Hi Lauren, 

I was in Cusco/MP a couple of months ago and used All Trek. We had a very good experience on the two day train tour--we didn't do the hike. I would imagine that they would be just as reputable on that, tho. We went to their office in Cusco to get our tickets/instructions. They picked us up in plenty of time to get to the train station. Someone met us at the train when we arrived in Aguas Calientes and took us to our hotel. We (3 of us) had our own knowledgable tour guide in MP. I would use them again. Oh, and the people in the office were great.

Another important thing you should note 

if you want to hike, you should go ahead and make your plans yesterday! We wanted to do the Inka 2 day short trail hike, but Ursula in the office told me that it is usually a 4 or 5 month wait to get a permit from the government to hike the trail.

If you have trouble with altitude, you might want to take diamox in advance. Cusco is at 12,500 feet. I have never had problems with altitude, so it didn't bother me. My friends had headaches, so they had to drink the coca leaf tea. You can also buy the leaves and chew then swallow them. Works faster, but tastes like crap. There's another herbal medicine they take called Soroche. You can get it in any pharmacy in Lima. Don't know if it works, tho.

Have a great travel adventure 

We did not do the Inca but we have just done the Lares which was absolutely fantastic,
We did it with Tucan.

We just arrived back in NZ this morning so our trek was recent.
We did it in 10 of October 2008, we were told to expect -20 degrees C the first night when we camped at 3900 metres but luckily it was just below 0 so it was not too bad. The next day we went through the high passes which reached 4600. Just after the highest point we had hail - 6 inches deep in places but effectively it just made the experience better - the views are stunning and worth the effort. The people we spoke to who had done the Inca trail seemed to have mixed reactions, some were saying it was a bit boring on the third day - others were saying it was good. I would recommend the Lares, we had it to ourselves (not crowded like the Inca trail can be), the views were stunning and the sense of achievement was great. The key thing to do is get used to the altitude - we had one of our group chucking up the entire 1st day due to altitude sickness. The rest of our group were generally OK but we had spent 5 days at altitude before the trek. As for gear, take or hire a walking pole, warm clothes but light (dont worry too much about changing clothes each day), for us it was not really that cold, on the Lares they will carry 7 kilos for you which makes it easier, on the inca trail they only carry 5 kilos.

Hey Lauren

I did the 5 day/4 nights Salkantay trip, it almost killed me but it's awsome.

I'ts the longest and 2nd hardest trek, the 1st day was boiling hot as we headed towards Salkantay, the 1st camp was freakin freezing cos we were so close to the massive glacier opposite Salkantay, the sky was a blanket of stars it was unreal. 2nd day was the most exhausting and hard, we climbed at a steady pace upwards, I kept thinking please when we get around the bend I hope thats it but it went on and on until we reached the summit. Then we decended down through the Andean rainforest and the climate changes again to hot/sticky and I got eaten alive by mosi's etc. The camp/food is set up by cooks, the food is ok and you will meet loadsa cool people from all over. Fourth day you end up at Aguas Calientes in a hostel, the town at the foot of Machu Piccu, wher you get a chance to go to the hot springs. You meet at 4am to get the bus, don't bother climbing up it's a killer, save your energy to climb Wayna Piccu, the huge mountain up Machu Piccu and agin thats 40 mins of hard climbing. It sounds gruelling and it is in parts, there were really fit men that struggled at certain points and the altitude can affect anyone. I paid 170 dollars and I think thats good. Shop around and good luck.

Take Care

 The Peruvian Andes have many human made and natural wonders to offer: Machu Picchu, Imperial Cuzco, the Colca Canyon (the deepest canyon in Latin America), and Lake Titicaca (the highest navigated lake in the world), are just a few of them. The Path of Inca, Inca Trail considered to be the most beautiful in the world. You do not have to be an expert in order to enjoy this journey to the lost city. Your final destination - Machu Picchu - an amazing Inca citadel. If you are looking for the upscale tour, I suggest you to book your trip with Latour Company at www.latour.com. They have a package including Machu Picchu.  September is probably the best time to go there though.

 

I did a hike to M. P. last summer and did the Salkantay trek. Like another responder has said, it pretty much kicks your butt - but was awesome!!! I went through Quente Tours (Hummingbird). The company was awesome. Better than expected. No unexpected fees, etc. also. I paid close to $500. but it included incredible meals, a great guide, quality tents (mosquito proof and weather-proof) and sleeping bags that went down to 0 degrees F, an extra horse in case anyone twisted an ankle (important) or came down with altitude sickness, the night's lodging in Aguas Caliente, the fee into M.P., and the train back to Cuzco. There are treks that are a little bit lower and a bit easier, available through Quente as well. We had 7 people in our group, which was a nice size. Some of the companies pack 20 people into a group. You may want to check Quente out. I was happy I did....and stumbled upon them through word-of-mouth once down there.

Good luck!!!
Star

P.S. I have also heard that the Lares trek is really good.
Star

:js:) :js:) :js:)
Thanks a lot guys for all the above info,
I am looking to do the Machu Pichu trek as well, in few month.
Not sure when exactly, since I am here in south america for 6 month, and have no exact schedule.
But with all the info above I can say that I have some good companies recommendation, I will check them all out and choose mine.

Thanks
:wiz:)

I went with a guy named Flavio.  He is a guide and the owner of an adventure company.  REALLY good guy and good guide.  His Inca trail trip was perfect.  Very good food and very knowledgeable guide. Check out his web site and contact info below for more information.  BUT you have to reserve MONTHS ahead to get a spot on the actual 'offical' Inca trail.  If you can't get that one then there are many more other inca trails you can go on.  Flavio can advise you on those other choices.

Here is his contact info
www.incalandadventures.com
sustainable adventure for lifetime
Phone : 51 - 84 - 275 973 Mobil : 51 - 84 - 98474 48-37
Fax : 51-84-275 973 Skype: inca-land msn online:[email protected] [email protected]

There are a lot of travel agencies that offer inca trail but you have to be careful. My friend found a cheap price and took it but at the end it wasn't the agency were she bought the trip they transfer to another one and they didn't give her all the things that they promised.
 Always use recommended agencies, here you can find a list on peru travel agent

Stick to the Andes, between the scorched coastal wilderness and the flourishing expanse of the Amazon tropical forest, Peru offers such a wide range of understanding that it can be tricky to choose amid them. Solemn pilgrimages honor gods both Christian and indigenous. Neon-lit discos get jam-packed with reveling youth. Ancient skeleton divulge prehistoric secrets. There are museums to visit, lakes to ogle, waves to surf, intricate cities to explore.

There are lot many South America Tour operator offering best deal to travel Peru..One such operator that I know is Only Latin America Tours, this company provide best deal to our group lat year.