Wondering What to Put on Your Inca Trail packing list?
I have dreamt of seeing Machu Picchu for at least 15 years and planned for this trip for 3 years. My cousins and I were scheduled to go during 2020 and then COVID happened. It got rescheduled twice before we were finally able to go. But the good news is, during those 3 years I got my Inca Trail packing list well prepared for the trip of a lifetime!
Machu Picchu is a 15th century ancient Inca fortress that sits almost 8,000 feet on top of a mountain ridge. It draws 1.5 million visitors each year due to the fact that it is still a well-preserved ancient empire sitting on top of the stunning mountain backdrop of the Andes.
The Inca Trail hike is about 26 miles long and was built by the Incas as a way to get to the sacred city of Machu Picchu. Historians say the trail was either used for religious purposes or a trade route for the Incas.
Hiking the Inca Trail is a bucket list hike for many avid hikers. The classic Inca Trail trek is 4 days long, but if you don’t want to hike for 4 days, most companies will offer a 2-day trek. If you are not a big hiker, you can still enjoy the gorgeous views of the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu with the 2-day trek.
The Inca trail can have a wide range of temps from night to day, so it’s important to be prepared for all temperatures and climates when making your Inca Trail packing list.
Things to Know Before You Pack for the Inca Trail
Before we get to the Inca Trail packing list essentials, here is some important info about how your bag logistics work for your trek – as it does affect how you pack.
To start, you cannot hike the Inca Trail alone as you must be with a certified tour operator. Since 2002, the Peruvian government has mandated that each visitor must have a permit and a tour guide to enter Machu Picchu. Your licensed tour operator will handle getting all the permits for you.
Only 500 people are allowed in Machu Picchu each day so it’s best to book early to secure your permit.
There are also bag restrictions inside Machu Picchu and therefore, most of your personal belongings will remain at your hotel in Cusco.
Your tour company will give you a duffel bag the night before your trek that you will put all your personal overnight items in. The duffel bag weight should not exceed 7kg. You will be going on the hike with two bags – the duffel bag with your overnight belongings AND a small daypack.
That being said, your tour company will handle your overnight duffel bags the entire time and carry it to the campsite for you. You do NOT need to hike with the overnight bag. They have porters who carry your bags, set up your tents and cook you food every single night. Literally all you have to do is walk and carry your small daypack. Amazing!!!
Alpaca Expeditions was an amazing tour company and exceeded my expectations on every part of this trip! From the speedy customer service, ease of booking, very clear pre-trip communication, amazing guides and porters, great home-cooked meals nightly, quick transportation – they take care of everything!
➡️ BOOK MY AMAZING INCA TRAIL EXPERIENCE HERE!
The Ultimate Inca Trail Packing List
This comprehensive Inca Trail packing list will include everything you could think of, and including some others you may not think to bring!
Essentials for your Inca Trail packing list
- Passport. Check the expiration date of your passport. In the U.S., it is required to have at least 6 months left or you can’t leave the country!
- Daypack. You will need a daypack smaller than 25L, because Machu Picchu does not allow bags over this size. In this daypack will be anything you need with you during daily hike.
- Hiking Boots. I recommend these Columbia ones! They also have a men’s version.
- Water bottle or hydration pack. I carried a camelbak for the whole hike and was glad I did! You do get water at your meals on the trek, but in between there is no water access so having water on hand during the hot summer will be crucial.
- Sunglasses. You don’t always get shade so it’s good to have some good sunglasses.
- Sunscreen. It can get around 70-75 degrees in dry season but you definitely want sunscreen!
- Bug spray or deet wipes. I brought some but it was not super buggy during June. And bugs LOVE me.
- Sleeping pad. You can pay and rent a sleeping bag from your tour company but I would suggest to bring a pad to put under your sleeping bag at night in your tent.
- Iphone/Camera/portable battery charger. You won’t want to miss the amazing views!!!! Best views of your life. There are no places to charge your phone the whole trek, so make sure you have enough battery life to charge for 2-4 days, depending on what trek you are on!
- Head lamp. At night time at the campsite, you will need a head lamp to find your way to the bathroom or the main tent with food!
- Back pack. For your overnight items! Your tour company will most likely have you put your backpack or items into another bag that the porter will carry around. Your porter will bring it to each campsite for you.
- Sleeping bag. It can get as cold as 30 degrees Fahrenheit at night, so I recommend this warm sleeping bag! Or you can rent one from your tour company.
Medications: Altitude Sickness Pills (And Why I Recommend Getting Some BEFORE your trip)
- GET SOME DIAMOX FROM YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE YOU LEAVE!!!! The drug name is called Acetazolamide. Diamox is the brand name. This part is so important to the enjoyment of my trip that I am dedicating a whole section to Diamix and altitude sickness. My #1 recommendation for essential packing for the Inca Trail packing list!
I had done extensive research on “to take or not to take” altitude sickness pills from online forums. It was a 50/50 split of people who said you need it while others were okay without it. There were plenty of older people, or people who didn’t exercise, on the forums who said they had no issue doing the trek without the pills.
Some people said that when they tested out the pills while at home in the U.S., they got some side effects from them. I think that was the major reason I didn’t get it in advance, plus it was just an extra step to get it from my doctor. I decided to risk it since I was a fit personal trainer who surely was immune to altitude sickness?
Boy, was I wrong! Despite what you may think, your fitness level has zero correlation with if you get altitude sickness. There is no research to say why some people get it or not.
I am sad to say that altitude sickness pretty much ruined my entire hike because I was vomiting the first two days in Cusco before the trek. The problem was once I started feeling better, I got a virus that was triggered by my immune system being down from altitude sickness, on top of not sleeping for two days.
I did the entire hike wanting to vomit, with persistent nausea and body aches, and exhausted as if I had mono. I was barely functioning during the gorgeous hike that I’ve waited 15 years for! It was such a bummer.
When my friend went to Machu Picchu a year later, I told her to avoid my mistake and she took Diamox 24 hours before landing and she was totally fine! Meanwhile her travel partner got sick and he didn’t take the meds.
You can get Diamox from your doctor in the U.S. but it is by prescription only so make sure you get an appointment from your doctor early enough. In Cusco, it’s available at any local pharmacy but it will be too late to take it by the time you arrive.
You need to take it 24-hours before landing in Cusco. If you are flying from Lima to Cusco, you go from sea level to almost 10,000 feet within an hour. You may not feel it right away, but within 6-8 hours of landing, you may start to feel nausea or have pretty bad headaches. You may even vomit like me and my two cousins who were with me. We were vomiting for the next 12 hours.
Clothing
- At least 2-3 shirts that are sweatproof. It will be hot hiking around in the direct sun, so I recommend a moisture wicking tank top!
- At least 2-3 hiking pants. I wore leggings and was perfectly fine on the hike. You can wear hiking pants if you prefer. It did not rain during the time I was there.
- Underwear. Bring enough for one a night at least.
- Hiking socks. Something that is sweat proof for the many miles of walking.
- Fleece jacket/sweatshirt. This is for night time! Once the sun goes down, it can get very cold. You will want a sweatshirt or a fleece for walking around the campsite.
- Down jacket. It can get down to 30 degrees, so you may need something warmer at night if the sweatshirt isn’t enough.
- Rain jacket or poncho. During the rainy season, you will want to pack a rain jacket or bring ponchos as it may rain on your trek. Rainy season is from November through April.
- Sun hat or baseball cap. You are in direct sun with no shade for a lot of your hike!
Footwear
- Hiking boots! I recommend my Columbia hiking boots – very comfy!
- Flip Flops or comfy shoes for camp. There are showers at some point which are either pretty unsanitary or nothing at all. I would not count on showering but bring cleaning wipes for your body. On my trek we were able to jump into a river of some sort.
Toiletries
- Toothbrush and toothpaste.
- Toilet paper. THIS was one of the most important things I learned to carry on the trip! Toilet paper is not a given in bathrooms on your hike, or really in most places in Peru (unless you pay money.) Best to carry around your own toilet paper or small pack of tissue for wiping.
- Hand Sanitizer.
- Cleaning wipes. You may want to get some cleaning wipes you can clean your body with as there is no guarantee shower access. Some showers are pretty disgusting on the trail.
- Quick dry towel.
- Plastic bags for dirty clothes. You will probably be quite smelly from the hiking!
Inca Trail Packing Tips
Here are some tips below on items you may not know in advance before your trek.
Bring your passport with you to the Inca Trail
You need to bring your passport on the hike. In order to get into the Inca Trail, you will be asked to show your passport to show it matches the person on the permit. When Alpaca Expeditions books your permits for you, they will ask for your passport and number for this reason!
Bring Toilet Paper or Travel Size Tissue packs
Bring toilet paper! On the trails, in terms of bathrooms, you may see either a Porta-potty with a tent over it, or you may see an actual bathroom with walls. However, the bathrooms are really just holes in the floor and you have to squat to pee or poop. Bring toilet paper as there probably wont be any toilet paper in any bathrooms. Make sure you carry hand sanitizer with you as well.
You don’t need a hiking backpack
Your regular backpack won’t be necessary on your hike so don’t stress about finding a fancy hiking backpack. Peru’s Ministry of Culture has imposed bag restrictions for inside the trail and at Machu Picchu. The night before the hike, Alpaca Expeditions will have a meeting at their office where they give you their own bag that you are going to fill up with your overnight items. The next day you will get picked up with your bags and the porters will carry those up the mountain!
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FAQs
From shoes to sleeping bags to backpacks, what do you actually need on the classic Inca Trail hike?
Do you need waterproof shoes on the Inca Trail?
If you are travelling between November-April for the raining season, I would recommend your hiking boots to be waterproof! Here are the hiking boots I wore and it was incredibly comfortable with no chafing on my feet. This is one of the most important necessity to your Inca Trail packing list!
If you are travelling during the dry season of May-October, then you may be just fine without it! The hiking boots I wore were also waterproof.
How many pairs of socks for Inca Trail?
If you are doing the 2 day trek, 2-3 pairs of socks are just fine! If you are doing the 4 day trek, bring 5-6 pairs. It’s always good to have some back ups incase it rains.
What sleeping bag do I need for the Inca Trail?
It does get cold at night so I recommend getting one that is at least a 30 degree sleeping bag. You can also rent a sleeping bag from Alpaca Expeditions for $25. I recommend this sleeping bag for your Inca trail packing list and it will keep you nice and warm!
What size backpack do I need for Inca Trail?
You can only bring a small daypack under 25L on your hikes. You can’t bring your own hiking backpack on Inca Trail since the porters will be carrying the bags. So bring whatever backpack you want for travel to Peru, and the items you need for the hike you will put in an overnight bag that Alpaca Expeditions will give you. The rest of your personal belongings will stay in your hotel.
Conclusion
A huge bucket list hike for many people, the Inca Trail is one of the most historic and beautiful hikes you’ll ever be on! The Unesco World Heritage site describes the “Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is among the greatest artistic, architectural and land use achievements anywhere and the most significant tangible legacy of the Inca civilization.”
You will feel the majestic awe during your hike! I hope this extensive Inca Trail packing list will help you prepare for one of the most memorable trips of your lifetime. Just remember to take Diamox!