Inca Trail F.A.Q - PLEASE read before posting!

[steve]

Hey everyone,

Watering Hole members have had a lot to say about the Inca Trail! Before you post a new topic please scan this list to see if the subject is already being discussed. Feel free to ask additional questions or share your opinions and expertise with others, but please add to an existing topic. If you're subject isn't being discussed then by all means create a new topic ... but I think we have the sleeping bag rental thing pretty much covered!

Thanks,
Steve

How difficult is the Inca Trail? How Fit do I have to be? etc.
Compare physical difficulty of Inca Trail to UK mountains?
Fitness Level Required for Treks in Peru

Packing for the Inca Trail?, How much will the Porters carry? Should I bring/rent a Sleeping Bag? etc.
Porters inca trail + bag size
daypacks for inca trail
Inca Trail
sleeping bags: to rent or not to rent, that is the question
sleeping bag + porter bag?
Renting Sleeeping Bags
Inca trail in October, sleeping bag suggestion??
Clothing for Inca Trail
Hiking poles on Inca Trail
practical info? packing, luggage, mosquitoes???
What to Take
Weight/volume restrictions for luggage on Inca Trail
Sleeping bag rental in Cuzco
treking pole - can they be carried on the airplane?
Hiking Poles

Food and Water on the Inca Trail
Food on the Inca Trail
Water while on Inca Trail
water, water on the Inca Trail?

Health Issues on the Inca Trail
Peru - Traveler's Diarrhea
Immunizations
Proper precauations for Peru trip?

Inca Trail vs. Lares Trek (and other treks in Peru)
Lares or Inca trek?
Lares Trek
Map of Lares Trail
Heights-Lares Trek
Lares Trek in May
The Village of Lares
Metal Hiking Pols on Lares Trek

Miscellaneous
Orchids on the Inca trail...
Inca Trail closed?
Inca Trail
Inca Trail in October Questions
Best time of year for Inca Trail or Lares?
Swinging bridge?

[gulina]

I understand washroom facilities are sparse on the Inca Trail, but how sparse is sparse!? I guess there are no flush tolilets, and you may not get hot showers, but do you get to wash at all!? Just wanting to be prepared! thanks. Angela

[klm500]

Hi
There are toilets at all the campsites and at lunchstops etc. on route. They were fine...a bit smelly by the next morning after everyone has spent the night there but not too bad! There are no showers until the final night when you can pay for a hot shower if you want one (there was a bit of a queue but it was so worth it!) However, every morning the porters bring you each a bowl of hot water so you can wash then. I took wet wipes too which were really good for getting off dirt etc!
Hope that helps.
Kat.

[gulina]

Thanks! Yes I always carry wipes on me since this H1N1 situation! Are the bowls of water private or communal? Thanks again! Angela

[klm500]

Private. They bring them to the door of your tent in the morning (along with a cup of coca leaf tea ugh...).

[ballu]

My experience was the same as klm500's...while hiking if you have to go, you have to find a bush, but there will be toilets at camp. Bring a flashlight (headlamp is best as it's hands-free) and your own toilet paper.

[j_dcmc]

Hi Everyone,

Quick question on the tents/camping arrangements. If one is travelling solo, is there an option for a single tent?

Thanks!!

[kasey01]

I had a single tent when I did the trek. I didn't ask for one, we just had an odd number of people since I was traveling with my parents and we were a group of three. It worked out good though, loved having my own tent each night. Not sure if you can specifically request one though.

Kasey

[por_1981]

None of the links in the top post work, can one of the moderators verify they are still active?

Thanks,

Paul

[ballu]

Looks like maybe the links were changed during the website redesign...

For Inca Trail FAQs try here:

http://www.gadventures.com/faqs/inca-trail/

Lares Trek here:

http://www.gadventures.com/faqs/lares-trek/

[graybeard]

Howdy ballu,

While the links you supplied are good, the original (and now broken) links were much more comprehensive and useful. I wonder if yet another push on the web guys to get the site fixed is in order.

[TravelFun]

Howdy ballu,

While the links you supplied are good, the original (and now broken) links were much more comprehensive and useful. I wonder if yet another push on the web guys to get the site fixed is in order.

No need for the web guys...I've updated all the links and they should now all be working and will take you you to the required post

[TravelFun]

FYI - checked older posts and they too reference the old name so raised it to the techhies:
http://wateringhole.gadventures.com/vie ... 36&t=21508


Thanks for highlighting this issue guys!

[poudie]

I just did the Inca Trail in May 2013, and I thought I'd share my recent experience, as some surprises popped up even after reading all of these FAQs and posts. I hope this post can be helpful - I wasn't sure exactly where to post it.

Activity level: I found it very demanding, mainly due to the altitude. Everyone in our group felt the altitude at 4200m at Dead Woman's Pass. I don't think this was related to fitness levels, this was not "feeling the burn" of worked out muscles, but an overall breathlessness when you can feel like you just aren't getting enough oxygen. I don't know of a way to train for that.

Packing: You are allowed 6kg that the porters will carry for you, in bags that G provides. This 6kg includes the sleeping bag you will be taking - the ones G provides you with is 2kg. If you choose to rent the extra air mattress, that is another 1 kg. Meaning you will have 3-4 kg of belongings that the porters will carry, depending on if you rent the extra mattress. You will have access to your duffel bags at the campsites only.

Daypack: You'll need a rainjacket (+/- rainpants if you have them), a hat, sunscreen, insect repellant, hand sanitiser, toilet paper, camera, pain killers, and room to pack your sweater/warm hat/gloves. I packed about 1.5 litres of water capacity and I never ran out of water (I drink large volumes usually). Asthmatics bring an inhaler because it can get very dusty.

Shoes: I wore waterproof ankle-supporting hiking boots and it was great for me. My partner wore leather blundstone boots and was very comfortable. Whatever works best for your feet, just be sure it's a shoe that your foot won't slide around in when on an incline/decline. Ankle support is worthwhile for the downhill parts.

Walking sticks: I hated them for uphill, but my partner loved them. We both were so grateful to have walking sticks for the downhill descents though, it saved the knees and ankles a lot of trauma.

Water: Drinking water will be supplied to refill your packs at the lunch site and at the campsite. I found 1.5 litres of carrying capacity to be more than adequate for my needs. Drinks will be available for purchase on the first day of the hike, but no further food/drink can be purchased until you reach Machu Picchu.

Food: Fantastic. Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. You won't be hungry.

Toilets: For the most part, squat toilets are provided at campsites and lunch sites. Bring your own toilet paper. Some local families provide toilet sites with toilet paper on day 1 (at S/$1 per use), but there are still no seats and these were actually harder to use.

Washing: You will be provided with a bowl of warm water every morning and evening at camp with some soap, to wash your hands, face etc. Some wet wipes can definitely be handy for other times. Cold showers were available at the second and third campsites, I didn't have the heart to use them.

Weather: In May, the nights were comfortable with thermal underwear, a polartec sweater, and my gortex coat (I have a tendency towards being cold). The days were warm enough to wear shorts for hiking, but I wore long sleeves and nylon hiking pants very comfortably to protect from the sun.

Medications: I did take the acetazolamide for altitude sickness. I feel that it helped and I would take it again, but I know it's not for everybody. I brought antibiotics in case of travellers diarrhoea but I never needed it.

Camera: I took my SLR along with 2 extra lenses and a gorillapod. The tripod wasn't necessary - we were never given enough time at any one place to justify setting it up or taking it out of the daypack, until Machu Picchu. I rarely changed camera lenses, and found my telezoom was a bit neglected except to take some photos of the llamas.

Machu Picchu: Now here's where things have changed. Tour groups used to get started at 4:30 on the final day, to reach the sungate for sunrise. You can no longer do this. There is a control gate that lets campers continue their hike at 5:30 am (in May) to the sun gate, and therefore we arrived after sunrise. All campers, all tour groups, all tour providers, were in the exact same position. Don't expect to see the sunrise from the sungate any more, it seems this is a thing of the past. Folks on the Lares trek said they saw the sunrise at Machu Picchu, but not from the sungate.

Value: Priceless.

I hope prospective travellers will find this summary helpful.