When we say Peru is one of our favorite places to travel to, we aren't exaggerating. So join us on this incredible retreat where you will experience the pinnacle of Peruvian culture. Explore the city of Lima, hike the Inca trail, enjoy fantastic food, and more!

We will be staying at 5 star hotels when not camping on the Inca Trail. Inca Trail is tent camping. We will have porters carrying our things and setting up our tents for us.

For the Inca trail, your main suitcase will be left in storage in your Cusco hotel. We will get your suitcase when we return from the Inca Trail. The Inca Trail tour guide will meet with us the day before the retreat to go over the trail details and provide you will a small duffle bag that you will fill with only the items you will need for the 4-day trail. You will be provided with a bag weighing up to 6kg that your tour group’s porters will carry for you. This bag will be provided by your tour company and will include your clothing, toiletries and sleeping bag.

I have also arranged the mattress pad, sleeping bag, tent, and hiking poles for your trek.

 You will need a small daypack that you will use to carry daily essentials such as a jacket, camera, water, and sunscreen. Please bring waterproof jacket, poncho, and shoes. We will be hiking during the rainy season but that just means greener scenery. Hiking during the rainy season does not necessarily mean it will rain during your hike, but I would plan on it raining at some point.

 

Tips for the trek

Your overnight bag will be carried for you — but there is a weight limit. Don't pack too much.

In your day pack — the one you'll be carrying yourself — be sure to include a windbreaker/rain jacket, water bottle, hat, bandana, moleskin/blister pads, lip balm, sunblock, sunglasses, dry socks (in rainy season), camera, headlamp, and a journal/notebook.

Altitude can be a concern for those attempting the trail. It's nearly impossible to know if you will feel the effects of Acute Mountain Sickness, and there are remedies, each with side effects. Locals chew on coca leaves, and there are Western drugs, such as Diamox, which can help. Ask your doctor what might work best for you.

Consider evacuation insurance even if your guide company doesn't require it. This is more than just travel insurance, which covers loss or cancellations in most cases. Evacuation insurance will pay for expensive medical or emergency evacuations. The cost of a helicopter in the middle of the night can set you back thousands of dollars without this insurance. I recommend World Nomad for travel insurance. Please purchase travel insurance for this trip. It is very important. You can pay more for cancel for any reason insurance. Travel insurance does not cover cancellation of your trip if you are afraid to travel due to COVID. It will cover you if you cannot enter in the country due to COVID related border closures or if you have COVID and cannot travel. It also covers you for other illnesses but again, does not cover you if you choose to cancel because you are afraid to travel during COVID. You are choosing to travel during a known pandemic and Walker Wellness Retreats is unable to offer you any refund if you cancel within 90 days of the retreat. You will have to go through your travel insurance company. 

Take it slow! The trail reaches altitudes of 13,000 feet, and unless you live in neighboring Bolivia, you probably aren't accustomed to the decrease in air pressure and available oxygen. Excitement might be high when you start, but you have days ahead of you. Pace yourself.

Get to know the crew. Most of the porters on the trail are local farmers and other local residents. They can be a great source of info your guide won't be sharing with you. Strike up a conversation and bring some pictures from home to share with the typically warm and inviting Peruvians who will be carrying the bulk of your gear, and all of your shelter and food.

Bring enough batteries for your headlamp and camera. There will not be any opportunities to charge unless you bring a solar panel.

Ponchos, while seemingly goofy in appearance, are a good thing. If the rain doesn't let up for a day or two, pack covers can get soaked through, leading to a soaked pack. A poncho does a better job of keeping rain off you and your pack. Cheap ones are available locally.

Prepare your feet before you arrive. Buying a new pair of boots or trail shoes right before arriving in country might seem like a good idea, but 15 miles into your hike is not a good time to discover the fit isn't perfect. Do your best to break in your footwear before departing.

Prepare your body before you arrive. You don't need to be in Ironman Triathlon shape before catching your flight to Peru, but it will help if you work your body before leaving. Cardiovascular work will help most while trekking. Get out and walk briskly, at a pace where a conversation becomes hard to hold, to work your lungs and legs. Be kind to your knees while attempting hills if you have them nearby. Lots of swimming can also be good. I would highly recommend hiking steep inclines. The Inca trail has a lot of steps!

Just keep going! The list of people older than you, more out of shape than you, and heavier than you that have completed the Inca Trail and arrived at Machu Picchu is long and storied. They all have one thing in common: mental toughness. The trek is a mental game, and you need a positive attitude more than you need the latest hiking gear.

Packing list suggestions (solely suggestions)

Clothes and such:

1 pair Light zip off pants

1 pair jeans

1 swimsuit

3 pairs ExOfficio Quick dry underwear

1 travel shirt

3 t-shirts

3 pairs running socks

1 Powerstretch shirt

1 heavy Polartech top

1 light Polartech top

1  MultiTowel

1 rain jacket

1 pair of rain pants

1 large and one small water bottle

First Aid Kit

1 light thermal top

1 light thermal bottom

baseball hat

light gloves

flip flops

Toiletries:

deodorant

shave lotion

razor and extra blades

soap (cut into small single use pieces)

body wipes

q-tips

bandaids

safety pins

toothbrush

toothpaste

sunblock

chapstick

dental floss

hand towel

Electronics:

camera

camera charger

camera batteries

memory cards

Spot Satellite Messenger with GPS Tracking

Headlamp

9-volt light

laptop

laptop power cord

AAA/AA battery charger

USB camera sync cable

travel power adapter 

batteries for all the gadgets

Other stuff

passport- you will need to carry this with you on the trail

day pack

hydration pack

extra passport photos

credit card

bank card

Hydration Tablets

Immunization card

aspirin

tylenol

toilet paper

bandana

pack cover

money wallet

card with vital info (flights, pp#, cc#, etc…)

book(s)

journal

poncho

small moleskine

pen

cash

playing cards

travel alarm

watch

iodine pills

sunglasses

clothesline

baglocks

passport copy

vitamins

antibiotics

activated charcoal

motion sickness pills

ear plugs

Cliff bars

Airborne

Cliff Shot Bloks (good for a boost up the long hills)

throat lozenges

reading glasses

headphones

duct tape

cell phone

Ziploc bags

2 dry bags

travel first aid kit

Warm hat and gloves