Sup People,

Myself and a group of 4-5 others are trying to plan a trip to Peru this February. The main driver of this trip will be hiking to Machu Picchu. I HAVE NOT done a lot of research into the best options, yet.

We will have 7 - 8 days.

We want to hike, and we want the best experience, of course. Anyone done this trip before? Advise a travel guide? The best trail? etc. etc. etc.

Much appreciated.

8/6/2008 5:58:14 PM

my fiance hiked Machu Picchu

I'll have her PM you

8/6/2008 6:59:05 PM

sorry, i'm not into pokemon.

8/6/2008 8:56:23 PM

I'm pretty sure there's already a thread about Peru and Machu Picchu.

8/6/2008 8:57:50 PM

You need to hit up Machhapuchhre. Too bad it's off limits.

[Edited on August 6, 2008 at 9:25 PM. Reason : .]

8/6/2008 9:24:38 PM

I really want to go sometime in the next 2 years, its just about finding the right people (and female) to go with.

8/6/2008 9:31:09 PM

Have you gotten your permits to do this yet? The sooner the better... I know they've been limiting the number of people they'll allow on the trail at one time.

I hiked it in 2004, but it was with a study abroad group. If you're an NCSU student, you may want to contact Kay and Leo Villa-Garcia (both spanish profs) because they head up that trip every year. We definitely had guides and porters (who will carry your stuff if you want them to for a very reasonable fee).

8/6/2008 9:52:34 PM

my roommate has family down there and i think his brother studied down there for a while. iirc hes been there at least once. pm mls09 and see if he'll tell you something about it.

8/6/2008 10:59:59 PM

Do you have 7-8 days total in Peru, or 7-8 days specifically for the hike?

Because doing the Inca Trail (which is pretty much the only way you're allowed to do it, if I remember correctly, so don't bother worrying about "the best trail") takes a few days, and you'll need a few more before it just to get acclimated to the altitude.

And this:

Quote :

"Have you gotten your permits to do this yet? The sooner the better... I know they've been limiting the number of people they'll allow on the trail at one time."

Cannot be stressed enough. This ain't the Appalachian trail where you can just get on whenever you want, take detours, etc. This is a centerpiece of Peruvian tourism, a World Heritage Site, and a heavily regulated process. Taking care of it yourself would be a colossal pain -- get a travel agent to take care of it. Do NOT fly down there thinking you can just show up at the Inca Trail and start walking, and definitely don't go down planning to blaze your own hike.

I also went down with NCSU in '05, and I was signed up to do the trail but got dysentery a day or two before we were supposed to leave, so I ended up taking the train with the sick and lazy people to get to MP. The people that got to go, though, said that having guides and porters helped out a lot, but I don't know if it's strictly necessary -- thousands of people take the trail each year, it's pretty well-worn and visible. Guides can, however, show you points of interest along the way, help deal with problems, keep you from accidentally getting into trouble, and, as I understand it, cook some really good food.

8/7/2008 1:55:54 AM

Using a porter and/or guide will also depend on your level of experience. If you're used to high-elevation hiking, then you may not need the porter. If you're not, then I'd highly recommend one, because it will make the experience more enjoyable if you're not miserable with altitude sickness the whole time. Plus, using a porter/guide certainly helps the economy down there, and they need all the help they can get. The guides have so much information/history and many stories to tell about the trail. It's fun just to watch the porters run up the trail nearly barefoot with 80+lbs of stuff on their backs

On the other hand, it might make it more memorable if you do it all yourself - carry your gear, set up camp, cook, etc.

8/7/2008 7:39:30 AM

we're talking 7-8 days total. we'll probably do

1 day travel
2 days acclimate
4 days hike
1 day travel

thanks for all the help. i've done some reading and it looks like May - Sept. is the busiest time, so February probably has permits available. I believe we'll get these when we book with a tour company.

8/7/2008 9:03:49 PM

I did the trail in 2004 with Study Abroad, it was great.

The travel guide we used was a company called Pachamama, and they were friendly and hard-working. I recommend them.

If you're doing the 4 day hike, day two is the hardest. Most people hired the porters to carry their stuff on day 2.

We had to bring our own toilet paper and sleeping bag, but the porters provided the food and tents.

8/8/2008 10:38:50 AM

are you doing this trip through REI? i just saw something on their site about it...

8/8/2008 11:28:05 AM

i did it in '05. was amazing. i would highly recommend talking to the villa-garcia's and also hiring porters. You can still carry your own gear, but have the porters carry the food, tents, etc...i carried my cloths, water, toilet paper, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, hot and cold clothes, etc....was one of the coolest things i've ever done in my life...

8/8/2008 11:28:10 AM

Definitely don't cut down on the acclimation time. On your travel day go balls-out for Cuzco, get there quick as you can because it's high enough to get you started. You'll be exhausted by the time you get there, but then again, you're supposed to be pretty sedentary while acclimating.

And don't end up like me. Be very careful with what you eat. Normally I don't recommend extreme paranoia when traveling, but you don't have a lot of time down there, and, hell, I was laid up for almost seven days. There's a restaurant near the central plaza in Cuzco, a Swiss place, can't remember what it's called, but the Villa-Garcia's swear up and down it's the safest place to eat in that part of the country. Which may be true, but I'd rather die of dysentery than ever eat another god damned crepe for as long as I live.

8/8/2008 7:06:02 PM