Inca Trail Porters

The porters are the most valued workers of the Inca Trail. Their main function is to carry kitchen utensils, gas cylinders, mining equipment, food supplies for the 4 days of hiking, as well as tents and sleeping bags. They mostly come from towns around Cusco and never had the opportunity to go to school to study, which is why they work as porters to help their large families financially since each porter has 3 to 4 children and in this way give their children the opportunity to go to schools and have a better future since Cusco depends on tourism.

Inca Trail Porters Law

In January 2001, government regulations with the Porter law established a weight of 25 kilos (about 55 pounds) including the weight of the 4-day excursion and your personal belongings, they chose to give a very clear warning so that companies Treat your support staff better before receiving a large fine. This was evident before these regulations, the porters had to carry much heavier weights than indicated. Currently, there is a control at KM 82 where each porter is controlled and thus be careful with these people.

Porters Working Condition

For a long time, the porters had terrible treatment on the Inca trail, carrying weights of up to 50 kilos. Nowadays, with the 2001 regulations, their work has changed drastically since most travel agencies have to give them all the necessary equipment such as hiking shoes, pants, rain jackets, belts, backpacks, etc. and in some way, the work is made easier. Even other companies send tents for the porters to sleep in since most travel agencies do not send them and they have to sleep in The dining tent, in general, there are still some details that need to be improved and in terms of salary it went up drastically in this way to better help their families but they can only work 4 times a month since before they could work up to 7 times a month somehow this It is a positive lake since they will be able to rest more time and be with their families.

Choosing a Responsible Tour Operator

In case you didn’t know, foreign companies come to Peru to get rich like GAP, intrepid without General Sales Tax or Tax Contribution to our country. If you didn’t know that, according to the United Nations, for every $100 spent on a tour in a developing country or with foreign travel companies, only $5 stays in the local economy. Typically, almost all the money goes back to big companies. operating outside the destination countries.

The saddest thing is that they come to invest and give work to local people, but they do not have a good salary. In general, we recommend hiring a local company since it helps the staff better.