Inca Trail, Titicaca & Nazca

• 11 nights in hotels and three nights of full-service camping
• Four days of point-to-point walking with full porterage
• Group normally 5 to 16, plus leader. Minimum age: 16
• Altitude maximum: 13,830ft (4,215m); average: 10,005ft (3,050m)
• Travel by private bus, train, boat and one internal flight
• 15lb (7kg) personal weight limit on trek
• Alternative Moonstone Trek or One-Day Inca Trail Option available when permits have sold out

All breakfasts, five lunches and three dinners are included in the price of the tour. Peruvian cuisine is loved for its flavours and originality; it’s well worth digging into the local delicacies. Among these are ceviche (seafood or fish marinated in lime juice), lomo saltado (a Peruvian take on a beef stir-fry), and various hearty soups including the delicious quinoa soup. Other dishes include roasted cuy (guinea pig) and alpaca steak. To drink, there’s pisco sour, the national beverage. Drinking water is provided as tap water in Peru is not safe to drink; boiled and filtered drinking water is provided on the trek and elsewhere your leader buys large water containers from which you can refill your bottle. Hotel breakfasts are normally simple buffets, usually including bread/toast and jam, cereal, sometimes eggs or a cooked dish, sometimes fruit, tea/coffee and fruit juice. We cannot guarantee that wheat-/gluten-free products are available for breakfast in all locations – if you have an intolerance you may wish to bring your own breakfast food. Where lunch and dinner are not included in Cuzco/Aguas Calientes, we visit a variety of cafes and restaurants. On the Inca Trail, hearty breakfasts are served and good quality cooked lunches and dinners are provided. These usually consist of soup or a starter, a main course with meat/fish and some form of carbohydrates, followed by a dessert. Snacks are also provided. Tea/coffee is brought to your tent each morning and juice or hot drinks are provided with all meals during the trek.

The diverse geography of Peru results in a very varied climate between different regions.

Lima, Ica and Nazca fall within the coastal desert region of Peru, with a mild climate and very little rain all year. From April to November, the sky is almost always grey and cloudy and the air humid. Average daytime temperatures in Lima remain 18C-24C (64F-75F) during this period, with July and August typically being the coolest. Nights are also mild, typically 15C-18C (59F-64F). From December to March, the skies in Lima are clear and temperatures at their warmest but elsewhere in the country this is the rainy season.

Cuzco and the Andes have a temperate climate. December to March is the rainy season in Cuzco/the Andes and April to November is the dry season, characterised by clear skies and strong sunshine in the mornings, sometimes clouding over as the day progresses. Daytime temperatures are usually pleasant (20C/68F on average) but night times only 5C-10C (41F-50F), except for May, June, July and August when days are cooler and nights are often close to, or a few degrees below, freezing. In the Andes, anything is possible at any time of year, including cloud, rain or even snow, and rapid and unexpected changes.

Lake Titicaca is high, lying at 12,470ft (3,800m) above sea level. At this altitude, the sun is strong but the air can be cold, and nights can be close to freezing. You need to bring warm layers and a waterproof or windstopper.

Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu are in the cloud forest and, as such, attract large amounts of precipitation all year as clouds move up from the Amazon Basin. Rain here can be heavy but is seldom prolonged. Cold fronts sometimes occur from July to August.

Peru is affected by El Niño, a weather phenomenon where warming of Pacific Ocean surface water off South America drives a shift in the atmospheric circulation resulting in abnormally high levels of rainfall over parts of South America. These events occur at irregular intervals of two to seven years, and last nine months to two years. A strong El Niño event occurred in 2014-16.

This trip is rated Activity Level 3 (Moderate) – please refer to our Activity Level guidelines.

Please note, it is essential you read the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu regulations in the Important Information section of the Trip Notes before you book this trip.

The size of Peru means this trip involves some long drives and you should be prepared for this. However, the buses we use are comfortable and the scenery is outstanding, plus there are several stops to break up the long journeys. The road between Nazca and Cuzco involves long descents and ascents on winding mountain roads and this, combined with the increase in altitude, may affect you if you are prone to travel sickness.

The Inca Trail is an Activity Level 3 (Moderate) trek. There are four days of point-to-point walking with full porterage, reaching a maximum altitude of 13,830ft (4,215m), average 10,005ft (3,050m). Though not without its difficulties (in particular the ascent and descent of the first pass, known as Dead Woman’s Pass!) this trek is possible for anyone in good health and fitness. However, we would not recommend it to someone with no trekking experience. If you are not a regular walker you should put in physical preparation beforehand. The trek is also not particularly suitable for those with bad knees due to the number of steep and uneven steps, particularly on the third and fourth days of the trek.

You may find our Fitness Training Guide a useful reference.

As this trip spends considerable time at altitude, we ask you to refer to the Altitude Warning within the Trip Notes. We run the tour from Lima to Lake Titicaca to allow for gradual acclimatisation and have days in Cuzco (11,155ft/3,400m) before the trek, which should be ample time to adjust.

Protest action/strikes are not uncommon in Peru; while these are generally peaceful, they can involve roadblocks and cause disruption to travel. Occasionally, your leader may have to adapt your itinerary in response to this.

Walking hours stated within the itinerary are given as approximates only. Timings stated include lunch and photo stops and vary depending on the group’s pace.