Missed out on the Inca Trail? Try these treks instead
21.07.2023 - 07:59
/ roughguides.com
If the Inca Trail is booked up, or you don’t fancy camping, or you want to hike away from the crowds, there are more treks in Peru‘s Sacred Valley than you might think. Meera Dattani finds some beautiful alternatives to the Inca Trail worth your time, energy and camera-clicks, yet without the permit restrictions.
It’s the end of rainy season, the vegetation is lush, and we’ve only seen a handful of other hikers. This is what trekking is about, right? The twitter of birds. Sighs of relief after a tough climb. The sound of silence. The sight of soaring peaks and deep valleys.
“Welcome to the Salkantay Trail,” says my guide Wilfredo, beaming. It may not be as famous as the Inca Trail but it’s beautiful, moderately challenging and – and if you’re not a camper, you can even trek lodge to lodge. The Salkantay is also one answer to the growing problem of overtourism, a hot topic in these parts.
The Incan citadel of Machu Picchu has and always will be a ‘bucket-list’ destination, but with over half a million visitors a year – that’s over 2,500 a day – and 500 daily permits issued for the increasingly popular Inca Trail (amid reports of overflowing squat toilets and litter along the route) it’s time for travellers and authorities to rethink. And encouraging people to arrive by rail, limiting hiker numbers and promoting alternative trails are among the solutions.
...with over half a million visitors a year and 500 daily permits issued for the increasingly popular Inca Trail (amid reports of overflowing squat toilets and litter along the route) it's time for travellers and authorities to rethink.
While the Inca Trail is the only route ending inside Machu Picchu Sanctuary, there are other equally scenic, if not more spectacular, hikes around Cusco‘s Sacred Valley, such as the Salkantay and Lares. And if you desperately want to hike into Machu Picchu, one-day hikes do just that anyway, and permit rules don’t apply.
With many arriving in Cusco too late to even apply for Inca Trail permits – some departures are sold out months in advance – these other trails are worth considering. Whatever you choose, allow time in Cusco for acclimatisation, regardless of fitness: Altitude sickness has its own rules and coca tea alone isn’t always enough…
«We'll hike through 15 different ecosystems,» Wilfredo tells our small group at the Salkantay Trail briefing.
It's a much longer route than the Inca Trail at 74 kilometres (46 miles) but it's hiked over six days, with day seven at Machu Picchu. Some ascents are certainly testing, for the amateur hiker at least – such as the 4,600-metre-high Salkantay Pass, the trail's highest point – but the pace isn't rushed, there's an emergency horse, and it helps to know there's a delicious meal (and