valley and spend the night in historic Ollantaytambo before your Inca Trail journey begins. You can choose either to hike the classic Inca Trail, hike the Inca Quarry Trail or return to Cuzco for another two days before taking the train to Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu, and finally, a bus up to the ruins themselves.
If you’re doing the classic Inca Trail hike, you’ll have a team of porters to carry your bags, as well as food and equipment for the trail. You’ll need to be reasonably fit as the trail is 45 kilometres long and has many steep sections. There’s an average of seven hours of walking a day, with stops for snacks and lunch. The Inca Quarry Trail is 26 kilometres long and you’ll have horses to carry your gear and camping equipment.
Map
Price information
£865£735To£1055excluding flights
Single supplement £165.
Check dates, prices & availability
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Reviews
2 Reviews of Inca Trail adventure holiday
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 17 Jan 2020 by Marta Szynkiewitz
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Most exciting was getting to Machu Picchu (unfortunately the weather disappointed us on that day, while all the other days weather was great). Despite the weather, it was amazing experience finally reach our destination.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
No matter your fitness level, this trek can be very challenging due to altitude sickness/high altitudes. Trail is well kept, but bit tricky or slippery at times. If
you travel from Europe, please note that tipping is a thing and total amount of tips (recommended amounts) we gave actually made up quite a chunk of
money, which for young people could be a bit stressing. It is not mandatory, however every one from our group left the tip.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes. Definitely the tips we gave directly to the staff and they were all local. There were some shops available at the beginning ran by local as well. We stayed on
the path at all times (therefore we didn't really see much of the wildlife, apart from one hummingbird) so I hope the environmental impact was reduced.
There were also toilets available most of the times on the way. Water was supplied by the staff, so we could just refill water bottles and didn't need to buy
plastic.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Overall the organisation was great, food amazing, maybe bigger portions would be better (note they cooked for us vegan and gluten free) and guides were very
informative, special thanks to Edwind, who would always go extra mile.
Reviewed on 11 Apr 2019 by Pary Reza
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Machu Pichu
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Acclimatize
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Probably not
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Water supplies an issue non-potable in hotels and no water other than after trek started had to keep buying plastic bottles guides excellent
Read the operator's response here:
Thank you for your feedback. The tour chosen “Inca Trail Express” includes a visit to the Sacred valley on Day 2 where we stop for lunch with a local Quechua community. We learn about their traditional way of life and get to interact with them and learn about their culture. The money for this activity directly benefits the local indigenous community. On the remainder of the tour the focus is the trek to Machu Picchu (be it Inca trek or Quarry Trek) and yes, interactions with local communities are limited as the focus is the trek. However we have process in place on the trek to limit our environmental impact by restricting single use plastics, our porters and cooks must complete forms at the end of the tour for Head Office advising how many plastic bags they had to use and why ( often because of wet weather) and this is audited so that we can reduce our use of plastic bags with a view to removing them all together. We also advise all passengers to carry a refillable water bottle and to take any rubbish with them.
Our foundation in Peru is also certified by Rainforest Alliance with a 100% score for critical criteria and a 98.48% overall score for all criteria. They measure our policies, processes and actions both in the office and on our trips, covering everything from recycling and energy conservation through to how we interact with our staff, suppliers and local communities.
Our foundation in Peru is also certified by Rainforest Alliance with a 100% score for critical criteria and a 98.48% overall score for all criteria. They measure our policies, processes and actions both in the office and on our trips, covering everything from recycling and energy conservation through to how we interact with our staff, suppliers and local communities.
Responsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing it will help support the places and people that you visit, and the planet. Read how below.
Planet
Public transport is used where possible to reduce our impact to the environment.Group size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people.
The small number also allows us to stay in a unique, family-run hotel that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to its limited size.
The responsible aspects of this trip is that all clients are provided with biodegradable toilet paper, all rubbish accumulated from the trek is taken back to Ollantaytambo to dispose of. It’s a way we can encourage and educate clients to act responsibility and respect the environment and such a beautiful landscape.
People
Accommodation & meals:We visit a local community in the Sacred Valley where we enjoy an included lunch cooked by people from the community. Ingredients used for the lunch are locally produced and sourced. On this trip, you will stay in a locally owned hotel In Cuzco to encourage the concept of paying it forward and keeping money in the community. Aside from using local transport, family run accommodation (where possible) we also employ local leaders who will share their stories with you. We want to make every experience different and unique – there is a real vibe and atmosphere about South America that is something really special.
Community:
Included in the visit to a community in the Sacred Valley, we visit a couple of small businesses run by local community members. They might include a small ‘chicheria’ where a local beer is made using locally grown purple corn, a pottery workshop and a chocolate making demonstration.
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