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| BRIEF OVERVIEW: |
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There are many treks in south America and Peru, but the INKA TRAIL, is the most impressive, itis the best known hike trail in Peru; It is visited by thousands of tourists every year. The classical 43-km trek leading to the Sacred Inca City of MACCHU PICCHU combines the visit of mysterious archaeological sites, amazing mountain scenery and lush cloud forest rich in Andean flora and fauna. Machupicchu is reached at sunrise on the fourth day. On the Inca Trail, there are over 250 known species of orchids , and in the different ecosystems, numerous rare birds, animals, and reptiles including several species considered to be in danger of extinction.
Walking this Andean highway is a truly fascinating and unforgettable experience. The Trail is paved with blocks of stone, It has stone stairways, tunnels and wooden bridges. It crosses rivers, streams, temperate valleys, warm cloud forests and cold highlands.
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| REGULATIONS OF THE TRAIL |
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The Inca Trail is part of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary, a protected area managed by the Peru National Institute of Natural Resources, INRENA. All visitors must obey park regulations prohibiting littering, cutting or damaging trees, removing or damaging stones of ruins and the Trail, removing plants, killing animals, lighting open fires or camping in the archaeological sites (only authorised campsites can be used). The following procedures
The new permit system is limiting the number of hikers allowed on the trail : just 500 persons are permitted to enter to the Inca trail to Machu Picchu per day. This includes visitors, porters, cooks, and guides.
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| PAYMENT OF ENTRANCE FEES: |
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The only valid document granting the right to walk the Inca Trails Network – the Machupicchu Historical Sanctuary Network RED or SHM – is the ticket issued by the Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary Management Unit (UGM). This ticket is personal and non transferable, and includes the entrance fee to Machu Picchu. The reimbursement of payment for the right to use the RED is not possible under any circumstance.
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| RESERVATIONS |
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*Reservations will be made in the offices of the Departmental Headquarters of the National Institute of Culture in the city of Cusco, receiving confirmation with corresponding reservation code.
Note: Reservations will be subject to the daily capacity emitted by the UGM (500 people, including guides, porters, helpers and around 150 tourists), therefore we recommend you to reserve your place with as much notice as possible.
*To maintain the reservation the Tour Operator must cancel the 100% of amount for the tour and provide full names, passport numbers, ages, nationalities and passport photocopies of all those going on the trip to the relevant authorities. The traveller must send this information and documentation to us from his or her home country
*Failure to confirm reservations will result in their cancellation, and no reimbursement of fees will be made in this case
*Only people under 25 years old with valid International Student Identification will be considered as a student and guys less than 18 years old, can apply to th e 10 % off
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| THINGS TO MAKE A RESERVATION |
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*exactly dates of the beginning and end of the trek
*complete full names
*nationality
*passport number
*date of bird
*profession
*contact telephone
*payment of 50% of the tour
MAKING AN INCA TRAIL TREK BOOKING
Since the number of trek permits is limited to 500 per day (about 200 tourists and 300 trekking staff) it is important to book well in advance. The trek permits are issued on a first-come-first-served basis up until all the permits have been sold out. In the low season (December & January) there are some days when there are still permits available 4 or 5 days in advance, but in the high season (May to September) it is recommended that you book at least 3 months in advance to guarantee a place. Please check the availability here.
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| INCA TRAIL CLOSURE |
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The route of the classic 4-day Inca Trail will be closed each year during the month of February to allow conservation projects to be undertaken as well as giving the vegetation a chance to recover. This is a good month to close the trail since it is also the wettest moth of the year. Machu Picchu and the shorter 2-day trail will remain open as usual
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| Inca Trail Prices & Services |
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The government authorities have introduced minimum standards for the trekking companies. The maximum group size is now 16 persons The Porters Law introduced in 2003 is now being strictly implemented and now receive a minimum wage of about US$15 per day. The tax authorities have clamped down pretty hard on the trekking companies in recent years. You can now expect to pay around US$40 per person in taxes. And about the entrance fee in 2000 it was in usd 17.00 and now in 2007 is usd 73.00 and porters have to pay the entrance fee to reduce of course at usd 13.00 as can you see there several things that make it no so cheap.
The main difference between the various Inca Trail services are the number of people in the group, the level of comfort that you can expect, the quality of the guide, food and camping equipment, how well they treat their porters and whether the company will actually guarantee their departure date, even if they can’t find anyone else to fill up the group. The prices quoted below are to be used as a guide only and may vary considerably from company to company .
USEFUL INFORMATION.
*Try to avoid businesses that use temporary email addresses such as Yahoo or Hotmail. They are usually not that professional.
* Ask for a booking confirmation email with the price of the trek, the trek departure date and what is included in the price.
*Never buy tours or treks from salespersons at airports or from taxi drivers.
* Never buy tours or treks from salespersons at airports or from taxi drivers. Especially in Lima and in Cusco. You may never get the tour nor your money.
*****CUADRO DONDE SE VEA LA DISPONIBILIDAD DEL 2007.
STYLES OF TRIPS
*CLASSIC: you can travel through this amazing countries, visiting the most important sightseeing, enjoying the comfort of the hotels, transport, lodges into the jungle, available for any person. The most of the tours have a very short hikings
*ADVENTURE: if you are a traveller who likes the active sports like rafting, horse ridding, biking, trekking, enjoy of the nature some times spending the nights in tends or basic cabins, inthis tour has a 5 or 6 hours of trekkings, available for any person with an active style of life.
*EXPEDITIONS: if you like travel through the not popular sightseeings
*COMMUNITIES: it is for travellers who like to know the bottom of the civilizations it native people, sharing their styles of life, their food and with your visit helping to improve the quality of life.
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SALES POLICIES AND CONDITIONS
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