Why Book your Inca Trail Trek with Alpaca Expeditions...?
1. #1 Inca Trail Trek Provider in Peru
Alpaca Expeditions is the number 1 tour operator for all treks that lead to Machu Picchu, especially when it comes to the Inca Trail. We have been ranked #1 on TripAdvisor for 7 years in a row with more than 5,000 5 star reviews. This is a result of a superior quality of our service and endless dedication to our team and community. The Inca Trail requires a tremendous amount of logistics, all handled by our team so you can focus on the views and your hike.
2. 100% LOCAL COMPANY - LOCAL STAFF, LOCAL OWNER AND LOCAL OPERATOR
Alpaca Expeditions is a local company based in Cusco city. Our office is located half block away from the main square and easy to walk and in the center of Cusco. We are direct operator and operate all our own treks: we will never put you into another operator even if we end up with a small group. Tours are never cancelled unless natural catastrophe. Our entire staff are from Cusco. They are all extremely well trained and ready to provide the best quality of service – responsibly and punctual.
3. BOOKING SYSTEM
Simple and clear booking system allows you to comfortably reserve your tour with ease. You receive an itemized invoice within 24 hours of booking showing clearly what you are signed up for. A full sales team is ready to answer any questions.
Join us at our conveniently located office, close to the center of Cusco, for a 45 minute briefing before all camping treks. Briefings are at 6:30 with your trekking guide and last for 45 minutes. We will answer all last minute questions and hand out your duffel bags that will be carried by the porters.
5. DUFFLE BAGS , BACKCOVERS, PONCHOS, & PERSONAL PORTER
Most of our competitors charge extra for a personal porter to carry your belongings, but not Alpaca. In order to make your trek as comfortable as possible, we include this service in our price. We provide a duffel that can be packed up to 7kg/15lbs of your personal items needed outside of hiking times so you can just carry your daypack of necessities and keep it as light as possible. We also offer free daypack covers to keep your bag dry in case of rain and plastic ponchos. These are recycled and reused.
6. HOTEL TO HOTEL SERVICE
No other company offers this service. We will pick you up directly from your hotel before the trek and drop you back at your hotel at the end. Cusco streets are historically narrow and difficult to pass through, but we will make the special effort to get to you to make this vacation hassle free for you.
7. AMAZING MEALS
We include your meals from your very first breakfast on Day 1 until your last breakfast…always with variety of healthy and delicious meals. We cater to all food restrictions and make sure everyone has something tasty to eat. Only your last lunch in Aguas Calientes after Machu Picchu is not included.
8. WELL PAID STAFF
It is our job to take care of our team and we take this seriously. We offer everyone at Alpaca Expeditions a better salary so that they can live comfortably. And it is very obvious upon meeting our team that they are happy, dedicated and proud of their work.
9. PORTER WELFARE
We treat with respect our Porters. They have the hardest job on the inca trail and we work hard to make sure they are repaid for their commitment. We provide a place for them to sleep safely and comfortably in Cusco and soon in the Sacred Valley. We provide all hiking uniforms and equipment to them for free including hiking belts, boots, warm jackets, down sleeping bags and tents to sleep in.
10. EQUALITY FOR ALL
Tourism is the number 1 industry in Cusco, but historically most jobs have only been open to men. We are working hard to include more and more women in our company in every role…management, guides, chefs and now porters. In 2018 we started our WOMEN EMPOWERMENT initiative opening our doors to our first group of female porters. That number has grown by almost 5 times in 2019 and we hope it continues to grow. We make sure the experience is comfortable and safe for our female porters. We have training sessions to make sure both men and women teammates work side by side with respect. Being a porter is a hard job and not all women are interested in such exhausting work, but those who do seem to love it.
11. EQUIPMENT
We use top quality equipment that makes our clients as comfortable as possible. Spacious 4 man Eureka tents are shared by 2, Therm-a-Rest air matts, Black Diamond Walking Sticks. All top quality.
12. PORTABLE PRIVATE TOILETS
Public toilets are terrible on the Inca Trail, cleaned only once a day and with piles of toilet paper. Our company has introduced private portable ecological toilets for only our groups to use. They are set up for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
13. SATELITTLE PHONES, OXIMETERS, TENSIOMETERS
We are the only company that carries these very important safety devices on all our treks. And we are the only company that has satellite phones that are extremely helpful in emergencies or can just be fun to use to contact your family from the top of a mountain.
14. SOCIALLY CONCIOUS
We are dedicated to our community and environment. We believe that the company should not only focus on how much we grow as business , but on our neighbors and community. We dedicate shares of our income on important social projects focusing on making the lives of our porters and their families better. We bring doctors and dentists to them, we celebrate special moments with clowns and fun activities for their kids, we plant trees in their village, we donate warm jackets and boots. And this year we have donated a year’s salary to the school to make sure they have a professor of English, literature and mathematics. She will teach 150 children at Llullcha community. She plans on sending us monthly reports of how the kids are doing and we hope to share these online.
15. ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
Alpaca Expeditions always has pachama on our mind. We use ZERO plastic…everything we use is reusable and recyclable. We ask our clients to leave plastic ponchos and daypack covers at home, because we supply and reuse ours. We try to create as little waste as possible and lead treks just to clean our trails throughout the year. We have planted more than 10,000 queuna trees in more than 5 villages along the Sacred Valley and Ausangate area. Quena trees are the only native tree from the Andes and according to studies, it’s one of the few trees that helps to protect soil and water on the hills.
16. FIRST AID
Our guides are extremely well trained in different safety and health emergencies that can come up during one of our hikes. Each guide will have a fully stocked First Aid Kit complete with medications required by law, thermometers, oximeters, blood pressure cuffs, bandages, etc. However we still suggest to bring your own first aid with your preferred medications and remedies.
17. OXYGEN TANK
Each of our guides will carry a full tank of oxygen. Passing over 4200M can literally take your breath away and we are here to help anyone in need at any time.
18. BEST STAFF
Of course this should not be last…this is what truly separates us from the rest. We have the most passionate guides, precise chefs and dedicated porters. Our office staff works endlessly answering questions and preparing our clients for their adventure. Our drivers are prompt and courteous. We believe that every question should be answered with yes and a smile and we are so happy to show you our home. As the owner of Alpaca Expeditions, I am honored that my team works so hard for me and for you. Meeting foreigners and learning from our clients is a pleasure…share a story from home and we will teach you about our ancestors.
Alpaca Expeditions Recognitions
ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
In the pursuit to stand out from the rest, Alpaca Expeditions has obtained four ISOs plus our carbon footprint certificate to date. These achievements result from our efforts to implement the internationally-recognized integrated management system. They also represent our commitment to all of our clients and staff of operating sustainability and responsibility in every way possible.
World Travel Awards
Alpaca Expeditions is internationally recognized as a leading tourism company in Peru. As proof, we have been awarded the World Travel Award for Peru´s Best Tour Operator 2021 for the second time.
TRIPADVISOR RECOGNITIONS
Our goal at Alpaca Expeditions is to create the best experience for all of our clients. We create journeys that are to be remembered for a lifetime. Journeys you can be proud of and can share with everybody around you.
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Hotel to Hotel service
Regarding the transportation provided by Alpaca Expeditions, we are committed to delivering a quality service. We strive to ensure that passengers feel supported throughout their journey. To achieve this, we coordinate closely with our guides and representatives to ensure timely pick-up at the start of their tours. Additionally, we have representatives responsible for escorting our passengers to their hotels at the conclusion of any tour.
Our drivers are not only trained in customer service but also come properly uniformed, and many are fluent in English.
Typically, all transportation types are included in each of our services. For instance, if you have booked a trekking tour, we will pick you up early, typically between 4 AM and 5 AM.
When visiting Cusco, it's important to note that traffic here is generally moderate. However, there are peak traffic times, such as between 7 AM and 8 AM, which coincide with school hours, and in the evening between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM. Therefore, if you have a flight during these times, it's crucial to be at the airport at least 2 hours in advance. The drivers of Alpaca Expeditions ensure their vehicles are prepared with all necessities before each service. They are acutely aware that delays can lead to missed trains, flights, or other connections. Consequently, they are always more than punctual, arriving at least 10 minutes before the scheduled time for any service, understanding the responsibility they carry in executing these tasks.
Personal Porter of 7KG
Remember that Alpaca Expeditions offers an extra 7 kg allowance for your personal belongings on any of our tours. We include a personal porter who is responsible for carrying your duffel bag without any additional fee. You will not have access to your duffel bag until you reach your evening campsite. The bag should not exceed 7 kg, which includes 4 kg for clothes and 3 kg for your sleeping bag and sleeping mat.
When you visit our Alpaca Expeditions office, you will receive your duffel bags at your briefing. The porters will carry them and return them to you at each campsite. The bags measure 66 cm in length and 36 cm in width (approximately 2 ft long by 1 ft wide). Porters will carry up to 7 kg of your personal items, which must include your sleeping bag and air mat (if you bring or rent one). From us, these two items weigh a combined total of 3.5 kg.
Each Alpaca Expeditions porter is paid directly after each trek, allowing them to return home more quickly. They receive better wages than our competitors, health insurance, and all their equipment free of charge, including hiking boots, pants, jerseys, fleeces, jackets, hats, flashlights, sleeping bags, and high-quality food. We ensure each of our porters has a comfortable bed in a pleasant room to sleep in before and after each trek. We also visit the communities they live in, providing toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, and other necessary supplies to their families, along with books for their children.
This is just the beginning for us, and we are always looking for ways to do more.
While the government allows each porter to carry up to 25 kg, we limit this to 20 kg to prioritize their health and safety. Each porter carries up to 15 kg of company equipment and 5 kg of personal items. This is why it is crucial to keep your personal duffel bag weight under our 7 kg limit. You might see other companies allowing their porters to carry more than the allotted weight, but at Alpaca Expeditions, we strictly adhere to these limits to ensure our porters' well-being.
Clases de Cocina
Alpaca Expeditions offers its passengers the chance to experience local cooking. We aim to immerse trekkers in Inca life by walking them through the original Inca paths and teaching them about Inca culture. Food is a significant part of Inca life, making it a special element in any tour or trek with Alpaca Expeditions.
In 2022, Alpaca Expeditions introduced a cooking class as part of each of our treks, conducted by our amazing trekking chefs and interpreted by our guides.
We will transform your dining tent into a makeshift kitchen, providing all the necessary supplies to prepare a Peruvian specialty. Your chef will guide you step by step through the process of making a traditional Peruvian meal, such as Lomo Saltado, and share some essential mountain cooking tips.
Peru is recognized as a top culinary destination, largely thanks to the popularity of our renowned beef dish, Lomo Saltado. This is most often the meal you will learn to cook, but there is also the opportunity to learn how to prepare other dishes like traditional Peruvian ceviche or even our signature drink, the pisco sour.
Cooking Class on the Inca Trail: These classes are voluntary and designed to be a fun, educational experience. Our clients consistently marvel at the amazing ability of our chefs to create culinary magic on a mountaintop. As you learn to prepare and cook Peruvian specialties, you will also see firsthand how such elaborate meals can be created on a small campsite stove.
Enjoy a cooking class in the mountains and be sure to take plenty of photos, just in case your friends won't believe your incredible experience.
Satellite Phones
The best way to hike in the mountains of Peru is to completely disconnect from technology, especially the internet and cell phones. The most impressive and exciting aspect is the opportunity to experience the true and wonderful nature that we often miss when we are at home, watching TV or absorbed in our cell phones during our leisure time. The feeling of being disconnected from work and the daily routine left at home is incredible.
However, this remoteness means limited access to emergency resources. That's why Alpaca Expeditions has invested in satellite phones for every trek.
We are prepared to assist you in case of any emergency, particularly health-related issues. For this reason, Alpaca Expeditions has invested in satellite phones, as they are one of the most crucial tools for any operator trekking in remote areas where telephone or television signals are absent. This means that every guide on our treks will be equipped with a fully charged satellite phone as well as radios. While these are primarily for emergencies, we allow our clients to use them at any time.
We ask that you cover the cost, which is $2.50 per minute. This fee can be paid in cash at our office or via PayPal once you have completed the trek.
Being just a phone call away from any doctor, hospital, or friend helps everyone feel assured of their safety. Radios, which all our guides carry, have limited reach, so Alpaca Expeditions includes satellite phones to ensure that we can connect no matter where we are on the mountain.
Portable private toilet
We understand that our clients will need restroom facilities at various times and locations during their journey. Along the Inca Trail, there are restrooms available, particularly those belonging to the communities near the trail. Alpaca Expeditions provides portable toilets to enhance this service, which will be set up at each meal site or campsite.
As with any mountain trip where we are exposed to nature, it is possible to use natural areas as restrooms. However, it is crucial to be mindful of the waste we generate, such as toilet paper or wet wipes used for cleaning. These should be carried with us and not discarded on the ground or left along the trail. Remember, the Inca Trail is a protected area overseen by a government institution. In places where garbage bins are unavailable, particularly at our camps, we provide special plastic bags for waste. Our porter team will be responsible for carrying out our waste.
Please be aware that although there are designated bathrooms for men and women, in practice, both genders often use the same facilities. Functionally, there is no significant difference between men's and women's bathrooms. Therefore, it is common for people of all genders to use whichever bathroom is available.
