The Inca Trail is one of the most iconic hikes in the world and is on a lot of people’s bucket lists. To help control erosion the Peruvian government has limited the number of people allowed to be on the trail a day, this number includes trekkers, guides and porters. In order to hike the Inca Trail, you must get a permit, which are only available through trekking companies. Treks are available in a variety of sizes and price points, but they all follow the same general itinerary and offer more or less the same thing. In my article on travel ethics, which you can here, I go into some of the issues around trekking companies and their treatment of the guides and porters among other issues. When my friend and I were planning our adventures in Peru, it was important to us to book our trek with a company that operates responsibly and treats their guides and porters well. Below are some of the companies that we found during our research and considered booking our trek with.
Peru Treks & Adventure
Peru Treks & Adventure specializes in the traditional 4-day, 3-night Inca Trail trek. The treks don’t offer many extras, but what they do offer they do well. Peru Treks is consistently a top-rated company in many Peru specific travel guides and with guidebooks such as Lonely Planet. It has also received praise from Peru’s Ministry of Tourism. The company provides consistent work to their guides, porters, and cooks throughout the year and has been noted to pay its staff an above average wage. They also put part of their earnings back into local communities in Cusco through community-based projects and NGOs.
Explorandes
Explorandes was founded in 1975 and has been praised for its commitment to responsible
tourism and its environmental management system as all their tours are plastic-free. Explorandes runs treks throughout Peru, which is something to keep in mind if you’re planning to trek elsewhere in Peru. They offer a 4-day, 5-night Inca Trail trek which the company says makes the experience less crowded and more enjoyable, if you’re worried about not being in shape for the trail, have an injury that you’re worried about, or have an older trekker in your group this can be a good option.
Enigma Adventure
Enigma Adventure is a more-pricey tour operator as it is one of the luxury tour operators, who specialize in providing highly customized Inca Trail treks for their clients. In addition to trekking the trail the company will personalize the experience to your interests our needs, they even offer customized packages for families with younger children. Enigma is also applauded for its treatment of its guides and porters and is known to have some of the best food on the trail.
SAS Travel
Another staple company on the Inca Trail circuit is SAS Travel, they have nearly two decades of experience and offer a variety treks around Peru as well as other tour options such as the Nazca lines. SAS Travel has a dedicated “leave no trace” approach to tourism and has shown concern for their porter’s welfare. They work closely with local communities to make sure part of their profits go back into the communities where their porters come from.
Amazonas Explorer
Another luxury company running Inca Trail treks is Amazonas Explorer. Amazonas Explorer provides treks and adventure activities around Cusco, such as mountain biking and rafting. The trek they offer runs 5-days and 4-nights and includes extra time in Machu Picchu and your return tickets to Cusco are on the luxury Vistadome train followed by a private bus to transfer you back to your hotel. Amazonas Explorer sets a maximum load-amount for their porters, they also provide accident insurance for their porters along with uniforms, a carrying frame and footwear, even though most prefer to wear their own sandals.
Alpaca Expeditions
A company I see recommended a lot in travel groups especially on Facebook is Alpaca Expeditions. It is a 100% Peruvian owned company, and offers several options for Inca Trail treks, with short, standard, and long options. Alpaca Expeditions helps provide funding for schools in Andean villages and has a strong focus sustainability and minimal waste.
After our research my friend and I chose Peru Trek & Adventure, it is roughly the same price
($650) as similar treks offered by many of the other tour companies such as Alpaca Expeditions and SAS Travel. All of these companies offer basically the same treks, but will have different departure dates, group sizes and availability which will impact your choice. My dad and I are contemplating doing the trek and due to his age and physical ability (he has had a knee replacement) we’re looking at the longer, higher end options to make sure the trek is comfortable for him. Almost all tours will include entrance tickets to Machu Picchu, bus tickets down to Aguas Calientes and economy train tickets back to Cusco. Upgrading your train tickets to the dome car, or tickets to Huayna Picchu are expenses that you will need to cover, the same typically goes for breakfast on day 1 and lunch on day 4, the rest of the meals are typically included in the trek cost. If you have dietary restrictions many tour companies are able to accommodate them as long as you request in advance, I'm vegetarian and was one of three vegetarians on our trek, the company had vegetarian options for every meal they provided. No matter which company you choose, trekking the Inca Trail is sure to be a memorable experience!
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