FAQ - What to Pack & Luggage

GENERAL

Most of the time you will be fine with a pair of comfortable shoes, sports footwear of some kind is usually preferable as the archaeological sites will often involve some walking on uneven ground.

TREKKING

A pair of good hiking boots, with sufficient ankle support and good grip are necessary. They should be waterproof if you are hiking during the rainy season (November through April). Experienced hikers are often happy in hiking shoes or even a sturdy pair of tennis shoes/trainers, but that is personal choice.

JUNGLE

Hiking shoes/boots can also be useful, but lodges and cruises provide rubber boots of various sizes for if the ground is very wet. The maximum size they tend to have is EUR45, so if you have larger feet, you might like to bring a good pair of waterproof, high-ankle hiking boots during the rainy season. Open-toed shoes and sandals are NOT recommended.

We generally provide vehicles big enough for you and your luggage to fit comfortably. We do not generally place a limit on luggage, although if your group is bigger than 6 people and you all plan to bring large amounts of luggage, please let us know to ensure that the vehicle we provide has enough space. That said, there are luggage limits specified by other providers, as follows:

INTERNAL FLIGHTS

We generally use LAN, Avianca  and TAME (For the Galapagos Islands only) for your internal flights and these both allow:

• Two pieces of checked luggage with a combined weight of 23kg (50lbs)
• One piece of carry-on luggage of 8kg (17lbs) on LAN and 10kg (22lbs) on Avianca
• One personal item, such as handbags, laptops and photographic equipment

If you are travelling to Huaraz, the carrier we use is LC Peru (the only airline operating this route) and the baggage restrictions are the following:

• One piece of checked luggage of 15kg (33lbs)
• One piece of carry-on luggage of 5kg (11lbs)
• One personal item, such as handbags, laptops and photographic equipment

MACHU PICCHU

The trains have a luggage limit of 5kgs (11lbs). This is rarely enforced but, since there is no motorized transport in Aguas Calientes (other than the buses from the center of town to Machu Picchu) and there is limited luggage storage space on the Vistadome trains, we strongly suggest that you take only an overnight bag and day pack with you. The rest of your luggage will be taken to your hotel in Cusco by your driver, so it is waiting for you on your return.

JUNGLE

Different jungle lodges have different polices, but generally there is a limit of 10kg (22lbs) per passenger, plus your day pack, due to the space available on the boats. When you arrive in Puerto Maldonado, you will have the opportunity to re-pack your things at the operator’s headquarters, and they will provide you with a duffle bag for the items you wish to take, if you don’t have a suitable bag/case. The rest of your luggage will be kept safely in locked storage at the operator’s headquarters. Jungle lodge operators all ask that valuables not be left in the storage room; you should take these things with you.

 TREKS

Different routes and trekking operators have different luggage limits, depending on if there are porters or mules carrying the equipment. In general, the limits are the following:

• Inca Trail group service: 7kg (15lbs), including the rented sleeping bag and sleeping mat (around 3kg/7lbs in total)
• Inca Trail private service: 7kg (15lbs), including the rented sleeping bag (around 2kg/5lbs)
• Inca Trail luxury service: 10kg (22lbs), bedding separate
• Other treks group service: 8kg (17lbs), including the rented sleeping bag and sleeping mat (around 3kg/7lbs in total)
• Other treks private service: 10kg (22lbs), including the rented sleeping bag (around 2kg/5lbs)
• Other treks luxury service: 11kg (25lbs) ), bedding separate