If you love the outdoors and exercise, I highly recommend this trek! It is not easy which makes the rewards even more amazing! It is the trip of a lifetime!
My husband and I are 41. We trained for this hike. I work out 3-4 times per week regardless but I ramped it up to much harder workouts, and he basically started from scratch - for 4 months. The only altitude practice we got was hiking Half Dome.
I recommend this trek for almost any age! No matter what your heart will pound and you will be out of breath at that altitude. The key is to go slow. The altitude has unpredictable effects, but you feel it no matter what! For 20 somethings, it is easiest. For 30 somethings, you might have to work at it. Past that, you really should train! Over 50 - it depends on the person. We had a 60 year old lady on our hike. I do not think she trained at all. She said she runs all day on her nursing job. She was crushed when the 1st day, the "easy" day was so hard for her. The guide and porters carried all of her equipment and daypack (for a fee) -- but she made it!
Rent as much equipment as you can, and hire a porter to carry 9kg (the sleeping bag and sleeping pad alone are 4kg). When the equipment is rented, you do not need to worry about it on the last day - nor do you need to drag it all over Peru. Our company had nice equipment; the sleeping bag was very warm and had a liner.
Take your time on the hike. If you hurry, you will miss details. There is no reason to get there fast because you always have to wait for your group to catch up, and there is nothing to do at camp - the trail is better. I ended up carrying both daypacks = 22 pounds. The weight didn't bother me because I went slowly.
I was worried about freezing when the sun went down. I am always freezing (below 70 degrees Fahrenheit). But I was not cold at night, or ever. I never even wore my jacket. Layers are the key! My layers: a sports bra, a t-shirt, a long sleeve light weight shirt, a fleece, a hat, gloves and a thick rain jacket. It is warm in the dining tent and the sleeping bag.
No matter what bring hiking boots. The trail is completely uneven at all times and slippery even when it is dry.
We had no idea we should bring a garbage bag so we bought one along the way. To keep it dry in case of rain, you put all your stuff in it, including sleeping bag - inside the duffle that the porters carry.
You can buy drinks (beer, water and gatorade 9-12 soles each) at several places on the first day, and one place on the 2nd morning. That is all. The bar and store at the last night were shut down this year. The company provides plenty of water for the trail (days 2-4) and drinks during meals. Make sure you drink plenty of liquids or the effects of the high altitude will be exaggerated.
The bugs were not bad at all - for us. We brought 95% deet. (Careful of aerosol cans because airlines like Star Peru do not allow it - not even in your checked luggage.) We met some guys who did the Salcantay trail and they were covered with bites!!
The Quechua way is to share. Plan to share with the porters - coca leaves, bug spray, etc.
Buy coca leaves! They seem to be the wonder "drug". I'm not sure how exactly I was affected by them because you don't "feel" something - like you do with caffeine. Don't bother with coca candy unless you like to suck on something; it has no effect.
Our company supplied snacks on 3 of the 4 days but also recommended to bring them. I had granola bars and fruit bars but wish I had a loose bag of nuts or trail mix or dried fruit - so I could eat a few pieces at a time. With all the food the company provides, you will not go hungry (or lose weight).
Wear 2 pairs of socks - to prevent blisters, especially on downhills. Don't forget to cut your toenails before the trek; clip fingernails short too or they will break anyway. Bring a dry shirt to change into after finishing day 1 and 2. You finish high up; it is windy and it gets cold when the sun goes down; don't stay in your wet clothes. You can hang your wet shirt on your daypack to dry when you hike - like the porters do.
The porters are always running by. Stop on the mountain side to let them pass. Do not get close to the local's donkeys on the 1st day; they can kick very hard!
For our trip the showers on the last day were cold water only - and free. Bring one-use travel shower supplies - stores in Cusco sell them. There was also one shower stall on nights 1 and 2 but all the camps and bathrooms are different.
Every morning and evening the porters provide a dog bowl size of warm water to freshen up with. A wash bowl and trash bag were also provided at the dining tent. Bring wipes and a small towel.
Do not forget a decent head lamp (not flashlight) and spare batteries. This is your only light source in your tent, the bathroom, and early the last morning.
99% of the toilets are a hole in the ground. Do not forget your toilet paper and hand sanitizer. There are some toilets along the trail and at the camp - or your company will bring a toilet tent.
Always keep your tent zipped so you don't get any unwanted creatures.
There were llamas along the way: the morning of day 2, the ruins before Winay Wayna, and around Machu Picchu.
In advance I was very confused about how much to tip the porters. Our company told us $40 total, and reassured me such in an email. However my guide confided different amounts. We had 10 porters, 1 cook and 1 coordinator. The 9 of us each tipped a total of 100 soles ($40) for these porters. The total breakout was 600 soles for 10 porters (so 60 each - which they divide out), 180 for the cook, and 120 for the coordinator. We pooled our tips together and gave them at the goodbye/ thank you ceremony on the last night. As for the guides... 1 guide is required for every 8 trekkers. Since we had 9 trekkers we had 2 guides (which was great because one always led the group and one always stayed behind the last person). We tipped the guides on the last day - after Machu Picchu. (Our guides did not return on the train with us; they took the much cheaper local's train.) We chose to tip the guides equally 25 soles per person each guide. Then we had an additional tip: one of our porters met us at Machu Picchu. Note - porters are not allowed past the Winay Wayna check point into Machu Picchu, so our porter had to walk down to Aguas Calientes and then up to Machu Picchu. He delivered our personal supplies (duffle bags) to Aguas Calientes. (Our rented sleeping bags and provided sleeping mats were taken from us at the last camp.) He brought us breakfast #2 to Machu Picchu, and took our rented poles (no poles allowed in Machu Picchu). Our provided duffle bag was taken from us in Aguas Calientes but we could use it til Cusco, if needed. Lastly, he met us at the bus and took us to the meeting point in Aguas Calientes. For all this we only tipped him 3 soles each. So my total tip was 153 ($61). I wouldn't plan on tipping less than this!
I cannot say whether or not to bring hiking poles. I have never used them, did not use them, and did not miss them. However most others swore by how useful they are!
A guide always carried oxygen and a first aid kit. If you get ill before the top of Dead Woman's Peak, a guide or porter will return back down with you, and you can take the train to Machu Picchu (at your expense). If you get ill after Dead Woman's Peak, you will be brought to the finish.
The last morning you get up at 3:30am (or earlier) because the porters have to run down to their 5am local train. We had breakfast and then walked to the checkpoint that was in the camp (Winay Wayna). At 4:00am we sat and waited for it to open at 5:30am. (This check point stops people from entering Machu Picchu when it is closed.) Technically at least 250 hikers will be in this line. The first ~50 will get to sit on a covered bench; the rest get the ground.
From the check point it is about 1 hour to the Sun Gate where you get your first view of Machu Picchu. The trail is narrow and does not allow for easy passing. Then you hike down 30 minutes to Machu Picchu and the classic view. At that point you walk to the nearby entrance/exit to officially enter with your ticket. The entrance is where there is a normal bathroom (1 sole), food, storage (fee) and hotel - none of these are allowed inside the sanctuary. You will not be the first person into Machu Picchu; it opens at 6am and you cannot reach it from the checkpoint much before 7am.
On your way out of Machu Picchu, don't forget to stamp your passport (on the right, before the exit).
WHAT YOU NEED ON THE INCA TRAIL:
€ Original passport and copies
€ Sleeping bag and poles (not included)
€ Hiking waterproof boots
€ Thick plastic rain poncho
Remember: Even during the dry season there can be the occasional heavy downpour
€ Warm jacket, hat, gloves and wool socks
€ Extra set of clothes for the night/PJs
€ After trekking shoes are nice
€ Sun hat and sunglasses
€ 2 T-shirts / 2 long-sleeve shirts
€ Comfortable hiking <zip off> trousers
€ Socks, underwear
€ Bathing suit (for hot springs)
€ Water bottle
€ Toilet paper and lots of wet wipes
€ Hand sanitizer
€ Towel, very small travel one
€ Personal medication, bandaids
€ Headache, antacid medicines
€ Diarrhea and constipation medicines
€ Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hair gel
€ Flashlight/headlamp with spare batteries
€ Money for tipping and for any emergency (local currency) = 300 sols pp
€ Dried fruit, candies and chocolates
€ Pillow (travel size) if deflates
€ Sport Bra
€ Sunscreen
€ Insect Repellent
€ Daypacks
Note: Pack in lots of large ziplock bags
DAY PACK:
€ Camera
€ Sunglasses
€ water bottle
€ sunscreen
€ bug spray
€ pocketknife with scissors/clippers
€ blister stuff (moleskin)
€ baby wipes
€ hand sanitizer
€ sunhat
€ fleece layer
€ extra socks
€ extra t-shirt
€ raincoat / waterproof cover
€ Blistex
€ Headache, antacid medicine
€ Snacks
€ Coca leaves
No comments:
Post a Comment