Most travel agents will always tell you to book all your vacations much in advance, but this shows even more relevance when planning an Inca Trail trip. Due to traveler’s high demands together with the need to preserve the trail, the Peruvian government has severely limited the number of visitors per day. Only 500 people are allowed onto the trail a day; that includes guides, porters, and cooks along with trekkers. More often than not there are more trek ‘assistants’ than actual trekkers on the trail. As a rule we recommend that you try to book your tickets at least three months in advance, and in the high season (June, July, August) at least five months in advance.
Now top get into what you should carry to the trail, you only need to take with you what you need. All tours will start from Cusco so you can leave any extra luggage that you may have with you in storage at your hotel in Cusco. You are able to rent hiking backpacks through your trek operator or in Cusco for about $4 per day. Anything that you take with you, you will have to carry with you on the trail along with your sleeping bag.
It is recommended that you take about four t-shirts (two for trekking, one of sleeping and one for emergency), a warm sweater for cold nights and mornings (the weather and temperature can change drastically in a matter of moments), gloves or mittens, a good all-terrain jacket or coat, some sweat pants, comfortable shoes, a pair of hiking pants, and socks for each day. The sun at this altitude can be very warm so sun cream and a hat are essentials. Machu Picchu gets very hot in the day! For those of you after a little extra luxury it is possible to rent a personal porter to carry all of your equipment for you up to the weight of 15kg.
For these and more tips about hiking the Inca trail or visiting other locations in Peru, contact your Peru vacation package provider right away.