• Peru Guide

  • Introduction to Peru
  • Weather
  • Things not to miss
  • Entry requirements
  • Money
  • Getting around
  • Public holidays

• Explore Peru

  • Lima
  • Around Lima
  • The south coast
  • Arequipa
  • Around Arequipa
  • The Titicaca Basin
  • Cusco
  • The Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu
  • Around Cusco
  • The Central Sierra
  • The North
  • The Jungle

• Cities

  • Arequipa
    
  • Ayacucho
    
  • Cusco
    
  • Huánuco
    
  • Iquitos
    
  • Lima
    
  • Trujillo
    

Peru Guide

The Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu

The Inca Trail

The fabulous treasure of Machu Picchu at the end of its path makes the INCA TRAIL, the world's most famous trek. That's not to say you won't see plenty of wonders along the way. The Inca Trail is set in the Santuario Histórico de Machu Picchu (National Sanctuary of Machu Picchu), an area of more than 32,000 hectares set apart by the Peruvian state to protect its ecological niches from 6271m at the high Andean glacial peak of Nevado Salcantay down to Amazon cloud forest at less than 2000m in Aguas Calientes at the foot of Machu Picchu. Acting as a bio-corridor between the Cusco Andes, the Sacred Valley and the lowland Amazon forest, the sanctuary possesses over 370 species of birds, 47 mammal species and over 700 butterfly species.

May is the best month to venture on a hike here, with clear views, fine weather and verdant surroundings. Between June and September travellers from all over the globe converge on Machu Picchu the hard way, but from mid-June to early August the trail is simply very busy (and the campsites noisy), especially on the last stretch. From October until April, in the rainy season, it's less crowded but also, naturally, quite a bit wetter.

The sanctuary authorities have imposed a limit of a maximum of four hundred people a day (this means about two hundred trekkers with two hundred guides and porters per day) on the Inca Trail. In addition, trekkers must go with a tour or licensed guide, the old days of going it alone are gone. Check the Instituto Nacional de Cultura's website ( www.inc-cusco.gob.pe ) for background on Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail and alternative sites like Choquequirau. Most people select a tour to suit them from among the multitude of agencies registered for the Inca Trail; the company will take care of everything including your registration, but demand is so great that it is essential to book at least nine months in advance and make your booking deposit. Entrance fees to the trail are presently $88, or $44 for students and $15 for porters.