Trekking the Inca Trail in style!

The excellent company, guide & porters.

The way our porters ALWAYS found the best, uncrowded camp site.

Great food every day!

Sipping coca tea at sunrise on the last day.

The feeling of achievement as you reach the sun gate & get your first glimpse of Machu Picchu.

Quick Tips:

Whatever you do use a good, reputable company - even if it means paying a bit extra it's really worth it.

Spend several days in Cuzco to acclimatise to the altitude.

Take lots of film.

Buy your warm clothes in Cuzco rather than bringing them from home - & don't underestimate how cold it gets in the tents at night.

Best Way To Get Around:

Trekking & trains.

When we arrived at our camp site after a steady 5 hour hike along the side of the river, our tents were up ready & waiting which was a nice surprise. After a cup of tea & biscuits, we were offered bowls of hot water to wash with - again very civilized. Even more civilized was the fact that this site had proper, western style toilets (they were in the middle of installing showers too - so you may be even luckier!) When we were clean it was time for dinner - in a barn next to a farm house.

After dinner we lit a huge fire & sat around toasting marshmallows(!) getting to know each other before turning in to our comfy well appointed tents - ours even had a river view!

In the morning we were awoken with our choice of tea, coffee or hot chocolate & brought more hot water to wash with - all this before a hearty breakfast - now if this isn't 5 star service tell me what is!

We were very hot, tired & dusty when we reached this amazing camp site - & the offer of cold drinks & washing water was much appreciated. No shower rooms here but a great toilet tent complete with chair & seat which is more than I expected at 12,000 ft!

Our porters had set off earlier than any of the other companies (3.00 am the morning before - now that's dedication to service!) & bagged us the most amazing site - with a front tent flap view of the beautiful snow capped Salkantay Moutains.

We were lucky enough to be the only group on the site, except for a few sheep. It's very cold here at night - (I slept in a hat & gloves as well as the usual thermals & coat)so we tucked up early after a great dinner.

In the morning we had a big breakfast of cereal, eggs & toast & of course coco tea (purely for medicinal purposes)to prepare us for the dreaded 'Dead Woman's Pass'- the highest point of the trail at 4,200 m.

This camp site was busy - but we still got the best spot of all - on top of the hill with a 360 degree panarama of the Andes. The best view of all was from the toilet tent - which looked out over the snowy peak of Mt. Salkantay (6272m) - everyone wanted to use the toilet around sunset - when the rosy glow on the mountain tops was beautiful!

We again dined in our dining tent in fine style & turned in early - due to exhaustion as much as anything else & the fact that we were expecting an early morning wake up call to photograph sunrise!

The wake up call came right on time with a cup of coco to boot & we stumbled out of the tent just in time to see the sun peep over the back of the Andes & light up the surrounding peaks with a soft orange glow - a trully spectacular sight!

Rather strange being back in a bed after the nights in the tent - but the hot showers were a treat. This hotel is a little over priced - but it's in a good location in Aqua de Calientes & it offers trekkers what they want after the trek: hot water, beer, laundry & clean linen.

Our chef really deserves to be awarded Michelin stars for creativity at altitude - he constantly provided great soups & fresh meat & vegetables without over salting or burning a thing. Every night we had three courses - including wonderful puddings. Every morning we had proper breakfast food (toast, cereal, eggs, yoghurt) rather than a reheated version of last night's supper (a regular occurance on other treks). Lunch was often simple - sandwiches & fruit - but fresh & plentiful. I'm sure you'll agree that this is not the story you usually hear about trekking food.

Words can't describe how wonderful this trek is - many people are put off because of the cold & the altitude - but as long as you are quite fit & sensible you should really consider going. We saw all ages on the trail when we were there - one family spanned 3 generations from an 8 year old child to a 70 year old grandfather - so there's really no excuse.

The idea of setting off with a firm goal in mind - that of reaching the fabled city of Machu Picchu really keeps you going when the going gets tough & when you finally reach the Gate of the Sun & look down at the spectacularly preserved ruins of the city & the towering Huayna Picchu - you really feel a sense of immense achievment.

The ruins & scenery along the way are also interesting & only accessible by people doing the trail.

To approach Machu Picchu by entering through the Sun Gate, & trekking through the mountains, the same way the Incas did it - is undoubtedly the best way to start - but if you are unable to do this you can cheat & take the train from Cusco for a very easy 2 day stay or a rushed day trip. The best thing about staying overnight is the fact that you can get up really early & see the sunrise over the city - before the hoards of day trippers arrive. The light is great for taking photographs at this time. The restoration projects & depth of knowledge of the local guides is very impressive - you should definitely get a guide to tell you about the specific buildings - the stories about the garden, the mountain back drop carved in stone & the sacrificial alters are especially good. If you have time & energy - you should also climb Huayna Picchu for a birds eye view of the city.

The main reason for adding this activity form is to highly recommend 'Explorandes' as a trekking company - they really were faultless - they are doubtless the best people to go trekking with - if you'd prefer a little bit of luxury & exclusivity.

The food & camp sites are better than everybody else's by far - I've recommended them to lots of people since I used them last year & no-one's been disappointed.

Also if you book through one of the big companies (i.e. Sobek, Wilderness etc.) - they are very likely to use Explorandes & charge you double - so cut out the middle man & contact them directly (I didn't do this but wish someone had advised me to do so).