I heard that the best way to visit Machu Picchu and see the most Inca ruins are through treking the Inca Trail. I never treked and I heard that altitude sickness whilst on the trail could be a thing. As a solo traveller without being to Peru before, can anyone recommend the best company to do the Inca Trail through? As someone who doesn’t go to the gym on a regular basis but is in good physical condition, would you recommend I go for an Inca Trail tour or should I go for a shorter trek/hike? I also heard that I should book this well in advance because you cannot travel on these trails without permits? Do I organise the permit myself? Please help!
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Hi Leslie!
I personally trekked the Inca Trail and just like you, I am not an avid gym goer (although I’d like to change that). I managed to trek the whole Trail but I did take my time on it. I did this hike through a tour company called G Adventures and their team is absolutely incredible! There is always a guide at the beginning of the group and if you decide to go at your own pace and end up being last in the group, there is always another guide that will be with the slow folks at the back. So if you need to take a minute catching your breath and adjust your pace with the altitude, don’t feel bad about it! If hiking the Inca Trail is on your bucket list, do it! I would suggest to try and arrive in Cusco a few days before the hike to acclimate with the altitude and definitely buy comfortable hiking shoes! I also rented hiking polls from G Adventures which really helped on this hike!
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Hey there! considering this for myself - can you share more about how the group experience was? were all of the people in the group the same fitness level? did you feel that you were slowed down by the dynamics?
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Having a couple extra days in Cusco is key. Make sure to acclimatize and this will help a lot. The hikes themselves are not very strenuous so you don’t have to be an avid hiker. I went on one and we had all skill levels.
Also don’t rule out the other treks. The Inca Trail is the most famous one because it is the only one that finishes at Machu Picchu but the other ones are just as amazing and less busy. I did the Quarry Trail with Intrepid Travel and it was great. They even had donkeys to help carry some of the supplies and an extra one incase anyone got to tired and needed a break.
As mentioned above, you can rent or buy poles before the hike which is super helpful.
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@leslie - there is a great thread here with tips about altitude sickness!
I have done the trek also, and am not a super fit person and had no issues, the length of the treks each day are spaced well and you have lots of breaks so it is very doable for most people who have an average fitness in my opinion. We had in our group people in their 60’s, people who were super fit, and people who definitely did not seem fit at all - and everyone made it (and loved it)!
@micatravels - the set up for the trek meant everyone could go at there own pace. There was 1 main tour leader and several porters. The guide was at the front, porters throughout, someone always stayed with whoever was at the back.
You don’t have to walk at the same pace or together - you just meet at checkpoints for breaks along the way and at the end of each day. There were several times I was walking and could not see others around (which was really cool!). The guides were fantastic at making sure no one was rushed or slowed down.
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