Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu - 2 days

I had booked a 2 day Inca trail trek through Howlanders but was forced to cancel due to the Coronavirus crisis. Their customer service was brilliant and they changed their cancellation and rearrangement policies quickly and clearly and as such we were able get the vast majority of our money back from the trail or rearrange the trip to a time when it might be doable. We had no idea if we would be able to rearrange so got our money back, but if we do rearrange we will definitely book through Howlanders again because of how they treated us in the difficult situation. Thank you very much Howlanders!

We booked this because we wanted to get a flavor of the Inca Trail and we were not disappointed! The first day of this hike is no walk in the park. The terrain is steep and unsheltered for the first couple of hours. We went in August (their winter) but the sun beating down on us that morning got us pretty dehydrated. But oh it is so worth it! The views of the Andes, the Urubamba valley, the orchids and the ruins of Winaywana are spectacular. Our tour guides were patient and very helpful. At times the steps got so steep that I had to literally climb them on my hands and feet as if I was climbing a ladder. At the end of the hike on the first day we arrived at Machu Pichu through the Inti Punku. The sight of the lost city of the Incas took my breath away and is etched forever in my mind. Now the company and their local branch- Simon did a great job in organizing this trip for us. He met us a couple of nights before the trip and walked us through what to expect. The food and drinks on the hike were plentiful. The hotel Andimo in Aguas Calientes was small but clean and very comfortable. We enjoyed this experience so much! Can’t thank Simon and our tour guides, Jesoos and Pedro, enough! A few thing that I want to point out: 1. Our hotel pickup was at 3:40 am. This early morning is followed by a full day of hiking over the challenging but beautiful section of the Inca Trail. So make sure you get plenty of rest and have time to acclimatize in Cusco before the tour. 2. The tour company is very generous in giving food and refreshments for the hiking day. But you have to carry your own food on the hike. It is about 10 pounds of extra weight. Of course you can return whatever you don’t want to carry but water is one of the essentials and it is heavy! We highly recommend this tour and Simon as the local organizer for this company. We had a great time and hope that you will too!