Are there bathrooms on the Inca Trail?
Of course. Along the way there are many opportunities to stop at a facility when nature calls. When you first begin the trek, the bathroom facilities are managed by locals and you need to pay to use them. A sole will grant you entry and the bathrooms are generally clean.
By the time you leave lunch the first day, you will notice the bathroom conditions start to deteriorate. You will no longer need to pay for the facility, but you will have to deal with piles of dirty tissue. The later in the day you use the facility, the worse the condition will be.
All the toilets are squatters and you are not allowed to flush any paper – which is fine since they rarely offer you any paper – make sure to have some on you. There are often bins in the bathroom that you are meant to leave your dirty paper in. Bathrooms are not regularly cleaned and the paper quickly builds up. Once full, people start throwing the tissue anywhere on the ground, where it ends up piling around where you are meant to have your feet.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
In Tripadvisor
We had a wonderful time with Juan visiting the Inca sites in Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Juan is very knowledgeable about the history and prehistory of the Inca civilization. He also knew all the best spots for pictures! We really appreciated his expertise.
In general: What an experience! Great guides, chefs, and porters. Alpaca Expeditions is a green company that pays close attention to their carbon footprint, sources their food locally, and has various programs that give back to their community. Bonus: they have a portable toilet that is well maintained and stocked with TP at all times. My personal experience: This is long, but hopefully helpful if you have any reservations about whether you can accomplish this trek! I arrived in Cuzco to acclimate 3 days early…however, I unfortunately succumbed to the altitude on day one of the actual hike and got worse on day 2 and 3. It is not lost on me that I was ONLY able to complete the trek because of the Alpaca team. The chef team, led by Cecilio, were very accommodating to my needs and prepared different teas to try to help me. Our groups guides, Alvin and Yojhan, were beyond encouraging and made sure I was safe the whole time. One of them was always with me even though I took twice as long as the rest of the group. >_< I can’t stress enough how important it is to have the right team supporting you in any situation. Their company’s back bone is stellar, but their actions during the hike showed me their heart is unbeatable.
I recently completed the 4-day Inca Trail with Alpaca Expeditions alongside my teenage daughters, and it exceeded every expectation. The weather was perfect all four days, which made the stunning views even better. Our guides, Yojhan and Alvin, were true experts, sharing deep insights into Incan history, the wildlife, and the flora and fauna of the area. They were incredibly patient and answered every question we had about Peru and more. From the start, they encouraged us to keep smiles on our faces and told us we’d become a “super family” by the end—and that is exactly what happened. The “super porters” worked tirelessly, and our chef Cecilio and his assistant cooked incredible meals for us along the way. Everything went perfectly to plan, and we finished the expedition with celebratory toasts and a shared album for photos with our new friends. I cannot recommend this team highly enough!
Muy buena experiencia con Alvin y Yojhan haciendo el camino Inka clásico. La comida que nos hizo Cecilio y Angelito estaba impresionante. Repetiría seguro!
The 4 day Inca trip was the best trip i have had in my lifetime. Beyond the scenic scenery everything has been well planned through. Alvin and Yohan were there for any possible inquries and shared a lot of nice insights along the inca trail. The food was better than any regular meal you can grab in town and was served three times a day by the amazing chef Cecilo and his crew. If you don’t do this trip you miss out.
What an adventure! InterPeru!
It was a wonderful experience!! I would Definetly recommend it to everyone who loves a bit of a challenge and who enjoys nature and its beauty. At every campsite there was fluffy friends who treated you (from chicken to cat and dog.) The team was great! Everyone was always nice and if you had a problem, you could just ask them for help and they came. AND: Definetly bring enough toilet paper, it’s crucial!
The best 4 days, thank you!
The Inca trail was incredible, which is partly a testament to the Incas and their incredible architecture, buildings and mountains.
But, what made it truly special was Ivan our guide, who was an absolute legend and his love for the trek and mountains was so awesome! Exceeded my expectations!
And the team of porters were awesome, redefined hard work and humility! The food, friendliness and haste meant that the trip felt more like glamping than a 4 day hike!
One in a lifetime experience
We had an incredible time on the 4-day Inca Trail with Alpaca Expeditions! Javi and Benjamin were fantastic guide, friendly, funny, knowledgeable, and always making sure everyone was doing well. They shared so much about the history and culture, kept the group motivated, and made the whole experience even more enjoyable.
Everything was so well organized, the food was amazing, and we felt looked after from start to finish. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Thank you, Javi, Benjamin, and the whole Alpaca Expeditions team!
Once in a lifetime experience!
Wow, so grateful for the opportunity to complete the Lares Trek with such an amazing group of people. Juan Carlos Zuloaga was the most amazing guide we could’ve asked for–he shared so much knowledge, history and culture of the region with us throughout our trek. He answered all of our groups endless questions about the flora/fauna as well. He made us feel extremely safe of the trek and warned us of possible dangers. He paced the trekking super well and gave us breaks as we needed. His tribute to Pachamama at the Condor Pass will stay with me always–Juan Carlos made us feely truly connected with the land throughout our journey.
The food was absolutely incredible, I had no idea we would be eating such fantastic and delicious meals throughout out trek, all made possible by our amazing chef Octavio!! He even made my best friend a birthday cake on our last day!! Truly, the food was an experience all on its own–we got to connect with the culture through the food we ate on another level. (you will NOT be hungry!)
Big shout out to our porters and team members as well–from setting up tents at night to ferrying our duffels to giving us warm water/warm packs at night, truly made the experience that much more enjoyable.
The trek itself is very reasonable, don’t underestimate the altitude or the varying temperatures as was emphasized very clearly prior to setting out. We got so lucky with weather, not a drop of rain! This trek will have you at altitude for about 36 hours, but the difficulty of the walking and hiking is very reasonable. Practically speaking, there is a lot of coordination with driving and trains to get to Machu Picchu at the end–just be prepared to be patient!
Machu Picchu itself was amazing and we added on the Waynapicchu hike as well–pretty steep incline up and down, but also very doable! Highly recommend for the best views of Machu Picchu from above!!
Would definitely go back for one of the other treks, but only if we can go with Juan Carlos!!
Fantastic
I loved the tour it was really good and I loved it.The people in my group were excellent and my tour guides were awesome. Loved the place and view😄👍🏞️. I recommend the place!