Private Toilet Tents
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
I just finished my 4 day 3 night inca trail with Alpaca Expeditions. I had the best team with Yanelith and Aldolfo as my guides, and chef Favian delivering the most authentic tasting Peruvian food you can make while out in the mountains. Adolfo and Yanelith worked fantastic together as a team. Both extremely knowledgeable as our guides and kept the whole group moving! From early wake ups , to being encouraging, to keeping it authentic as to what possibilities to expect while on the Inca trail, I learned to put my trust in them immediately while out in the mountains. And we can’t leave out the porters. They are of all ages and the respect I have for them after seeing all what they do is immense. Also, both Adolfo and Yanelith know the best spots to take pictures and know how to make the shot memorable. Below is an example of the extra mile they go for us to have memorable experiences.
Wilber Ocon and Kenyo were our guides for the Salkantay trek. They were amazing guides, and helped us alot during the tough times of our hike. This was an amazing experience!
I cannot recommend Alpaca Expeditions enough for the Salkantay Trek. From start to finish, the entire experience was amazing, and I genuinely felt safe, prioritized, and cared for throughout the trek. Our guide, Americo, was fantastic. He was knowledgeable, incredibly attentive, and did a great job communicating the plan, logistics, timing, and what to expect each day. I always felt like we knew what was happening and that we were in very good hands. He also paid close attention to how everyone was doing physically and made sure we were comfortable along the way. As a pescatarian, I was especially impressed with the food accommodations. I had special options at every single meal, and the team went above and beyond to make sure I had enough protein and plenty of food. I honestly never felt like I was getting a lesser version of the meals because of my dietary needs. The sleeping accommodations were also much better than I expected for a multi-day trek. Everything was comfortable, clean, and well organized, which made a huge difference after long days of hiking. Another huge highlight was the Machu Picchu permits. Alpaca Expeditions was able to secure our permits 48 hours before the trek, which was incredible and gave us so much peace of mind. The entire experience was incredibly well organized while still feeling personal and thoughtful. Between the amazing food, comfortable accommodations, excellent logistics, and especially Americo’s care and communication, I truly couldn’t have asked for a better Salkantay Trek experience. If you’re considering doing the Salkantay Trek, I would absolutely choose Alpaca Expeditions!
Great experience with fantastic guides. Wilber Ocon and Kenyo were the best.
Wilbur son and Kenjo were brilliant guides. Extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Wilbur was extremely good at presenting himself and the company and focused on keeping the group engaged. You are lucky to have him as an employee Alpaca Company. Thanks to both of them
Could have been Disastrous
Visiting Machu Picchu has been a dream of mine since I was a child. My wife and I are both in great shape, had trained hard, came early and felt fully prepared for the trek. Despite all our careful precautions, altitude sickness hit me hard on the very first day. By the time I reached camp, I was exhausted and dehydrated, but I was so deeply grateful for the incredible support of our guides and our wonderful group—we truly had the best group in the world (a special shoutout and thank you again, Jon!). On the morning of the second day, it was determined that for my health and safety, it would be best if I did not continue. While we were sad to say goodbye to our new friends and head back down the mountain, that is when the company truly showed its greatness. Ro Ro arranged for Marcus, one of their fantastic guides (along with a porter), to accompany us back down. What could have been a disappointing turn of events transformed into an unforgettable adventure. Marcus stayed with us for the rest of the trip, becoming not just our guide, but a true friend. We made lifelong memories on this alternative route, and for the outstanding care, flexibility, and kindness we received, we couldn’t be more thankful. Sometimes the best adventures are the ones you never planned for!
Great Alpaca team
All Alpaca team were fantastic. From the booking assistance, to the tour guides, the porters and the cooks. Very complete experience. Top 🙌🏻 Especial thanks to Reynaldo, Íngrid and Soledad.
Great time
Great experience with Alpaca Expeditions! Excellent service from start to finish. The guides were extremely helpful, knowledgeable, funny, and entertaining. They made the entire experience even better. Highly recommend!
Sep 4th short inca
Really good hike with reynaldo & Ingrid. Great to see machu pichu from the sun gate and descend towards the city with thunder clouds in the distance. Beautiful.
The hike of a lifetime
Unfortunately we were not able to do the traditional Inca trail due to adverse weather conditions. However, the replacement hike and short Inca trail that Alpaca were able create a hike/trail for us at very short notice. I wanted to say an enormous thank you to Sergio and Luis and their team for helping make this trip so special to all of us. The food was incredible and our experience would not have been made possible if it wasn’t for their amazing hospitality. But the biggest thank you can only go to one person. Joyce, you were unbelievable for our entire expedition. You gave us the answer to every question no matter how stupid some of them were. You became part of our family and made the trip perfect for all of us. I know that every single one of us from our group will treasure the memories you brought us for the rest of our lives. Finally I wanted to say, Sulpayki, wawqiykuna panaykuna, kay viajepi kuska purisqanchikrayku. ❤️❤️
An amazing treck to the greatest of the Incan sights.
We had an absolutely amazing treck despite the itinerary being changed due to unprecedented weather. The new route was amazing made all the better by having such a knowledgeable and amazing guide in Joyce who explained all the sites that we wondered through and the history around them. We had some amazing food courtesy of Sergio who cooked amazing food for me and made sure my nut allergy was very well cared for. Thank you for such an amazing time.
Incredible hike with Joyce
I had the pleasure of doing this hike on 22-25th august. Due to weather we ended up not able to do the full Inca trail so alpaca created a new route for us to do, finishing with the short Inca trail. The hike itself was gorgeous, we had great weather and the views were out of this world. What really made the hike was the incredible team we were given. We had 8 porters, a private chef and the most amazing guide, Joyce. The porters are the most awe inspiring people, they do the whole hike, with insanely heavy bags all with a smile on their face. Our team of porters were led by the amazing Luis. I really cannot put into words how incredible they are. I sadly struggle with coeliac disease. This has proved challenging in South America, I was reticent beginning a hike where the risk of me getting sick was potentially high. Man, was I wrong. Our chef, Sergio, was utterly phenomenal. I never once got glutened, he prepared all my food separately and safely. I woke up to breakfasts of crepes filled with chicken and veg and banana pancakes with chocolate (even on the day where we woke up at 4:30am). ALL GLUTEN FREE and with an obvious focus on nutrition needed to provide energy for walking! On the final day Sergio even prepared me a gluten free cake. Genuinely the best, safest food I had all holiday. They handled my food restrictions brilliantly, thank you Sergio. Finally, Joyce. We were all rather emotional when it came time to say final goodbyes. Joyce was smiley, friendly, laughed at our jokes and put up with our music the whole hike. We ended up doing the first day slightly too quick and got to lunch before our porters so he let us do an extra little summit (4372m) which gave us great views. He let us walk at whatever speed we felt comfortable and was so knowledgeable and interesting, I feel I understand Peru and the different cultures so much better as a result of my conversations with Joyce. We will miss group meals and our card games with you Joyce!! All in all, Alpaca organised an amazing expedition with the most amazing team. Memories we will treasure for life. Thank you!
Wonderful Experience
We did the 2 day Inca Trail hike with camping, and had an amazing experience. Jean Carlo (JC) was our guide and he was brilliant. He was super accommodating of a group with different capabilities, explained everything in detail and had great energy and positive attitude throughout the trek. The food was also delicious! It was a truly memorable experience, made better by JC and the wider chef/porter team.
Short Inka Trail – Camping
Had a blast, the views were amazing and Machu Picchu exceeded its reputation. Jean Carlo was an excellent tour guide. Will be recommending this exact trip to my siblings who want to see Machu Picchu.
2 day Inca trail experience
Herlin was our guide for the two day Inca trail hike. He was exceptionally patient and friendly, as we had some people in the group who were slower or struggling on steep parts of the trail. He was very flexible and accommodating when we fell behind the expected pace, and was positive. I’d love to do another hike with Herlin in the future!
Machu picchu
We had a wonderful day! Nice weather, great guide! Javier had a relaxed vibe and there were no rushing. I would recomend Javier to my friends.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Inca Trail with Alpaca Expeditions was an incredible experience and something I’ll never forget. Our lead guide Jhymy was fantastic, knowledgeable, funny, and incredibly passionate about the history and culture of the trail. He made the experience so much more meaningful and was always there to encourage us when things got tough.
Alfredo, our chef, was amazing. The meals he prepared throughout the trek were honestly unbelievable, especially considering we were in the middle of the mountains!
But the biggest appreciation has to go to Cesar and the entire porter team. It’s easy as a trekker to focus on your own experience and forget how much work is happening behind the scenes. These wonderful humans carry an incredible amount of equipment, food, tents, and supplies over some seriously challenging terrain, always getting to camp before us and having everything ready when we arrived. Their work is truly remarkable and deserves so much more recognition.
Thank you to Jhymy, Walter, Alfredo, Cesar, and the entire Alpaca Expeditions team for making such a challenging and unforgettable journey possible. I couldn’t recommend them more!
Fantastic Trip !!!
We had the most fantastic experience on the tour which exceeded our expectations. The trek is spectacular, taking in the most majestic views. We encountered all weather’s but this added to the experience and the feeling of achievement.
The whole tour from start to finish was organised precisely and we didn’t need to worry about a thing.
Jhymy and Walter our guides were informative, and ensured every need was met. They offered options to adapt to the groups needs and were always cheerfull and helpful.
Alfredo – Chef , cooked amazing food which was always offered in abundance. The food was delicious and had fun finer details. He always catered for my vegetarian needs and to the groups requests. On the last day he made a surprise for all , which had been time consuming for him but was gratefully received by all. I could not fault the food at all.
Cesar the Lead porter ensured the porters operated efficiently. Everything was always in place and the whole operation run so smoothly. They worked so hard to ensure all our needs were met. They offered such encouragement to us walkers daily yet they worked so much harder themselves. Without the porters this trip would not happen.
Overall this is a once in a lifetime time opportunity that although is strenuous and demanding, is well worth it, offering continous views. I would not hesitate in recommending this trip.
Alpaca Expeditions 4-D Inca Trail Alternative (due to rain): Huchuy Qosqo and 2-D Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
We had such an amazing time on our trek! Unfortunately, part of the Inca Trail was closed due to heavy rainfall damage. But, the alternative to Huchuy Qosqo was challenging with some really rewarding views. Our guides (Alfi and Daniel) were wonderful, and the porters truly acted like a machine (they were so efficient). That being said, it was really special that all of these people are locals from the area. Alfi even had each of them introduce themselves, which was really appreciated. While we don’t speak Quechua, the porters were all a joy to be around <3 After Huchuy Qosqo, we ended with the 2-day Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu. It’s as incredible as it looks in photos! We also did the extra hike to Huayna Picchu, which gives you a better appreciation for Machu Picchu’s condor shape from above. We highly recommend Alpaca Expeditions.
Best experience – amazing guides and porters!!!!!
Doing this trek with Alpaca Expeditions was an amazing experience. Everything was so well organized and every detail was taken care of. All of the guides and porters (from our group and other groups) we all so caring and supportive. Constantly checking in and making sure all was well. I am blown away at how wonderful and kind the Peruvian people are!
Special thanks and recognition to our wonderful guides: Javier Alvarez and Yadira Huaman- they were so patient, kind and supportive. I could not have accomplished this without their support. They also were so knowledgeable and shared such good information about the Inca trail, history and culture of Peru.
I would rate this experience as one of the very best trips I have ever done in my life and would give higher than 5-stars all around!