School Trek - Inca Trail & Machu Picchu
The following checklist should help you with your packing. As a general rule, you should always try to keep the weight of your equipment to a minimum.
Note: For conservation reasons the packed weight of your trek bag (including your sleeping bag and camping mattress) when trekking on the Inca Trail is limited to a maximum of 10 kgs – 22lbs. Items not required on trek can be stored at the group hotel in Cusco.
You must bring the following items:
Daypack c. 30 litres *.
Sleeping bag (comfort rating – minus 10 degrees centigrade)
Water bottles 1 Litre / 2 pint (x2)
Headtorch / headlamp with spare batteries
Hiking boots
Sports sandals or ‘wet shoes’ for the rafting
Trainers / sneakers or similar for traveling and camp use
Socks
Trekking trousers / trekking pants
Waterproof over-trousers / rain-pants
Underwear
Padded biking shorts
Thermal baselayer shirts (2 short sleeve, 2 long sleeve)
Casual shirts and/or T-shirts
Fleece jacket or warm jumper
Waterproof jacket
Sunhat
Warm hat
Eyewear – Sunglasses
Lightweight thermal gloves
Warmer over gloves or mittens
Washbag and toiletries
Small towel
Swimwear
First Aid Kit including: Antiseptic cream, throat lozenges, diarrhoea treatment (Imodium), altitude (Diamox), painkillers, plasters (band-aids) and blister treatment, insect repellent, and re-hydration salts (Dioralite). Glucose tablets and multi-vitamin tablets are also a good idea.
The following items are optional:
Sun protection (including total bloc for lips, nose etc.)
Warm jacket (down) – recommended for June - September
Trekking poles **
Travel clothes
Antibacterial handwash
Sleeping bag liner
Long johns (thermal underwear)
Pocket-knife (note: always pack sharp objects in hold baggage)
Repair kit – (eg. needle, thread, duct tape)
Small padlock (to lock your KE trek bag)
Camera, film / memory cards, batteries
Equipment provided locally
All rafting equipment, including wet suits, splash jackets and buoyancy aids.
Bikes, bike gloves, bike helmet.
A ‘Thermarest’ or similar sleeping mat.
Notes:
* Perurail has a strict policy on hand baggage on the train to the Inca Trail and from Machu Picchu. The weight of your hand baggage on the train must not exceed 5kg and the sum of its dimensions (length + width + height) must not exceed 157 cm or 62 inches. If your daypack exceeds these dimensions it must be placed inside your trek bag for transportation on the train.
** For conservation reasons, trekking poles cannot be used on the Inca Trail unless they have rubber tips. Please make sure that when flying, sharp objects such as trekking poles and knives are packed into your check-in luggage.
