The Moonstone Trek

• Five nights in hotels, three nights of full-service camping
• Five days of point-to-point walking with full porterage
• Group normally 4 to 16, plus leader. Minimum age: 16
• Altitude maximum: 15,090ft (4,600m); average: 11,810ft (3,600m)
• Travel by private bus and by train

All breakfasts, five lunches and three dinners are included in the price of the tour. Peruvian cuisine has developed a reputation for its flavours and originality and it’s well worth trying a few of 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 such as the delicious quinoa soup. Other dishes include roasted cuy (guinea pig), alpaca steak and, to drink, the national beverage: pisco sour. Drinking water is included throughout the trip as the 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 cooked dishes, 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. During the Moonstone Trek, hearty breakfasts are served and good-quality cooked lunches and dinners are provided, and usually consist of soup or a starter, a main course with meat/fish and some form of carbohydrates, followed by dessert. Some snacks between meals are also provided. Bed 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 and seasons.

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 are lower (7C/44F), 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, with rapid and unexpected changes.

Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu are in the cloud forest and experience 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 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 4 (Moderate/Challenging) – please refer to our Activity Level guidelines.

There are five days of walking with full porterage, at a maximum altitude of 15,090ft (4,600m), average 11,810ft (3,600m). A little higher and tougher than the Inca Trail, the Moonstone Trek is remote and on some fairly rough paths, some sections of which present mild exposure. Anyone of reasonable fitness and with prior walking experience should find no real difficulties, except for a satisfying challenge in ascending the high pass (about 2,625ft/800m of ascent to about 15,090ft/4,600m). No experience of trekking at altitude is required.

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.

As this trip spends considerable time at altitude, we ask you to refer to the altitude warning in the Trip Notes. All our itineraries have built-in acclimatisation days before starting the trek.

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.

This itinerary includes the One-Day Inca Trail Trek to Machu Picchu – a permit is required for this trek. We need your full passport details at the time of booking to purchase and process your permit.