A hungry and happy group of trekkers after conquering the Inca Trail's Dead Woman's Pass

A hardy hike deserves nothing less than some hardy food — and on our Inca Trail treks you’ll get it; sometimes with little extras that leave a big impression.

For example, last time I was traveling in Peru my husband was celebrating a birthday during our trek. Surprise — a cake and candles were presented at his birthday dinner. Another personal touch the cook added en route was freshly picked avocado that was growing wild in the region. And each morning, our wake up call included hot coffee or tea served at our tents. A bit of a peace-offering for the early-morning rise — but it worked.

Enjoying a bit birthday cake on an Inca Trail trek

In other words, prepare to be spoiled.

This is just a sample menu, but gives you a good idea of what type of food and the variety to expect on your Inca Trail trek. Vegetarians out there (yours-truly included) don’t worry – you are easily accommodated and I promise you won’t have to make due with mere beans, bread and butter substitutes (that drives me crazy).

Inca Trail Menu

Day 1
-Snack: Chocolate bar, dried fruit, chocolate cookie, candies, banana
-Lunch options: Chicken pickled, bread, yucca, sweet potato OR Roast Chicken with salad OR Swiss chard pie with salad
-Tea time: three kinds of corn (grey, chullpi, white), cheese, coffee, tea, cookies, peanut butter and jam
-Dinner: Vegetable soup, Trout Meuniere, mashed potatoes, salad with vanilla flan or apple strudel

Day 2
-Breakfast: Oat with Kiwicha (a super grain like quinoa –think super oatmeal), scrambled eggs and bacon, toast, coffee, tea, cookies jam and butter
-Snack: chocolate bar, chocolate cookie, candies, tangerine and apple
-Lunch: Corn cream, chicken salad, avocado, olives, breadcheese and chicha morada juice
-Tea time: Tequenos rellenos (fried cheese sticks – they are delicious), guacamole, coffee, tea, cookie, peanut butter and jam
-Dinner: Tomato soup with grated cheese, Lomo saltado (soymeat, potato and rice), with strawberry jelly and peaches

Day 3
-Breakfast: pancake with honey, yogurt, granola, milo, coffee, bread, jam and butter
-Snack: orange, cookie, chocolate bar and candies
-Lunch: Macaroni salad with avacado, eggs, cheese, olives and basil with peach juice
-Tea time: pop corn, cookies, coffee, tea, bread, peanut butter, butter and jam
-Dinner: Inca soup (with quinoa), milanesa de eggplant con rice (eggplant and rice) and flan for dessert

Day 4
-Breakfast: Omelet with cheese, coffee, milo, bread, jam and butter
-Snack: red apple, peach juice, chocolate bar, granola bar and candies
-Lunch: Cream asparagus soup, causa rellena (a potato dish with or without tuna), salad and pineapple juice

You’ll arrive at Machu Picchu with a full belly!

Want to go?

Good travels and good cheer, from Adventure Life travelers, the Costas

We had the good fortune to dance quite a lot
Waltzes and cha chas, and of course, the foxtrot
The chamarita in Gridley’s Portuguese hall
When we danced in Peru, twas the most fun of all

For the Art Deco Ball, Joe donned white tie and tails
At the Gatsby picnic, his seersucker prevailed
Sandra dressed as a wench for the Renaissance Faire
To Dickens a silk gown and a bonnet she’ll wear

We traveled a bit, as we both love to do
A quick trip to Boston where they serve lobster stew
On his fly fishing trip Joey stayed in Dunsmuir
He caught lots of fish with a new partner this year

Our bestest trip ever, our trip to Peru
An amazing adventure to Machu Picchu
A few days in Lima, bumped into Mick Jagger
We hiked in the Andes which made our legs stagger

We ate the ceviche, and guinea pig too
A few pisco sours, goodnight and whoo hoo
Arequipa, a city of charm so delightful
The poverty there, overwhelmingly frightful

Saw condors, guanaco, alpaca and llama
Were guests of a family on Lake Titicaca
An Andean train ride which began in Puno
We gawked at the scenery all the way to Cusco

For four days we trekked on the high Inca Trail
A 14,000 foot pass our poor lungs did assail
With porters to carry all of our belongings
And Vidal there to guide us, we thought we were kings

Climbed on stone stairways which made our knees ache
Inca temples of stonework, their meanings opaque
Butterflies, lichen, and orchids in blossom
Our escapades there were amazingly awesome

Finally, this year, to hold Joe’s book collection
We built a library with shelves of perfection
The other thing perfect, is dear Joey’s health
Ten years without cancer, now how’s that for wealth?!

May your stockings be filled with good health and good cheer
And may happiness find you throughout the whole year

Happy trekker at the top of Huayna Picchu Peak

Hiking the ruins of Machu Picchu itself can be enough for some travelers. But there are some amazing peaks to trek while at the ruins — and offer a rare perspective to the legendary Inca ruins. The catch? There’s a fee, and you’ll want to do a little planning in advance to save your spot. Here are some helpful details.

Huayna Picchu
Huayna Picchu or Wayna Picchu (Young Peak) is that iconic peak you see behind Machu Picchu in all of the postcards. Hikers start in the morning at Sacred Rock and pass through a gate that is open 7:00AM to 1:00PM. The hike is a 1-2 hour steep hike on a well-established trail, but the last 65 feet (20 meters) is a steep rock slab that is climbed with a ladder and a rope. Take care when the weather is wet, as it can be slippery. The summit provides a great view of the ruins as they spread out below you. Only 400 people are permitted on this hike per day, so if Huayna Picchu is on your to-do list, I highly recommend purchasing the $10 per person admission with us ahead of time.

Views from Machu Picchu Mountain

Machu Picchu Mountain
Another hiking alternative is Machu Picchu Mountain (Old Peak), which is the higher peak towering above the ruins opposite Huayna Picchu. This is a lesser known, 2-3 hour hike up, sometimes steep, stone steps through the forested mountainside. The summit provides a truly bird’s eye view of the ruins and breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. The last start time is 2:00PM. This hike is $5 per person; we can also help travelers purchase these ahead of time, but there is no limit.

The hike up to the Sun Gate is free and provides a priceless view of the ruins.

It should be noted that Machu Picchu itself has daily restrictions on the number of visitors allowed into the site. The number is capped at 2500 visitors a day. Daily passes into the ruins are $55. It is also recommended to purchase these tickets in advance, especially if you are planning your Peru trip during busy season or during an important festival, such as Inti Raymi. During this past July’s 100th Anniversary celebrations, the site met capacity a number of days.

Adventure Life on Travel + Leisure A-List: World's Top Agents 2011

Galapagos 2012
Now, more than ever, a good Galapagos trip planner is important. Galapagos travelers should be aware that earlier this year, the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS) issued a notice to all Galapagos boat operators that they must start operating 15-day itineraries. Original announcements stated all boats would adhere to the new 15-day itineraries as early as Feb. 1, 2011 — later reports pushed the official effective date to Jan. 1, 2012 to allow more lead time for boats to make changes.

With the changes already on the horizon, however, many Galapagos yachts are voluntarily moving forward with the changes and operating the new 15-day itinerary in 2011, as originally proposed. More itineraries obviously mean more options. Not only do travelers now need to decipher the myriad of ship options available (some excellent, some not-so-excellent), a good travel agent will help clients understand where the itineraries are going to take them, and which stops they should not miss. Gone are the simple choices of either the long or short-cruise options; each yacht making stops at essentially the same destinations. Now there are options that include Eastern, Western, Northwestern, Southern, Circumnavigation of the Islands … This is when travelers need to pick up the phone and talk to an expert. Or better yet, one of the Galapagos’ Top Travel Agents.

Join us this July to celebrate Machu Picchu's Centennial Celebrations. Photo by Adventure Life traveler, John Keller

To experience the once-in-a-lifetime celebrations this July, there’s still time to join our exclusive Machu Picchu 100th Anniversary Trip. Follow in Bingham’s footsteps with Adventure Life’s local guide, Marcos Palomino. In addition to Machu Picchu, we’ll visit Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Chinchero, a village known for its rich weaver heritage, handicraft market, and white-washed colonial church. The trip is topped off with a special ceremony with a local shaman.

Adventure Life's Andean Multisport featured in Outside Magazine's 2011 Best Trips Issue

Want to go?

The celebrations begin on Monday with a costume and dance contest. Puno’s Virgin of Candelaria festival is one of South America’s most significant, rivaling Carnival in Rio de Janeiro and Bolivia’s Carnaval de Oruro. Take a quick look into last year’s event.

Alex with Adventure Life travelers, DeAnne and Simon Phillips, on the Cachiccata Trek in Peru

The Particulars:
Alex has worked as a guide in Peru for the last 13 years — primarily leading trekking and cultural tours in Peru to some of most sought-after destinations in the region. Born in Lima, he spent his childhood in Chiclayo and Trujillo before moving to England, where he lived for 5 years, traveling all around Europe. Alex finally settled in Cusco in 1996, after graduating with a degree in tourism. Last year, he spent 3 months living in the US, to learn more about North American culture.

The Person:
Alex says…

Guiding is my passion. I love that I have the position to make sure travelers take home the best memories of Peru and its cultural legacy. It is also a great pleasure to bring joy and happiness to travelers during their stay in Peru.

I think a good guide must have strong communication skills, high knowledge of all subjects, be very attentive to details and the desires of travelers, and have alacrity for excellent service at all times.

I am passionate about the history of all major cultures from the ancient world – and comparing these cultures with the great Inca culture. In addition, I love nature, and am a passionate birdwatcher. I’ve been blessed with a good sense of humor, play a little guitar, and enjoying giving people a smashing good time while in Peru!

Great alternative to Classic Inca Trail - the Cachiccata Trek

Salcantay
If you want to stay within the same region as the Classic Inca Trail, consider the Salcantay trek. National Geographic Adventure did a feature on the Salcantay a few years ago called “Trekking to Macchu Picchu (The Cool Way)” — and frankly, it’s pretty cool. But the reason it’s not as popular as the Classic Inca Trail is the Salcantay does not hike directly into Machu Picchu. This is a big deal for some folks — and rightfully so; when you hike those steps up to the sun gate to over look Machu Picchu after 4 days of trekking through the Andes… it’s truly special.

There are actually options that combine the two; after about 4 days on the Salcantay, you can join up with the classic Inca Trail near the community of Huayabamba and finish the remainder of the trail into Machu Picchu. Equates to about 7 days of Andes trekking.

Keep in mind, the Inca built a road system stretching along the coast from Ecuador and into Chile and Argentina – an estimated 25,000 kilometers of roads. To put is simply there is lots and lots and lots of “Inca Trail” throughout the region.

Is one trek better than the other? Well — the Salcantay is more secluded, and less developed than the classic trail, but the environment/scenery is very similar since both treks are in the same region.

Highest elevation you’ll reach in Salcantay is 15,252 feet — Inca Trail 13,776 ft.
7D/6N trek: Total Distance: ~ 45 miles
Highest Altitude: 15,252 ft.

Cachiccata Trek
I also highly recommend the Cachiccata Trek. This cultural 4 day/3 night trek includes a visit to the Inca temples of Chokekillka and Intiwatana. It also visits local Peruvian communities. It’s an easier, shorter option with hiking at lower altitudes. Rather than hike into Machu Picchu, you’ll take the train at the end of this trek into the ruins. This is a more secluded and less-traversed trail – I’d be surprised if you ran into another traveler outside of your group.
Total Distance: 12. 5 miles
Highest Altitude: 12,500 ft.

Views from the Cordillera Blanca Trek

Cordillera Blanca
One of Peru’s most sought after treks is the Cordillera Blanca. Compacted into a fairly small area, this region has more than 50 peaks 18,700 ft or higher, including Huascaran, Peru’s premier mountain.
Total Distance 38.0 miles
Highest Altitude: 15,620 ft.

Views from the Ausangate Trek in Peru