Inca Trail Peru: 9 tips on how to properly prepare for a trek through the Andes

Anticipation is spreading! On November 10th the time has come: I will walk the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu! I have been involved with Peru professionally for more than six years, working in travel agencies, traveling all over the country and advising clients on their trekking tours. I feel like I’ve walked them all: Inca Trail, Salkantay, Inca Jungle, you name it … But in reality I’ve only known the Ausangate Trek so far. But it wasn’t without it either! I struggled quite a bit with the thin mountain air, the extreme temperatures and my “unfitness” at the time. I just wasn’t prepared. That should change with the Inca Trail! In this article we explain what you can expect when trekking through the Andes and how I am currently preparing myself for the Inca Trail.

Here are our 9 tips on how to properly prepare for your trekking in Peru:

Tip 1: Prepare for your trekking with sport

In 2013 I must have been a bit naïve. In any case, I had a lot of courage to go on the Ausangate Trek (7 to 8 hours of hiking per day), even though I was sitting in the office for weeks and months beforehand and hardly prepared at all for the trekking. So much naivety was of course also punished with “brutal forced marches” (as I call them). I somehow made it over the highest pass at 5,200 meters, but please don’t ask me how. It was probably my will, because even this can move mountains. I’ve reached my limits that I couldn’t even have defined before. It was hard. And that’s why I’m doing it differently this year. I go jogging and do weight training regularly. When I’m back in Peru soon, I’ll prepare for my hike with day treks. What I mean to say is:

Physical fitness makes a multi-day hiking tour through the Andes much easier.

As you can see from my example, the opposite is also possible, i.e. completing a trek without much training. Sometimes one decides spontaneously for such a trekking tour. But if it’s possible, I recommend a conscious “Peru trekking training plan” and it can look like everyone likes: dancing, yoga, cycling — the main thing is to move.

You should also know that with almost all trekkings in Peru you have to overcome a lot of altitude and thus hike a lot uphill and downhill, which gets on the knees of many people. Strength training for the legs is therefore good, but also trekking poles for on the go.

Tip 2: Get used to the altitude in advance

I didn’t do anything wrong back then, because I had already lived in Cusco for months and was therefore sufficiently acclimatized. Also this time I will be in Cusco for more than a month before I go on the Inca Trail. Most travelers have it a bit more difficult, many even completely underestimate the height.

You have to know, it really makes a big difference whether you go hiking in the Alps or in the Andes. No matter how much you love hiking, the altitude can blow anyone, no matter how young or old, whether fit or unfit.

We have already written a detailed article on the subject of altitude sickness, where we give specific tips.

For a multi-day trek (Inca Trail, Salkantay Trek, Choquequirao, Santa Cruz Trek or Ausangate Trek) you should stay at an altitude of over 3,000 meters for at least a week beforehand. This is the only way for the body to get used to the lack of air pressure. Are you wondering how the altitude makes itself felt when hiking? Personally I would describe it like this:

All movements feel much heavier than usual. Especially when you run uphill, you have the feeling that you are hardly making any progress. There is enough oxygen at high altitude, but the low air pressure means that less oxygen gets into the body and thus into the bloodstream. The lungs also hurt because you breathe much harder to supply the body with oxygen. A hike at altitude is easily three times as strenuous as at sea level.

Tip 3: Think of good sun protection

For me personally a somewhat tiresome topic. Actually, I’m not a fan of sunscreen at all. I can’t stand the smell and when you sweat you always have that bitter chemical sunscreen taste in your mouth, you know that? In any case, in the Andes you have almost no other choice, especially if you want to do a trek where you are permanently exposed to the sun — even if it doesn’t shine! There is a risk of sunburn even when the sky is cloudy. The sun shines more intensely not only because of the altitude, but also because Peru is closer to the equator. Long, airy clothing and a sun hat will help protect you from the sun. If you know a good natural product for effective sun protection, please write it in the comments!

Tip 4: Remember to drink enough water

I think I drank too little back then. I only had a small water bottle with me, which I filled up with boiled water in the morning and at noon. I probably wouldn’t have wanted to carry more weight either, but I was almost certainly dehydrated and that’s how quickly you get the reward for not wanting to carry it. It is not for nothing that it is recommended to drink an average of two to three liters of water a day, which should of course be a lot more on a hike where you sweat a lot!

As a rule, you can stock up on water yourself on the first day of the hike, while the cooks take care of the provision of drinking water on the other days. In general, you should take the opportunity to drink a lot at breakfast and lunch. Although I love coffee, I’ll probably skip it on the Inca Trail and drink warm tea instead, simply because it doesn’t dehydrate the body. It makes sense to take your own drinking bottle (800 ml to 1 liter) or a drinking system with you, as the plastic of a purchased bottle quickly deforms when you fill it with warm water.

Many readers also ask us whether they should take water filters or water purification tablets with them. Can you do. If you fill up your water bottle with one liter each at breakfast and at lunchtime, you will be well taken care of during the two stages. But there is nothing wrong with drinking the water from streams and springs, but then only with a filter or tablets. I have ordered the following filter system from MOUNTAIN for upcoming hikes in Peru and I hope that it will serve me well.

Tip 5: Pack the right hiking shoes

A friend of mine has done the Salkantay in Chucks (simple sneakers) and says she had a great time. I can only speak for myself and say that I couldn’t do a mountain hike without good hiking shoes. The mountain trails can be rocky, sandy or even muddy depending on the season. Your chosen hiking shoes should therefore have a good profile. In any case, it is more important than anything else that your shoes break in well or adapt to your feet, because nothing is worse than getting the first blisters after the first ten kilometers. Ouch. Whether to wear ankle-high shoes or not is something everyone has to decide for themselves. I personally don’t attach much importance to it.

Tip 6: Consider whether you need hiking sticks

Back then I did the Ausangate Trek without hiking poles. I’m a few years older and wiser now and will probably claim them on the Inca Trail. Simply because trekking poles are a great relief when hiking and provide a secure hold and relieve the knees on difficult descents (especially on steps and stony paths).

Tip 7: Choose the right clothing for your trek

You can rack your brains over the choice of clothes. It should be practical, take up little luggage and look good at the same time, right? Yes, and it’s not always that easy.

First of all, you should be clear about what time of year you go hiking in Peru (although this only partially influences the choice of clothing). From May to October is the dry season in the Andes, so you will most likely be spared heavy rains. However, most hikes lead down into the montane rainforest and here it can rain all year round. From November to April is the rainy season, here you should be prepared for rain. As you know, the weather is going crazy all over the world and therefore also in Peru. We are noticing more and more how the rainy season continues to be delayed and how heavy rainfall occurs in the dry season. Nothing is safe. The only thing that is certain is the right choice of clothing, which should consist of a selected trekking outfit and a change of outfit. The classic “onion principle” is advisable. This could be comfortable leggings plus light hiking pants or zip-off pants, where you can detach a piece of your pants depending on the warmth. A top plus a long-sleeved shirt plus a fleece jacket and a light rain jacket look good on top. It is best if your pants and jacket are quick-drying, then you do not necessarily need to plan a second pair. You can still buy a rain poncho and warm sweater made of alpaca or sheep’s wool in Cusco. For the cold nights thermal underwear, warm socks, gloves and for absolute frostbite even a hot-water bottle (which can be filled with hot water in the evening) is advisable.

You can find a packing list to check off (+ trekking packing list) in our travel guide. With the digital version, you also get this as a PDF, which you can print out.

Tip 8: Decide for or against your own sleeping bag

A very popular question we get asked a lot and the answer is better not. If you are not in an intimate love relationship with your local sleeping bag, then you can also get along well with a rented sleeping bag in Peru. Our tip for the faint-hearted: A sleeping bag liner (we use Bahidora’s) is ideal if you are unsure about the hygiene of the sleeping bag. You can rent a sleeping bag directly from your trekking agency, usually costs US$ 5 per day, or from one of the many outdoor shops in Cusco. Incidentally, the same applies to the trekking sticks

Tip 9: Bring a second travel bag

For trekking you need an additional travel bag (also known as a “duffle bag”), which can also get dirty. Capacity should be between 40 and 50 liters. Your change of clothes, sleeping clothes, towel, washing clothes and sleeping bag go in this bag. On organized treks, this piece of luggage is given to the horse guides or (the case with the Inca Trail) to the porters. Everything you need during the day (camera, rain jacket, snacks, water, sunscreen, etc.) you carry in your daypack.