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Inca Trail 4 day Trek to Machu Picchu - Introduction
The appeal of this
particular trek is the stunning combination of Inca ruins,
magnificent mountains, exotic vegetation and extraordinary
ecological variety. The trail goes over high passes with
unforgettable views, through cloud forest, and finally into
subtropical vegetation.
 Over 250 species of orchid have been counted in the Machu Picchu
Historic Sanctuary, as well as numerous rare birds, animals,
reptiles, including several species considered to be in danger of
extinction. In order to complete the Inca Trail you need to have a
reasonable level of fitness, age shouldn't be a barrier. The most important thing is to be well
acclimatized to the altitude. The maximum height above sea level
along the way is 4200 m so we recommend anyone coming from the
coast to spend at least 2 days in Cusco before attempting the
trek. This period is ideal for visiting the city of Cusco, the
nearby ruins of Sacsayhuaman and the beautiful Sacred Valley of
the Incas.
Is the Inca Trail overcrowded ?
During the peak
months of July and August from 1996 to 2001 as many as 1500 people
were starting the trek everyday (about 1000 tourists and 500
porters) . There were no regulations and many trekkers camped
wherever they wanted, using the ruins as toilets and discarding
rubbish along the trail. The Inca Trail was starting to receive a
lot of negative press and UNESCO threatened to remove its status
as a World Heritage Site. In order to protect the site the
Peruvian government introduced new regulations in 2002. These
regulations restrict the number of trekkers and prevent trekkers
from doing the trail independently. A professionally qualified
guide is now responsible for all tourists and only licensed tour
operators can operate the Inca Trail trek.
In 2005 the number
of people permitted to start the Inca trail has been strictly
limited to 500 persons per day. This figure is made up of about
200 tourists and 300 porters. This is the lowest number of
people on the trail for the last 7 years. Many of our guides
have commented that the restrictions seem too severe and that the
trail seems "empty" compared to previous years. On five occasions
throughout 2004 & 2005 Peru Treks sent members of the South
America Explorers Club and the Porters Project to independently
assess the condition of the trail. If the trail was found to be
dirty and full of rubbish we intended to send an extra porter with
every trekking group to pick up rubbish along the trail. However
independent surveys found that the trail was basically clean and
rubbish-free due to the fact that new toilets have been built
along the trail and all trekking operators have to carry all of
their rubbish out in special bags, the numbers of which are
recorded at the end of the trek. The Peruvian authorities should
be praised for their progressive stance on successfully protecting
the Inca Trail for future generations, we only wish they would do
the same for Machu Picchu itself which currently has no
restrictions on the numbers allowed to enter the ruins. However
trekkers visiting Machu Picchu from the Inca Trail arrive very
early at sunrise and get to see Machu Picchu at its best, well
before the hundreds of day-trippers arrive by train at
midday.
The biggest problem
faced by tour operators is not that the trail itself is
overcrowded, but there are too many people who want to do the trek
and too few trek permits available. This has meant that during the
peak periods of May to September the trek permits have had to be
bought over 3 months in advance (names and passport numbers of all
clients are required to purchase the permits). In 2005 many
overseas tour operators who included the Inca Trail as part
of a larger tour package were unable to provide this information
soon enough and found themselves too late to buy the trek permits
for their clients. They were either forced to cancel their
tours or offer alternative treks to their clients. This is the
real reason why many companies have stopped offering the Inca
trail amongst their services. Luckily in 2005 Peru Treks has
operated treks for over 2500 clients and not once have we had to
cancel one of our departure dates.
>> Click here for details of
our Inca Trail 4 day trek prices and services
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