Inca Trail Trekking Regulations 2008

1. Inca Trail entrance fees / Trek permits: As from January 2008 the entrance fee for the 4 day Inca Trail is 244 Peruvian Soles (about US$88) Students and children under 15 years old receive a 50% discount. Trekking companies also have to buy a trek permit for each one of the porters in the group (41 Peruvian Soles, about US$13 per porter). The entrance fee for the shorter Inca trail trek costs 142 Peruvian Soles (about US$51 for adults). Students and children under 15 years old pay 122 Peruvian Soles (about US$44).

2. Student discounts: Students with a valid International Student Identity Card (ISIC) receive a 50%$ discount on the price of the entrance fee but you must inform the tour operator at the time of making your reservation and bring the card with you on the Inca Trail. No other forms of student identity are acceptable i.e. letters from college, international youth identity cards etc. The tour operator will purchase a student trek permit for you (clearly marked only for students). At the start of the Inca Trail your permit will be checked and you will be asked to show your ISIC card and passport. If the card is not valid or you forget to take your card then there is a very high possibility that you will not be allowed to start the trek. This can cause major disappointment and also delay entry of the rest of the group to the trail. In the past you could just pay an additional fee for a standard trek permit. Due to the added bureaucracy and potential problems associated with applying for a student discount and associated delays many trekking companies have stopped offering this option.

3. Restricted numbers of trekkers: Over the last five years Peru has become a more popular travel destination especially since Machu Picchu became one of the 7 new wonders of the World.. There are many great treks throughout Peru but the Inca Trail is the most well known. During the peak season of 2000 many campsites became crowded and the trail became littered with rubbish. In early 2001 the Government proposed to reduce the number of people on the trail to 500 per day. This figure roughly comprises 200 tourists and 300 trekking staff (guides, cooks and porters).

In 2002 and 2003 the government tried to enforce the 500 limit but, due to many complaints by the local tour operators, they gave into pressure during the busy months of July and August and allowed an extra 200 persons. Since 2004 the government has strictly enforced the 500 limit, and many trekkers were disappointed that there were no spaces available.

The figure of 200 tourists includes trekkers on both the 2-day and 4-day treks as well as the Salkantay 7-day trek. As an estimate we would say that about 160 trekkers per day are starting the 4-day trek, 25 on the 2 day trek and 15 on the Salkantay Trek. In February 2008, 160 tour operators in Cusco were awarded licenses to operate the Inca Trail. With about 1500 tourists looking for just 160 available spaces divided between 160 companies it doesn’t take much to realise that things can become a little complicated. Trek permits are now being issued on a first-come-first-served basis so in order to avoid disappointment we recommend booking well in advance and with a reputable trekking company.

4. Making an Inca Trail trek booking: Since only 500 trek permits are issued per day for the Inca Trail (trek permits are also required for the porters and cooks) it is important to try to make a trek reservation as far ahead as possible. There is no clear rule as to how far ahead is enough to guarantee you a space since this depends on demand. However, we recommend the following:

December, January, March: 2 months in advance, 3 or 4 months in advance for departures around Christmas

April, October, November: 3 months in advance, 4 months in advance around Easter

May, September: 4-5 months in advance

June, July, August: 5-6 months in advance

5. Independent Trekkers: Since June 2002 trekking independently on the Inca Trail has been prohibited. Regulations state that each trekker must be accompanied on the Inca Trail by a professionally qualified guide. Trying to organize a guide in advance is difficult since tour agencies just aren’t interested in hiring out their guides. If you wait until you arrive in Cusco to arrange a guide then you are liable to be left with only the worst guides and the very high probability that all the spaces on the trail are fully booked. If you want to get away from it all and trek on your own then there are some excellent alternative treks such as Lares Valley, Choquequirao or Ausangate. If you do manage to organize a guide for the Inca Trail in advance you cannot have a group greater than 7 persons and you can’t employ the services of other trekking staff such as cooks or porters.

6. Maximum Group Size: The maximum allowable group size is 16 persons. For groups larger than 8 persons there must be 2 guides. (on the shorter 2 day trek there must be 2 guides for groups larger than 07 persons)

7. Porters Working Conditions In April 2002 a new law was introduced to set a minimum wage for all porters on the Inca Trail. This has followed years of exploitation. This wage is 42 Peruvian Soles per day which is about US$15. It may not seem a lot but wages are all relative to livings costs and compared to other professions 42 Soles is quite well paid. To put things in perspective teachers earn between US$200 and US$300 per month. Even though the law exists it is not being enforced and many companies are still paying their porters as low as US$5 per day. In 2002 the maximum weight that a porter can carry was limited to 25kg (20kg load + 5kg personal items). All porters have their weight checked by government officials at the start of the trail. However even this system is open to abuse and many tour operators get their guides and assistants to carry large loads across the checkpoint where they are dropped and left for the porters to pick up. Many trekkers who have hired an extra porter are also asked to carry their bags across the checkpoint to be given to the porters after they have been weighed. So even with the new regulations and a weigh-station at the beginning of the trail it is still possible to see porters carry loads of up to 35kg.

8. Inca Trail Closure during the month of February: The route of the classic 4-day Inca Trail will be closed each year during the month of February to allow conservation projects to be undertaken as well as giving the vegetation a chance to recover. This is a good month to close the trail since it is also the wettest moth of the year. Machu Picchu and the shorter 2-day trail will remain open as usual.

9. Licensed trek operators: The INC (Institute of National Culture) is the regulatory body responsible for controlling access to Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail. In order to operate the Inca Trail companies must meet certain basic requirements proving that they have professional guides and good camping equipment, radio communications and emergency first aid including oxygen. The license to operate the Inca Trail is renewed at the beginning of each year. Due to legal problems the Government has found it hard to withdraw licenses from poor performing companies and every tour operator that has satisfied the basic requirements has so far been given a license. Legislation is likely to be introduced later in 2008 to give more power to the Ministry of Tourism and allow them to fine, suspend or close badly performing companies