The Inca Trail is one of the most famous treks of Latin America and takes you in 4 breathtaking days to the amazing Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, in Peru.
Unfortunately many people who visit Peru miss the opportunity to do this trek, because the booking rules are a bit complicated.
Not anymore for you with our Five Step Stress-Free guide.

Step 1: Decide which Inca Trail Trek is right for you. The Classic Inca Trail Trek lasts 4 days and 3 nights and the Short Inca Trail Trek lasts 2 days and 1 night. It is also important to note that this trek involves a lot less trekking and camping. Which trek do you have time for and how much trekking do you really feel like doing? For more alternative options read our article So the Inca Trail Trek is Sold Out… Now What?

Step 2: Check for availability. We recommend booking your Inca Trail Trek approximately three months in advance, especially for the high season (from June through August). This is also the dry season so the weather is nicer for trekking! The Inca Trail is closed during February for maintenance every year. You can only book the trek “ last minute” (this is about 6 weeks in advance), if you are booking for the very low season, which lasts from November through January. The Peruvian government limits the number of people, including trekkers, guides, porters, etc., that are allowed on the trail to 500 per day. To check the number of spaces available on any given day, visit the official Peruvian Ministry of Culture website: www.machupicchu.gob.pe  or send an e-mail to us at infodosmanos@dosmanosperu.com.  Inmportant: if the trail is sold out at one travel agency it is really sold out everywhere and there is no chance of booking with a different travel agency. Don’t waste your time contacting every travel agency in Cusco! It is also not possible to book your trek after another trekker has cancelled because individual passport numbers are used to book spaces on the trail.

In Quechua, the local language of the Andean people, this name means Young Peak. The peak of Huayna Picchu, or Wayna Picchu, rises approximately 360 meters higher than that of Machu Picchu (Cusco, Peru), known as the lost city of the Incas, and takes approximately an hour to climb.

During the time of the Incas, there was a trail leading to the peak where there were temples and terraces. This is where the high priest and the virgins lived. This high priest would climb down Huayna Picchu every morning before sunrise in order to reach Machu Picchu in time to welcome the new day.

You can really feel the magic of the ancient Inca civilization that fills this space when you finally reach the top of Huayna Picchu and gaze down over the Machu Picchu ruins.

A nice day trip option for those that need to renew their tourist visa is to cross the ‘Río de la Plata’ by ferry and visit the city of Colonia – the oldest city in Uruguay!

Founded in 1680 by the Portuguese, the colony of Colonia was heavily contested by the Spanish who settled on the opposite bank of the river at Buenos Aires. Through Colonia, people were able to avoid the strict taxes imposed by the Spanish crown so for years Colonia was an important center for smuggling British goods across the Río de la Plata into the Spanish colonies. It is now an attractive and quiet place with a nice historic center and beaches that are well worth a visit.

Colonia is full of old-fashioned cars and motorcycles, and the ‘Uruguayos’ seem to carry their ‘termo’ and drink ‘mate’ constantly. Although the city transferred hands between the Portuguese and Spanish, Portuguese influence can still be found in several parts of the city, and taking the time to visit these historic sites is a must.

Day 3: Jungle – Playa – Santa Teresa

Today is the third day of the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu. This trek is known as the more alternative trek, another option for the famous Inca Trail. It is actually a very good alternative for people that want to do something different, or, for those who cannot get a spot on the Inca Trail. You will cross one of the most astonishing Andean landscapes and see the most beautiful panoramic views of mountain chains. Furthermore, you will pass through a big variety of habitats and environments, you will see snow peaked mountains and will be in the vicinity of the tropical rainforest.

On this third day, we walk along the river to a little village called La Playa. We visit the waterfalls of Pacche – there are 11 different waterfalls, each with a height of approximately 50 meters! We see lots of butterflies, banana trees, coffee plants, avocado trees, and so much more. We even spotted an eagle. It’s warm and as we descend it gets even hotter! The climate is warm in this area and a difference with other warm areas is that in this place the typical agricultural production consists of pomegranate trees.

The Salkantay trek is a great alternative to the classic Inca Trail, perfect for people looking to get off the beaten track and do something a bit different.  It is more challenging than the Inca Trail and also climbs higher, reaching 4,600m above sea level.  The trek that passes beneath the sacred snow-capped mountain of Salkantay. This mountain God (or Apu) was worshipped by the Incas and is still honoured by the local Quechua people.This is a unique opportunity to discover the wildlife and traditional way of life of the Andean peoples in more remote areas. The starting point is the old Inca town Cusco, at 3400 above sea level, in the Peruvian Andes. From here we go by bus to the warm citrus valley near Mollabamba where the trek starts.

Day 1: Mollepata – Soraypampa

We left Cusco at 6am; a Dos Manos representative welcomes us when picking us up at our hostel.  In Mollepata we stop for breakfast and meet the rest of our team.  We are 5 trekkers, plus the guide, the cook and the porters.  We begin the trek and there are some steep climbs but I don’t find it too hard.  we enjoy the lovely views of Nevado de Umantay and a part of Nevado de Salkantay.

The tiny little town Nazca, in southern Peru – famous for The Lineas de Nazca – has the highest sand dune of the world: “Cerro Blanc”  is around the 2080 meters and lies in the desert.  Sandboarding is one of the most popular things you can do here and it attracts a lot of people. The only part that you don´t expect is that you have to walk up the dune with your sand board because there are no elevators here. Therefore, tours leave really early in the morning,  to prevent the tourists from burning: Nazca is in the middle of the desert so temperatures can go up to 35 – 38 degrees. I left for my trip around 11 in the morning, which was quite late. However, even although I had to walk up the sand hill and it was terrible hot, it was definitely worth the effort! Up on the sand dune, the guide takes his time to explain you what do.

Day 2.

We start this second day of our river rafting tour in Peru, at 6.30am, getting up and packing away our tent before breakfast.  For breakfast we get bread, porridge, fresh fruit, cereal and yoghurt – and I make an effort to eat as much as I can to give me strength for the day ahead!  We get going at around 8am, running a few ‘friendly’ level III rapids before meeting our first level IV.  I feel a little nervous about running it, but the guide explains exactly what to expect and how we will maneuvre the raft through and after that I feel excited.  We stop for lunch around 12.30, the guides serve a buffet on a beach by the river.  After this we all take an hour to relax in the sunshine before continuing.  In the afternoon we run a level V rapid.  Peru is such a beautiful country, I am so happy to be here!

This rafting trip is one of the best experiences on offer in Peru. It is 3 days of rafting on rapids between levels II to V on the River Apurimac near Cusco. The Apurimac is one of the top 10 rivers for white water in the world, and the section we run flows through a huge canyon offering spectacular scenery. Each night we camp by the side of the river on beaches, these places within the canyon can only be accessed by the river – there are no signs of people anywhere.  It is a true wilderness, a rare thing in the world today.

Day 1.
We meet to leave Cusco at 8.30am. The journey to the ‘put in’ is around 4 hours, first by road then by dirt track, and we stop in the town of Izcuchaca on the way to pick up supplies. On the way we will also get some amazing views of the deep valley the river flows through, and the surrounding mountains.

Bariloche, the gateway to Patagonia, is a popular tourist destination and the most common base from which to explore Argentina’s Lake District. The surrounding natural wonderland is ideal for those who want to trek, ride, climb, ski or raft their way across this dramatically rugged landscape. The large lakes (which offer superb fishing) and snow-capped mountains all relatively close to the city, keep those seeking geographically-spectacular photo opportunities well satisfied.

The city itself is also famous for its chocolate! It is conveniently located in-between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, providing a stopover for those travelling to the extreme south of the country. Temperatures are generally pleasant during the summer months but it can get cold during the evenings so winter clothes are recommended all year round.

The Inca Trail so far has been an incredible and wonderful experience (see other blog posts below).  On day 4, we woke up very early this morning!! After a quick breakfast and a quick stop at the washrooms, we were off on our last leg of the trek to Machu Picchu! During the hike up to the Intipunku archaeological site (also known as the Gateway of the Sun – Inti means “sun” in Quechua, the original Inca language) we were able to take a break and watch the sun rise over the mountains. The pinks, oranges and yellows were like nothing I’d seen before. Once we reached Intipunku, the weather was perfect to get tons of great photos of Machu Picchu from above. But our journey didn’t stop here: once we were done taking photos we began the last 30 minutes of the hike to Machu Picchu. The group decided we would like to see the Inca Bridge since we had opted out of climbing Huayna Picchu. The bridge was about a 10 minute walk through jungle-like landscapes on the very edge of the mountain. The bridge was built by the Incas and then later, one section destroyed to deter the conquistadors from following them.