Inca Trail - Porter Welfare

ARE YOU GOING TO THE INCA TRAIL TREKKING THIS YEAR?

READ THIS PAGE BEFORE YOU GO TO MAKE SURE YOUR ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME IS ENJOYED BY EVERYONE, INCLUDING YOUR PORTERS

In mountain regions all over the world, thousands of men and women and in some desperate cases, even children, are working as trekking porters.  They carry extraordinary loads up and down mountain trails, often very ill equipped with insufficient clothing or footwear for just a very small wage.

To be a Porter for a Inca trail trekking group in the Third World may, to many of us, appear a thankless task with low pay and heavy toil. However, in many of the communities where we walk, a job as a Porter is seen as:

•Prestigious.

•Well paid in comparison with local rates.

•A stepping stone for more senior positions in the trekking work place.

In order to hike the Inca Trail, it is necessary to hire the services of a tour operator. Before hiring the services of a tour operator it is necessary to consider that not all tour operators offer the same service.

The service provided can be extremely different from one company to another company, but what does not change is the fact that all tour operators need to hire porters to carry the equipment needed for the trek and, depending on the company, the personal belongings of the trekkers.

In our experience we have found that many companies  trekking of the Inca Trail do not have adequate standards and the practices listed below may be common. However, there are some within the turism industry who strive to treat their porters well. Companies who value and treat their employees with respect should be recognized for their conscientious operations. The  Infoincatrail.com  established to publish the names  for Responsible Trekking Companies. We urge you to consider these tour operators when choosing a company to  climb Inca Trail