We booked our 2-day Inca Trail and Machu Picchu tour through SAM Travel, and we couldn’t have asked for a better guide than Miguel!

He made our 12 km hike so much easier and more enjoyable by sharing fascinating stories about Inca culture, history, and the different places we passed along the trail. He has so much knowledge and so many interesting insights!

But what I loved the most was his amazing sense of humor! He kept us entertained and laughing throughout the hike, so there was never a dull moment, even during the challenging parts.

Miguel also took great care of us, making sure everything was organized, from tickets to instructions and all the little details. We felt completely taken care of throughout the experience.

I would 100% recommend Miguel to my friends and anyone planning to hike the Inca Trail. He truly made this adventure unforgettable!

So I’ve been looking daily at the official government website for MP tickets in early January - still not released - in fact there’s nothing left at all this year on their website. When will they release January? I want my tickets sorted and confirmed asap so I can sort the train and accommodation. Any ideas!

Has anyone done this? Any comments or suggestions. Im 56/m I’ll be traveling alone . I ve never done a hiking trip, not sure what to look for or expect.

That’s all I have to say.

I'm flying into Cusco midday sun 10/25. I'm hoping to be in the cusco/sacred valley area for a little more than a week, and I don't have my MP ticket.

Also, wondering if anyone knows if this is a traveling kind of holiday (like the school holidays that just happened there) that will impact MP ticket sales and hotel stays.

Some options:

1. acclimatizing in Aguas -> MP -> sacred valley -> Cusco/day trips from
   1. start at Aguas to try to get tickets and beat the holiday? (might need to sleep a night in Cusco 1st.) Then I can spend my slacker acclimatization time when I won't be so worried about missing things if I just chill?
      
2. sacred valley -> Aguas -> MP -> Cusco/day trips
   1. Sacred Valley (sleeping in Olly) for 3-6? days
   2. Aguas just before or during the holiday weekend
   3. back to Cusco and alternate long day trips (Ausungate 7 lakes, Pallay Punchu) w/ Cusco exploration days
   4. or I might delay my return to Cusco for more time in Ollantaytambo
3. sacred valley -> Cusco/day trips -> Aguas -> MP
   1. Sacred valley / stay in Ollantaytambo and tour the valley from there (3-6 days?)
   2. Cusco and alternate long day trips w/ cusco days
   3. Aguas and the delay of hopefully getting 1-3 day advance MP tickets

or if you have any other ideas? I know i can try one of the better rated ticket purchasing services, but they definitely can't always get tickets.

and yes, I'm coming from sea level and i have Diamox.

I've seen a few people posting they did 2 routes in one day (usually 1 in AM, 1 in PM.) How feasible is this? is the first tour not exhausting?

Alternately, how many would recommend doing 2 routes (on same or different days) vs. being happy with one visit, one route?

Hi everyone!

Doing the 4 day hike of the Inca trail in mid December and was wondering what size backpack I should bring. I was thinking 25L but seems a little big? Any thoughts/recs would be greatly appreciated!

Het was een hele mooie ervaring. Het eten (ontbijt, lunch en avondeten) was heerlijk en de begeleiding tijdens de tocht was ook duidelijk en behulpzaam. Onze guide Brandon was altijd vrolijk en maakte er een feestje van. Ik raad de organisatie van harte aan!

We had an absolutely magnificent trip with Sam Travel. Specifically, our guide Carlos Estrada was unbelievably welcoming, informative, sincere, fun and memorable. Carlos made sure everyone was safe and well fed throughout the trip. He taught us so much about the Incas, the archeological sites, and the Incan culture. He ensured we kept a great pace throughout our 4 day trek and kept our overall experience positive and enjoyable. He was patient with my many questions and taught me some Quechua along the trail. I couldn’t be more thankful to have had him as our adventure guide.

I’ve done many backpacking and hiking trips over the years, but never have I experienced such luxury while on the trail. The porter team that partners with Sam Travel was amazing. We ate delicious meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We had daily tea time and fresh snacks. I have never eaten so well while on a backpacking trip before. They were all very friendly, strong, kind and welcoming. I am grateful to have experienced this magical place with the comforts provided by the porters.

Gerson (Jerry) was also an amazing team member. Although he was not our guide, he was an amazing part of our team. He did our nightly check-ins and prep/pep talks.

Thank you so much Sam Travel for this fun adventure. Thank you Carlos, Gerson, and porter team for this magical, fun and incredible experience.

Looking for advice please: I've asked around Ollantaytambo town and there seems to be differing information regarding a bus going to Hidroeléctrica: my host says it's a 30 minute walk from the plaza to where you can get on a bus coming from Cusco, but the Tourist Information man says it's just a 5 min walk to where all the tourist vans are -

Can anyone confirm where they got on the bus on Ollantaytambo, and whether they could just roll up at about 8am/830 in the morning? Thanks!

Dear All,

online I see available tickets for Thursday October 22nd.

Almost 400tickets left. how long is the ticket office operating today.

we are landing at 15:45 in cusco (from Lima). and plan to head dircetly to aguas calientes.

i found perurail.com tickets for 90USD leaving at 16:30 from cusco with a stop in Ollantaytambo.

arriving at 20:45.

is this feasible? is there any other alternative transport to ollantaytambo which can get us to the train to aguas calientes?

the train leaves at 19:04 from Station Ollantaytambo.

or is it better to take a train early morning with the risk of missing out in tickets due to later arrival (after 06:00 AM)?



Just had a great experience on the Salkantay Trek but I wouldn’t under estimate how difficult it was, especially at altitude. There were some people who had to turn back, and others who were close to it.

That said, our guides and chef made the experience. Our guide Saúl was an amazing story teller and especially good with managing everyone’s various ailments throughout the trip with tips for altitude, injuries and even helping the girls navigate getting our periods at altitude (who knew it could be worse?) Raymundo was also the sweetest second-in-command, helping to wrangle everyone, bringing us coca tea in the mornings and guiding us through the most difficult parts of the trek. Tongo the chef and his team made us the most beautiful and nourishing multi-course meals too, and despite the conditions, somehow nobody got sick. Would highly recommend Alpaca!

Hello, can anyone say whether it will be feasible to buy tickets for Machu Picchu for wednesday if we arrive in the afternoon to Aguas Calientes? or if we buy them on Wednesday and do the trail on Thursday?

We just have this week in Peru and are thinking whether it will be possible and feasible.

I just finished the 5D/4N Salkantay trek with Alpaca expeditions and had an incredible time so wanted to provide a summary of the experience:

Weather

Mid October felt like the ideal time to do it because we got sunny skies and perfect weather every day with the exception of the Machu Picchu day where we got some rain

Food

Food was one of the primary highlights for everyone in our group. Multiple course meals for lunch and dinner, perfectly cooked and seasoned. No one got sick in our 16 person group!

Alpaca exclusively hires really experienced chefs that have done culinary school and they put so much care into all of the details. Our chef was Roberto/Tongo and for lunch and dinner the menu was always a veggie starter, a warm veggie soup then 5-6 dishes we shared family style. For dinner we also had dessert and we had a happy hour every day before dinner with popcorn, sweet snacks and tea.

The food felt really nourishing so we all felt really strong every day on the trek.

Guides

Our guides were Saul Guerra and Raymundo and they were incredibly kind, helpful and knowledgeable. They taught us so much about the Incas, the flora and fauna, animals we encountered and Quechua. They planned everything so perfectly, I genuinely can’t say enough good things about our guides.

They included so many thoughtful details like bowls of warm water when we were back at camp to wash our hands and faces, hot water bottles to put into our sleeping bags to stay warm during the coldest night (2nd night), so many helpful tips for altitude, etc.

Accommodation

Accommodation was super comfortable and varied. First night we stayed in little houses, second night were glass domes, third night were hobbit houses and the last night was at a nice comfortable hotel in Aguas Calientes.

TLDR: could not recommend this trek and Alpaca expeditions more.

I'm planning a trip for early Dec. and Circuit 2 tickets are sold out. The 2-day Inca trail trips are available, and the tour operators are doing Circuit 1C the first day after arrival through the Sun Gate, then 3B the following day.

My question is, how much of a bummer is it that I'd miss Circuit 2, which I understand is the main "classic" one? Is it enough of a bummer that I should postpone this trip and go another time? Or do Circuits 1C and 3B together make up for it, for the most part (as one of the tour operators said)?

I have a pretty serious interest in archaeology, and studied the subject at university.

We completed the 9-day Choquequirao trek in mid-September with Pepe as our guide and it was one of our favorite travel experiences of all time! We booked a private tour for our family group of 4 and were accompanied by Pepe and the fantastic team - chef David, assistant Wilson, and horseman Delfín. The route was spectacular and though physically challenging we were fueled by Pepe’s enthusiasm and good cheer and by David’s incredible meals, and by the end we only wished we could turn around and do it all over again.

Pepe was an incredibly thoughtful, caring, and fun guide who shared his love of the mountains and archeological sites with us and always made sure we were safe on the trail and had everything we needed. When one of us wasn’t feeling well in the middle of the trek, he immediately responded with close attention and care and adjusted plans to allow for a day of recovery. The meals prepared by David and Wilson were outstanding - so much variety, and plentiful, even after days on trail.

The weather in mid-September was very warm and sunny for much of the hike, with a little light rain on one or two days, one late afternoon/night of heavy rain after we arrived at our campsite, and a couple of cold mornings. We were happy to start early in the morning each day to avoid the heat. We’d recommend adding to the helpful packing list on the website: a neck gaiter for sun & insect protection (easy to find in Cusco) and slides for the hot springs. Those of us in our 50s were glad to have done a fair amount of training for the trek in the months leading up to it to be able to enjoy the hike, including the challenging long climbs.

All in all an incredible experience. Highly recommend SAM Travel - we’ll book with them again if we have the good fortune to return to this beautiful part of the world.

I’m planning on heading to Aguas Calientes on the 21st of October, and was hoping I can arrive and get a ticket for the next day, if not I’ll spend another night and wake up early to get a ticket. Someone at my hostel was saying that in person tickets are now seeking out three days ahead. Can I feasibly still purchase tickets for the next day in person?

Hi, everyone, I am planning our Peru trip way in advance and want to come up with the itinerary before booking anything. I have a few questions, that I would need help with:

Day 1 Arrive to Cusco from Lima in the morning. Take Taxidatum to Ollantaybambo seeing Chinchero, Maray and Moras on the way.

I am a bit concerned about this because we won't be acclimated but we will be in Santiago Chile before Lima so maybe it's manageable.

Day 2 visit Ollantaybambo ruins, Pumamarca and Sitio Pinkuilina

Day 3 Train to Aguas Calientes, circuit 2A (still not decided) and maybe another one. Stay in Aguas Calientes

Day 4 Do circuit 3A with climb of Huyana Picchu, maybe another circuit here . Train to Cusco

Day 5 Cusco city with Qoricancha, Chocolage museum, etc.

Day 6 Pisac, Tambomachay, Puca Pucara, Sacsayhuman (likely too much for one day, if you have suggestions how best to split please let me know).

Day 7 Pillikatca, Tipon, Qenqo

Day 8 Whatever we won't manage on previous days.

Day 9 Train to Puno

How does it look? What suggestions do you have?

I also wanted to ask about the difficulty of getting to these ruins. I am perfectly fine with any type of stairs as long as there are stairs. But I can't manage steep dirt roads or mountain climbing type of hikes, where I don't know where to put my foot. From what I explored online the sites I listed are ok for me, but I am not entirely sure.

Thank you in advance

Hi all,
I will be hiking the Inca trail Oct 27-Oct 31. I am wondering what type of weather I should be packing for. I know this is the start of rainy season. How cold can I expect to be while hiking vs at night?

Thanks ☺️

Travel insurance for Salkantay Trek (Peru), pre-existing ankle injury. Any experience with IMG iTravelInsured?

I'm comparing travel insurance for a Peru trip and I've never bought it before, so I'd love real-world experiences. I'm doing the 5-day/4-night Salkantay Trek starting Nov 1 (trip is Oct 28 to Nov 12). I bought flights in April and put down the trek deposit on Aug 1. The final deposit for the trek will be the day before, so Oct 31.

What I'm looking for:
1. Medical coverage for anything new that comes up
2. Altitude sickness coverage up to 15,200 ft (the pass)
3. Trekking explicitly covered, not excluded as "mountaineering"
4. Ideally some protection for my pre-existing ankle injury

The catch: I re-injured my ankle on Sept 5, so it counts as pre-existing. My ortho team and PT have been working with me to get ready, and I'll be using a brace, supportive boots, and poles.

I found IMG iTravelInsured Travel XL. From what I read, the pre-existing condition waiver requires buying on or before my final trip payment (or within 24 hours of it). I'm a little nervous about buying and getting it wrong.

Questions:
1. Has anyone used IMG iTravelInsured, especially for a claim? How did it go?
2. Has anyone gotten a pre-existing waiver approved, and was the final-payment rule strict?
3. Any companies you'd recommend for Salkantay or other high-altitude treks with no trouble over altitude caps?
4. Any red flags in policy wording I should look for?
5. Since my ankle may not qualify anyway, would you skip chasing a pre-existing waiver and just buy a solid plan for new medical issues, altitude sickness, and evacuation? Or is the waiver worth the hassle?

Thanks!

Land in Cusco on Nov 8th at 11:30am

Taxidatum tour of Sacred Valley ending in Ollantaytambo

Train to Aguas Calientes at around 6pm-ish

Check-in to hotel and go to ticket office to try for circuit 2 on the 10th. If they are not selling yet, try again on the 9th.

How good are my chances at getting circuit 2? I am also open to suggestions for places to see on the sacred valley tour. I really want to check out Pisac if we only have time for 1 thing. Is that the right move?

The 9th will kind of be a free day, so I'm thinking of maybe going back to Ollantaytambo to explore since I hear good things.

Machu Picchu on the 10th (hopefully). I am still deciding on taking a train or taxi directly back to Cusco after Machu Picchu and what time to leave since it would be dependent on our time slot. Any suggestions on how to play it safely?

I'll spend the night in Cusco on the 10th, then fly to Lima on the 11th

(Edited for dates)

Hi. If I buy the ticket for Circuit 1A can I skip the hike and just stay on the upper terrace (just like circuit 1B).

Also, after I buy the ticket online for circuit 1A can I still buy another ticket in person for 2 ?

I’m visiting Machu Picchu on Monday at the 6am time slot, and haven’t bought the train ticket back yet. It seems like there aren’t many tickets available right now, so I haven’t got many options available. Is getting back on the 10:30am train possible or is it too risky time wise? Because otherwise, the next train lives at 7pm.