We hiked the Inca Trail from May 11-14, 2013 and had great weather. We used the company Llama Path to do our trek and highly recommend them! We're glad we hired the porters to carry our belongings they are AMAZING!
Click here for my Peru and Inca Trail Travelogue.
Click here for my Peru and Inca Trail Travelogue.
My packing list along with a few tips...
4 Shirts (Columbia's omni-shade and dri-fit t-shirts )
2 Pants (I only zipped off on the first day)
4 Smart Wool socks (I didn't get blisters)
4 Underwear
Sports bra
Fleece pants for sleeping and long sleeve shirt
Columbia fleece jacket- I liked it but thought it would have been nice to have a lighter weight jacket that I could easily fit in my day pack when it got hot.
Shoes- I wore trail running shoes (Salomon XR Mission CS) and loved them! Just about everyone in our group had trail runners. It did get a little slippery walking on the cobblestone when we got rain on day three. I stressed about getting the perfect shoes and noticed the porters wear old shoes with holes that don't look like they give much support or grip and they seem to make it up the trail with no problems.
Tiva's to wear around camp. Mine are closed toed and I was able to wear socks with them.
Silk liner (I rented my sleeping bag from Llama Path and it was in great shape)
Travel pillow
Portable battery to charge i-phone and camera.
*We set up International calling on our iPhone (cheaper to set up before you leave) and got service on Day 1, end of day 3 and day 4.
Travel towel- Don't think you need to bring if you pack body wipes.
Earplugs (incase fellow hikers snore)
Body wipesQ-Tips
Travel size shower gel not that you will find any showers! :)
Extra bags for wet clothes etc.
Toothpaste and toothbrush
I packed everything in Water proof bags (from Walmart) for the porters to carry.
Top: With our Awesome Porters. Left: Day three. Right: Acclimating with a little help :)
Packing list for Day Pack:
Day pack- I used a Camelbak with the hydration pack and would not go without it.Passport- It will be checked at the Inca Trail entrance.
Cash- They will not take torn bills in Peru, take a bunch of one's. You'll also need cash to pay for some of the toilets on the trail.
Wool hat
Sun hat
Wind proof stretch fleece gloves
Sunglasses
Camera
Sun screen
Head lamp and extra batteries- Make sure you pack batteries in your day pack. Mine were with the porters when I needed them.
Poncho (only used it on day 3)
Hand sanitizer
Blister kitHand sanitizer
Hand wipes
Chapstick with SPF
Insect repellent (Luckily I only needed this once)
Carabiner hooks
I brought camping toilet paper (Comes in smaller rolls)
Pepto-Bismo, Imodium and you might want to bring something for constipation.
Align Probiotic not sure if this helped or not but I didn't get sick.
Diamox (high altitude sickness pills) I didn't have any problems with altitude sickness. I didn't drink the Coca Tea since I get drug tested at my work and it can show up. We started our trip in Puno which is at a higher altitude than Cuzco. We used the hotel oxygen in Puno and in Cuzco before our hike since some of our group joined at different times and didn't have adequate time to acclimate.... and we figured it couldn't hurt.
Snacks I packed trail mix and energy bars...they prepared so much food and gave us daily snacks, I didn't need as many snacks as I brought.
Crystal light energy drink mixI brought camping toilet paper (Comes in smaller rolls)
Pepto-Bismo, Imodium and you might want to bring something for constipation.
Align Probiotic not sure if this helped or not but I didn't get sick.
Diamox (high altitude sickness pills) I didn't have any problems with altitude sickness. I didn't drink the Coca Tea since I get drug tested at my work and it can show up. We started our trip in Puno which is at a higher altitude than Cuzco. We used the hotel oxygen in Puno and in Cuzco before our hike since some of our group joined at different times and didn't have adequate time to acclimate.... and we figured it couldn't hurt.
Snacks I packed trail mix and energy bars...they prepared so much food and gave us daily snacks, I didn't need as many snacks as I brought.
My travel compadres soaking their feet after a long day of hiking
Good ideas to consider...
*You will not see an American toilet on the Inca Trail. You will be using a hole in the ground... If you're not familiar with the South American Squat you might want to visit this site.
*I recommend taking your sponge bath and getting ready for bed when you arrive to camp. It's hard to do this once it's dark.
*I rented hiking poles at the last minute (I wasn't planning on using them). Make sure you take two! I can't imagine doing the Inca Trail without them.
*Someone else wore Breathe Right nose strips (helps you breath better).
*I used my work luggage on our Peru trip since I didn't want to spend money on a backpack. I brought two bags and just know if you do the airlines in Peru will check one of them which was a pain! They will make you check one bag on both LAN and TACA Airlines. I noticed people carrying their backpack on as a carryon. Seemed like that would be the easier way to go or check all of your bags.
Our Llama Path guide Ruben
Hope you enjoy the trail. Don't get so caught up in surviving the trail that you forget to enjoy the views along the way. This was one of our favorites Trips!
*Please leave a comment if you have any tips I've forgotten.
*Please leave a comment if you have any tips I've forgotten.
7 comments:
Thanks for the tips! Did you notice most hikers doing small day packs with the bare essentials and leaving the rest to the porters? I'm an avid hiker and had planned to carry our sleeping bags and pads, along with our clothes (myself and girlfriend), while she carries a much smaller day pack with the things you listed. She thinks this is a bad idea :) I don't have a ton of experience at those altitudes, so I guess that's a concern. We're going next year in July. Thanks again!
Thanks for the tips! Did you notice most hikers doing small day packs with the bare essentials and leaving the rest to the porters? I'm an avid hiker and had planned to carry our sleeping bags and pads, along with our clothes (myself and girlfriend), while she carries a much smaller day pack with the things you listed. She thinks this is a bad idea :) I don't have a ton of experience at those altitudes, so I guess that's a concern. We're going next year in July. Thanks again!
Hi Mark, I didn't see anyone carrying their own sleeping bags but two guys in our group did carry bigger backpacks so their wives wouldn't have to carry day packs as well. I guess it's a personal decision... I'm sure you'll be fine as long as you don't get altitude sickness. :) Hope you guys have a great time!
Thank you so much for these advices! Im going to do the inca trail with http://www.salkantaytrekking.com/ in november. We r very excited, but i must admit that im a bit scared. Im defenitly going to rent hiking poles!
Your welcome Liliana. Your going to love the Inca Trail! I remember being a little nervous wondering if I was ready. I think that is normal & I'm sure you'll be fine... enjoy!
Terrific forum posts, Appreciate it!
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