Fancy taking on the Inca Trail, but not sure if you’re fit enough? A lot of people are super excited at the thought, but have the niggling question… “Just how hard is the Machu Picchu trek?” There’s no doubt that the trek to Machu Picchu is a challenge. There’s altitude to deal with, big gains and a rough terrain. But if you’re prepared, we believe you’ll be able…
How hard is the Machu Picchu trek?
The route we take is a little different. This means that we enjoy more peaceful trails, with fewer trekkers and incredible sights that are off the beaten track. However, this route does mean that our itinerary is a little tougher. Though the maximum elevation isn’t as high, we do have huge height gains on several of the days. It’s tougher than the Everest Base Camp trek, and on a similar level to Kilimanjaro.
What level is it?
We give all of our trips an Expedition Level, so you know exactly what to expect. Our trek to Machu Picchu is a Level 5, which means…
“An average of 6 to 8 hours per day at altitudes not usually exceeding 6,000 metres. Typically, it will involve one long day of 10 to 15 hours to reach a summit. Typical elevation gain per day would be 500 – 1000 meters, with at least one day over 1000 metres. As a rough guide, you should be comfortable hillwalking for 7 hours per day for two days in a row.”
It’s not the toughest, but it’s not the easiest.
Am I fit enough?
It is absolutely imperative to train before any expedition, but particularly this one. We give you lots of advice about how best to do this (and we have a training weekend in Wicklow too). We have more advice about training for a big expedition in our blog post about how to train for Kilimanjaro.
If you have any questions about your specific levels of fitness, or what you might expect on the trek to Machu Picchu, get in touch! You can read more about our expedition to Machu Picchu here.
