More so than any other trip I have taken, people have been asking me about my experience hiking the Inca Trail this past week. In this and subsequent posts, I will describe my experience as much as I can. Hopefully, my story will help you decide whether or not you wish to make this journey yourself!
Many people have asked why I decided to do the Inca Trail. I will be honest–it was not my idea! A good friend of mine came up with the idea and asked if I would like to go, and I agreed. We researched different companies who could help us secure a guide and a trail permit (both of which are required for the trek), and ultimately settled on G Adventures. Unfortunately, my friend had to back out prior to the trip due to an injury, but I am sure she will make the journey herself someday.
Pre-Inca Trail
My trip was scheduled during my spring break, so I only had 9 days. As a result, I did not have much time to acclimate to the altitude. Ideally, I think it would have been nice to have at least a week to adjust to the higher elevation, but I had to make due with the time that I had.
So I arrived in Cusco early Sunday morning, a couple of days before the trek was set to begin. I had most of the day to myself to explore Cusco (and sleep–I spent several hours sleeping). Right away, I could tell that the altitude was slowing me down! All of my friends at home know me to be a fast walker, so I think they would all be shocked to see how much more slowly I was walking that day. It was like a regular person pace!
At 4:30, I met our guide (Daniel) and the rest of the group. We walked to the G Adventures office, where we filled out paperwork, learned about what to expect each day on the trek, and had the opportunity to rent sleeping bags, air mattresses, and walking sticks. You could bring your own from home, but I felt that paying a little extra money was worth not having to lug my sleeping bag around while traveling. There are foam mats provided, but the air mattress is definitely nice for a little extra cushion. I also do recommend renting the walking poles. The trail gets really steep and rocky, and the poles helped make the climbs a bit easier. All hikers are also given a small duffel bag. Due to official Inca Trail regulations, the porters are limited to carrying 20 kg each. So hikers are limited to 6 kg of luggage for the porters to carry, which is packed into the provided duffel. This includes sleeping bag, air mattress, and changes of clothes and shoes. Some people on our trip found it more difficult than others to adhere to this weight limit, but in the end, we all got it figured out. Just be forewarned that you will likely be wearing the same clothes more than once! We each also carried our own daypack on the trail with anything we needed while hiking–sunscreen, bug spray, layers, rain gear, and snacks.
I am sure that the items you need to pack vary depending on what time of year you are hiking the Inca Trail, but for April, I found it necessary to pack layers. T-shirts are a must, and convertible pants (the kind that can zip off and change into shorts) are also useful. Some days started out cold, so I found it useful to have a fleece jacket and a long sleeve t-shirt. However, once I got moving, I quickly needed to remove layers. Bring a hat and sunglasses, especially if you are prone to sunburn. The sun is very bright at the high altitude. We also found that it rained most days on the trail. I brought a rain coat and rain pants, and borrowed my mom’s waterproof backpack cover for my daypack. This worked great, although the rain coat tended to make me sweat really quick, so I only wore it during heavier rains. Other people used plastic ponchos, which you can buy in Ollantaytambo before the trek. They were able to cover themselves and their daypacks with the poncho, so it was also effective. As far as toiletries to pack, don’t count on taking a shower during the trek! A couple of campsites did have showers, but they sounded really cold and, honestly, unnecessary. Packing your own toilet paper is essential, as most toilets along the way do not provide it.
During my trip, it was cold most nights, so I found it useful to have some warm clothes for sleeping. I brought fleece leggings, but thermals would also do the trick. A warm hat is nice to have in the evenings and early mornings, and I even wore my gloves at least one morning. You will need some sort of flashlight. Most of us had headlamps and found those to be the most useful. We did not need alarm clocks in my group because one of our guides woke us up each morning with coca tea to start our day. I am not sure if that is the case for all groups, though, so bring one anyway.
On Monday, we toured Cusco, Sacred Valley, and Ollantaytambo. We visited a women’s weaving cooperative that was started by G Adventures to give back to the community. The cooperative helps to create jobs for women, as well as keep the art of weaving from dying out. It is honestly just as much of a science as it is an art. It is so interesting to learn about all of the different plants and parasites that the women know how to combine in just the right way to make different colors of dye.
Monday was also our introduction to learning about Incan history. We visited Incan sites in Sacred Valley and Ollantaytambo and started to learn more about the beliefs of this amazing society, as well as how they lived and how they constructed their buildings. It was also a day to acclimate a little more to the altitude. I was still finding it more difficult that usual to climb a flight of steps or walk at my normal pace!
We stayed in Ollantaytambo for the night to put us close to the starting point of the Inca Trail!
In my next post, I will describe our first day on the trail!
Tracy Travels & Teaches 
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