The Best Inca Trail Tours
How To Choose the Best Inca Trail Tour
Good Reviews
With sites like TripAdvisor and Reddit, it is easy these days to get unbiased feedback on a trekking company. It is worth a 5-minute search to check the reputation of the tour operator.
This is true even if your friends or family had a great experience with a particular company. Consistency is key. Companies with 95%-99% good reviews are generally considered a safe bet.
Professionalism And Ethics
In order to take trekkers on the Inca Trail, companies need to be registered with the Peruvian authorities. Currently, there are around 120 officially certified Inca Trail operators in Cusco.
Also, look for the operator's policies on staff treatment. Guide, porter, and chef salaries are the easiest place for operators to cut costs. For this reason, you should be wary of booking the cheapest tour. If you do book with a cheaper company, you should include a decent tip in your budget to make up for the pay gap.
Quality Equipment
Nights in the Andes mountains are cold! Don’t wait until you are shivering in a thread-bare sleeping bag to realize you made a bad choice.
Don’t be afraid to email or call your tour operator (prior to booking) with questions regarding gear. Here are some practical questions you can ask:
- When did they buy their tents?
- What are their sleeping bags ratings?
Better yet, get in touch with someone who has done the same tour. Mentions of camping equipment are fairly easy to find in web reviews.