• Good advice is available from the South American Explorers' Club; their web site says restrictions are lifted but it is worth checking with them by email on explorer@samexplo.org
John Waldron
• The Inca Trail can now be walked only if you are part of a tour group. This is in the hope that tour groups are responsible enough to minimise the amount of environmental damaged caused by trekkers. The easiest place to pick up a tour is in Cusco, where there are hundreds of operators, tours leaving almost daily and rental equipment if you need it. The drive to the beginning of the Inca Trail is also relatively short. The tour guides are not only very knowledgeable on the history of the area, they also show you the flora and fauna of the different climatic zones en route. In addition, they will organise the passes and entrance to the site.
Samantha Harrison
• The regulations state that no one may now walk the trail independently. Either you have to go with a licensed agency, or a group of individuals may contract a licensed guide, but no one may go unaccompanied. Similarly, no independent walker may contract porters, cooks, etc to accompany them. Numbers on the trail are supposed to be limited to 500 a day.
The rationale behind this new regime is to prevent further degradation of the trail and its environment, and to provide better conditions for porters and cooks.
Passes must be purchased at least 20 days in advance and since July is the highest point of the high season, you had better get on with making arrangements. On all hiking trails that enter the Machu Picchu Sanctuary, adults must pay US$50 (students and children under 15 US$25), except for certain shorter trails which cost less. All tickets must be bought at the Instituto Nacional de Cultura office on Calle San Bernardo in Cusco; none are sold at the entrance to any of the routes.
In view of the new rules, agents and hikers are trekking different trails which can be just as rewarding and don't carry an entry fee, even though Machu Picchu isn't waiting at the end.
A final point: with the recent change of government it is possible that the regulations will be modified at a later date, but don't bank on any changes by this July.
Ben Box
Editor, South American Handbook, Peru Handbook (Footprint, Bath, UK)
• It is indeed true that the Inca Trail can now only be hiked as part of a group with a guide. Although this may seem to detract from the excitement of independent travel, the trip is just as exhilarating now as ever and you can learn a lot from the guide's expertise. The new rule was brought into place in order to protect the local environment and the Trail itself.
You can pick up a tour from Cuzco which may be cheaper in price but can be more risky unless you book with a reputable company. Otherwise, you can book an Inca Trail trek ranging from 3-7 days from one of the Latin American specialists in the UK. People should not be put off visiting this breathtaking place because of the new regulations but instead appreciate that moves have at last been taken to protect it from destruction.
Stacey Vickers,
South American Experience, (specialists in travel in South and Central America)
