• Original passport and a photo copy of your passport
  
• A small daypack to carry your personal belongings
• It’s recommended you rent a sleeping bag but you can bring one that is rated for 32 degress
  
• 50-70 L hiking pack for the Inca Trail
• Lighter style trekking boots with good ankle support
• Warm clothes,layers for variable temperature especially at night

• Thermal underwear can be worn in the sleeping bag or in cold conditions
• Gloves or mittens, scarf, wool socks, woolen hat for cold nights
• T-shirts and trekking pants that zipoff to short pants for comfort
• Flash light or head lamp and extra batteries
• Camera and extra batteries, – Binoculars
• Hat with a broad visor to keep the sun off your face
• Sunscreen, and sunglasses
• Small personal medical kit, insect repellent
• Rain Gear: a good rain jacket, rain poncho
• Toiletries, toilet paper, small towel
• 1 – 2 litre water bottle,
  
• Water purifying tablets  are optional, since filtered boiled water is provided
  
• Bathing suit
  
• Additional money for shopping
  
• Emergency money of at least $150 – $200

DAY 1 October 10th, 2025

Travel as a group on bus to the 82 kilometer marker and meet your crew of local porters, cooks and guides. The first day includes uphill trekking to the campsite, which is at 3,100 meters (10,170 feet) above sea level. On the way you’ll see the Inca sites of Ollantaytambo, Huillca Raccay and Llactapata, as well as incredible views of snow-capped Veronica Peak. In the evening, unwind at the campsite with a nourishing meal.

DAY 2 October 11th, 2025
This is the most challenging day of the trek as you ascend a long steep path (approximately five hours) to reach the highest point of the trail. Colloquially known as ‘Dead Woman’s Pass’, Warmiwanusca sits at a height of 4,200 meters (13,799 feet) above sea level, providing amazing views of the valley below. The group will then descend to the campsite in the Pacaymayo Valley at 3,650 meters (11,975 feet).

DAY 3 October 12th, 2025
Start the day with a climb through the Pacaymayo Valley to Runkuracay pass at 3,980 meters (13,057 feet). Enjoy views of the snow-capped mountain of Cordillera Vilcabamba before descending for around two to three hours to the ruins of Sayacmarca. Continue over the trail’s third pass to the ruins of Phuyupatamarca 3,850 meters (12.631 feet), also known as ‘Town Above the Clouds’. Start the two-hour descent down the Inca steps to the final night’s campsite by the Winay Wayna archaeological site.

DAY 4 October 13th, 2025 – Machu Picchu arrival day:
This is the final and most spectacular leg of the trek to Machu Picchu. The day starts before dawn with breakfast at 4:30 am. Say farewell to the porters as they descend to the train station and begin hiking by 5:30 am. The walk to Intipunku (the Sun Gate) takes around two-and-a-half hours. Weather permitting, enjoy unforgettable views over Machu Picchu ‘Lost City of the Incas’ as the sun rises, and before the crowds arrive. You can hike the towering overlook of Machu Picchu Huayna Picchu for an additional cost (most do not make this climb) if you’d  like. Tour Machu Picchu with the guides before descending to the town of Aguas Calientes where we depart by train for Cusco around 3:00 PM.

The Inca trail is a 26 mile journey that reaches almost 14,000 feet in elevation, and is considered a moderate to difficult hiking trail. Training is recommended/required before the trek, and make sure you train in the shoes or hiking boots you plan on wearing. The pace of the trek is slow, but we will hiking 8-9 miles per day. The food is fantastic and this is more of a glamping experience opposed to ‘roughing’ it. There is an option to hire a porter to carry your bag for an additional $125 which is good way to go.

Note: The Inca Trail is within the abilities of most reasonably fit people, but please come prepared, as the trail is 45 kilometres long and often steep. Each day’s journey generally consists of seven hours of walking (uphill and downhill), with stops for snacks and lunch. Trekking usually begins at 7 am (except on the fourth morning) and you reach the campsite around 5 pm. Accommodation on the trek is camping (three nights). Double tents (twin-share) and foam camping mats are provided but sleeping bags are not. The porters will set up the tents while the cook prepares meals.

Email kmac@recoveryelevator.com if you’d like to request a single room for an additional $550. **Limited Supply**

We will be volunteering in the local villages near the Sacred Valley for the non profit group Peruvian Hearts. Days may consist of playing with the children in the orphanage, planting tress, or painting, or doing renovations on a house. This part of the trip is extremely rewarding and past participants said they enjoyed this part of the trip as much, if not more, than Machu Picchu.

The altitude will affect everyone differently but normally people don’t have a problem. In addition, we spend 5 days in Cusco and the Sacred Valley to aclimatize.  It is recommended you consult a doctor before embarking on this trip. The maximum altitude reached will be little over 13,780 ft which is on day 2 of the Inca Trail.

Attendees will learn tools to add to their recovery portfolio through workshops, team building exercises, small group discussion, song, dance and more. This retreat will be located outside of your comfort zone which is where the magic happens. At Recovery Elevator we embrace all modalities of healing and feel there is no right or wrong way to ditch the booze.

All of the guides speak english so this is not a problem. It won’t hurt to know a couple of phrases like donde esta el baño, but no Spanish is required to attend this retreat.

All of our travelers must have Emergency Medical Travel Insurance that will cover the dates of the tour. This policy must meet the following criteria: (1) Medical Expenses coverage, (2) includes an emergency evacuation benefit, and (3) includes repatriation to your home country. The medical expenses, evacuation, and repatriation benefits must, when combined together, cover for at least $200,000.00 USD per traveler.

Several travel insurance companies provide this service, and you may find a cheaper provider than the ones we recommend below. Please budget anywhere from $125-250 for this depending on your level of comfort.

BattleFace is the travel insurance company that most of our travelers use. This company is usually the most affordable and a policy can be obtained in less than 15 minutes.

John Hancock Ins. Agency offers three different plan types (Gold, Silver, Bronze) that meet our mandatory requirements and provides you with the best protection based on your budget. They offer toll-free, 24/7 multilingual emergency assistance services to help arrange any care you may need while away from home.

NOTE: The Cancel For Any Reason Option must be purchased with the Gold, Silver or Bronze Plan within 14 Days of confirming your tour to qualify for the change of mind benefits. The Cancel For Any Reason Option allows you to cancel your trip, no less than 2 days prior to the scheduled departure date, and get back 75% of the prepaid, non-refundable payments or deposits for the covered trip arrangements. The Cancel for Any Reason option is not available in New York State.

Is there a company that packs our bags and drops them at the next site or are we hiking with 40 Lb packs on our backs?

• The trekking company can take a duffel bag up to 13 pounds per person. It is recommended you bring a 50-60 liter hiking pack for your sleeping pad (provided by trekking company), sleeping bag (can be rented from trekking company, or bring a sleeping bag rated at 32 degrees), clothes, toiletries, snacks, etc. You will probably be hiking with 10 – 25-pound packs depending on how much you give the porters.

How much time to acclimatize to the elevation.

• We will be spending six days around 10,000 – 12,000 ft to acclimatize before starting the trek.

What are the names of the airports we will be flying into?

• We will be meeting at Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) and the flying to Cusco (CUZ)