Continuing on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

Our trip had already been altered due to a landslide earlier. I’m not sure how much earlier. We were to do a 4 day hike before reaching Machu Picchu, camping in the Andean Mountains for three nights, but because it wasn’t safe on one part of the trail we were doing the same 4 day hike in 3 days! It meant doing more each day but the final night would be spent in a hotel outside of Machu Picchu. We hadn’t even started and we were all okay with that. I think we already knew parts of the trail were going to be cold & wet.

I need to tell you about the Porters. They are amazing! Not many people would be able to do this hike without them. There are no animals on the Inca Trail, although we did see the odd Llama. That’s to protect the original Inca paths.

Teams of porters are hired to carry all the equipment. They have a weight restriction of what they can carry but this team is carrying EVERYTHING – our tents, tables, chairs, sleeping bags, clothes, food, tables & tents for eating & cooking the food, all the equipment for cooking (propane), tableware, soap with tubs for washing up AND our food!! I don’t know how they do it really.

They carried our bags but we had to make sure our bags didn’t weigh more than 6 kgs, including our sleeping bags. We had a scale to measure before we left and so all of our belongs, other then the 6 kgs and anything we were willing to carry ourselves was left in the hotel in Cuzco.

It didn’t matter how light our individual packs were they felt pretty heavy our here on the trail but certainly nothing compared to what these men were carrying!

They looked after us on the trail. They got to camp before we did – always. They had the tents set up, tea made ready for us each evening. In the mornings, they woke us up with tea already made. They packed up the camp after we left and with these huge packs on their backs were still able to make it to the next site & have everything set up before we got there the following evening. On the trail if a porter was coming you just stepped aside to let them pass – it was like yelling “car” while playing street hockey, “porter”.

If I could suggest anything to anyone considering participating in this hike it would be to do a little research & ensure that the tour company you are with treats the porters well. They more than deserve it, and of course please make sure you tip them well!

The Peruvian government has set regulations about the weight restrictions but each tour company still treats their porters differently, different working conditions, like everywhere I suppose. I am doing my various tours in South America with GAdventures, a Canadian company that I happen to think is wonderful. As for looking after their porters, GAdventures goes beyond what is required of them. They provide all the necessary equipment for better working conditions, including clothes, backpacks, back protection, rain poncho, and they provide all of them with medical coverage! Some companies are more expensive and they don’t treat the porters as well, why would you want to spend your money with them, I ask?

I want to tell you about the shoes the porters have on their feet. Some of the porters just wear these rubber sandals, called ojatas. They are made from old tires that have been cut to shape or bent to shape. They last for years and years, even decades and of course cost next to nothing. Even if the tour company provides shoes, some of these men prefer wearing ojatas because they have been wearing them since they were kids. If they don’t have money for shoes and someone gives them decent shoes they will often choose to sell them and just keep their old ones. A decision most of us don’t have to make.

I’m off to explore a little of Buenos Aires. Now, what shoes should I wear?