Hiking Peru is a once-in-a-lifetime, bucket list experience. We’ve seen people celebrate major milestones like graduations and birthdays by gifting this amazing hiking tour. Strap on your hiking boots and get ready to turn back time hundreds of years to step inside the remains of an ancient civilization.

If you choose to check this item off your bucket list with Backroads, we think you’ve chosen wisely! We’ll handle all the details, making sure you see everything you should, that you stay in amazing lodging, ensure delicious food to refuel you for hiking and provide three Trip Leaders on every hiking trip to guide you for the ultimate trip to Peru.

On our Peru Hiking Tour, you’ll start at Cusco, once the center of the Pre-Columbian empire; journey through Puca Pucara, Q’enko, Temple of the Moon and Sacsayhuamán; and learn the meaning of an indigenous “Pago a la Tierra” ceremony from a longtime Backroads friend and local shaman. Next up, walk among the Inca salt pans’ honeycomb of pools, visit Pisac’s vibrant market and view the Pisac ruins.

Day 4 gives you a chance to meet the Peruvian locals, interacting with kids at a local school, shopping for local ceramics and taking a Peruvian cooking class with a local chef. On the last three days of your Peruvian journey, you’ll venture toward the mysterious Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. Hike the Inca Trail to reach the Gate of the Sun and a stunning view of this ancient site. Then explore the Lost City itself with a local expert and learn more about the area’s flora and fauna from a Peruvian naturalist.

Our Peru Walking Tour is a 7-day, 6-night adventure that runs March-October and December.

One note, permits to hike the Inca Trail are extremely limited. We recommend booking a minimum of 4-6 months prior to your departure date to significantly increase your chance of securing a permit. If permits are unavailable during some seasons, you will take a train to Aguas Calientes, bus to the entrance and hike into Machu Picchu.

So don’t delay to schedule this life-changing trip! Why not go ahead and schedule your daughter’s 16th birthday trip now or plan your son’s graduation gift in plenty of time? Call us at 800-462-2848 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific daily and we’ll get you all set up!

Each fall, parents gear up their children to head back to school. The list of school supplies is long and sometimes never ending and parents swell with pride as their kids embark on the school year. This brings to mind the schools we get to visit on some of our Backroads trips and the difference we are able to make with our support.

Several of our trips offer the chance for Backroads guests to truly get in touch with the local community and lend a helping hand. This comes in the form of offering support to museums and other national treasures or providing donations and supplies to local schools.

For example, our Walking and Hiking Trip to Peru stops in Ollantaytambo, where we visit a local school, join in sing-alongs and visit classrooms. Backroads works with the school to help them purchase much-needed supplies and games. In the Sacred Valley, also in Peru, we visit a small community where we dance with the locals, interact with the children—soccer anyone?—and bring school supplies.

In Bhutan, where poor waste management threatens the health of residents, Backroads leaders and guests have installed garbage cans along the trail, contributed basic necessities and are currently raising money to build a new kitchen in Chorten Nebu, along with a clean drinking water supply.

Why do we do this? Because Backroads is not just about active vacations, we’re also about Responsible Travel. We understand that any travel has an impact on an area, and we get the amazing opportunity to visit some really interesting and authentic places, some rarely seen by the outside world. So we do what we can to make our impact a positive one. And that means supporting the local environment and culture.

What do our guests think about it?

One guest says: “This was the best trip we have taken with Backroads. Peru was wonderful, the cultural experiences were amazing, the local guide was fantastic and his support crew was off the charts. They are individually excellent and together seemed to work so well. We loved the experience with the local people, children’s school and the village we visited. Backroads giving to the people made it all the more special.”

Another says:  ”The trip was great. Our local guide was a fabulous addition to the trip, and I truly enjoyed his talks on the Incan culture and history. The visit to Huilloc will forever be etched in my mind – the people, the culture, the community and the weavings. Everything we could have possibly wanted all brought together for us to experience.”

Check out all the ways we offer Responsible Travel to Backroads guests and let us know what you think! Better yet, let us help you reserve a spot on an upcoming trip so YOU can help us make a difference.