Inca Trail Porters Protection Law No. 27607...... You must read

The Congress of the Peruvian Republic Lima, on December 6th 2001. Decreed Laws Numbers 19990 and 25897 Article 3 Conditions of work:

Transport up to the point of departure to the end of the trip.
Limit of load up of 20 kilograms.
Warm equipment and accommodation
Special belts to protect their backs from injuries
Appropriate rest and sleep during the trip
Provision of sufficient food, and appropriate clothing
(warm jacket, rain ponchos, walking boots and backpacks)
Fair and decent Payment on time on Day 4 at 10am
Life / Accident Insurance the Social Security of Health
Social Assistance to our Porter`s families not only in Christmas.
Article 6 Single, fair and decent payment to our crew.
Article 7 Minimum age of a porter is 18 years.
The Congress of the Peruvian Republic Lima, on December 6th 2001.

In these regulations, the travel agencies have to follow these rules.

Just 500 people including porters start the trek per day.
Travelers had to book for the Inca in advance at least 3 months before departure.
Porters were banned from carrying more than 50 kg. and it was reduce to 20 kg. Which is still very difficult to carry as the trek last for hours.
Porters had to have a union where they had to decide their salary per day, which is about 42 soles per day and about 168 soles per trek.
Porters did not have to carry any kerosene but instead all travel agencies had to provide a tank of gas, kitchen tent, dinning tent, tables and chairs.
They made several campsites in several different places, so groups had to arrive in those places and did not camp any more in the Inca ruins.
All trash that was generated by the groups had to be taken out from the national park and segregate out to different plastic bag of black, red, and green.
Groups have to be organized with tour guides with a minimum of 2 people and a maximum of 16 members and two guides.
Normally low prices imply ill-treatment and/or exploitation of Inca Trail porters.

Watch and see how our porters work:
 

-At Inti Sun Trek treats our porters well this can be see in each of our Inca Trail groups

-Our porters and cooks work With Us on a regular basis.
- Our porters Have Life Insurance
- The families of the porters directly obtain the benefits of working with us.
- There is a house in Cusco where all the porters can rest before and after the journey.

Thousands of people experience the Inca Trail every year. They usually complete the 45-km mountain route in about 4 days. For many people the experience is the journey of their lives and the accomplishment of a personal ambition. The satisfaction for having completed the journey and reaching the spectacular Inca ruins of Machu Picchu is hard to match. However, the feeling is even better knowing all the porters have been well cared for and treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.

Now that most Inca Trail visitors need to take a trek organized by a local tour operator, the camping gear (tents, eating tent, cooking tent, tables, chairs, kitchen, gas depository and food) is taken on the back of human carriers. Pack animals such as horses, mules and llamas are prohibited on this route. Prices that tour operators may charge for this 4-day trip can vary considerably as well as remuneration fees for porters and conditions established by each company. However, finding out whether or not a company takes care of their porters can be pretty difficult.

Often, tour operators are not completely honest about the salaries they say they pay their porters and the real facts are difficult to verify. If you ask a porter how much he is paid, very rarely will you get a straight answer. If a porter is well paid, it’s likely he will say he is badly paid so that you may give him a better tip! If he’s not well paid, it’s likely the company has instructed him to lie, telling you he receives more than what he actually does. If he complains about his salary to the tourists on the journey, then he will probably not continue working for the company!