Machu Picchu Travel Forum

Hi all,
I will be doing the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu in July, and am a little confused about what I should bring on the actual hike. I am backpacking through South America for two months, so I will be carrying a big backpack. Do I take the whole backpack on the trek with me, or do I leave it in Cusco somewhere, and just take a daypack/small packpack? Or do I give the large backpack to the porters?
As you can see, I am quite confused about the logistics of this. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Julia

Your porters will carry your large backpack during the day, and you only carry a day-pack with all the items that you may need during that day. You carry stuff like rain gear, sweater, snacks and water. Since the porters rush ahead to prepare the camp and make dinner, you will not see your large backpack until you arrive at the next camping spot. We left some of our gear that we did not need on the trek back in Cusco at the trekking office.

Be sure to bring the best rain gear possible, since it often rains a bit every day, even in the so called dry season.

We reserved a room at Gringo Bills in Aguas Caliente just in case it was raining when we got to MP. And it was, so we were able to see MP in the sunshine before leaving on the train the next day. Be sure to ask for the one balcony room at Gringo Bills so you can drink your Pisco Sour while looking out over the city!

Ciao,

Dave

Do the porters a favor and don't bring your big backpack with all your gear from your travels through South America. It's hard work and although they get paid, hopefully decently now that they the authorities are demanding it of the agencies, it is still useless for them to carry somethings that you know you won't absolutely need. So, if you are able to, go through your big backpack and take out stuff you know you won't need for the hike, like books for example, or big bulky sweaters, or dress clothes, or you know. You can leave your belongings (obviously all that is valuable you should carry yourself), at your hotel or with the agency that you have booked your hike.
Good luck, it's a beautiful area you are going to be in and yes, bring your rain gear although you won't encounter too much rain during this time of year. It will be cold though, so bring hat, gloves, scarf, and layer. It can get warm during the day too.
Also, please don't forget to tip (generously) your porter. Think how you would do this in your country. I think $20 dollars is fair if you can spare it, if not whatever you think is fair (I've seen many people give them 50 soles), or more if you can too.
Have a great time.

This type of logistical dilemma actually depends on the trekking agency you are dealing with. It sounds like they have not fully informed you of your responsibilities in this process & have not given you adequate information re: your trek. We dealt with one of the best trekking agencies in Cusco--well-recognized for their environmental & social sustainable practices as well as their advocacy of porter welfare. So, we were told from our initial contact to leave the rest of our belongings (e.g., luggage/suitcase, etc.) in Cusco (we ended up leaving it in our Cusco accommodation in a well-locked storage room for free) and to bring only essential items (e.g., toiletries, a couple of changing clothes) that were properly weighed in their office (limited to a few kilograms) to avoid breaking the porter's precious backs & bodies! We carried the rest of our daily necessities (e.g., money, water bottle, snack bars, camera, etc.) ourselves in the 4 days/3 nights Inca Trail trek.

Even if your trekking agency is unclear about this issue, I really urge you to leave your humongous backpack in Cusco & take the essential items with you in a day pack (e.g., water, snacks, camera, money, etc.) and give the rest of the 7-day needed trekking items (e.g., spare clothes, extra socks, toiletries, etc.) to your porter. Also, if you can, try to give as much in tip to show you are appreciative of their help! I figured my porter tip per day at 30% of what my total trekking payment was, which essentially gave him an adequate compensation for the whole month. Be generous--they work very hard for their money and most of them are hardly getting a livable wage. I'm glad that our trekking agency paid our porters a decent wage with life insurance and benefits, which allows them to have a better quality of life than most of their peers in the trail.

Goodluck and enjoy beautiful Peru!