Travel Advice Inca Trail Packing List 6th October, 2015

The Inca Trail packing list below is based upon our personal hiking experience in Peru and we have taken great care to produce a list that is both detailed and accurate. We recommend bookmarking this page for future reference as the list is quite extensive. This Inca Trail packing list can be used for all hiking routes to Machu Picchu including the Lares, Vilcabamba and Salkantay routes. 

We are always on the lookout for feedback from trekking experiences and constantly update this page when we receive a useful tip or insight from our readers.

Although the list can seem quite daunting in terms of weight, many items can be purchased or hired in Cusco before departing on your trek. Please be aware though that equipment quality is not guaranteed when renting locally and it is usually best to provide your own.

Everything in this Inca Trail packing list has either been tested by us or recommended to us by experienced trekkers. The gear listed below provides, in our opinion, the best value in terms of quality and price.

Whilst the weather around Machu Picchu has two dominant seasons - the dry (April - September) and the wet (October - March), weather throughout the year is relatively consistent with most days being in the mid 20s Celsius. However, at night temperatures can get quite low, particularly in winter when it often gets below freezing.

A little rain is fairly common in the region, even in the dry season when most people descend upon the trail. This packing list is based upon the assumption that you will be trekking in the dry season and may experience the occasional shower. Please click here for our detailed article on weather in the Machu Picchu region.

When trekking anywhere with variances in temperature, layering becomes very important. This is particularly important on the Inca Trail where the temperature drops quite rapidly as the evening draws in.

This layer is often called your 'skin' layer or 'base' layer. This is the most important layer for the colder sections of your hike.

Clinging to your skin, the base layer traps in your body heat and reduces airflow out. However, thanks to the high wicking material, moisture is able to escape whilst retaining heat. This layer is used for the higher sections of the Inca Trail or at night when the temperature is coolest.

We recommend base layers by Smartwool. Very affordable and using market-leading lightweight Merino wool, the smartwool base layers are the perfect choice.

For a standard 4 day trek you will only need one base layer.

Trekking shirts should be light weight, fast drying, breathable and most importantly - comfortable! Icebreaker, Patagonia, Craghoppers and Columbia all make great trekking shirts.

We suggest taking at least 2 shirts, 1 short sleeve, 1 long sleeve.

For the colder stretches on the trail you should bring one mid-weight fleece jacket or parka top. Fleeces that use Polartec materials are great. Typically Polartec fleeces come in 100s, 200s or 300s. Hundreds are a little light and 300's too heavy. Two-hundreds provide great warmth and comfort, and are perfect for the Inca Trail.

Helly Hansen and The North Face offer good quality and affordable fleeces.

In addition to your fleece jacket you will also need a water-resistant and wind-proof jacket or 'shell layer'. This is not a winter jacket and should be fairly light whilst still being warm. This is your rain jacket and the quality should be good, otherwise you run the risk of getting very wet!

We recommend Marmot Precip Jacket or the Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket.

The jungle terrain around Machu Picchu attracts a certain amount of rain fall each year and it is more than likely that you will encounter some rain at one point or another along your trek. A full body lightweight rain coat or poncho is a great option and is super easy to fold and pack away.

We recommend bringing 2-3 pairs of sports underwear. Icebreaker make good quality affordable underwear.

For ladies bring two sports bras. 

Camping along the Inca Trail will inevitably led to some midnight excursions and a headlamp will certainly be essential. Look for a lightweight headlamp, no more than 270 grams and make sure it has a long battery life with a max beam of at least 70 metres.

The lighter the headlamp the better, we recommend no more than 270 grams. We recommend Petzl Headlamps.

Walking is what you'll be doing most on the Inca Trail, therefore, your footwear is one of the most important items on your Inca Trail packing list. When purchasing a good pair of boots you need to look for three things - fit, quality and use. Getting the fit right is crucial as no one wants to get blisters on their trek. A good guide to getting the right fit is to press your toes against the front of the shoe and see how much room there is behind your heel. If there its a finger width then that is usually about right. Quality is also very important as holes and tears in your boot will make your trek very uncomfortable. Make sure to purchase a boot with good ankle support, but keep in mind that the boot will be heavier the higher it is. Look for a boot with a high rubber content sole that has nice deep groves for better grip.The boot should be waterproof with a -D-string lacing system for tight support and quick lacing. Please remember that you will need to wear your boots in before taking a long trek. Do not attempt the Inca Trail in new boots! We recommend brands such as Asolo, Salomon, Hi-Tec and Timberland.

Taking your boots off after a long day hike is a great feeling, however, you will still need to get around camp. A pair of trekking sandals is a great option for this as they're lightweight and let your feet breath. If it's cold you can just pop your socks on underneath & become a style icon! Alternatively you could bring your trainers but these won't be breathable.

We recommend bringing 4 x pairs of trekking socks. Purchase light-to-mid weight trekking socks that are made from a high wicking material. Wool is generally the best material, preferably merino, as Merino wool promotes breath-ability and is an exceptionally high wicking wool. Please avoid cotton socks as they absorb and retain moisture making for a very uncomfortable trek that may result in blistering.

In addition to your duffle bag, a daypack is an essential item. With porters carrying most of your gear, you'll still want to take a light-weight daypack to carry personal items such as sunscreen, camera, hat, wallet, passport, snacks etc. An ideal daypack will have compression straps to reduce the weight and stress on your back. Make sure your pack has side pockets to allow for your water bottles or an internal pocket to hold a water bladder.  The Osprey Talon 33 rucksack is a good choice.

We suggest taking Paracetamol for any aches or pains along the journey including headaches. Imodium may also come in useful, especially for nausea which is a common symptom of altitude sickness. Your Kandoo guide will be carrying a basic first aid kit including paracetamol and imodium, however, it's always nice to carry your own in case something happens.