PERU TREKS TOUR OPERATOR INCA TRAIL 4 DAY TREK BRIEFING

Transcription

1 PERU TREKS TOUR OPERATOR INCA TRAIL 4 DAY TREK BRIEFING Please read this information carefully BEFORE starting the Inca Trail trek. Updated 20 July Introduction The Inca trail is a stunning 43km (26 mile) trek that combines Inca ruins, magnificent mountains and exotic vegetation. The trail goes over high passes with unforgettable views, through cloud forests, and finally into subtropical vegetation arriving on the final day at Machu Picchu the Lost City of the Incas. It is a difficult trek with long ascents and steep downhill sections of Inca steps. Combined with high altitude passes (4200m) and rapidly changing weather (expect to experience all four seasons in one day) it is best to be prepared before you start the trek rather than find out later! The aim of this Inca Trail briefing is to ensure that you are suitably prepared for the trek so that you can relax and enjoy this great adventure. 2. Trek Permits We will buy your Inca Trail trek permit as soon as possible after having received your trek deposit. The trek permit will include details of your name and passport number and your departure date. The government authorities will not allow us to change these details after we have bought the permits. If we have bought a student trek permit for you then you must take your valid ISIC card on the trek. If you renew your passport AFTER we have purchased the permits then you must ensure that you also bring your old passport with you on the trek. If you are unable to meet with these requirements you will not be allowed to start the trek and we will consider your trek booking to be a cancellation of the trek by the client (see Trek Terms & Conditions on our website) and you will not receive a refund. If you lose your passport or your student card then you won t be able to start the trek and you won t receive a refund. Only in certain circumstances, given enough time, we can make a special application to the government authorities to update your trek permit. Copies of your old documents and any relevant police reports showing the loss may be required. More information about purchasing trek permits and updating your passport can be found on our Frequently Asked questions page of our website 3. Payment of Trek Balance (in Cusco) The trek has to be paid for in full by at least 7.30pm two days prior to departure. For example if your trek departs on a Wednesday then you must come to our office before 7.30pm on Monday evening. When you pay for the trek we will give you a trek voucher. The voucher includes information about the following: Your name, type of service, trek departure date, whether you are a student, price paid, name of your hotel in Cusco, hotel pick-up time, whether you have asked for vegetarian meals or an additional half of a porter, whether you are hiring items such as sleeping bags and which date you are returning to Cusco and in what type of train service. Please check that the information on your trek voucher is correct and remember to take it with you on the trek. Please pay the trek balance in cash US dollars (preferred) or local currency. You can withdraw cash from one of several ATM machines along Avenida Sol (either in US dollars or local Peruvian Soles). We do not accept credit cards, bank checks, traveler s checks or payment of the balance by PayPal. Please note that in Peru banks and money exchange offices (Casa de Cambios) are very fussy about the condition of US dollar bills. They will not accept or change bills that are damaged in any way. Even bills with the smallest cuts or rips are not accepted. When you come to Peru please ensure that your dollar bills are in excellent condition. Due to the difficulty of changing damaged US dollar bills Peru Treks cannot accept damaged bills as payment in our office. 4. Preparations 4.1 Things to bring on the trek Backpack, sleeping bag, double-thickness foam mattress and mattress cover (weighs 1kg, we will provide you with this but you will have to carry it), rain jacket, strong footwear preferably walking boots with good ankle support, one complete change of clothing, sweater, jacket (something warm), water bottle (metal or Nalgene type) and water purification tablets (optional best brought from home), flashlight and batteries, broad-brim or peaked cap, sunscreen, insect repellent, toiletries and toilet paper, hand sanitizer, personal first-aid kit and any medicines that you require, selection of small snacks etc, camera, some money to buy drinks and a meal in Aguas Calientes and for emergencies (about 350 Peruvian Soles in small denomination bills, nothing larger than a 20 Soles note see Section 8 Money and Extras), International Student Identity Card (ISIC) if you are claiming a student discount. It is also important that you bring your original passport on the trail (not a photocopy). If you are hiring the services of an extra porter we will give you a duffle bag to put your things in to give to the porter but you may want to bring a small padlock to secure your bag (for more details about hiring a porter see section 6.1 below). There is a bank in Aguas Calientes which has an ATM (cash machine) which accepts most cards but it cannot always be relied upon. Credit cards are rarely accepted apart from in expensive hotels. 4.2 Storing your luggage Any equipment that you are not going to need on the trek can be stored safely in your hotel. Nearly every hotel will provide this service and very few actually charge for it provided you return to the same hotel after the trek. Don t leave items of value with your bags, put them in the hotel safe and obtain an itemized receipt (In the very unlikely case of theft many insurance companies require that you have a copy of the receipt itemizing all the items). Best put items such as credit cards inside a sealed, signed envelope for extra peace of mind. Don t forget to bring your passport on the Inca Trail. When you arrive at Machu Picchu on the 4 th day of the trek you will have to store any large backpacks at the main entrance. You can only enter Machu Picchu with a small daypack. You can store your bags at either the government luggage office (price S/.3-S/.8 depending on size) or at the Sanctuary Hotel (S/.5). The guide will be able to help you arrange this.

2 5. Health The most common cause of sickness on the Inca Trail is dehydration. Physical exercise, hot sunshine (remember we re not so far from the equator) and dry high altitude air all combine to cause you to lose fluids rapidly. Take a water bottle (1.5 litre capacity) and ensure that you drink plenty, possibly 4-5 liters per day (see Section 10.2 what do we do for water on the trail?). At meals times we ll provide you with tea, mate, coffee and boiled water etc but you may need more besides. When you go to the toilet check the color of your urine. If it is clear like water then you re fine but if it is dark yellow then you are dehydrated and need to drink more. Extremes of temperature can also lead to sickness. Try to stay out of the sun as much as possible. Use a sun hat and sun cream and protect the back of your neck. Walking in shorts and t-shirt is fine but if you find yourself waiting on other group members then try to wait in the shade. When the sun goes in the temperature can drop quickly so always have a sweater to hand. When you get in to camp start to put on more clothes and keep warm. Finally altitude sickness can be a problem for some. Ideally arrive in Cusco 2 or 3 days prior to the trek to allow time to acclimatize to the high altitude. When trekking at altitude the secret is not to overstrain yourself since you don t make such a rapid recovery upon resting as you may at sea-level. Instead, try to make the trek in small, manageable sections. Listen to your heart rate and when it feels as if your heart is going to jump straight out of your chest it s a sure sign to stop and rest for a few minutes until it returns to normal. Make frequent rests and take your time to enjoy the scenery it s not a race and no one will leave you behind! All of our guides are trained in first-aid and we take a first-aid kit and emergency bottle of oxygen with every group. However we recommend that our clients bring their own personal first aid kit which should contain plasters, blister protectors and antiseptic cream. You may also want to take acetozelomide (Diamox) for altitude sickness and for diarrhea Loperamide (Imodium). Some people carry a course of antibiotics which they get from their doctor at home. 6. Trek Options 6.1a If you have hired an extra half Peru Treks porter In our groups we provide, as standard, porters to carry the camping equipment including the tents, cooking equipment and food. You have to carry all of your personal items including sleeping bag, mattress (weighs 1kg, we provide you with this) and clothes. If you have rented a sleeping bag you will still have to carry it (weighs 2.5kg). When you made your trek reservation you may have requested to hire the services of an extra half of a porter to help carry some of your personal items - maximum 6kg per person. The price includes the porter s entrance fee, food and transport. If you have hired this extra service we will provide you with a duffle bag (which can be collected from our offices when you pay your trek balance). The duffle bag will be weighed before you get on the bus in the morning. If the bag weighs more than 6kg you will have to remove some items to reduce the weight. We have to be very strict about the weights as the porters will have to pass a government checkpoint at the start of the trek where all of the bags that our porters carry will be weighed. Even if you hire an additional half of a porter, the porter won t be walking at your side during the trek. You ll see your porter at breakfast time but after you ve packed your bags you won t see the porter again until lunch and then again at the campsite in the evening. You ll still need to bring a day pack with essential items such as rain poncho, warm sweater, camera, water bottle, medicines, purification tablets and snacks. Extra porters have to be reserved at the time that you made your original trek booking. You usually cannot leave it until you arrive in Cusco to decide to hire a Peru Treks porter because their trek permits have to be purchased several months in advance. On the final morning of the trek your porter will take your bags directly to Aguas Calientes and wait for you in a restaurant (see section 9 Restaurant in Aguas Calientes). After visiting Machu Picchu you can pick up your bags from the restaurant. Your personal porter will be waiting for you there to return your personal items. The porter will take the duffle bags off you (and bring them back to our office) and, in exchange, give you a large disposable rice sack into which you will have to transfer your items to bring back to Cusco. This will give you a chance to check that all of your items are in order. If you have any problems please bring it to the attention of the guide immediately. Please note that the term half porter should not be taken too literally. It basically means that you can give the porter a maximum of 6kg of your personal items to carry. If two people have hired the services of a half porter this does not means that you get a whole porter exclusively to yourself to load up. All of our porters carry a maximum of 20kg. Two extra half porters will only carry 12kg of your personal items as the other 8kg allowance is required for the porter s personal items, water, sleeping bag and his share of food and accommodation. However the equipment may not be distributed in such a way that the porter carries all of his own personal items and share of food and accommodation, this may be carried by other porters in the group and you may see your porter carrying items from another client. People often get confused by this and think we are giving a porter too much stuff to carry. Just remember that if you hire a half porter it means that you are really paying for the porter to carry 10kg (6kg of your stuff and 4 kg share of his own stuff, food and accommodation). However a large percentage of his personal stuff is often carried by another porter. We reserve the right to distribute the loads how we feel necessary so that the loads are evenly distributed amongst all of our porters. I hope this helps to explain why, when there are two of you hiring half porters, your personal porter may also be carrying items from another client or clients. 6.1b Hiring an unofficial porter to help you on the second day of the trek If you haven t hired a Peru Treks porter in advance but want a porter to help you on the second (and hardest) day of the trek then you can sometimes hire an unofficial porter from the village of Wayllabamba. Our recommendation is not to hire such a service as these porters are often unreliable and overpriced. They have no health checks, no insurance and are completely unregulated. However if you still want such a porter our guide may be able to help you find an unofficial porter to carry some of your equipment from Wayllabamba up to the top of the first pass (the most difficult section of the Inca Trail). This service cannot be guaranteed and Peru Treks cannot be held responsible in any way for the quality or reliability of this service. If hiring such a porter under ideal circumstances this is what you should do: (1) You make a note of the name of the porter before you give him your bag. All Peruvian citizens are required to carry a national identification document (D.N.I) (2) Do not give any items of value to the porter i.e. no money, documents, camera, phones, ipods etc (3) You agree a price with the porter before you give him your bags, a reasonable price to hire the services of a porter for the day would be between 100 & 120 Soles. This cost can be shared between several people although the maximum combined weight should not exceed 12kg (4) You pay the porter directly yourself. Take small change. It is against our company policy that any of our guides charge a commission or introduction fee for arranging the services of an unofficial porter. Your contract with this porter is directly between you and the

3 porter. Since the porter will trek quickly with your bags he will probably leave your bags with our own Peru Treks porters waiting for the group at the top of the pass. You will usually have to pay your porter in full in advance. (5) As soon as you collect your bags at the top of the pass it is important that you check the contents of your bags. If there is anything missing you must bring it to the attention of our guide immediately. Do not wait until you arrive at the campsite to check your bags. Peru Treks cannot be held responsible for any theft or damage to your equipment. (6) You CANNOT hire the services of a Peru Treks porter just for the second day. A Peru Treks porter is clearly identified by his yellow jacket / bib with the Peru Treks logo. To avoid exploitation or overloading any of our porters they have been instructed not to offer this extra service. Porters may be dismissed from their employment with Peru Treks for providing this extra service. Please do not put their employment at risk. Please note: meeting the unofficial porter, making a note of his name and agreeing a fair price is obviously the ideal procedure. Unfortunately this isn t always possible. The actual price depends on supply and demand and if all the local porters from Wayllabamba are busy and nobody else in the village wants to work then if you really want help carrying your bags you may have to pay a higher price. Often a porter can t be arranged straightaway or may not be able to start until later on in the morning. The guide will help to arrange this but this frequent lack of transparency and price uncertainty can lead to ill feeling. If our guides are found to be taking commission then they will be disciplined. As we mentioned earlier, if it was up to us we would stop this service completely as the quality and reliability of this service is out of our control. 6.2 Meals If you want vegetarian meals or have any special dietary requirements please let us know when you book the trek. It s easy for us to arrange and there s no extra cost. If you have an allergy to certain types of food please ensure that this is written on your trek voucher as well as reminding both the guide and the cook on the trail. We do not accept bookings from clients with serious & life-threatening allergies. 6.3 Extra night at Aguas Calientes & Returning to Machu Picchu If you requested an extra night in Aguas Calientes after the trek we will buy your tickets back to Cusco for the following day (unless agreed otherwise). We buy the tickets as far in advance as possible and will send them with the guide on the Inca Trail who will give them to you when you arrive in Machu Picchu. Obviously, costs associated with staying the night at Aguas Calientes and returning to Machu Picchu the following morning are additional to the trek costs and must be met by you. The return bus trip from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu costs US$12 each way and the entrance fee to Machu Picchu (valid either from 06:00-12:00 1 st turn or 12: nd turn) is an additional 152 Soles (about US$47), half price for students with ISIC card. Unfortunately once we have bought your train tickets we cannot then change the date of return. You can only do this by taking the ticket personally to the train station and paying a surcharge. Changing the date of your ticket is subject to availability. If you return to Machu Picchu the following day it is a good idea to purchase your bus tickets in Aguas Calientes the night before. You must also buy your entrance ticket to Machu Picchu well in advance and before starting the trek. Tickets can be bought at the government offices in Cusco or online at (recommended). The first bus to Machu Picchu departs around 05:15 in the morning but queues for the buses can start from as early as 4.15am! If you want to climb Huayna Picchu then you must purchase a Machu Picchu /Huayna Picchu combined entrance ticket well in advance which costs 200 Soles, half price for students with ISIC card. (See section 11.8 below). Student entrance tickets can only be bought at the government offices in Cusco and not online. The combined Machu Picchu/Huayna Picchu tickets allows you to stay all day (06:00-17:30). New regulations require visitors to be accompanied by a guide at all times at Machu Picchu. However if you keep your Inca Trail permit and get it signed by our guide to show you have already had a guided tour of Machu Picchu then you will not be required to be accompanied by a guide if you return the second time. 6.4 Return on Train to Cusco. Included in the price of our trek is the return on the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo on the final day of the trek. We will then send a bus to Ollantaytambo and bring you back to Cusco which works out much quicker than returning all the way back to Cusco in the train. The train ticket that we include is the PeruRail Expedition Service or similar. Normally you will return on the PeruRail Expedition Service (train No.84) that departs Aguas Calientes at 18:20, arriving in Ollantaytambo at about 20:05. We then send a private bus to meet the group at Ollantaytambo which arrives back in Cusco at about 22:15. When you receive your train ticket from the guide please check the type of service and departure time. The Expedition service is a comfortable service with reserved seats, no standing. Teas, coffees and snacks are also served on this train. The ticket will also have your wagon number (coche) and seat number (asiento). Check with the guide where the train departs from. All tourist services depart from the main train station (see map of Aguas Calientes in Section 9). Please arrive at the departure point at least 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time. We try to ensure that the guide returns in the same train service as our clients, however this is sometimes not always possible. If you decide to return on a train service that is different from the rest of the group (i.e. you stay an extra night in Aguas Calientes or you change the ticket yourself) then we will not be able to meet you in Ollantaytambo and take you back to Cusco by bus. In this case you will have to return on one of the many local buses in Ollantaytambo that are waiting to meet the train, cost approx US$5 per person. Alternatively you can take a taxi, cost approx US$50 max 4 persons. If you do not plan to return to Cusco with the rest of the group then please ensure the guide knows about it. Unfortunately you will not receive a refund for the unused bus ride back to Cusco on the 4 th day of the trek. Train Services Special Note: It should be noted that with the increased popularity of Machu Picchu in the last few years it sometimes difficult for us to obtain train tickets for our clients on the service mentioned above. As mentioned, our preferred departure time is on the 18:20 Expedition train, 98% of clients now return on this service. Depending on availability we may have to purchase tickets on the Expedition train departing Aguas Calientes at 21:50 and arriving in Ollantaytambo at 23:27. We then send a bus to Ollantaytambo to bring the group back to Cusco, arriving at about 01:30. Alternatively we may have to purchase return tickets on the 14:55 service back to Ollantaytambo. All train services are subject to availability. Peru Treks reserve the right to purchase tickets on alternative train services either to Ollantaytambo or directly back to Cusco. When you come to our office to pay your trek balance we will be able to inform you of your return time and service. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility in this matter.

4 6.5 Equipment rental You can hire sleeping bags etc from our office. Our bags are suitable to temperatures as low as -10ºC (approximate weight 2.5kg). We do not require that you leave any deposit for the sleeping bags. However on the final morning of the trek the cook is responsible for taking the sleeping bags off you and returning them to the office. If you have hired a sleeping bag we will give it to you at the start of the trek (please make sure that it is clearly noted on your trek voucher that you are hiring a sleeping bag). You may want to bring an extra plastic bag to protect the bag and a strap or some string to tie it onto your backpack if you don t have enough room inside. Hiking poles can also be hired from our office (limited availability). The price for the 4 day trek is US$10. No deposit or guarantee is required however on the final morning of the trek the cook is responsible for collecting the hiking poles and returning them to the office. 7. Tips Please read this section carefully. If ever we receive complaints about our service it is usually to do with tipping and often due to the fact that most clients have not read this section of the briefing sheet. The information provided below is intended only as a guideline. If you decide not to pay a tip after reading this information that s fine. If you want to pay more than our suggested amount that s also fine. Whatever you do is fine but please do what you feel comfortable with and don t get uptight and stressed about what other trekkers decide to do. Your fellow trekkers will be from all over the world with different tipping customs and culture, different budgets and expectations so please respect their decisions whether to pay a tip or not or how much to pay. Our porters, cooks and guides are paid good wages in relation to other professions and wages earned must be seen in relation to living costs in Peru and should not be directly compared to the wages earned in your own country. Unlike many service industries in the USA tips do not make up the salary of our staff. Tips are EXTRA to our employee s wages. Tips for the guide, assistant, cook and porters are not included in the price of the trek because we feel the practice of tipping helps to provide an incentive to our staff to provide a service above and beyond what is expected of them. Tips are therefore optional and dependent on the service provided. Generally tips are distributed amongst the cook and porters on the third night of the trek at Wiñay Wayna. This is because on the final day of the trek you will get up very early and continue the trek to Machu Picchu. However the cook and the porters will not accompany you to Machu Picchu, they will descend to km104 and take the train back to Ollantaytambo and then return to their respective communities. If you have hired a personal porter he will descend to km104 and continue by foot to Aguas Calientes where he will meet you later at the restaurant. Tips for the cook and group porters: On the third night of the trek someone from the group is usually elected to collect the tips. Please remember to take plenty of small denomination bills in Peruvian Soles. The tips should be placed in a small bag and handed to the cook or porter s representative with all of the porters present. The porters & cook will usually then retire to their tent to count and distribute the tips. It is standard practice that the cook receives 50% more than the other porters as he not only buys the food and cooks the meals but also has to carry the loads and organizing the camp. Deciding how much to pay is always a difficult and sometimes uncomfortable decision. Peru Treks pay our porters fairly and treat them with respect and try to provide the best working conditions possible. Many of our clients think that because our porters are not exploited that they do not need the tips as much as the porters who trek with other agencies who generally receive much lower wages than Peru Treks porters. We think that a tip should not be used to subsidize a poor wage but should be a way to show the porters that you have enjoyed the trek and appreciated the services that they have provided. The tip should therefore be optional and dependent on the service provided. However, if you have enjoyed the service, we recommend that each person in the group contributes between 65 and 90 Soles (US$20-28) to a pot which is then distributed amongst the porters and the cook. This should ensure that each porter will receive a tip of about Soles. Obviously if you want to pay more please do so. Tips for your personal porter if you have hired one: If you have hired a personal porter to carry your bags (max 6kg) during the 4 day trek then he probably won t have received any of the share from the porter tips distributed on the 3 rd night at Wiñay Wayna. It is best to tip your porter directly when you pick up your bags from him at the restaurant in Aguas Calientes. We suggest that you tip him between 35 and 50 Soles per 6kg load that he has carried for you. Tips for the guide and assistant guide: We recommend that you tip the guide and assistant guide either after the guided tour of Machu Picchu or when you meet up at the restaurant in Aguas Calientes. We suggest that each person in the group tips the main guide between 15 and 25 Soles and tips the assistant guide between 10 and 15 Soles. Again, tips are optional and dependent on the level of service provided. Obviously if you want to pay more please do so. Summary: Like in most American countries tipping is normal practice. If you have enjoyed the service provided by the trekking team we would recommend bringing between 90 and 130 Soles to cover tips for the porters, cook, guide and assistant guide. Bring an additional 35 to 50 Soles if you have hired an extra half of a porter. However if you think that you have received a poor service you are under no obligation to pay a tip, the trekking team will soon get the message. Please pay tips in cash and do not pay in kind such as in beers etc. Please don t buy our trekking staff beers in Aguas Calientes after the trek. We have tried to be as clear as possible about tipping. The procedure and amounts listed above have been written in conjunction with our guides and porters following many years of experience and feedback from our clients. We accept that not all of our clients will be in agreement with our recommendations. It is important that you pay the amount that you feel comfortable with. Please try not to get stressed by the procedure or feel badly towards other members of the group who wish to pay less than the recommended amount or decide not to pay a tip at all. Do not allow the guide to pressure you into paying more money than you are comfortable with. Guides sometimes feel the pressure from the cooks and porters to get the maximum tips for them. If you feel the guide has excessively pressured you into tipping the porters and cook too much please let us know in your report. 8. Money & Extras: We recommend that you bring at least 350 Peruvian Soles in small domination bills and coins. Do not bring any 50 or 100 Soles notes. For information on tips please see Section 7 above but generally we recommend bringing, All the following costs are optional and estimates. Day 1: you should bring 20 Soles for breakfast just outside Ollantaytambo and 10 Soles for bottle of water in Wayllabamba, 1 Sole to use the toilet in Wayllabamba district, Day 2: bring 10 Soles for bottle of water climbing up Dead Woman s Pass, 120 Soles in case you need to hire a non-peru Treks porter to help you up the top of the pass. Day 3: at the Wiñay Wayna campsite in the evening Soles for tips for porters and cook. Day 4: Soles tips for guide, Soles for assistant guide and Soles for your personal porter if your hired one, 5 Soles to store

5 your large backpacks in luggage deposit at Machu Picchu, Lunch in Aguas Calientes 30 Soles. Miscellaneous items & souvenirs 50 Soles. (example of bill & coin denominations 8 x S/20, 13 x S/10, 10 x S/5, 10 x S/1 = S/.350) At the ruins of Machu Picchu itself you can buy drinks, sandwiches and some souvenirs but because of the location prices are overinflated and it is often cheaper to wait until you get to Aguas Calientes. There are no ATMs (cash dispensers) either at the start of the trek, along the trail (thank goodness) and just one ATM in the town of Aguas Calientes (although it can t always be relied upon). There are a few places to change US dollars in Aguas Calientes but the exchange rate is poor to terrible and even worse for travel cheques. Credit cards are rarely accepted apart from in expensive hotels so ask before consuming anything! 9. Restaurant in Aguas Calientes When you have finished your guided tour of Machu Picchu on the final day of the trek, you will be given your bus ticket down to the village of Aguas Calientes. Buses depart every minutes and the journey takes about 20 minutes. You will have a chance to explore Machu Picchu on your own and return to Aguas Calientes when you want. In Aguas Calientes the group will meet up again at a restaurant which is usually the restaurant El Ayllu (see map below). You will have a chance to have lunch (not included) and the guide will give you your return train tickets back to Cusco. El Ayllu is a family run restaurant which serves pizzas, main courses and many other local and international dishes. The restaurant is usually only used by Peru Treks on days that we have treks. This ensures that you can store your bags safely without confusion with other trekking groups. The restaurant also provides a safe location for our personal porters to leave their duffle bags temporarily while they go off to enjoy the thermal springs for an hour or so. Unlike 95% of other restaurants in Aguas Calientes, neither Peru Treks nor our guides receive any commission from sales at the restaurant. This allows the prices to remain more economic than most restaurants. However prices in Aguas Calientes are generally higher than prices in Cusco because all the food has to be sent by train from Cusco. In return for using the services of El Ayllu restaurant, the restaurant provides a free and substantial meal for our personal porters and guides. Although the restaurant is centrally located and is a convenient meeting point for our groups, our clients are under no obligation to eat at this restaurant and may chose any other restaurant of their preference. Likewise, clients may rest and store their bags at El Ayllu but are under no obligation to purchase any meals. Do not leave any valuables in your bags. Prices of all drinks and meals should be clearly shown in the restaurant s menu (la carta). These prices include ALL local sales taxes known as IGV. Many restaurants in Aguas Calientes have got into the bad habit of charging an additional 18% IGV on top of the list price and call it a Machu Picchu tax. If you are asked to pay this it is probably because the waiter/waitress is new and used to working in another restaurant. We have requested that the owners of the restaurant include all sales taxes in the prices shown in the menu so please do not pay this additional amount if asked. If there is any doubt please ask the guide. However a service charge (typically 10%) is not included in the price and is optional and at the discretion of the customer. 10. Machu Picchu Rules and Regulations The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu ruins are all located within the boundaries of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary. Special laws and regulations apply within this sanctuary with the aim of protecting the environment. Regulations that apply to trekkers are listed below. Nearly all of them are common sense and not difficult to follow: 1) Camp in only designated campsites. 2) Don t throw rubbish along the trail. Take your rubbish with you and deposit it in official bins at the campsites. 3) Don t pick wild flowers or hunt animals and birds 4) Campfires are not allowed anywhere in the Sanctuary. Tour companies now have to cook with gas and not with kerosene. 5) Smoking on the trail is banned apart from designated locations at the campsites. This ban follows several large fires caused by carelessly discarded cigarette butts. 6) Don t take any Inca stones away with you as souvenirs! 11. Frequently Asked Questions A more comprehensive list can be found on our website

6 11.1 Do you recommend a good hotel in Cusco? A list of good hotels can be found on the website For your own personal safety we recommend that you stay in a hotel with easy vehicle access from a street i.e. it is possible for a taxi to drive right up to the hotel s front door Where do we have to meet to start the Inca Trail? Unless otherwise stated we will pick you up from your hotel on the morning of the trek departure. The pick up time will be written on your trek voucher. Ensure that the correct name of the hotel is written on the voucher (we can t pick you up if we can t find you!). If you change hotel please return to the office to update your trek voucher (best option) or call the office. Please do not send us an at the last minute since there is the possibility it may get lost in cyberspace and then we won t know where to pick you up. Do NOT wait outside your hotel in the street. Our guide will come to the hotel and look for you either in the reception or ask at reception for your room number. Ensure that all your bags are packed and you are ready to leave with the guide immediately. Don t wait until the morning to take your passport out of the hotel safe or put valuables into safe-keeping as the person responsible for opening the safe may not be available early in the morning. Make all these arrangements the night before. Don t worry if the guide is a little late, we may have been delayed picking up other clients before you (problems with health, overslept, passport in safe!! etc.). We won t leave you behind. If the guide is more than 60 minutes late and we haven t contacted you then ring our office/stores out-of-hours emergency number If the person who answers the phone doesn t speak good English get your hotel receptionist to help! Remain in your hotel and do not leave your hotel and come to look for us at our office. We are pleased to say this doesn t happen very often but don t panic if it does Where will we be dropped off after the Inca Trail? You will return by train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo and then by bus from Ollantaytambo to Cusco. The bus will usually drop the group off in the Plaza de Armas (Main Square) in Cusco. Usually the guide will help you find a taxi back to your hotel (cost approximately 5 Peruvian soles about US$2 not included). Large buses aren t normally allowed into the Plaza de Armas but since the group will typically return to Cusco around 22:00-23:00 we don t often have any problems. However on occasions the bus may be prevented from entering the centre of Cusco and we will have to drop the group off as close to the Plaza as possible. You may be required to walk a couple of blocks from the bus to the Plaza. For safety reasons it is recommended that the group all walk together to the main square. You can then take a taxi back to your hotel. Usually the guide will be on hand to assist What do we do for water on the trek? Bottled mineral water can be taken from Cusco, bought at the start of the trek (km82), at Wayllabamba (our first campsite), at several places between Wayllabamba and the first pass on the second day and at Machu Picchu. Our cook will normally be able to provide you with boiled water at breakfast, lunch and evening meal from day two onwards. Most people are fine with drinking just bottled and boiled water. However there may be occasions when you have to fill up your water bottled from a small stream or spring along the trail so it is always recommended to bring a few purification tablets for EMERGENCY USE (probably 4 or 5 tablets should be sufficient for the total trek). Although water from the streams or springs may look clear it is often contaminated by animals and farming communities living upstream. Always use sterilizing tablets prior to drinking it and follow the instructions carefully as they may differ from those given below. It can sometimes be difficult finding sterilization tablets in Cusco so we recommend that you bring some from home. After putting the purification tablet in your water bottle wait 30 minutes and then turn your bottle upside down and loosen the cap so a trickle of water runs out. Wait another 60 minutes. This will ensure that the neck of the bottle is also fully sterilized. We have had several instances of trekkers becoming sick by insufficiently purifying river water, we advise drinking only bottled water and boiled & filtered water provided by our cooks and bottled water wherever possible Are there any proper toilet facilities on the trek? All of the campsites that we use have a toilet block with cold running water. Facilities have improved a lot on the Inca Trail in the last few years. The toilets in the Wayllabamba district on the first day have been built on community land and are better maintained. However there is a 1 Sole charge for using these toilets. Toilets from day 2 onwards are government owned and free of charge. New toilet blocks are planned for 2018 with the price of construction and maintenance being met by the tour operators. If you do need to go the toilet when there aren t any toilets then do so well away from the trail and water supplies; dig a hole, or cover your faeces with a rock, and take the paper with you in a bag to deposit in one of the several bins along the way. Remember to bring some hand sanitizer (alcohol gel) Safety (theft) Thankfully, theft is quite uncommon on the trail provided that you take basic precautions. Don't take any valuables with you that you don't need for the trek. Leave jewelry and large sums of money in your hotel safe. Take plenty of plastic bags to wrap smelly socks, boots, underwear and wet clothes in. Don't leave them outside your tent at night or they may not be there in the morning. Carry your valuables in a money belt or neck pouch and keep items such as cameras, phones etc with you at all times especially at meal times. Our campsites are shared with other trekking groups. The final campsite at Wiñay Wayna can often get quite crowded. If using the communal campsite toilets at night we recommend that children & female trekkers are accompanied by a friend to the toilet block. Please wear suitable clothes when walking around the campsite i.e. well covered, non-provocative. Please have respect for local culture and customs. If you have hired a sleeping bag please remember to check that you haven t left anything inside the bag before returning it. When you get off the bus when arriving back in Cusco please double check that you haven t left anything behind. Don t give valuables to porters to carry. If you lose anything report it immediately to the guide Safety (steep drops) The Inca Trail is a mountainous trek. Although there are no parts where you have to resort to climbing on all fours there are a few sections that hug the mountainside with steep drops at the side of the trail. There are no handrails or fences so you must exercise caution. If overtaking fellow trekkers in these sections let them know that you are passing especially on the narrow

7 sections. If you are the slow one then stop regularly to let others pass. Try to be patient and if you have children with you make sure that they are at your side at all times Climbing Huayna Picchu Huayna Picchu is the large mountain just behind Machu Picchu. There is a narrow and steep trail right to the top of the mountain and there are also some interesting Inca ruins at the top. The government authorities charge a fee for climbing Huayna Picchu. Unfortunately you cannot buy an entrance ticket just to climb Huayna Picchu, you have to buy a Machu Picchu & Huayna Picchu combined entrance ticket that costs S/.200 for adults (approx US$62) and S/.100 for students with an ISIC card (approx US$31). The entrance tickets must be bought well in advance (often several months) online at or other independent websites offering tickets Our Frequently asked questions page has more detailed information about this. Unfortunately we cannot buy these tickets for you. A maximum number of 400 persons per day can climb Huayna Picchu. 200 people will be allowed to start the climb between 07:00 and 08:00 (Group 01) and must return by 10:00. Another 200 people will be allowed to start the climb between 10:00 and 11:00 (group 02) and must return by 13:00. This climb is optional and does not form part of the services provided by Peru Treks. Clients undertake this activity at their own risk and will not be accompanied by staff working for Peru Treks. It should be noted that our Inca Trail group normally arrives at Machu Picchu between 07:30 to 08:30 and the guided tour of Machu Picchu commences at around 09:30. Clients wishing to climb Huayna Picchu should book tickets for group 02 starting between 10:00 and 11:00. Clients will have to leave our guided tour of Machu Picchu early to make the climb. The combined Machu Picchu/Huayna Picchu tickets allows entry to Machu all day (06:00-17:30) 11.9 Emergencies Generally speaking very few people who start the trek have to turn back. If you become sick prior to the first pass then you will be brought back via the same trail that you have just walked (i.e Wayllabamba to Km88). You will then take whatever transport is available to Aguas Calientes (basic clinic), Ollantaytambo (basic clinic) or Cusco (better quality clinics & hospital) depending on the situation. After the first pass medical evacuation is onwards to Wiñay Wayna where a doctor may have been called to meet the patient depending on the severity of the case. Due to the nature of the terrain evacuation by air is often impossible and cannot be relied upon. Contractually a medical evacuation will be treated as a trek cancellation and any costs associated with taking you, our guide and any of your accompanying friends to the nearest hospital or clinic must be met by you. This includes all transport and medical costs. Our trek booking terms and conditions require you to have suitable travel insurance to cover such emergencies Miscellaneous At the start of the trail there may be some local photographers who make a living from taking photos of trekkers as they get off the bus and start the trek. When you arrive at Aguas Calientes after the trek these same photographers will try to find you at the restaurant to sell you the photos they have taken. We would like to make it very clear that these photographers do not work for Peru Treks and are not endorsed by us in any way. Peru Treks receives no commission or financial gain from these informal activities. We consider this practice annoying to our clients who often feel pressured into purchasing the photos. However we cannot prevent this activity taking place and the guide may allow the photographer 5 minutes at the restaurant to offer the photos for sale on the condition that our clients are then left alone without being further disturbed. The purchase of such photos is at your own discretion. However if nobody buys the photos then this annoying activity will soon cease (just one point of view), or you may consider that these people go to extraordinary lengths for limited financial gain just to help their families which is better than begging (just another point of view). I ll let you decide. 12. Trek Itinerary Day 1: Cusco to Wayllabamba (12km): The first day of the trek is relatively easy and serves as training for the days to follow. Travelers are collected early from their hotels (the exact time will be written in your trek voucher when you pay the trek balance) and travel by bus, past the picturesque villages of Chinchero, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo, for the 2½ hour scenic trip to kilometer 82 (the start of the trail). Our bus normally stops at a café/restaurant just before the town of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley for about 30 minutes or so to give people the opportunity to have breakfast. You can also buy bottled water and snacks here although it s probably cheaper to bring from Cusco. To avoid congestion buses are no longer permitted to stop in the village of Ollantaytambo. Having arrived at km82 at around mid-morning hikers cross the Vilcanota River and follow the trail to the right as it climbs steeply up from the river. After passing through a small village, the ruins of the Inca hillfort of Huillca Raccay come into view high above the mouth of the river Cusichaca ('happy bridge'). The Incas, when they conquered the area, built a fort here since the site commanded an excellent view up and down the Urubamba valley and controlled the entrance to the Cusichaca valley. It is a simple descent down to the Cusichaca River. From parts of this trail there are great views of the Cordillera Urubamba (Urubamba mountain range) and the snow capped peak of Veronica 5860m. From here you'll get a great view over the extensive Inca ruins of Llactapata (also known as Patallacta on some maps). Llactapata means 'upper town' in Quechua and was first discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911 and was primarily an agricultural station used to supply Machu Picchu with maize, the staple crop of the Incas. The settlement comprised over one hundred buildings, houses for the workers and soldiers, including five baths. For a further 7 km the path follows the left bank of the river up to the small village of Wayllabamba (3,000m). The name in Quechua means 'grassy plain'. This is the last place along the trek that you can buy snacks and drinks. We will spend the night at Wayllabamba. Our campsite is usually a picturesque spot away from the main village. However, this is a farming community, so if you are a light sleeper and may be kept awake by the noise of donkeys or early morning roosters then we suggest that you take ear-plugs!! Day 2: Wayllabamba to Pacamayo (12km): Climbing up from Wayllabamba following the left bank of the Llulluchayoc River for about 1 hour brings you to 'Tres Piedres' (three stones) and a small bridge over the Huayruro River. The stream is named after the Huayruro, which is an ornamental

8 tree. Its seeds are red and black. Many of the porters from the Ollantaytambo district are also known as Huayruros because of their traditional red and black ponchos! A little further on you'll enter a beautiful cloud forest passing a waterfall. A further three hours trek through steepening woods and increasingly spectacular terrain brings you to the treeline and a meadow known as Llulluchapampa (3,680m). Often we will stop here and have a short break and a tea or coffee. It is another 1½ hours climb to the first and highest pass of the trail (Abra de Huarmihuañusca or 'Dead Woman's Pass) at 4,200m. During this part of the trail hikers are exposed to the Andean elements: first scorching sun and then, closer to the pass, freezing winds. Once at the top hikers can celebrate having completed the most difficult section of the trail. The decent from the pass is steep although not difficult, following the trail on the left side of the valley to the valley floor and to the 2nd night's campsite at Pacamayo (3,600m). Day 3: Pacamayo to Wiñay Wayna (15km): From Pacamayo it takes about an hour to climb up to the ruins of Runkuracay. These small circular ruins occupy a commanding position overlooking the Pacamayo valley below. Another 45 minute hike will bring you to the top of the second pass: Abra de Runkuracay (4,000m). At last you'll feel that you are walking along the trail of the Incas with paving, for the most part, being original. The descent down the steps from the pass is steep so take care. This section of the trail, up till the 3rd pass, is particularly beautiful as the path crosses high stone embankments and skirts deep precipices. After about 1 hour from the 2nd pass you'll arrive at Sayacmarca by way of a superbly designed stone staircase. The name Sayacmarca means 'Inaccessible Town' and describes the position of the ruins perfectly, protected on three sides by sheer cliffs. No one knows the exact purpose of these ruins. You have to backtrack a little to rejoin the trail as it passes Conchamarca, a small Inca dwelling situated in the shadows of Sayacmarca, which was probably a tambo for weary travelers on their way to Machu Picchu. From then on the path descends into magnificent cloudforest full of orchids, hanging mosses, tree ferns and flowers, passing through an impressive Inca tunnel, carved into the rock, on the way. The trail then climbs up to the 3rd pass (3,700m). The view from the pass offers excellent views of several snow-capped peaks including Salkantay (6,180m) and Veronica (5,750m). A few minutes after the pass is Phuyupatamarca, the most impressive Inca ruin so far. The name means 'Town in the Clouds'. Access to the ruins is down a steep flight of stairs passing six 'Inca Baths' probably used for the ritual worship of water. Leaving the site via an impressive Inca staircase leading from the west side of the ruins (the far end from the baths) you descend a thousand or so steps. Be careful with your knees, which will feel the strain by the end of the day. After about an hour of walking through cloudforest you may just be able to see the tin roof of the Trekkers Hostal (no longer in use) at Wiñay Wayna, although it probably won't be for another 2 hours until you arrive. Wiñay Wayna is the last official campsite before Machu Picchu. A short trail leaves from the southern end of the hostal to the ruins of Wiñay Wayna. The name in Quechua means 'forever young' and is named after a variety of pink orchid which grows here. The ruins comprise magnificent agricultural terraces set in an impressive location. There are also many buildings of good quality stonework and a sequence of 10 baths, suggesting that the site was probably a religious center associated with the worship of water. Ritual cleansing may have taken place here for pilgrims on the final leg of the trail to Machu Picchu. Day 4: Wiñay Wayna to Machu Picchu (5km), Return to Cusco: The trail from Wiñay Wayna to Machu Picchu is clearly marked and takes about 2 hours. We'll wake very early at and have breakfast. Our porters will pack up camp and have to rush off to descend to the valley floor and catch their train back to Ollantaytambo at As soon as the sky starts getting light around 05:30 we will set off on the trail again (regulations prevent us from starting the trek before 05.30). The trail contours a mountainside and drops into cloudforest before coming to an almost vertical flight of 50 steps leading up to the Sun Gate (Intipunku). Suddenly the whole of Machu Picchu is spread out before you. The group should arrive at the Sun Gate (Intipunku) for around 7am just as the first rays of the sun reach Machu Picchu. It is another 20 minutes walk down to Machu Picchu itself. You ll arrive at the Watchman s hut from where you ll be able to appreciate the ruins in all their glory. This is the classic postcard viewpoint. After the group has had a chance to rest and soak up the atmosphere you must descend to the main entrance to leave your backpacks in the deposit. You ll then reenter the ruins for a guided tour of the major sectors of the ruins with your guide. The tour takes about 2 hours after which you ll have free time to explore. For those of you still with plenty of energy you will have time to climb Huayna Picchu which is the steep mountain you see dominating the background of the ruins. It takes about 2 hours for the return hike. The summit offers superb views of the ruins and on a clear day you can see the snow capped peak of Salkantay. For details of climbing Huayna Picchu see section 11.8 above. After about 11:30 the first train from Cusco arrives and Machu Picchu can start to fill out with visitors. By 14:30 most trekkers are ready to make the trip down to the village of Aguas Calientes for lunch. There are buses down to the village every 15 minutes (bus tickets are included in the price of the tour) so you can return whenever you want. The trip takes about 20 minutes. The guide will arrange a time and location for the group to meet up in Aguas Calientes so he/she can give you your return train tickets (usually at the Ayllu Restaurant). After taking lunch you may want to relax in the hot thermal springs - an excellent remedy to ease the aches and pains of the previous 3 days trek. Entrance to the thermal springs costs 20 Soles. Towels and swimwear can even be hired from nearby shops. The above 4 day trekking itinerary is to be used as a reference only. Campsites and itinerary may change depending on group fitness, weather conditions and unforeseen circumstances. The above information is given in good faith in order to help you be prepared for the Inca Trail trek. The information provided does not change or supersede our trek contract or booking terms and conditions. This information may be subject to change. An up-to-date copy of this briefing sheet can be found on our website We recommend that you check for updates a couple of weeks before arrival. Copies can also be found in our office and are available free of charge. Copyright Peru Treks Tour Operator, Cusco, Peru (updated on 20 July 2017)