Some Tips And Tricks For Hiking The Inca Trail
My flight was booked! My dream of hiking the Inca Trail and walking via the sun gate to Machu Picchu was finally coming true. But then reality hit me. I have never done an overnight hike before! Do I go alone or with a group?
Hiking The Inca Trail:
Here are a few tips and tricks that helped me not only survive the Inca Trail but have the trip of a lifetime!
1. Find An Incredible Tour Group:
Before booking my trip, I was not sure how I felt about going with a tour group. I was worried that traveling with a group of strangers would take away from the trip. However, after plenty of research, I decided to go with G Adventures.
I became close friends with my small tour group of 10 people and still keep in touch with them. Picking a quality tour group such as G Adventures not only helped take the stress out of traveling logistics. But it is actually what added enjoyment to my trip.
2. Get Fit:
On the Inca Trail, we had people of all ages, sizes, and fitness levels. Moreover, I highly recommend preparing your body a little and familiarizing yourself with how your body reacts to high altitude. But don’t worry; you don’t need an extreme amount of training. To organize, I went on one to two hikes a week and did a lot of dog walking. the hike’s average ranged from 3 to 7 miles.
Moreover, as fit as you are, everybody reacts differently to altitude. Try discovering a hike in your area that has somewhat of a higher size. I only had the opportunity to do one higher-altitude hike. But don’t stress out too much! Your tour leader has allowed many people to hiking the Inca Trail and will be there to help you if you begin to feel sick or simply need a little additional motivation.
3. Technology Tools:
I am a firm believer in digital detoxing when traveling, but when hiking in the wilderness, it is comforting to know that I have helpful resources at my fingertips if I ever need them. When hiking or traveling, there are always a few resources and apps I like to have on my phone or iTouch to stay safe.
We are particularly susceptible as travelers to identity theft or security breaches on public computers and Wi-Fi. I choose to use a VPN when traveling, such as ExpressVPN, for Wi-Fi security in hotels, to avoid computer viruses, and to gain access to content that is geo-blocked. Thankfully our guides kept us on track, but it was comforting knowing that if anything happened, I could use my phone as a backup for navigation help.
4. Make A Visit To Your Doctor:
Before visiting your doctor, it is helpful to do a little bit of research as to what medications or vaccinations are needed for travel, as worldwide differences may require different immunizations or drugs. Even though your doctor might be aware of the immunizations required for Peru, you alone know what your trip will entail. If you want to visit high altitudes or the Peruvian Amazon, make sure your doctor knows.
For the Inca Trail, I recommend packing the following medications:
-Altitude sickness medication (Acetazolamide)
-Imodium
-Antibiotics (Ciprofloxacin)
-Bug spray (not technically a medication, but important to bring as well)
-Ibuprofen (always good to have)
This list is most likely what your doctor will recommend as well, but be sure to do your research as well. You may need malaria pills or certain vaccinations depending on where else your trip is going or your personal previous medical history.
5. Pack Light:
The hardest part of my trip (aside from trekking up the stairs of the Inca Trail) was packing! To maintain fair and respectful treatment of porters. There are several limitations on how much you can pack on the Inca Trail. Each porter is limited to carrying 20kg. This contains all blankets, clothes, and the porter’s private belongings. Talk to your tour guide before leaving on your trip to find out up-to-date information on how much you can pack and information on sleeping bags and pads.
Naturally, depending on the time of year your walk is, there are several things you will want to carry in addition to packing light. I used Her Packing List, along with the information provided by my tour guide, to help me pack everything I needed.
6. Have The Time Of Your Life:
Lastly, but not least, prepare to have incredible experiences and memories that will last a lifetime. When I first booked my trip to Peru and the Inca Trail, I had certain anticipations and ideas of what the trip would be like. I was looking forward to seeing Machu Picchu, but what I found was that the most memorable and exciting parts of my trip were not necessarily seeing the big sights like Machu Picchu, but also the trip there and the unanticipated discoveries that awaited.
