5 top inca trail tour operators
The Inca Trail, Camino Inca or Capaq Ñan, is considered one of the best hikes in the world, it's a Royal Road that was used for Inca royalty and pilgrims to the sacred site of Machupicchu. Nowadays it is used as one of Peru’s best hiking options for Machupicchu and a lot of tourists chose it as a first choice. We aim to help everyone make the right choice.
The Inca Trail is regulated by the Peruvian government and it is not possible to hike on your own. It can be organized ONLY through an official travel agency and only 500 permits are available per day. These permits are for tourists, guides, porters, and cooks. That is why permits sell out quickly, and the total number of permits is around 200 for tourists and 300 for staff. In a group, there is always more staff than hikers.
Inca Trail permits are released each year in October. Some months are sold out after a couple of hours, especially for April, May, June, and July. If you are planning to choose one of these months we highly suggest you book your hike before October. Once permits are purchased by a travel agency, it can not be canceled or changed. That is why travel agencies require a Non-refundable deposit, which means permits are not refundable or transferable. Even if you cancel your hike, no one can use that spot, so it is better if you can first check your travel dates and confirm your departure day.
To hike the Inca Trail or any other hike to Machupicchu we suggest being in Cusco at least 2 days before your departure to adjust for the altitude. Most travelers are in Cusco for one day and another in the Sacred Valley because it is at a lower elevation than Cusco and helps you be ready for the hike. Are there people who can not complete the hike? Yes, but not often. You don't need to be in really good shape to complete the hike. For many hikers, it is their first experience and they complete it successfully. Before your hike, it is suggested to start a workout plan or start hiking on local trails. Trekkers walk around 15 km (9 miles) per day, but you have the whole day to walk. After the Inca Trail, most people have stomach problems because they ate something bad food the previous days. Some people have altitude problems, but it's sometimes due to having other health problems before. Is it better to ask about these details during the booking process? What happens if you come back from the hike? What is the procedure if you feel sick? What safety precautions and items do the guides take for the clients? The most important thing is, how to choose the correct tour operator for your hike? The trail is the same for all travel agencies, but what makes a difference is the Agency that you chose. If you go on google and search for Inca trail operators you will find a lot, but not all of them are the official operators. Most of them get hikers and put you in a third party. It is better and highly recommended that you get the correct agency and avoid any problem afterward. It is often common to see tourists at the police station giving their complaints about travel agencies. They confirm that their hike was purchased, but once they arrived at Cusco they start telling them that their permits were canceled. Normally, this happens because they are not allowed to buy permits, or sometimes they just forget. So it's better to pay a little bit more with a reputable company and avoid all these problems.
After doing a comparison between most of the operators, we have created a list of the 5 tops operators for the Inca Trail, and the things that make a difference are:
The Best Inca Trail Tour Operators
#1: ALPACA EXPEDITIONS
A local company that has proven to be the best when it comes to trekking to Machu Picchu, Alpaca Expeditions founded by Raul Ccolque. As a former porter and Inca Trail guide, he quickly became known by locals and tourists for the amazing experiences they offer on every tour from a vast list of options combining daily departures and multi-day hikes. A company concerned with contributing to their community through multiple social projects, providing free and top-quality equipment to their staff, addressing the issues on welfare for their porters, and also fighting towards gender equality by hiring female staff, guides, and porters. All of this made with the addition of being a locally founded and operated company. The journey is the destination with Alpaca Expeditions.
Website: www.alpacaexpeditions.com
Inca Trail: $690
#2: G ADVENTURES
G Adventures is an operator of small-group escorted tours. It is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with 28 offices worldwide. It offers more than 700 itineraries in more than 100 countries, and carries 200,000
Website: www.gadventures.com
Inca Trail: $1130
#3: PEAK DMC
PEAK DMC is your trusted destination management company, operator and product developer.
With 25 DMCs across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, we create sustainable experience-rich solutions for the world’s leading travel brands.
Website: www.peakdmc.com
Inca Trail: ?
#4. WAIKY TREK
Wayki Trek was formed in 1998 by a group of experienced tour guides from different rural communities in the Cusco Region. A key feature offered by Wayki Trek is small group sizes. They never exceed eight trekkers per group, unlike many operators who will happily reach the maximum group limit of 16 people. So, plenty of local experience combined with small groups. What’s not to like?
Website: www.waykitrek.net
Inca Trail: $780
#5: PERU TREKS
Peru Treks is a family-run adventure tour operator based in Cusco specialising in the 4-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
Website: www.perutreks.com
Inca Trail: ?
You may also like
Preparation for Inca Trail
