The Peru Trip

Preparation for the Inca trail.

The definitive book about the Inca Trail is Richard Danbury's "The Inca Trail Cusco & Machu Picchu".
It is recommended reading and would be useful to take with you.

The "Rough Guide to Peru" is also a very good guide book, and covers the whole country.

Inoculations:

Plan ahead. Some inoculations need to be administered months before you leave. Heed official advice at the time of your trip. As an example, we needed:

Diphtheria+Polio+Tetanus(booster); Hepatitis-A+Typhoid; Yellow Fever; (optionally Rabies)

Book the Inca Trail:

Trail regulations require that you have an official guide and that you pay a deposit in advance. We used United Mice who were very good, and we'd happily use them again. (although they don't list our guide, Flora, on their site)

Fitness:

You want to be fitter than I was and, since that's hard to quantify, the fitter the better. You don't have to be superman, but there are prolonged periods of uphill walking at altitude. If you find stairs tiring, then you need to be fitter.

Get High Early:

By which I mean altitude! It's essential to have a few days to get used to the altitude before any serious exertion, and the Inca trail is definitely that!

What to take:

One man's essential is another man's luxury, however, the following are highly recommended:
Properly fitting footwear; Multi-tool; Head Torch (LED if possible); Hiking trousers (quick-dry); Toilet roll; Moist wipes; anti-bacterial hand cleanser; socks; t-shirts; underwear; warm compact sleeping bag; lightweight fleece; breathable waterproof jacket; sun-hat; soap; toothbrush&paste; compact towel; insect repellent; sun block; Chocolate; String; medi-pack {patches; antiseptic; bandage; antihistamine; ibuprofen; Compeed; water purification tabs; Imodium};
Travel light. Socks underwear etc. obviously essential, but take as few as you can get away with. Pack as much as possible in a waterproof sack inside your rucksack.

What to expect:

Extremely hot days & cold nights; some rain; Very few toilets (what there is is very rudimentary)