Thank you, my husband and I did the trail in 2017. We were busted old 58 year olds and couldn't take photographic/video memories.. so thank you so much and remember feeling the same as you at the camp site.. "the best site, I still can recall that glorious sight, I really "got" the Mountain and Sun Gods, they surround and envelop you in a spiritual way. 🙏 Amazing trail and of course we didn't do it as easily as you both!
Absolutely adore reading comments like this - it's such an honour to be able to really translate what this experience was like for so many! Really glad it resonated with you and brought back all those memories and feelings :) Thank you so much for watching...also what an achievement to do this at 58! I hope I can do the same! x
Thank you so much for creating this video and sharing your experience. Going with a group of friends in May and this is exactly what I was looking for! Cheers!
Thanks for a wonderful video and experience! Really made me want to do a hike now, but I'm not a good hiker. Do they stop a lot? Also, do you hike a lot in general, before doing the Inca Trail? Thanks!!
Hey!! Awww thank you so much, this honestly means the world that its inspired you! Honestly there were hikers from 18 to 65, everyone was different levels of fitness and abilities. The guides on G Adventures were amazing at setting a good pace and we would always stop regularly and wait for everyone to catch up. We do NOT hike much in general, although we did do quite a few in South America so we were a little prepared for it, in all honesty fitness isn't the hardest part its getting acclimatised to the altitude so we'd recommend as long as you can in Cusco before doing it to acclimatise yourself before (we did 2 weeks before which was excessive but 3-5 days would be perfect if you can!
Thank you so much for this video, it has been so informative! We are also doing the trail with G adventures in August and we can’t wait! On the trek and in Cusco did you tend to use local currency or USD or a combination of both!
Amazing! So glad you like it! A combination of both actually! A lot tipped in dollars but everything you can purchase on the trail eg drinks etc in local currency. Paid in card in cusco for most stuff. Have a great time!
Awww thank you! I actually bought it before we entered Peru (because I wanted to be prepared 😂) I got it in cafayate in Salta if you’re heading there it’s a small town!
We have this trip planned coming up late May. Was wondering if you knew the distance from your 1st camp spot to the top of dead womans pass? In distance not hours of hiking. Also how did your quads an calf muscles feel on this trip? Were you sore at all?
Unfortunately I’m not 100% sure but I think each day was around 12-15km. We were actually fine, but we had done a lot of hiking through South America prior to this so maybe not the best judge to go on. It’s a lot of up and down as opposed to long distances so the calves are definitely the ones that take a bit of a battering. But honestly, I’d say this trail is one of the easiest we did and suitable to most people. The main problem people face is the altitude as opposed to the difficulty of the distance and terrain
Hey, when we did our tour with GAdventures they gave a guide on how much to tip each of the different people e.g porters, cooks and then the guides. We did it individually but presented it as a group. From memory it was $5-$8 per day pp for porters, same for cooks and a bit more for guides x
Thank you for the video! Really enjoyed it! My husband and I are doing this hike in 3 months. What would u recommend pre-training? Would u recommend us paying extra for the air mattress? Thanks
Amazing. Ideally you want to get out and do some walks in the build up - but it’s not necessary. The most important thing is acclimatisation to the altitude. Highly recommend a good few days in Cusco beforehand. And 100% get the mattress
Great to know! Will get the mattress :) Will do some hikes in Dorset to get ready. Footwear, any recomendations? I have a good one from declaton no brand for local walks
Hey! Thanks so much for watching, we are so glad you enjoyed it! When doing the Tour with G Adventures, we had about 1 hour at the viewpoint when we arrived at MP and then you go down and the guided tour begins after that, once the guided tour is over you then have to leave MP 😢. I think if the weather is good then the 1 hour at the top getting pictures is fine, but just because of the weather when we were there we felt like we hadn't seen it how we wanted to - although the tour inside is amazing. Which is why we felt the need to go back again on the train when it was a sunny day (we were fortunate to have the time to do this). Hope this helps!
@@livandlew It for helps and thank you for the response! We are thinking about going in October, which is the shoulder season for weather and I'm a bit nervous about getting there and then it being clouded in. For that reason I'm considering staying a few options, one of which is just staying another day at Aguas Calientes and making another trip. That doesn't guarantee anything either, but it is a try. Again, thanks for the help and video!
Hey guys… a great video… I’m doing the trail in 6 weeks… A small technical question… which camera and lenses you took with you? I’m thinking what should I pack
Thank you so much. I loved your video. It looked like you were wearing runners, rather than hiking boots, was that the case? If so, did you find that was suitable? I'm booked with G Adventures also, how comfortable was the sleeping mat? Should i bring a blow up one? Thank you
Amazing, you’ll love it! We had hiking trainers. Boots aren’t necessary but something with good grip definitely is. The sleeping mat is definitely good enough I wouldn’t bother taking your own. The porters will only carry so much weight for you so you’d either have to carry yourself or sacrifice other essentials which wouldn’t be sensible
There was a range of fitness levels. The main issue is those who don’t take enough days in Cusco beforehand to acclimatise to the altitude. If you do that then you’ll be fine
We went in June! We hadn’t trained specifically but we had been in South America for a while and had done some other hikes. The most important thing is to spend a few days in cusco beforehand to acclimatise to the altitude
Really liked the video! It's so nice to hear your experience. We are going to Peru in September. We are going to do the Inca trail and we are curious whether you had already booked the day trip by train in advance or only after the weather at Machu Picchu was cloudy. This due to the number of tickets available per day. Thanks in advance!!
Hey! Thanks so much for watching & we’re so glad you enjoyed the video/ it was helpful ahead of your trip. We only booked the trip back via train after the Inca Trail & we had cloudy weather, we were lucky and had the time to wait & get it booked on a day that had availability :) x
We didn’t really but we spent 2 weeks in Cusco prior so we were pretty accustomed to altitude by the time we did the hike. Sometimes we would be more out of breath than usual especially hiking up to the very highest point - dead woman’s pass but lucky for us that was all
For the time being. We might be going on a van trip in March and then after that may be selling Olive (our van). Our second van project may take place in Australia 👀🚎
@@livandlew Thank you! Heading their in mid July for the Trip and just trying to get a feel for types of clothing. It will be chillier during my trip. Great video!
I loved this video! The footage was amazing! It was a perfect blend of footage and useful info!
Thank you so much 🥰
Thank you, my husband and I did the trail in 2017. We were busted old 58 year olds and couldn't take photographic/video memories.. so thank you so much and remember feeling the same as you at the camp site.. "the best site, I still can recall that glorious sight, I really "got" the Mountain and Sun Gods, they surround and envelop you in a spiritual way. 🙏 Amazing trail and of course we didn't do it as easily as you both!
Absolutely adore reading comments like this - it's such an honour to be able to really translate what this experience was like for so many! Really glad it resonated with you and brought back all those memories and feelings :) Thank you so much for watching...also what an achievement to do this at 58! I hope I can do the same! x
I remember doing that exact trail in 2019. Ironically, Leo was my guide too!!! Small world!!
Wow really?! Hahaha I wonder how many times Leo has been up via that trail 😂 a great guy! Did we do the experience justice?
Thank you so much for creating this video and sharing your experience. Going with a group of friends in May and this is exactly what I was looking for! Cheers!
Glad you enjoyed the video. Good luck with the hike! 🙌🏼
Very informative video. Thanks for your effort to make and share. We are going there next Apríl.
Really glad you liked it and that it was helpful for you! You’ll have an amazing time in April!
Thanks for a wonderful video and experience! Really made me want to do a hike now, but I'm not a good hiker. Do they stop a lot? Also, do you hike a lot in general, before doing the Inca Trail? Thanks!!
Hey!! Awww thank you so much, this honestly means the world that its inspired you! Honestly there were hikers from 18 to 65, everyone was different levels of fitness and abilities. The guides on G Adventures were amazing at setting a good pace and we would always stop regularly and wait for everyone to catch up. We do NOT hike much in general, although we did do quite a few in South America so we were a little prepared for it, in all honesty fitness isn't the hardest part its getting acclimatised to the altitude so we'd recommend as long as you can in Cusco before doing it to acclimatise yourself before (we did 2 weeks before which was excessive but 3-5 days would be perfect if you can!
Great timing and awesome video! Not doing the trail (yet), but going to MP tomorrow and I’m so excited!
Thanks Steve. How was MP?!
@@livandlew more amazing than I ever thought it would be!
What an amazing place to visit it looks amazing ❤
Would you Trek or get the train? 😅
Loved this video! What model/brand of film camera did you use?
We have a Sony ZV1 🥰
Thank you so much for this video, it has been so informative! We are also doing the trail with G adventures in August and we can’t wait! On the trek and in Cusco did you tend to use local currency or USD or a combination of both!
Amazing! So glad you like it! A combination of both actually! A lot tipped in dollars but everything you can purchase on the trail eg drinks etc in local currency. Paid in card in cusco for most stuff. Have a great time!
Looks beautiful and so many special touches. What month did you hike? We're going in May. So excited
We did the hike in June. It was an amazing experience!
Where is the Inca poncho from I love it, did you get it when you were there or was it purchased beforehand x
Awww thank you! I actually bought it before we entered Peru (because I wanted to be prepared 😂) I got it in cafayate in Salta if you’re heading there it’s a small town!
going to do this with my boyfriend! how much should we tip the porters? they work so hard!
Are you doing it with GAdventures? They provide a guide to how much you should tip
The Salkantay trail is more scenic and has better accommodations
But it doesn’t have the history of the Inca trail. Will definitely give the Salkantay a go one day
We have this trip planned coming up late May. Was wondering if you knew the distance from your 1st camp spot to the top of dead womans pass? In distance not hours of hiking. Also how did your quads an calf muscles feel on this trip? Were you sore at all?
Unfortunately I’m not 100% sure but I think each day was around 12-15km. We were actually fine, but we had done a lot of hiking through South America prior to this so maybe not the best judge to go on. It’s a lot of up and down as opposed to long distances so the calves are definitely the ones that take a bit of a battering. But honestly, I’d say this trail is one of the easiest we did and suitable to most people. The main problem people face is the altitude as opposed to the difficulty of the distance and terrain
hi guys, can you guys give me a breakdown on the tipping? how did you guys decide. doing the hike and want to know how much I should bring
Hey, when we did our tour with GAdventures they gave a guide on how much to tip each of the different people e.g porters, cooks and then the guides. We did it individually but presented it as a group. From memory it was $5-$8 per day pp for porters, same for cooks and a bit more for guides x
What did you regularly pack in your day pack compared to what you sent with the porters?
Medicines, snacks, camera gear, water
thanks for the video. How did you go to toilet while you stayed in tent?
Hey! At most of the campsites there were toilets so you’d just have to make your way there in the night // there is always natures toilet :)
Thank you for the video! Really enjoyed it!
My husband and I are doing this hike in 3 months.
What would u recommend pre-training?
Would u recommend us paying extra for the air mattress?
Thanks
Amazing. Ideally you want to get out and do some walks in the build up - but it’s not necessary. The most important thing is acclimatisation to the altitude. Highly recommend a good few days in Cusco beforehand. And 100% get the mattress
Great to know! Will get the mattress :)
Will do some hikes in Dorset to get ready. Footwear, any recomendations? I have a good one from declaton no brand for local walks
@@pricoon70 none in particular - just something with some good grip but you don’t necessarily need full on hiking boots if you don’t have them
Awesome video recap! With G Adventures, how long did you have at Manchu Picchu after the guided tour? Did you find that to be enough time? Thank you.
Hey! Thanks so much for watching, we are so glad you enjoyed it! When doing the Tour with G Adventures, we had about 1 hour at the viewpoint when we arrived at MP and then you go down and the guided tour begins after that, once the guided tour is over you then have to leave MP 😢. I think if the weather is good then the 1 hour at the top getting pictures is fine, but just because of the weather when we were there we felt like we hadn't seen it how we wanted to - although the tour inside is amazing. Which is why we felt the need to go back again on the train when it was a sunny day (we were fortunate to have the time to do this). Hope this helps!
@@livandlew It for helps and thank you for the response! We are thinking about going in October, which is the shoulder season for weather and I'm a bit nervous about getting there and then it being clouded in. For that reason I'm considering staying a few options, one of which is just staying another day at Aguas Calientes and making another trip. That doesn't guarantee anything either, but it is a try. Again, thanks for the help and video!
Hey guys… a great video… I’m doing the trail in 6 weeks…
A small technical question… which camera and lenses you took with you? I’m thinking what should I pack
Amazing, you’ll love it! We took our main camera and our wide angle and 35mm fixed lenses. Plus our ZV1 vlogging camera. 😊
@@livandlew wow… thank you for the quick reply…
@@DrManarKawar no trouble. Have a great hike!
Thank you so much. I loved your video. It looked like you were wearing runners, rather than hiking boots, was that the case? If so, did you find that was suitable? I'm booked with G Adventures also, how comfortable was the sleeping mat? Should i bring a blow up one? Thank you
Amazing, you’ll love it! We had hiking trainers. Boots aren’t necessary but something with good grip definitely is. The sleeping mat is definitely good enough I wouldn’t bother taking your own. The porters will only carry so much weight for you so you’d either have to carry yourself or sacrifice other essentials which wouldn’t be sensible
Hi there, great video, how fit was everyone? I’m going in April and days for training are rare!
There was a range of fitness levels. The main issue is those who don’t take enough days in Cusco beforehand to acclimatise to the altitude. If you do that then you’ll be fine
We are booking to go in May 2025. What brand of hiking trainers did you use and what brand of day sack please??
We used our camera bags to track so not the best! And we used caterpillar trainers!
8:50 beautiful, no one could look better at that cap
Thank you!
😊
😊
What time of year did yu guys go? Did you train for the trail challenges?
We went in June! We hadn’t trained specifically but we had been in South America for a while and had done some other hikes. The most important thing is to spend a few days in cusco beforehand to acclimatise to the altitude
Really liked the video! It's so nice to hear your experience. We are going to Peru in September. We are going to do the Inca trail and we are curious whether you had already booked the day trip by train in advance or only after the weather at Machu Picchu was cloudy. This due to the number of tickets available per day. Thanks in advance!!
Hey! Thanks so much for watching & we’re so glad you enjoyed the video/ it was helpful ahead of your trip. We only booked the trip back via train after the Inca Trail & we had cloudy weather, we were lucky and had the time to wait & get it booked on a day that had availability :) x
Did you have any effects of altitude sickness."
We didn’t really but we spent 2 weeks in Cusco prior so we were pretty accustomed to altitude by the time we did the hike. Sometimes we would be more out of breath than usual especially hiking up to the very highest point - dead woman’s pass but lucky for us that was all
Is van life over for you guys?
For the time being. We might be going on a van trip in March and then after that may be selling Olive (our van). Our second van project may take place in Australia 👀🚎
@@livandlew oooh I’d love to watch that! Good luck and can’t wait for the next instalment!
@@Raff-ev1ke thank you and thanks for following along!
Did you have to wear thermals?
We took thermal tops and did wear them (but just Colombia brand ones which keep you warm)
What time of the year did you do this trip?
This was in May 😊
@@livandlew Thank you! Heading their in mid July for the Trip and just trying to get a feel for types of clothing. It will be chillier during my trip. Great video!
Heading there, not their!!