Inca Trail: S.A.S Travel

When we were purchasing our Inca Trail package we checked all the travel books and picked one of the top 5 rated companies: S.A.S. Travel. Rated in the top 5 companies for cost, guides, food and experience. They met and exceeded our expectataions and I would strongly recommend this company to any individual who is interested in hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

To start with, you must understand that the Peruvian government requires all hikers to go with a certified Inca Trail guide. So if you wish to do the trail, like it or not, you have to find a travel company.

S.A.S.:

First: All included great cost$$: S.A.S. will include all park fees, passes, train cost, bus cost and registration costs in their price. Everything is taken care of when you get there so all you have to do is pack your bags and hike. Not all companies do this, so if you try to take the cheaper way out with a different company - be sure the company is actually saving you money and not just expecting you to pay for the $70 park fee or the $x.xx transportation cost etc...

Second: Great food: Every meal was complete with soup, main course, and 2-3 side items. All flavorful and all in pleanty. S.A.S also provides enough boild water for each hiker every morning - this is a big deal when on the trail. There are places to purchase water/gatoraid on the trail - but you will pay a high price for it as the locals have to haul it up the mountain by foot.

Third: Great guides: Encouraging, informative, and able to assist in any circumstance. Any trek will provide you with guides who will tell you the history of the trail and ruins, and this is important- but will they provide guides who are genuinly concerned about each hiker? My partner became extremely ill on the treck. Headaches, nausia, vomiting, dizziness, cramping... All classic symptoms of serious Altitude Sickness. The guides were equipt with meds, O2 masks, special meals, and on the first day (when he was feeling the worst) the guides found a horse for my partner to ride up the mountatin on the first day. But more than their knowledge, medications and resoursfullness - the constant encouragement and considerate nature of the guides is what helped my partner make it through the trail. It didn't matter how slowly we needed to go, our guides were always happy and gracious constantly reminding us to, "Hold our llamas, Machu Picchu doesn't move! Take your time... This is your vacation - do the trail at your own pace..."

Fourth: Icing on the cake!: August 30th was my partner's birthday. In secret, the guides and porters made a birthday cake for him and surprized him at dinner on the 30th!

I have no complaints. It was a great experience - SAS is a great company. If you are interested in booking with SAS, it is advisable to book 6 months in advance as hikes fill up early, but book no less than 2 months in advance. SAS will take care of purchasing all the required tickets, authorizations and trail passes. Certain passes have to be purchased 1-2 months prior to the hike - so you must purchase early and treck dates cannot be changed as the passes are purchased for specific dates only.