ANDINA Travel 5D/4N Premium Inca Trail

My wife and I went on this fantastic trek. It is not on the popular Inca Trail that is usually overcrowded and completely booked months in advance. It is on lesser known trails that were obviously not traveled on excessively. We did not encounter any other hikers during our time on the trail. We were lucky enough to be in a small group. Besides the guide, porters and wranglers there was one other couple.

We spent the first night in a hostel in Zurite with a very friendly host. Then two nights in tents which were set up for us in advance by the porters/wranglers. The fourth night was a hotel in Aguas Calientes (A.K.A. Machu Picchu Pueblo)

The meals were wonderful. We are vegetarians and there was plenty of good local foods for us to eat. In fact we felt bad leaving food on the plates!

Our guide could not have been more courteous and professional. He always took the time to point out things we wouldn't have noticed. He would tell us about the history and culture of the area. My wife and I were so enamored by this that we now make a challa to Pachamama on our hikes here at home.

Unfortunately at Machu Picchu we had a different guide and were joined by three more people. The site says there would be "a full day to walk around the ruins with our guide." The guide needed to walk with a cane and only took about two hours to take us to the parts that were easily accessible. He would stop for five to ten minutes at a time and he would give us lengthy rambling talks occasionally repeating what he had already told us. Nobody in the group seemed interested after a minute or two. At the end he pointed to the areas that we could hike to alone. So much for "a full day."

One must be reasonably fit for the trek. It goes through two passes, the higher being at 4700m (15,420ft.) Be prepared for this. The woman in the other couple had such difficulty that she spent most of the trip on the emergency horse (which we dubbed "The Taxi"). Do research on high altitude hiking. Trekking poles are a must. Make sure your day pack is light. Bring raingear. Bring a happy attitude.