The absolute best time to travel to Machu Picchu
This Peruvian hotspot is best enjoyed during the dry season.
Un viaje con Alpaca Expeditions no es un tour cualquiera, es una expedición que cambia la vida y deja una huella imborrable. Nuestros excursionistas deciden documentar sus experiencias en sus propios sitios web y blogs porque encuentran una historia que vale la pena contar: una historia de resiliencia, comunidad y la majestuosa belleza de los Andes.
Muchos de nuestros viajeros son narradores que buscan la autenticidad. Escriben en sus plataformas porque nuestras caminatas ofrecen una narrativa de transformación, desde superar los desafíos de la alta montaña hasta presenciar el amanecer sobre Machu Picchu.
Más allá del paisaje, es el vínculo con nuestros guías y porteadores lo que inspira estos blogs. Los viajeros se sienten parte de nuestra familia y quieren usar sus voces para celebrar al equipo local que trabaja arduamente y hace posible esta magia.
Nuestros viajeros son exploradores conscientes. Comparten nuestra historia porque se sienten orgullosos de apoyar a una empresa de propiedad local que prioriza el bienestar de los porteadores y el turismo sostenible por encima de todo.
This Peruvian hotspot is best enjoyed during the dry season.
You’ve likely seen it on social media. A mountain peak of multi-colored stripes that looks so picture perfect you assume it’s AI. Yet, it is real.
Twenty years after his first hike, Bucket List columnist Robin Esrock walks the Inca Trail again. This time, with his daughter.
The Inca Trail offers more than a destination. You’ll follow a path of living history, exploring lesser-seen ruins perched above the clouds, blooming terraces, and stone channels still carrying m...
Everything you need to know about the Short Inca Trail, including the itinerary, FAQs, and reasons why this is the best way to see Machu Picchu.
Ci sono compleanni che segnano un passaggio e che meritano di essere celebrati degnamente, con un gesto o un’esperienza che lasci il segno. Mi ha sempre fatto riflettere una frase del film “Mad...
Peru offers a mesmerizing blend of history, culture, and natural beauty, making it a dream destination for travelers.
With lush wilderness surrounding the ruins, it looks as if they’ve come out of nowhere.
Peru’s Alpaca Expeditions says it feels a particularly personal bond with many of the sites that draw tourists to Andean Peru. The Cusco-based company is entirely Indigenous-owned and operated, a...
I was brand new to hiking when I naively signed up for the Salkantay Trek with Alpaca Expeditions. Having just finished it, I can share how incredible it was.
Last summer we did the Classic Inca Trail with Alpaca Expeditions. It was an amazing experience! As we navigated the ancient paths that once echoed with the footsteps of the Inca civilization, the ...
As you gear up for the epic journey that is the Inca Trail, you’re on the brink of an extraordinary adventure that blends history, nature, and a touch of personal magic. Imagine walking in the fo...
This is a post some twenty years in the making. So many of us, I think, have seen a photo of Machu Picchu and thought, “Wow! I wanna go there.” I know I did, and for a couple of decades I let t...
The Traditional Inca Trail trek through the Andean peaks of Peru needs to be on every traveler’s bucketlist. Embarking on a high-altitude hike through some of the most scenic swathes of Peruvian ...
How do you hike Machu Picchu and do a multiple day trek? It can be very overwhelming and the simplest solution honestly is to hire a tour company. I will give a ton of tips on how to do it y...
Congratulations! Have you decided to visit the majestic Machu Picchu via the famous Inca Trail? This is definitely one of the most popular thing to do in South America. Sounds like a big adventure;...
Of all the trips and countries I have visited in my life, it was my time hiking the Classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu that is without a doubt my most memorable. The spectacular ruins, the friendly...
Day 1: This is our first day hiking the Classic Incan Trail to Machu Picchu. We had an early wake up call at 3:35am to be ready for our 4am bus pickup. Day 2: Today was the longest and most d...
Inca Trail seemed a surprising travel destination for us. Although we are very active and fairly fit physically, we are not hikers, and never campers. The idea of sleeping in a tent on the ground w...
Traveling to Peru to hike the Inca Trail has hands down been my favorite trip. Two of my friends (Samantha & Reagan) and I spent several months making plans to spend spring break 2018 in Peru. ...
So you’ve decided you want to hike the Inca Trail and see Machu Picchu. You’re excited as heck and you may have even booked your flight there but when it comes time to plan it all, you’re utt...
When you first decide to hike the Inca Trail you’re going to have a lot to do and a lot of decisions to make! First and foremost, I recommend picking the tour company you’re going to go with. I...
Checkfront Travels is a new series on the blog where our team members tell stories about their various adventures abroad. In this article, Scott shares with you his experience trekking to Machu Pic...
Last week, I returned from a four-day Inca trail hike to Machu Picchu, an excursion my friend and I had been planning for over a year. Stone stair cases, high altitude passes, Incan history: The tr...
If our trip to South America was a book, some sort of road trip adventure with a narrative arc, then the Inca Trail would probably be the climactic chapter. That’s the way we had both built i...
Have you heard me say enough times yet that hiking the Inca Trail is an incredible e...
So, you want to hike to Machu Picchu? Good choice. Taking a train or hiring a car is for bums, and you’re more interested in working out your bum instead. Hiking to Machu Picchu is the only way t...
As one of the Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu offers Incan ruins and unbeatable views, all set to the backdrop of the Andes Mountains with the Urubamba River tumbling below. I...
Our wake up call was early, 3:30am. We rolled out of bed, threw the last of our gear together and headed out the door to meet Joaquin and our driver. Before long we had ascended out of Cusco and we...
Definitely not an easy trek at all those high elevations and all that up and down (or as our guide Yoel likes to call them “Inca Flats”). With Alpaca Expeditions, we didn’t have to worry abou...
There was a vibrant yellow tablemat that caught my eye as I entered the green dining tent. Made of alpaca fiber, it had Inca designs woven into it in red, green, and blue, which were a perfect cont...
I turned 40 in September. So far, forty is most certainly fabulous. In addition to running the NYC Marathon at the beginning of November, my husband and I celebrated this milestone birthday wit...
Jackson and I had already been traveling for 2 and a half months before we arrived in Cusco, Peru. It was exciting to meet up with everyone, although immediately we encountered problems…
Last year October, I completed an adventure of a lifetime: The Inca Trail. When I first signed up for it (a few months beforehand) with my friends, I had already some doubts in managing it and ...
Even as the question came out of my mouth, I knew the answer. He didn’t have it. It was sitting on the roof of an outhouse all the way back up the trail we had just climbed down. And this wasn’.
Even as the question came out of my mouth, I knew the answer. He didn’t have it. It was sitting on the roof of an outhouse all the way back up the trail we had just climbed down. And this wasn’...
Today was a sheer delight, with walks through beautiful jungle, amazing mountain vistas, and more ruins. Although we were awakened at 5:30 am to frost covered ground, the dining tent was toasty war...
When most relationships become serious couples talk about getting married and having babies. At that stage of our relationship, the discussions were about getting married and hiking the Inca Trail ...
After 3 long days of walking and a very early start on the fourth, the “champions team” – as we were very aptly named by our guide, Valentin from Alpaca Expeditions – wa...
Hiking the Inca trail is different to other treks to Machu Picchu (MP) namely because you are following almost exactly the same route the Incas walked 400 years ago on their way from Cusco to MP. D...
Following all the advice we had been given regarding the Inca Trail, we decided to book way in advance to avoid disappointment. After much debate, the company we have finally settled on for the Inc...
The Inca Trail is one of the most popular hikes in the world and also a top traveller’s destination. Visitors to Peru brave the often grueling high alpine four-day trek through cloud forests, jun...
The trek I’d committed to was no small thing: six nights, seven days, and 55 miles with Alpaca Expeditions — a hike that weaves together the snow-capped Salkantay route and the sacred steps of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. It promised a “moderate to difficult” challenge with cultural depth and sweeping vistas.
With daunting hiking and warm camaraderie, a women-only tour to Machu Picchu showcases Peru’s celebrated archaeological sites, cuisine and culture
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That’s why I would argue that the best way to see Machu Picchu is by taking a multi-day trek there. While most opt for the Inca Trail, this overcrowded trail isn’t for everyone. If you’re looking for the best alternative trek to Machu Picchu, opt for the Salkantay Trek with Alpaca Expeditions…
Salkantay Trek is no longer an overlooked brother of Inca Trail (how it can even be when the National Geographic Adventure Travel Magazine named it among the 25 best treks in the world!) and definitely not only an alternative for those who don’t have enough money or who cannot plan their holiday several months in advance to make a reservation for the more traditional hike.
On October 2017, we visited Peru for the first time. Our time on the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu with Alpaca Expeditions opened our eyes to the vast beauty of the Andes. We crossed the Salkantay pass at 4,600 m, walked through cloud forests, and slept in camp sites surrounded by mountains. The experience was more than I ever expected.
Read a number of entries for multi-day treks! Includes video posts, pictures, and entries filled with valuable information. Thank you to contributors for sharing.
Literally: an A-Z review of Laura’s experience hiking Machu Picchu with Alpaca Expeditions. Spoiler alert… we steal the “A” slot quite well!
We are safe and sound in Bolivia, after an absolutely amazing time in Peru. Almost a week ago we were on our way to begin our five-day trek to Machu Picchu. We chose the path less traveled- the Salkantay Trek vs the classic Incan Trail, and we were glad that we did. The trek, to our surprise, ended up being just
This is our group that set out at 4.25am from Cusco to tackle the Salkantay Pass and onwards to Machu Picchu. Silvio, our guide, unfortunately is not in the picture but he, at times, literally dragged us up and down the mountains and to him we all owe a special thanks. Also a huge thanks to everyone at Alpaca Expeditions who were.
With the Inca trail passes selling out months in advance and our lack of forward planning throughout our trip, we chose the popular alternative Salkantay trek to take us to Machu Picchu. Day 1 and we were picked up at 4:30 in the morning by our guide Efra and taken on a sleepy 3-hour.
Peru is a country of rich cultural history, beautiful landscapes and friendly people. If you’re like me then your interest in visiting Peru likely stemmed from wanting to explore the Modern World Wonder of Machu Picchu.
Looking for a cultural experience to Machu Picchu? Read about the value of the Lares Trek as an incredible alternative to the Classic Inca Trail.
Just over a month ago I got to cross off a major item on my bucket list and one of the Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu! If you’re reading this I’d imagine you might be planning your own trip to Machu Picchu, and are wondering what’s the best way to get there. Well, the truth is getting to Machu Picchu is not so straight-forward and will require a bit of planning. But don’t worry, I’m here to guide you through it!
Henry our guide from Alpaca Expeditions meets us at our hotel for our Lares trek briefing the night before. It is a private trek with only the two of us. We are not trekking to Machu Picchu so will do the typical Lares trek in reverse. This way the trek ends at the hot springs in Lares.
Nestled between the city of Cusco and Machu Picchu, the Lares Valley is an unforgettable trek through the Peruvian Andes. Passing through small Quechua farming and weaving villages, it offers a rare and colorful insight into traditional Andean Life. Being welcomed by the friendly and curious children in the village of Huaca Wasi is an experience I will cherish.
The Lares Trek to Machu Picchu is one of the alternative hiking routes to the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The Inca Trail actually books up at least six months in advance and only a certain amount of passes are available each day, therefore, the Lares is a great alternative for those who are less committed to a trek date (like ourselves, Gemma and Craig).
Just over a month ago I got to cross off a major item on my bucket list and one of the Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu! If you’re reading this I’d imagine you might be planning your own trip to Machu Picchu, and are wondering what’s the best way to get there. Well, the truth is getting to Machu Picchu is not so straight-forward and will require a bit of planning. But don’t worry, I’m here to guide you through it!
Hailed as the number one must see attraction in the whole of South America, Machu Picchu was somewhere that we both were super excited about visiting. For those of you that are not too familiar with Machu Picchu (and I’m sure there are not too many of you!), it is a 15th century Inca site that…
Doing this trail was one of the most breathtaking experiences of my life (both figuratively and literally – You try walking uphill with the altitude change!). Seeing Machu Picchu is something I’ve wanted to do for so so long, so I wanted to make sure I got as much as I could out of it.
The Sacred Valley of the Incas is located close to Cusco making it a great sightseeing day-trip. The Sacred Valley was part of the Inka empire and today the region still has archaeological sites at Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero and Moray. Since we were going with Alpaca Expeditions for our Inca Trail 4D/3N tour…
The Ausangate Trek is a 43 mile backpacking trip that runs through one of the most beautiful landscapes in the Andes. Read a number of entries on this experience.
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