Frequently asked questions

Approximate Flight Duration to Lima

Buenos Aires - 4 Hours
Los Angeles - 8 Hours
Miami - 6 Hours
New York - 9 Hours
Madrid - 12 Hours
Frankfurt - 14 Hours
London - 15 Hours
Rome - 14 Hours
Paris - 16 Hours
Tokyo - 20 Hours

This is a difficult question to answer as Peru has a huge variety of weather conditions. We would say travelers can visit Peru any time of the year !
Dry season runs from May to November and this is typically the time that is most recommended. However, this is also the cooler time of year. Nighttime temperatures can drop to below freezing at the height of the dry season. June, July and August are the most popular months to visit so you will tend to encounter much larger crowds during these months.
In the wet season (December to April), you can expect showers three to four afternoons a week. For travelers that don't mind a little drizzle and muddy trails, this time of year offers smaller crowds and greener hillsides, with wildflowers and orchids often in bloom. The shoulder seasons, April to June or September to November can often provide the best of both worlds. They typically have fewer crowds and warmer temperatures than the height of the dry season, but still tend to have relatively little rain. For more information, check out our Peru Weather page.

U.S. citizens need a valid passport and an entry form-tourist card which is provided by your air carrier either at the ticket counter when checking in for your flight to Peru or once on-board. (NOTE: Other nationalities should check with the nearest Peruvian Consulate to determine correct entry requirements.)

Definitely. We tend to hear the very worst news from Latin America. Helpful people and extraordinary culture. Most crime is opportunistic and not violent buy of course, it is possible to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Care and common sense will nearly always prevail.
The Sendero Luminoso is no longer active.

Health Information for Travelers to Peru

All of our escorted tours include arrival transfer serivices, a Castle Travel representative will be waiting for you at the point of your arrival.

Our escorted tours utilize a variety of transportation including private vans/ cars, comfortable tourist buses, flights, canoes, etc. We use a mix of private/ public transportation to provide travelers with the safest and most efficient transportation in each area. Occasionally, we may include non-typical transportation modes (rickshaw, bicycle taxi, "chicken bus", etc.) for short distances to give travelers a sense of local flavor.

When travelling throughout the Andes in Peru some people will suffer some effects of altitude sickness. If you plan to hike the Inca Trail we recommend arriving 2 or 3 days before the start to acclimatise and rest.

Wherever possible "go down". But, if you are staying in Cusco, you may still feel the effects. The best advice is to sleep, take plenty of fluids and you could also try coca tea. The porters chew coca leaves wrapped around a black resin called llipta. When you are actually walking and active (especially on day two of the trail), this may help since it dilates the blood vessels and carries oxygen to the parts of the body that need it.

No - sorry! Although cocaine can be extracted from the leaves, it requires a long process involving acids and distilling. Your body simply does not have the capacity to extract much from the leaves.

Please follow the link below for more details and reservation form.  Please read carefully before reserving (Specify details like extra night or extra porter!)

Click Here For Information on how to book the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
If you prefer, call Castle Travel to verify availability of the trip you have chosen.
Toll Free in the US: 1800.930.4319

No. You just need to look for available spaces for the day that you would like to start the Inca Trail.

The National Institute of Culture only releases 500 permits per day and once that the permits have been sold there are not more permits for sale, even if there are cancellations. This means that if someone is selling you a permit when there are not spaces left, that permit is corrupt or fake.

In our opinion you have two choices: You could try the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu that can be hiked in four or five days, or wait until the next year to hike the Inca Trail by getting your permit well in advance (we can take pre-reservations for 2009).

Yes. We require a booking deposit of US$225 for all treks and US$450 for al other tours.

Full deposit refund if we are not able to get a Inca Trail Permit for you!

Once the Government Permit has been issued the deposit becomes non-refundable

A deposit is required because we need to pay for your permit at the time that we request it. Only when we pay for your permit, we are securing your space for the Inca Trail. If you only complete our booking form and you do not make your deposit, we won’t be able to secure your space for the Inca Trail.

Once that we have received your booking form and your deposit, we will request your permits from the National Institute of Culture (INC). The INC will provide us your permit, and once that we have it we will e-mail it to you. A couple of weeks before your departure date, we will contact you to ask about your preferred method of payment as well as the information of your hotel or hostel in Cusco so we are able to arrange your briefing and transfers for the trek (if you need assistance with booking a hotel and airfare in Peru, please let us know to give you a good deal).

You know the answer to this one: it depends! You reach 4000m on the second day after climbing for the best part of the day. Especially if you are within your first five days at altitude, this may give you headaches and shortness of breath. Generally however, you start very early and have a long time to get to the second campsite. But the key is to keep going and share your coca leaves with the porters who are carrying around 25kg. And don't forget that even people who live in Cusco (at 3300m) still get short of breath.

Backpack, sleeping bag, mattress (we will provide you with this), rain jacket, strong footwear (walking boots are recommended as they provide support to the ankle which reduces the risk of injury especially when trekking in the wet season (December - March). However it is important that your boots are comfortable and well worn-in and not brand new. Many people prefer to trek in tennis shoes but extra care should be taken. We do not recommend trekking in sandals.), one complete change of clothing, sweater, jacket (something warm), water bottle and sterilizing tablets (Micropur are recommended and can be bought in local pharmacies in Cusco), flashlight and batteries, broad-brim or peaked cap, sunblock, insect repellent, toiletries and toilet paper, selection of small snacks, chocolate, dried fruit, biscuits etc, camera and plenty of film. You also have to bring your original passport with you on the trek.

It is better to organize a porter before you go on the trail rather than realise halfway through that you’re not enjoying carrying your pack at this altitude and want some help. Even turning up on the day of your trail and telling the agency that you want an extra porter is too late because the porters need to register in advance.

No. The restrictions on the number of people permitted on the Inca trail includes porters. Porters also have to pay a trek entrance fee (US$12) and their tickets need to be booked in advance. If you want to hire the services of a porter, then you must let us know at the time you make your trek booking. Unfortunately if you feel weakened by the effects of the altitude when you arrive in Cusco and feel it necessary to hire a porter at the last minute the new regulations make it impossible for us to arrange this. However on the trek itself the guide can often help you find "unofficial porters" who live at Wayllabamba (first campsite) who can help you with your equipment from Wayllabamba up to the top of the first pass (the most difficult section of the trail). These porters charge about US$12 for their services but they cannot always be relied upon. Castle Travel cannot accept responsibility for the services provided by these porters.

At meal times we will give you teas or coffees to drink. You'll come across a mountain spring, fountain or small stream approximately every 1½ hours along the trail where you can fill up your water bottle. Take a bottle of at least 1½ liter capacity per person. Although the water looks it is always safer to use sterilizing tablets or a water filter. The sterilizing tablets can be bought in most pharmacies in Cusco. With these tablets you have to wait between 30 and 40 minutes before drinking. Bottled mineral water can also be taken from Cusco, bought at km82 (the start of the trek), at the first resting point, at Wayllabamba (first night), at Wiñay Wayna (third night) and at Machu Picchu (final day).

It is still possible to make changes to your return train ticket if you decide to stay an extra night at Aguas Calientes. You will have to take your train ticket personally to the train station in Aguas Calientes and ask them to change the return date of your ticket. You will probably be asked to pay an extra US$8 administration fee and changing the ticket will be subject to availability of spaces the following day. If you change your ticket for a cheaper service then you will not be refunded the difference!.

Our guide teams have been trained in first aid and rescue and are regularly updated through seminars and courses in their respective fields. All of our trekking staff receives regular briefings on how to best comply with the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu Sanctuary Regulation as well as on environmental awareness.
Our Credo in Nature
We are great believers in leaving the areas that we visit in as untouched a condition as is possible. We encourage everyone who travels with us to respect the land, the people, and their fellow travelers. This type of focus leads to amazing experiences and insights that bring a sense of satisfaction, which is difficult to create any other way, so be thinking responsibility, consideration, and FUN!

Our Environmental Management Policy and Commitment considers running our operations in a responsible way, according to the following:
* Selective disposal of garbage (organic & inorganic)
* Garbage withdrawal of Natural Protected Areas
* Use of flush toilets built along the Inca Trail or different communities and villages. Otherwise, we provide toilet tents with chemical toilet facilities. All garbage is disposed of outside the Natural Protected Areas
* Avoid fires – no smoking allowed inside the tents
* Use of bowls for washing purposes to avoid the soap from being thrown over to the floor or to natural water sources
* Avoid disturbing animals
* No animal hunting allowed
* Preservation of the flora, no orchid taking allowed
* Walking over the Inca ruins, walls or archaeological sites is absolutely forbidden