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Best Backpack For Hiking To Machu Picchu

Hiking to Machu Picchu is a once in a lifetime trip for many hikers, especially since the introduction of greater visitor regulations and the citadel’s huge surge in popularity.

As with any especially meaningful trip, you’ll want to thoroughly prepare to make the most of your time and make sure that your gear is up to the task.

So, how do you decide upon the best backpack for hiking Machu Picchu? This was a question that I gave plenty of thought before my Machu Picchu hiking trip last year, and now that I’m all the wiser, I thought you’d like to benefit from my experience.

First though, a little bit about the ‘Old Mountain’ …

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, is the stunning fifteenth century Inca Citadel, carved out of a mountain top at over 2,400 meters above sea level where the Peruvian Andes meet the Amazon Basin, it needs little introduction.

With visitor numbers at record highs, it has never been easier for the uninitiated to fulfill one of the ultimate hiking trips, without needing months on end of planning. You can find out more about the citadel in general at this official Peru tourism website.

When you visit Machu Picchu, you will need to organize various guides and entrance tickets well in advance. To actually hike up to the citadel itself you will need to use a tour company and obtain a permit.

Your tour company will organize this on your behalf, along with your tickets and connecting travel, saving you a lot of time and hassle.

Hiking Trails to Machu Picchu

There are numerous different hiking trails you can take to hike to Machu Picchu depending on your time frame, experience level and fitness.

Whichever trail you decide to go for, you can be certain that it will be an incredible experience, combining majestic mountains, ancient mystery and awe-inspiring views. The most popular trails include the classic Inca Trail, the Salkantay Trek and the Lares Trek.

The Inca Trail

Also known as the Camino Inca, the Inca Trail is Peru’s most famous hike. This classic trek to Machu Picchu passes through sub-tropical Andean Mountain terrain complete with numerous archaeological sites of interest.

As you hike your way up to the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu you follow the original trails that were taken by the Incas from the Sacred Valley up to Machu Picchu.

It’s essential to book early, especially during the busy dry season from May to September. Doing so will increase your chances of getting a permit for the Inca Trail.

It’s typically completed on a four day and three night timescale, but there are shorter and longer options available, including combining the Inca Trail with the Salkantay Trek for a week-long trek.

I had the pleasure of doing this September 2018, and it was great!

The Salkantay Trek

The Salkantay Trek offers a diverse trekking experience without permit limitations. Rated as one of the 25 Best Treks in the World by National Geographic Adventure Magazine, if you can’t get a permit for the Inca Trail, Salkantay is by no means second rate.

Scale the impressive Salkantay Pass at 4,600 meters, climbing through lowland jungle up to glaciated mountains.

The Lares Trail

The Lares Trail can be completed alone or combined with the Inca Trail for hiking access to Machu Picchu. It tends to be a quieter trail than the Inca Trail or the Salkantay Trail and it provides great cultural insight into the local villages in the Lares Valley, most of which retain old customs and traditions dating back over 500 years.

There are various choices of tour itinerary for the Lares Trek, so you can chose an easier or more challenging variation depending upon your preferences.

Other Trails

For the ultimate archeological hiking trek, combine the challenging Choquequirao Trek with Machu Picchu. Take a look at the Vilcabamba Trek to avoid the crowds or for a short, easier trek consider the Huchuy Qosco Hike before visiting Machu Picchu

Trekking right up to the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu itself means you’ll need to take the Inca Trail which requires a permit and the presence of an official guide.

There are daily limits on the number of people who have access to the Inca Trail, this is currently capped at 500 per day, including hikers, guides and porters.

Taking an official tour means that you will have one of your bags carried for you by a porter. This bag is usually provided by your tour company and you can put your tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad and whatever else fits up to a 20kg weight allowance.

So, bear this in mind when you’re selecting the best backpack to take with you on your hiking trip to Machu Picchu.

The Ideal Backpack for Hiking Machu Picchu

With the porters taking care of the heavy and bulky items, you can get away with using a much lighter, smaller backpack than on your average backpacking trip. In general, I’d say go with your standard, functional hiking daypack.

However, since this is a once in a lifetime trip, you might want to treat yourself to a new backpack just for the occasion, or you may want a little more information on what I found to be particularly useful on my trip. So here’s the lowdown.

Capacity

You will be fine with a 20-35 liter day pack for this trip. Resist the temptation to go any bigger and increase your just-in-case list.

You literally only need a day pack, trust me, with the long distances and a bit of altitude, you really don’t want to be carrying any more than this or you’ll risk making your journey less pleasurable.

As mentioned, the porters carry the bulk of your gear, and that isn’t optional. It’s not often you get to be on such a spectacular trek with just a daypack on your back, so make the most of it!

Weight

Ideally, you want an average daypack, especially as you won’t need to be carrying any bulky or heavy items.

However, don’t sacrifice comfort for the sake of a little extra weight. A durable, more solid bag with good padding is a better choice than a very minimalist low weight option for this trip.

You also have a limit on your pack, it can weigh no more than 10 kg including contents, and yes, they are weighed by the officials before you set out.

Comfort

This goes without saying but make sure that your backpack fits well and is comfortable. This includes checking that the straps are well padded and adjusted to your height and build.

If you’re purchasing a new backpack for the occasion be sure to use it several times before traveling to ensure you’re comfortable while carrying it.

As Machu Picchu can have a very humid climate, even out of rainy season, any backpacks featuring mesh back panels which improve air flow between your back and your backpack are an excellent choice. Which brings us nicely to our next essential feature, a rain cover.

Rain cover

If your backpack is not 100% waterproof then you’re going to need a rain cover. Usually, I am quite cynical about the effectiveness of rain covers with packs, but sometimes, every little helps.

With the high humidity and rainforest climate, waterproof protection is a must, even if you’re hike is planned during the dry season. Due to the micro-climates in this highly mountainous area, rain can and does fall at anytime of the year.

Hydration Bladder Sleeve

The warm, humid conditions, combined with steep ascents make hiking Machu Picchu extremely thirsty work.

When humidity is high you need to drink more to stay hydrated, this makes a hydration bladder an ideal choice for this hike. So it makes sense to go for a backpack with a hydration bladder sleeve.

Pockets

As you’ll be mainly be carrying things you’ll need easy access to on the trail, such as waterproofs, bug spray (get 50% DEET), camera and snacks, it makes sense to go for a backpack that has plenty of pockets.

With the majority of very bulky items excluded from your backpack, you might find a daypack with more sections and compartments, as well as plenty of pockets, more useful. Rather than having your more valuable and fragile items bumping around.

It’s also important to check that you’ve got some decent security pockets, either within the pack itself or on your hipbelt, so you can keep your valuables safe without having to worry.

I also recommend a large mesh pocket that’s useful for carrying any damp or dirty items you don’t want to put in with the rest of your gear. Extendible mesh side pockets can also be useful for reaching water bottles on the go, if you don’t have a hydration bladder.

Conclusion

After my personal experience, I can tell you that the best backpack for hiking Machu Picchu is in fact a regular daypack suitable for hiking.

While it may initially feel a little like cheating, anything bigger will be far too much, and you’ll definitely appreciate the freedom of hiking through the magnificent scenery with just a light daypack.

So, keep things simple and make the very most of this spectacular, once in a lifetime hike to one of the new seven wonders of the world.

The Best Hiking Boots For Machu Picchu

I mentioned a few weeks back that I am planning to travel to Peru later this year to, among many things, hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. I am really looking forward to this as it is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, it’s been on my hiking bucket list for many years.

I pretty much have everything sorted in terms of travel, Inca Trail passes, etc. As I draw closer to the trip, about three months away now, I am now starting to turn my attention to the finer details, so things like gear are coming up for review and consideration.

One of the main questions I have come across when looking into gear, is what are the best hiking boots for Machu Picchu, or rather, hiking on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. I did a fair bit of research into this, and also spoke with a guide who leads treks on the Inca Trail to get his take on it and he confirmed what I suspected. Below I go through the main things you want to look for in a pair of hiking boots best suited to the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu.

Solidity with Flexible Soles

Basically, you want to have a solid pair of hiking boots, by solid I mean as in good quality. A key thing to look for is a pair of hiking boots with a relatively flexible sole. The key thing here is flexibility in the sole. What I mean by that is that, you should be able to bend the sole of the hiking boot between your two hands, as shown in the image below.

Now, I don’t mean that you can bend it so much that the hiking boots fold in on themselves, that’s too flexible. On the other side of the coin, you also don’t want or need a sole that is too rigid that hardly bends at all. For example, something along the lines of boots that are crampon compatible is not suitable. You’re looking for the middle ground of stability with flexibility.

It goes without saying, but the soles should also offer good traction and grip on the trail. It is hard to go wrong with Vibram made soles when it comes to that requirement. I’ve used many hiking different boots with Vibram soles and to date, the Vibram soles have delivered well in terms of grip and good traction on terrain.

Comfort

On first glance, this is obvious, you of course want comfort in a good pair of hiking boots, almost a no brainer. However, there are a few things to point out when focusing in on this.

First, I think a good Mid style hiking boot is a good thing to aim at. In terms of construction, a mid style shaft is ideal. So not rising too high and tight up over your ankles, but providing enough support to be comfortable. The shaft should also have adequate padding to provide comfort in the support provided

The next thing is good breathability, so again Mid GTX (Goretex) is a perfect fit. Temperatures will vary depending when you go. Broadly speaking, as referenced in this post, the best time to visit Machu Picchu is between April to October, more May to September, as the rainy season is in full swing from November to February / March. Between April to September, we are in Fall and Winter in Peru, with winter being from June to September. This is also the dry season, which may seem a little counterintuitive.

Temperatures from June to September can be as high as in and around 20 degree celsius during the day, and as low as zero degrees celsius at night. It is not uncommon for it to drop below zero in the negative either.

The main point of note here is that, you need a versatile of hiking boots that can breathe when your hiking during the day, but still offer a bit of warmth as the sun goes down and the evenings get chilly, and they can get chilly!

My Recommendation

Having reviewed the gear list for this trip, the good news was that I already have all the hiking gear needed in my existing hiking kit. Granted, I have a fair bit of hiking gear, but I think in many cases most people will have much of what they need, if they are regular hikers.

I plan to take my Lowa Renegade GTX, I think they are perfect for the job. They have decent flexibility in the soles so should meet the requirement and allow the foot to bend, not too little and not too much. Here is the ladies version of the same boots, which I also recommend. They have a Gore-tex lining so they are very breathable, basically they are the boots I wear hiking in summer in similar temperatures as outlined above, but they also hold up pretty well in much cooler conditions too.

They are a mid style hiking boot so the shaft is just the right size, with adequate padding to provide comfort and stability. They are my top recommendation. If you’d like to check out more hiking boots, check out the best hiking boots for men and the best hiking boots for women. You will find plenty of recommendations there to meet your needs for every type of hiking.

Conclusion

So, there you have it, that’s my opinion and recommendation on the best hiking boots for Machu Picchu. I hope you found this article useful if you’re trying to pick boots for this trip. Your hiking boots are of course fundamental to the level of enjoyment you will have on this hike, a bad pair of boots and you will open yourself up to blisters etc. which is just no fun at all!

Remember to break your boots in before you get there, so your boots are comfortable for the entire trek. I am really looking forward to the trip, and I hope you have a great one when you get there too!

Please like and share 🙂

I’m Hiking The Inca Trail To Machu Picchu Baby!

Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, is a trip I’ve had on my hiking bucket list for a very long time! It’s somewhere I’ve wanted to go to and experience for many years, but as it’s a bit further away, and so involves a bit more organizing etc., I just never got the time to really set it up.

Well, I’m happy to report that I have set everything up to make it happen! In September I head for Peru, to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, and I can’t wait! I also have some biking in the Sacred Valley as well as some kayaking on Lake Titicaca to look forward to, too, so it should be an awesome trip!

Although there are oodles of companies offering hiking trips to Machu Picchu, I had to do a fair bit of research to find out what was best for me. First off, there are several trails to Machu Picchu, not just the Inca Trail. There are also the Salcantay route and the Lares route, to name two other popular options.

I was keen to do the Inca trail, but I investigated these as well. I even went to a free talk a company was giving on their offering to Machu Picchu, which was along the Salcantay route. Although I didn’t end up going with these folks, it was really useful as it gave me a great understanding of what was involved, and there is a fair bit to consider!

After my initial research, which took a fair bit of effort, there were several key things I needed to consider which I thought I would list in this article, as the big ticket items, if you are considering looking into a trip like this. It could be useful if you’re totally green to Peru, which I certainly was.

When to Go

Not too hard to find the answer to this when looking online, but it is the starting point before organizing anything, so worth adding here for the sake of completeness.

The best time to visit Machu Picchu, especially to hike one of the trails to get to it, is from April through to October, but May to September might be an even safer bet as things could be changeable at the end of April and October.

As far as I understand it, late October through to early April is the rainy season. It’s summer there at that time I believe, and the Winter (May to September) is the driest season and therefore the best time to go. Daylight hours are relatively average across the year, between 11 to 13 hours per day.

July/August is likely the busiest time to travel there, but I think the weather should be pretty good then too. I aimed for September to try and find a balance between those two things i.e. not to go when it was really at its busiest, but still with a good chance of clear weather to get the views in. That’s purely something I concocted, no idea if that is actually the case or not 🙂 I will report back post trip!

Choosing a Travel Company

As referenced above, there are all sorts of offerings to visit Machu Picchu. You can hike to it from several trail routes as already mentioned, but in fact, even if you’re not a hiker, it seems feasible to almost get a bus up to the place!

That could be viewed as a sad indictment on the nature of tourism, but I suppose it is such a beautiful and historical site, that it is probably good to make it accessible to all, not just keen hikers. My understanding is that numbers in the area are also strictly controlled, to avoid putting too much strain on the local environment and the historical buildings, etc.

For example, and this is important to mention, if you want to hike the Inca Trail, you need a permit. These are limited to a certain number per day, 500 I think. Note, that of this number, the majority are tour guides, cooks, etc. So my understanding is that in reality, it is more like 200 permits that are actually available for tourists.

If a tour company is offering the Inca Trail as part of their itinerary, they should be taking care of getting permits, etc. and it should be covered in your price. Worth keeping in mind though, just to be aware of it. They should ask you for your details for the permit, name, etc.

I guess the main point I want to get across, is that there is a plethora of options available, even in a hiking context. For example, some companies will organise everything from your home country. You basically meet the group in the airport, and they have everything sorted from there. Other companies have a start point from Lima, which is what I chose to do, while others operate tours from Cusco, pictured below, the city closest to Machu Picchu.

Photo Credit: Ana Paula B. Freitas

The length of the tours will of course differ, depending on what you prefer to do, but the hike to Machu Picchu kicking off from Cusco, will take in and around 3 to 4 days, whatever trail you take. That seemed to be about the average to me. You have to factor in travel to Cusco too of course.

As mentioned, I added in a bunch of other stuff for my trip, the logic being, if I am going all that way, I should maximise the time while I am there and do as much as I can. And that’s what I did, so I’m there for just over two weeks. You could opt to do Machu Picchu only, and you can probably get all that wrapped up comfortably enough within a week, depending on where you’re travelling from of course.

Many companies will provide various add-on options too. For example, my tour offers an option to pay a bit extra to have your own room, for some of the time on the trip. I chose to take that option, as I like a bit of time to myself every day and so didn’t fancy sharing with a stranger every night, for two weeks. I will of course get to know the other folks on the trip, but I like a bit of quiet time on my tod too.

Also, if you have any specific requirements, say like special dietary needs or the like, be sure to check that with your tour company before committing, just to be sure there won’t be any issues.

I could list out the all company research that I did, but that would probably not be of much use as your personal preferences, will have a large bearing on which way you wish to proceed, and there are so many options, it would be hard to list them. On the plus side, whatever you would like for your trip, is most likely catered for by one of the many things on offer from the various companies. However, below are a few links to some of the companies I looked into:

G Adventures – Starting from Lima
Exodus – Starting from London (I think)
Peru Explorer – Starting from Lima
Peru Treks – Starting from Cusco

The company I decided to go with was G Adventures. I choose the Peru Multi Sport, which includes the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu as well as a bunch of other stuff as referenced above. Overall, it’s a very active and exciting itinerary, which is exactly what I was after!

Travel

Again, prices of course vary significantly, depending on what option you choose and where you’re coming from. Some companies will book your flights for you, while others just ask you to be in Lima or Cusco on a certain day and time to join your tour, so you have to organise all your travel yourself.

The G adventures team were very helpful though, and were happy to help me look for appropriate flights and book them for me. I had the option to do either, so I ended up booking my flights myself, not for any particular reason other than when I found the flights I wanted, I wanted to nail them down.

Again, taking a Birdseye view, there is a wide variety of options from a hiking perspective. As mentioned, I think if you’re going all that way, you might as well hang around a bit and enjoy yourself, maximizing your time there. So I aimed to travel for a minimum of two weeks.

Keep in mind, that if you’re travelling from say Europe, you’ve got a long trip, just to get to Lima, easily in and around the 24 hour travelling mark, so it’s a long trip. The US is a bit better, in that you are looking at between 7.5 and 9.5 hours to fly from LA or New York, respectively.

With that in mind, I decided to fly in a day early before meeting my tour, to give me a chance to rest before everything starts. Hopefully I will be up for checking out Lima for that initial day I arrive early, but as I am scheduled to arrive in Lima airport at 2:30am, that could be wishful thinking and I might just sleep most of the day!

The other thing here is that you could easily extend your trip to spend a few days in Lima, exploring the city before or after joining a tour, to head to Machu Picchu in Lima, or flying to Cusco from Lima yourself, to join a tour there. Flights from Lima to Cusco take approximately 80 minutes and prices are reasonable enough, depending on when you’re flying of course!

Vaccinations

Next up, which is important, are vaccinations. There can be significant enough cost involved in this, depending on where you are living i.e. some countries will provide some of the required vaccinations for free, or cheaper than others.

The first port of call is Google, that’s what I did anyway. Just do a search for ‘Vaccinations for the Inca Trail in Peru in <your local city>’. That should pull up the services on offer that are closest to you.

Typically there will be a tropical medical bureau of some kind, who provide vaccinations depending on whichever country you are travelling to. They will likely have pages per country explaining what vaccinations are needed for each country, with prices, etc. At the very least they’ll provide contact details to contact them to set up an appointment to review.

The main point being, your health is your wealth, so it’s advisable to be sure you have what you need before travelling. Get the appropriate advice and have everything you need in good time before your trip!

Insurance

Definitely a very important one! You need to have adequate insurance to ensure you are covered, heaven forbid, something happens to you. Most companies offering tours will provide some kind of trip insurance offer, which should cover what you need.

There will likely be a basic minimum e.g. covering all medical stuff, and then there might be add-ons for things like travel disruption, trip cancellation, etc.

I recommend you be sure to take the minimum level of insurance (some companies may not let you join their tour if you don’t at least have the minimum level of insurance) to cover medical, etc. with the tour operator if they offer it, purely as you know it is fit for purpose. Then add on as you see fit to meet your needs.

Many people have an ongoing travel insurance cover, so you may need to check into that to see what you are covered for already, for your trip.

Note of warning, reading the small print on insurance policies is about as exciting as watching paint dry 🙂 … actually, watching paint dry is probably more exciting!

Hiking Gear

There is a whole host of hiking gear you may need for your trip, especially if you’re hiking one of the trails to Machu Picchu, as you will be camping out overnight.

Your tour company should provide you with a detailed list of what you need to bring, and they will provide some of the stuff you require e.g. tents, food, etc.

I will probably do a post on the full list of gear that is needed after the trip, but from my reading of it, if you’re a regular hiker, you likely already have most of the gear you need, so hopefully you don’t need to buy much especially. A few things I will mention here though as I think they are important to mention.

The first is hiking boots. These are the best option for your hike, as opposed to trail shoes. A waterproof and breathable pair of hiking boots that doesn’t have a strictly rigid sole … á la rigid soles required for cramp-ons. That isn’t needed, something with a bit more flexibility in the sole is what you’re after. I’ll be running with my Lowa Renegade hiking boots as I think they fit the bill perfectly!

Next, is be sure to bring long sleeved shirts and tops to wear for the hike on the trail, as well as hiking pants and good socks to protect your ankles. Apparently, there are some bugs who like to chaw on humans on the trails 🙂 while I think there are mosquitoes, there is another insect, whose name escapes me (might be sand flies), that are apparently a real pain as well.

It seems you can be hiking along in shorts and a tee oblivious, but later at night when you get to camp, your skin will be pockmarked with bite marks which are itchy and unpleasant. Definitely a downer, so watch out for that! Insect repellent may help, but as far as I understand it, it isn’t enough on its own, so you are best to cover up.

Finally, you will need a warm insulated jacket for at least one of the nights camping on the way to Machu Picchu, especially on the Salcantay route. It can get quite chilly as you’re high up. When you stop for the evening you need to stay warm so a suitable insulated jacket, and probably a fleece are what you’re after as well as hat and gloves.

There are more things to take into account, but as I said I will do a piece on that post trip. These ones are just the ones that I think are worth considering as part of the exploratory process, to give good examples of why the right gear is very important.

Conclusion

So there you have it! They’re the main points that I think you need to look at, when starting to consider hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. As you can see, there is quite a bit to think about!

Of course, while these are, shall we say, the big ticket items, there are many other things to consider when thinking about taking a trip like this on.

The main positive is that the sheer amount of options available is extensive, so you should be able to find something to suit your needs relatively easily.

One final thing to mention, is to give yourself enough time to book. I booked it in February, and that was plenty of time for September, and July and August looked pretty good in terms of availabilty too. However, spots to tend to fill up quite quickly as the window shortens.

Remember, if you want to hike the Inca Trail, special permits are needed, and only a certain amount are granted for each day. So if you have your heart set specifically on the Inca Trail, its best to book as early as you can.

I’ll do a report post trip, but for now, I’m really looking forward to the trip! I hope you found this article informative and useful. If you’ve any questions on it, feel free to leave a comment, and I will provide an answer if I can 🙂