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
Double occupancy includes a private bedroom and private bathroom for 2 people.
Single occupancy includes a private bedroom and private bathroom for one person.
The moment you arrive in Lima, private transportation will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel (2 night hotel stay at the 5-star JW Marriott). We will have the morning to relax.
1:00 PM: Lunch as a group. Then you will have all day to relax and enjoy the beauty of Lima and its surroundings.
7:00 PM: Dinner out as a group.