Dealing with Altitude Sickness in Cusco: A Guide for Inca Trail Hikers

Why travel to Cusco?

A Complete Guide for Inca Trail:

No doubt, traveling and hiking are some of the most life-changing and beautiful experiences one must have. Traveling clears your mind, deepens your connection with nature, and brings you closer to yourself. This is a gift that you should give yourself often.

When traveling and hiking, people look for places that are adventurous, have a little thrill, roots of history, and boast breathtaking and Instagrammable beauty while remaining budget-friendly.
One such place is Cusco.

Cusco is a beautiful city in southern America. Located near the sacred valley of Andes mountain and the Huatamay River. In 1983, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage site, and it is the favorite travel destination or present on the bucket list of many travelers across the world.

It is the home to one of the seven wonders of the world, “The Machu Picchu”. Also, this city is proof of how our ancestors designed and built so many challenging and astonishing architectures without the help of modern technologies. Cusco City is the gateway of the Inca Trail, and it will take you on the journey of the Inca civilization close to them, which will make you understand how our ancestors blended simplicity and wealth so perfectly.

Cusco City is located 11,000 feet above sea level. While some people consider this the cherry on the cake, others remove Cusco from their travel list for the same reason: Altitude sickness. In this article, we will explore how we can deal with altitude sickness and have a happy and safe journey in Cusco while making altitude sickness your ex-partner.

What Is Altitude Sickness?

Altitude sickness happens when someone ascends to higher altitudes at a fast pace. The person experiences shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting. All these are symptoms that the body is unable to adjust to the new climate conditions and biometrics. These symptoms fade away when the person deescalates.

Still, in some cases, this altitude sickness can become fatal, and emergency services may be required. This sickness is very common among people. It happens to 25 to 85% percentage of people worldwide.

How to deal with Altitude Sickness?

1. Give Sometime To Your Body

While it can be a common phenomenon in our body to show a reaction to higher altitudes, it should never be a reason for us to cancel our traveling or hiking plans.
The major reason for altitude sickness or mountain sickness is not giving your body the time to adjust. If you plan an expedition like Inca trail hiking or trek to Machu Picchu, give yourself some time.

Spend at least two or three days at Cusco; before going for any trek, let your organs feel the elevation, and function accordingly…Also, it is always wiser to prepare yourself physically before any kind of traveling, especially to places that are at higher elevations.

2. Savour Coca Leaves

Also, when you are traveling around Cusco, you can have coca leaves tea, candies, or cookies. They have the ability to erase your tiredness and make it easier for you to breathe at higher elevations. In Cusco, these fresh leaves are available at very affordable prices in every nook and corner.

Being physically fit to perform better in any condition is the key. A fit body and mind are more adaptable and flexible given any condition.

3. Hike, Rest, Hike Again

It is an old saying that slow and steady wins the race, which holds so much truth when it comes to traveling or conquering the world. When you plan your travel with very experienced tour operators like Alpaca Expedition, they always take you to the heights slowly and safely. For example, their most famous Inca trail hike tour involves staying and moving. They plan 4 hours of hiking and a stay of 1 day. This gives your body time to stop and acclimate. This also allows you to enjoy the camping hours and experience the mountains closely.

4. Always Carry Medicines

Some medications provide great relief to altitude sickness patients. One should always carry acetazolamide, dexamethasone, or nifedipine in one’s bags. Although these medicines have slight side effects like urinating more or a stingy sensation in their limbs, they keep your symptoms in control.

5. Keep Your Bags Light

While traveling, it is also necessary to keep your bag light. Carrying Heavy bags or doing heavy activities pushes your body to seek more oxygen. And this may increase the chances of sickness knocking on your body.

Though hiking requires you to carry heavy objects with you, as you might need to have your camping bags with you, you can always opt for a personal porter. The porter will carry your heavy bag while you enjoy your sickness-free trekking.

6. Avoid Alcohol And Smoking

It is essential to avoid alcohol or smoking when traveling at higher altitudes, like the Inca trail in Peru, etc. Consuming them is like giving the enemy a seat at your table. This can be a little displeasing for many, but it is always said that prevention is better than cure, and one must always remember that traveling to a beautiful place can give you a thousand times better fulfillment and joy than drinking and smoking.

Even many experienced and highly rated tour operators like Alpaca Expedition keep a chef during hiking so you do not have to worry about eating or drinking. Tasty food and drinks will be served in front of you so that you can fully enjoy your expedition. They also make sure to provide coca leaves tea during camping times to wane altitude sickness.

7. Be Prepared Always

By taking all these steps, you can prevent altitude sickness or mountain sickness, but we never know what may strike us. In severe cases, hyperbaric therapy is needed.

These include hyperbaric bags or Gamow bags, in which the person enters and inhales more oxygen than normal oxygen levels in the air so that the body can recover quickly. These bags are lightweight and are often carried by the guide for Inca Trail or porters when you travel with an organized tour operator.

Anyone can suffer from altitude sickness, despite their fitness level. There are even cases where Olympic players have suffered from this. Also, the most dangerous outcomes can be Coma or death. It is always advised not to take altitude sickness lightly.

Things To Keep In Mind

So the most mandatory steps while traveling to a higher elevated place like Cusco is to take ample rest, give your body time, and drink enough water.

As it is said, “Life is meant for good friends and great adventures.” we should never miss an opportunity to travel.

Travel With The Best Care

Also, when you plan your travel with highly experienced and organized tour partners like Alpaca Expedition, they take care of everything so that you do not have to deal with any sickness.

Travelling with the best Guide for Inca Trail comes with advantages, they are always there for you, from your pick up, customized food and beverages, private toilets, camping facilities, bags, porters, medicine, waste disposal, and guidance. For them, your safety is a priority. There are always emergency services available for the tourists. They not only carry first aid kits but also satellite phones, so in any case you will be in touch with expert medical service.

Guide for Inca Trail: Traveling With The Best Will Give You The Best Experience

Alpaca is a completely local and Peru-based company that ensures that they understand the local language and can guide you throughout the journey about local food and shopping places.

All the Guide for Inca Trail are well-qualified and, have reputed tourism degrees and can communicate in English and Spanish. They are also amazing photographers. It is going to be fun when you plan your holiday with them. Booking travel with them can guarantee you a tension-free and anxiety-free trip.

Altitude sickness should never be a reason now to cancel your trip to Cusco City or any other high-elevated place. Life is short, so let us enjoy it to the fullest.