Peru
Inca Trail

Next
Machu Picchu

...get the right gear and get acclimatized, beforehand as passes go over 4,000m.

Peru Tours

...climbing from low to a high altitude daily is no joke, even if the views are spectacular.

Pictures left side: The spectacular Inca trail - near the start; the track near the end; the second day camp site. Right side: traditionally clad Peruvian porters; one of the Inca mini-forts still standing; the highest pass of the Inca Trail and the place where oxygen runs out big time.

Much of Peru's three day 'Inca Trail' from Kilometre 88 to Machu Picchu is a simple path, paved and wandering from semi-tropical valleys to snowy 4,000m passes and back again. There are no facilities en route so if you don't fancy carrying a full camping outfit at high altitude, porters are available in Cusco or at Kilometre 88 (a couple of hours down the railway track from Cuzco for a few dollars a day. A local guide is also now a legal necessity. Hikers must be registered for the walk 30 days beforehand - a nightmare for casual arrivals/gap year travellers etc! But unsurprisingly if you show up in Cusco with a few spare dollars in one hand someone will find you a permit! Alternative? See Choquequirao.

Information: Peru Map | Peru Travel Guide

Photos: Arequipa | Altiplano | Titicaca | Cuzco | Machu Picchu