Weavers Trek (2 days)

Day 1 Patakancha - Ipsaycocha
Drive to Patakancha (3,900m/12,795ft), a Quechua community, where people live very much like their Inca ancestors, in stone and adobe homes with thatch roofs. The locals weave much of their clothing, work the land with foot ploughs and live off their llama and alpacas supplementing their income working as porters. Visit the community and school. After the community visit you will meet your trekking crew, your kit will be loaded, and you will start your hike. As you leave the village, you will enjoy views of Alpaca and llama herds grazing along the trail. The scenery is typical of the high Andes with “ichu” or high altitude grass as well as some polylepis trees. After approximately 1.5 hours of ascent the trail flattens and you reach “Ipsaycocha” (4,600m/15,092ft), a beautiful small lagoon near the campsite (4,200m/13,780ft). Overnight in tents.
Meals: L.D.

Day 2 Ipsaycocha – Lares valley - Urubamba or Cusco
After breakfast you will begin your ascent for about 1 hour until you reach the Ipsa pass at 4,400 m. This is your highest point on the trek and a good place to observe Andean Condors. After the pass, the rest of your hike will be downhill. You begin to descend for about 3 hours until you reach the community of Huacahuasi, another traditional village where people live close to the land, farming the same way their Inca ancestors did. Today the scenery will be dramatically different from yesterday: potato, barley, quinoa and corn fields abound. A further walk of 2-3 hours will take you to the hot springs near the colonial village of Lares (3,400m/11,155ft), after a dip in the thermal baths you will return to your hotel for an afternoon of relaxation. Enjoy a traditional dinner.  
Meals: B.L.D.

Included:

• Pre-departure briefing
• Transport to the start of the trail and transfer to the hotel in the sacred Valley
• Entrance fees
• Professional bilingual guide (English and Spanish), 2 guides for groups of over 8 people.
• Accommodation on the trek is camping (1 night). Tents are set up by the porters.
• Meals described in the program (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner, FB=Full board), in the trek the meals are prepared by the trek cook and also includes: daily morning snack, daily tea service except last day, vegetarian or special menus are available at no extra cost. 
• Services during the trek: wranglers, horses and mules for carrying equipment and personal gear, saddle horse for emergencies and auxiliary staff 
• Camping equipment: Personal tents (2 people in each 4-people capacity tent, they are 3 season and highly maintained), mattresses, sleeping bag, kitchen tent, dining tent with tables and chairs, toilet tent, household items.
• Accommodation for all our staff
• Chef and cooking equipment
• Hot water every morning to clean up and boiled water to fill in your canteen every morning or night.
• First aid kit and emergency oxygen supply
• Bag for the gear you will need during the trek
• All the garbage produced during the trek will be returned to the city of Cusco

Not included:

• Meals not described in the program
• Personal expenses
• Any kind of personal insurance
• Tips

We recommend that you take:

• Waterproof rain jacket or poncho
• A good sleeping bag (down bag for temperatures as low -15°C)
• Backpack for carrying items for daily use such as cameras, water bottles, etc.
• Long-sleeved shirts
• Short-sleeved t-shirts
• Comfortable pants
• Shorts
• Walking boots , waterproof trekking boots recommended
• Sports shoes or sandals for a higher comfort while at camp
• Warm clothing, including jacket, fleeces
• Flashlight/headlamp and batteries (batteries consume more quickly under cold conditions)
• Hat, cap and accessories
• Rehydration cream
• Towel, toilet paper
• Camera, video camera, binoculars, etc.
• Sun block
• Non-disposible canteen and water for the first morning. Optionally: water-sterilizing tablets in case you pick up water from streams or rivers along the route. Otherwise, we provide filtered boiled water, which is safe to drink and has not reported health problem so far
• Original valid passport
• Original International Student Identity Card (in case you have applied for a student discount)
• Walking poles (you will need rubber tips to cover the metal tips and protect the trail)
• Travel insurance

Before you travel we recommend that you check that you have adequate health insurance, travel insurance and personal insurance to cover the needs of your family in case of loss of baggage, accident, theft or death.

Important:

• Departure and arrival times are approximated.
• Campsites are subject to change according to the designation of the governmental institution regulating the use of the Inca Trail, as well as to our guide’s criteria and the group progress
• Challenging and levels of difficulty: (range between 1 to 10): 6 and an acclimatization period of at least 2 days in Cusco or at elevations above 3000m/9840ft is recommended.

Prices per Person 2010:
Prices per person depend on the group size, the larger the group the lower the price per person. Please contact us, specifying:

• Number of people in the trek
• Departure date
• Type of hotel in Machu Picchu: Tourist class (3 star hotel), First class (4 star hotel), De luxe (5 star hotel)
• Requested train service: Backpacker (Basic train), Vistadome (First Class), Hiram Bingham (Luxury train)

Available discounts (these discounts are not cumulative):

• Students: US$ 45.00 (students require a valid International Student Identity Card. Please note that Youth Travel Cards are not valid)
• Teenagers: US$ 40.00 (up to 15 years of age, passport copy required for all bookings)
• Children: US$ 85.00 (up to 7 years of age, passport copy required for all bookings)

Social & Environmental responsibility
Peru & Travel is committed to travelling in a way that is respectful of local people, their culture, local economies and the environment. With your participation we can help conserve the area we visit and bring positive benefits to our host communities.

What you need to know on how to be a responsible traveller:

• The natural environment is also very important. If in the bush we need to make our human waste, be sure is buried away from waterways. Burying or carrying out used toilet paper is a must. Tampons and sanitary pads must also be taken out of the area and disposed of appropriately. Minimize use of soap or shampoos in rivers and lakes - your local guide will let you know when using soap is unsuitable.
• When trekking, many travellers take an extra plastic bag to pick up any rubbish that they see to improve the area and for their own rubbish. Rubbish may have to be carried until a suitable disposal opportunity in the next town.
• Please try and minimize the waste of plastic water bottles. Consider packing a water filter, water purification tablets or iodine to purify drinking water. At some of our hotels there are large water 'bubbler' dispensers where you can refill your bottle with purified water for free or for a small fee.

For reservation or questions