Is the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu for me?

“We’ve built our adventures, guidebooks, gear lists and community support to be the bridge between wishing you could be here and actually being here.”

Machu Picchu is an icon of global heritage. For those of us who are willing to take the road less travelled and experience Machu Picchu in the way that the ancients would have, there is the Inca Trail. We’ve taken some of the most common questions we get about this experience and have broken them down to help you decide if this is an adventure for you.

DISTANCE, TIME & CHALLENGE
The full Inca Trail that we do on our Life Happens Outdoors experience is 3 nights and 4 days. Two days are full trekking days where we expect to depart our camp at around 8:30am and arrive at our destination by 4:00pm with stops for lunch and plenty of rest and picture breaks. Two days are half days where we only walk either the afternoon or morning portions of the day. The total distance of the trek is 42 KM spread out on the 4 walking days.

The most challenging portion is a series of stairs that are mostly concentrated on the second day. We meet the challenge by walking slowly and taking plenty of rest stops. The photo opportunities on the day are unparalleled and there’s the added motivation of knowing that we’ll be reaching the top with bums of steal! On the whole, the trail is fairly mild. If you can walk unassisted with a light backpack for several hours at a slow pace, you can definitely do this.

I’VE NEVER TREKKED OR CAMPED BEFORE
Neither have most people who join us on most of our adventures. In fact, most people who join our Inca Trail trek put their trekking boots on for the very first time at the start of this trail.

“Take the road less travelled and experience Machu Picchu in the way that the ancients would have…”

We’ve built our adventures, guidebooks, gear lists and community support to be the bridge between wishing you could be here and actually being here.

Camping is a fun component of this experience and the sites are so well kept that it really is a great initiation into this type of adventure travel. There are even showers at every campsite! Our full experience is 9 days long and includes Rainbow Mountain and the Sacred Valley. We only use tents for the 3 nights on the Inca Trail. The rest of our evenings together are spent at hotels.

WHAT’S THE TOILET SITUATION?
There are toilet stalls along the trail and at the camp sites. We also have a toilet tent that moves with us and is accessible at camp sites and lunch stops. At no point will it be necessary to squat behind a tree.

WHAT ELSE WILL WE BE DOING ON THIS TRIP?
Our adventure includes a day trek to Rainbow Mountain, a series of mini walks in the Sacred Valley to visit the beautiful archeological sites and vibrant mountain villages and city tours of Lima and Cusco.

WHY DO I HAVE TO BOOK SO EARLY?
The Inca Trail has limited permits and they run out very quickly. Once a permit is taken it can’t be passed on to anyone else even if that person drops out. This is one of the many measures introduced by the Peruvian authorities to prevent crowds and preserve this ancient heritage trail. We recommend booking no less than 9 months before the departure date to guarantee your place.