Walk Peru's Inca Trail and Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain

Ernesto was probably the best tour leader i have toured with. he was humorous, good natured and dealt very competently with everything. A real star tour leader.

Great trip, beautiful country, friendly people and good food. So glad i did the hike and camping - the latter is not something i was particularly looking for to but actually really enjoyed it (despite the cold).

It is a fantastic trip with a great guide Pabel, I highly recommend staying one extra night in lima at the front of the trip and 2 extra nights in cusco after the trip. As there is a lot more to explore then is included in the trip. When booking this trip its important to research the weather. In September Lima has the same temperature as the UK and it gets colder in the evening. For the rest of the trip it is warm during daytime but at night it gets very cold. A packable down jacket is recommend. And zipper trousers that can transform from trousers to shorts are usefull. No need to bring fancy clothes only bring practical and comfortable clothes. I recommend washing some clothes in the middle of the trip in cusco to reduce luggage. I travelled with hand luggage only making sure the airline didn't lose my luggage. Peru is a very safe country in the tourist areas. take the travel warning on the government website with a pinch of salt. The tours in lima was nice full of art and history. I recommend visiting the Huaca Huallamarca Museo de Sitio Huallamarca which comes with a English tour included. When travelling to Puno a quality mosquito repellent is recommend for the rest of the trip. A good sun hat is required for the rest of the trip. The UV is high factor 50 is a minimum. Take altitude seriously during this trip and take it easy. I had a altitude cough because I felt good and then didn't take it easy. Take strepsils ibuprofen and a good nose spray with you. Make sure to go up the bell tower in the church in puno for great views. The floating islands first section felt a bit like a tourist trap, I enjoyed the talk about the making of the floating islands. But afterwards I felt obliged to buy something as they split the group up to see the houses upclose. The walk on taquile island was great. When travelling to cusco I recommend taking the bus instead of the train. The bus makes multiple stops along the way to visit a stunning church,heritage sites like Raqchi Archaeological Park which was fantastic. The train only makes one photo stop at La Raya. Cusco is a great place to stay with many things to see and visit. The pre columbian art museum is worth a visit and ofcourse the religious sites. You can buy cheap hiking poles here for 12 pounds and a rain poncho if you have forgotten to bring them. A rain poncho is recommend as waterproof are not very breathable and its warm during the day on the trail. Rainbow mountain was a stunning visit and hike and a must see on the trip. Ollantaytambo has a beautiful heritage sites. On our way there our guide offered an additional tour which our group believes explore should include in the trip. Visiting the inca site Moray and the Salt Mine of Maras. Which were both fantastic. When arriving in Ollantaytambo keep in mind that this area is still under development. The inca trail was fantastic, our guide changed the itinerary due to our group being so fast, and it made the trek better balanced and the harder day, dead women's pass easier. The Porters were great making sure that everything was ready on the campsites for lunch, dinner and breakfast. Our cook was fantastic with delicious meals across the days. No need to bring additional snacks. Again the trail is not a marathon the hike is done through taking it easy due to the high altitude and taking in the beautiful nature and inca sites along the way. I booked Machu Picchu mountain as an additional just incase if we didn't have a view due to weather on our arrival to Machu Picchu. This was not necessarily. Its worth nothing that the view on the additional mountain walk is the same as the view on the last day of the inca trail trek. And its tight in the intinary of the trip. Our hotel was upgraded to Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel which was amazing and came with a twilight tour and bird watching tour. Which I greatly enjoyed. When booking this trip don't be afraid of the train strikes, yes for many this might be a concern but for this trip it isn't, due to everyone being a hiker. If there are no trains there is a easy hike back which the guide has as a backup. You won't be stuck in Machu Picchu. There was a train strike whilst we were in the Inca trail which luckily stopped when we arrived in Machu Picchu but our guide Pabel was prepared incase it didn't run. When back in Cusco there are many more day trips you can take, I did the 7 lakes hike and saw a viscacha. Humanity lake, Parque Arqueológico Pisac, Awana Kancha and many more are worth exploring.

Excellent adventure, our local leader Olmer was absolutely fantastic, all was on time , well organised and the whole team was very supportive. One of participants forgot the raincoat during the lunch in restaurant and Onlmer with his team found it and brought back to the hotel in Cusco . The itinerary is brilliant , gives the taste of real life in Peru. During the Inca trail camping, the team went above and beyond, tents were set up always on time, food was delicious and we never had the same meal, every day something different. Highly recommended **

Our experience on the Inca Trail and Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain trip in June this year was very good. Our guide Ludwig was excellent - patient, helpful, organised and very knowledgeable. He took us to a number of places not on the itinerary, which was a great bonus, and knew the best times of the day for each site for maximum enjoyment (fewer people, sun in the optimum place etc). He managed the group and each member's individual abilities/weaknesses extremely well, whilst keeping us all to the timetable. Thanks to him, I am sure we all came away with a deep understanding and appreciation of Peru, its history and its people. He was also fantastically responsive and helpful - as were Explore's local agents Condor Travel, and the Explore London office - when my husband's passport was stolen in Cusco. The trainee guide, Dante, was also a charming bonus and very helpful to the straggler on the Trail. Lima was very damp and grey and rather miserable, but the visits to a small museum of street artist Jade Rivera's work, and the walk through Barranco to artist Victor Delfin's studio were brilliant. As was the coffee at Ciclos Cafe! Palccoyo Rainbow mountain was even more spectacular than expected and a real highlight. So was the optional train trip from Puno to Cusco - well worth the additional cost. Walking the Inca Trail was more challenging than expected (more aerobic training and many hours on a step machine before departure would have been advisable), but of course unmissable now I've survived it! The whole team on the Trail was amazing. It was so well organised, the porters were impressively indefatigable, the camping as comfortable as it could be and the meals produced at altitude on a small burner were nothing short of spectacular. The food was delicious, well balanced and nutritious and the presentation often worthy of a Michelin starred restaurant. Quite how the chef managed to make a multi-layered cake looking like it had come from an exclusive Parisian patisserie is a mystery. And it tasted so good. Machu Picchu was every bit as breathtaking as anticipated and arriving through the Sun Gate to see the site bathed in sunlight was an unforgettable experience. Ludwig's explanations brought the whole place to life. I would not recommend buying tickets to climb Huayna Picchu Mountain or Machu Picchu Mountain unless your guided tour of Machu Picchu itself is in the late morning/afternoon. There was insufficient time to do both, given the timing of our train back to Ollantaytambo.