Care of the Inca Trail

The Inca Trail is not just a trek we sell — it is a 500-year-old road built by our ancestors, and it only survives if the people who walk it every week look after it. At Terra Quechua Peru we are a fully licensed Inca Trail operator based in Cusco, and once a year our team travels to the trail to take part in its maintenance. This page explains what that means, how we reduce our impact on every departure and how you can help.

Updated September 27, 2026By Terra Quechua Team

• Licensedauthorized to operate the Inca Trail, registered as a travel agency and working with official licensed guides.
• Once a yearour team goes back to the trail to take part in its maintenance and care.
• 2012 · 2018guiding travelers from Cusco since 2012, with our Inca Trail license since 2018.

A fully licensed Inca Trail operator

Nobody can walk the Inca Trail on their own: permits are sold only to authorized operators, and every group must be led by a licensed guide. Being licensed is what allows us to buy your permit in your name on the Ministry of Culture’s platform — and it is also a commitment to follow the rules that protect the trail: group sizes, campsites, schedules and the care of every stone along the way.

• Authorized operator of the Inca Trail, able to request official permits for the Classic and Short routes.
• Registered travel agency in Peru, with our office in Cusco on Calle Garcilaso 210, where we hold every pre-departure briefing.
• Official licensed guides who lead every group and explain the history of each site along the trail.

Terra Quechua E.I.R.L. · RUC 20601267439. See all our documents on our certifications page.

We are happy to share our company details and registrations with any traveler who asks — in fact, we recommend asking every operator. Our guide on how to choose a reputable Inca Trail operator explains what to check.

Once a year, we go back to care for the trail

Keeping the trail in good condition is a shared task, and the operators who work on it take part. The maintenance work is scheduled by Peru’s Ministry of Culture and SERNANP, the national protected-areas service, and the agencies are assigned their turn by lottery: some travel during the February closure, when the trail is shut to hikers, and others on the dates they are drawn during the year.

Once a year, on the date assigned to us, our team travels to the trail to take part in its maintenance and care.

For us it is also a way of giving back to the place that gives work to so many families in Cusco, and of reminding our own team why the trail matters beyond tourism.

SERNANP Ally for Conservation. Peru’s National Service of Protected Natural Areas (SERNANP) recognizes Terra Quechua Peru as an Aliado por la Conservación — an ally in protecting Peru’s natural protected areas.

Our team also takes part in clean-up work with SERNANP: we pick up litter along the paths and beside the railway, and hand out reusable cloth bags to local families so less plastic ends up on the land.

How we reduce our impact on every trek

• Less plastic: every hiker receives a reusable textile snack bag instead of plastic bags, and we provide filtered boiled water so you can refill your own bottle.
• Biodegradable products: the hand soap we give hikers and the detergent our kitchen team uses for dishes are biodegradable.
• Rubber tips on every pole: we ask all our hikers to use rubber-tipped poles so they don’t wear down the original stones.
• Small, guided groups that stay on the marked path and follow the park’s rules.

Why protecting the Inca Trail matters

• Historical heritage: the trail is original Inca construction. Any damage to its stones, stairways or walls is irreversible.
• Fragile ecosystems: it crosses high puna, cloud forest and orchid-rich slopes that must stay free of litter and noise.
• Controlled visitor numbers: daily limits — 500 people on the Classic route, including staff — keep tourism and conservation in balance.
• A sacred place: for Andean communities the trail and its mountains have deep spiritual meaning.

How you can help: rules for every hiker

1. Take all your litter with youIncluding toilet paper and food scraps. There are bins at camps, but the best rubbish is the one you carry out.
2. Bring a reusable water bottleDisposable plastic bottles are not allowed on the Inca Trail.
3. Use rubber tips on your polesMetal tips scratch and wear down the original stones.
4. Don’t climb on or move stonesWalls, terraces and stairways are archaeological structures, not viewpoints.
5. Respect plants and animalsDon’t pick orchids or feed wildlife, and keep noise down at camps.
6. Follow your guide and the park rangersStay on the marked path, especially near edges and ruins.

Plan your trek responsibly

Check dates on our Inca Trail permits and availability page, read how the 2027 permits work, and see our practical guide to bathrooms and leave-no-trace on the trail. When you are ready, choose between the Classic Inca Trail in 4 days and the Short Inca Trail in 2 days.

Frequently asked questions