Has anyone done the Inca Trail in Peru? What is the best way to get there? Fly to Lima (from UK) then to Cusco

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MSDC

Best way is to fly to Lima and from there to Cuzco. Bus takes a very long time. I did it by car and it took me about 4 hours down the coast due south to Nazca and from there up the mountains through Pampa Galera to Abancay and from there to Cuzco ( a further 14 hours). OrmeÃ±o, one of the bus companies, says it is 24 hours that way and 26 hours if you go through Arequipa and Cuzco.
The Inca Trail is nice but it is crowded. You now have to use a registered guide (can't go by yourself anymore). Regular no thrills tour goes for about US$350 per head.

I'm enclosing a web page of OrmeÃ±o bus company and a web page of an Inca Trail tour operator.

Geoff M

Yes, I've flown from the UK to Cusco. I flew on Continental Airlines via Newark and arranged it so that I landed at New York early afternoon, spent the afternoon in the city, then headed back to the airport for the overnight flight to Lima. Arrive in Lima, catch a local flight to Cusco (about 1 hour). Don't take the bus - it takes too long and is not necessarily safe.

There are other routes, but Continental worked out better for me price-wise and itinerary-wise (I came back from Brazil). KLM fly via Amsterdam with a stopover in the Caribbean, or I think Iberia go via Spain, or other airlines via the USA. Mind you, the USA is not the nicest place to transit these days - a lot of hassle even if you're connecting straight onto another international flight.

Make sure you spend at least a couple of nights in Cusco before going out on the trail. Reputable tour companies will insist on this anyway - to get used to the altitude. There are some good bars around the centre square, and the food is good and cheap. I spent a day in the Sacred Valley on market day which was entertaining.

Book the trek well in advance - there are maximum quotas on the trail every day, and it gets booked up weeks or even months in advance. Stay in Aguas Calientes for a night if you can - it's a bit touristy but quite relaxing, what with the thermal springs and more bars.

You can get pills from your GP for altitude sickness, but they didn't work for me. What was better was the coca tea - it's leaves from the same bush they use to extract cocaine, but without the drug itself. Supposedly mildly narcotic but I drank loads of the stuff and didn't feel anything.

Dendronbat Crocoduck

The Inca Trail is one of the world's great hikes. Wonderful scenery includes the Vilcabamba range, Urubamba Canyon and Mt Veronica, concluding with a dramatic entrance in Machu Picchu through Inti Puncu (the Gate of the Sun).

You must book it several months in advance as the government limits the number of hiking permits sold. Here is the government website on permits left for this year
http://www.inc-cusco.gob.pe/

Some companies do the trek in 4d/3n, others don't push you as much and go for 5d/4n; here is a website on hiking the trail http://www.peruandes.com

Brian Douglas

Fly To Lima,..Take the train,..good view,..12 hours...coca tea works well with the altitude sickness pills,.allow at least 5 days in Cusco,..

abc

peru ?, good idea :)
im peruvian, and i went to cusco and visit machupicchu ofcopurse, 2 times :).
about the money and how much it is ??, well, depends if u want to watch or not the views or to experience more or to save more money :)
lima - cusco with bus 12 hours ( 30 euros or more),
lima - cusco with plane : 1 hour :) ((more than 50 euros)
if u go with bus u got the option to watch the landscapes too :).
would be more cheap if u buy ur inkatrail tour in the same city cusco :), in the plaza de armas, there u will find many agencys and good prices too :), for 4 days (inkatrail) i think its around 300 american dollars or more , by person :).
the 4th day u visit machupicchu and in the aftrenoon , around 6pm u are returning to cusco with train :), but

but better stay 1 day more in Aguas Calientes and the next day u will got the full day for to enjoy Machupicchu.

anyway there are many things for to tell :).

good luck :)

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