Short Inca Trail & Rainbow Mountain 6D/5N

My partner and I were on the fence about taking on Macchu Picchu on our own vs with a tour company. Going with Alpaca Expeditions was the best move and that's in large part to our awesome tour guide Edward. The itinerary of the trip allowed for an amazing experience throughout the entirety of the trip. The sights and culture coupled with Edward's thoughtful insights and information are well worth the cost. Not having to worry about transportation, lodging and everything else freed is to fully be immersed in the experience. I fully recommend this tour company for Macchu Picchu! You're in for an even better trip if you have Edward guiding you.

WOW! Our experience with Alpaca Expeditions was top notch from start to finish. Isao was our guide for the Classic Inca Trail 2D/1N with Hotel. I worked with Svetlana in the office from the initial booking to the day of our trek. We also did a day tour to the Sacred Valley with Abel as our guide and Miguel as our driver. This is the easiest recommendation to make: when you are serious in booking a trek in Peru, use Alpaca Expeditions. Hands down the best experience anyone can ask for. They will exceed your expectations and leave you with lifelong memories. Simply phenomenal. I'll start with Svetlana's patience with my millions of questions leading up to the trip. Thank you so much for answering every little detail and put any anxieties we had at bay! Svetlana also was able to manage our last minute request to do a day tour in the Sacred Valley. We made the request at 4PM on New Years Eve for a New Years Day 9A day tour (a rather difficult request on our part) and within a few hours she was able to find an available guide and driver, Abel & Miguel. Abel was very knowledgeable on the Sacred Valley having been born and raised there. He took us through Pisac and Ollentaytambo, sharing so many interesting facts and pieces of history. I am SO glad we went with Abel and had our own private tour where we could ask questions, go at our own pace, and cater the experience to meet our needs. Abel was phenomenal! The greatest gem from our overall Alpaca experience was Isao. Holy Cow he was fantastic! Anyone can hike the Inca Trail and visit Machu Picchu, but trekking this with Isao as our guide made a once in a lifetime experience infinitely better. From start to finish Isao is the consummate professional. He made sure we had everything we needed when we started the trek at km104. We were hiking during rainy season, so naturally we had multiple layers + rain gear. I have never been on a tour with a more patient man. We requested to stop so many times to remove layers, add layers, drink water, take photos, take another photo, take a breath and his response every single time was - "we will go slow, this isn't a race, take all of your photos, take your time and enjoy it". Not to mention he knew (and suggested he take the photos) of every great photo op along both the trail and the following day in Machu Picchu. Isao's English was flawless which created a constant dialogue and history lesson throughout the entire 2 days! He is a walking history book when it comes to the Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu. Born and raised in the Sacred Valley, he embodies the history and proudly shares the stories of Machu Picchu and the Incas he holds dear. We remain fortunate that we were part of his group, welcomed kindly, and left in awe of the experience. In a small group of strangers who met at 4am, we quickly became family. Thank you again, Isao! The lunch was delicious and I had to practice self control as to not overeat before the second half of the hike. The chef cooked our lunch on site with all fresh foods and vegetables. The hotel where we stayed was Taypikala MachuPicchu and we were very happy with it. By the end of our trek we were soaked to the bone - it poured for the last 1.5-2 hours. Everything dried overnight at the hotel, we were in heaven. It was nice to have a warm bed to sleep in as well. If you are going to Machu Picchu during rainy season, I would highly recommend staying in a hotel vs. camping. You will be much more comfortable and well rested for the following day in exploring Machu Picchu.

Where do I even begin? From the minute we inquired about a 2D/1N Macchu Picchu hike (before even booking it), Alpaca was extremely responsive, attentive, and answered all of our questions. When we did go ahead and book, they continued with the superb customer service- offering us everything from detailed maps of the trek, a packing list, and all of the transportation information we would need. They were incredible accommodating with letting us switch our orientation time to allow ourselves to spend a day in the Sacred Valley before our hike. They let us store our luggage in their Cusco office so we could explore the city before our orientation began, and they even recommended an amazing restaurant for us to try. I was fighting bronchitis when we landed in Cusco, and thought that I would recover a little bit in the Sacred Valley before our trek began. However, the morning of our trek, I was in terrible shape. But I couldn't not do the hike- I had paid so much money to get to Peru and check this off the bucket list- so I forged on. Our porters and chef were super sweet- we had a nice breakfast/introduction ceremony with them and our guide, Ivan. It was absolutely inspirational to see the two female porters that were part of our group- they kicked so much butt! One was older and wore a traditional village skirt with her Alpaca shirt- it was great fun to see the porters' personalities shine through. They all had unique stories, and it was a privilege to get to share time with them and learn more about their lives. Our guide, Ivan, was incredible knowledgable and really took the time during the hike to share unique facts about the different ruins we visited. He knew a lot about the flora and fauna, and took the time to thoughtfully answer all of our questions. Unfortunately, the altitude sickness combined with an insane amount of congestion was absolutely killing me, and I spent most of the hike coughing uncontrollably and trying to breathe. Ivan was concerned, and kept checking on me to make sure I was ok. I was lagging behind and he really went out of his way to stay with me and offer words of encouragement to keep me going. At one point, he even took my backpack and insisted on carrying it to make the steps easier for me. By the time we got to the Sun Gate, I had a fever and was throwing up. Ivan stayed with me and kept checking on me to make sure I was ok. I felt absolutely terrible, and was in tears from sickness and embarrassment, and Ivan went above and beyond to make sure I was fine. We made it down to Macchu Picchi and took a bus down to the camp grounds, which were private and clean. There were showers and charging stations for phones/electronics. The tents were spacious. (We rented sleeping bags and mattress pads from Alpaca, and the bags were very warm.) The food was delicious and abundant, and the company of our hikers, the porters, chef, and Ivan was lovely. We were awoken early the next morning with hot cups of coca tea, and walked from our camp grounds down to Aguas Calientes to catch the bus up to Macchu Picchu. Our tour of Macchu Picchu was extremely thorough, and Ivan really shined as he explained so much about the Inca Empire. He is so enthusiastic about Macchu Picchu, and it showed in how he spoke with awe and wonder about everything. Macchu Picchu is an incredibly magical place, and Ivan somehow made it even more magical. He pointed out what all the various structures meant and were designed for, and gave us a lot of insight into Inca spirituality and symbolism. It was magnificent. After the tour, we had some free time to explore ourselves, and then we took a bus down to Aguas Calientes, where we shared lunch as a group before heading back for Cusco. Ivan continued to check in on me and ask me how I was feeling. Alpaca took care of everything- our train and our transportation from the hotel. They returned our luggage to us and dropped us off at the front door of our hotel, exhausted but extremely happy. Alpaca has the absolute friendliest team around- every single person that works there takes immense pride in the company- and it shows. They are extremely helpful, knowledgable and caring- every step of the way. We never had to worry because Alpaca will effortlessly coordinate every part of your Inca Trail journey so you can relax and enjoy. I cannot thank them enough for going above and beyond for me while I was sick- especially our guide Ivan, who was an angel. They are pros at what they do, and will truly help make your trek the experience of a lifetime. Thank you so so much!

Alpaca Expeditions has high standards. Clearly, our guide Carlos Baca possesses the skill-set of a true leader to accommodate a wide range of people. Carlos made our Inca Trail 2D/1N very comfortable, enthusiastic, exciting and I truly loved his passion for his job. Carlos took care of me when I had a stomach ache; I appreciate that he is prepared for anything and everything, from carrying a first-aid kit, to even loaning me his personal knee sleeve and walking stick for my bad knee. He went most of the hike like this to help me - very thoughtful. Chef Sergio hooked up a mean feast that was nutritious, beautifully presented, great choice of ingredients and made sure that we were fully satisfied. I enjoyed Carlos’ extensive knowledge (I was looking forward to this the most!) on history of the Incan culture, architecture, agriculture, economy all the other relevant aspects. Alpaca Expeditions is phenomenal with making sure all the logistics and planning were easy for us tourists. Clear explanations, superb emphasis on the itinerary, and great selection of a comfortable hotel, lunch and dinner reservation.

As our trip was deep into wet season we opted for the shorter hike and loved every minute of it. Not too strenuous, delicious food, amazing accomodation. Everything exceeded our expectations, including our awesome guide Roro! He is very knowledgeable and an all around nice guy! The best part of our hike was the ability to see Machu Picchu in both the afternoon and morning. During wet season this was invaluable.