Responsible Tourism

Responsible travel is about respecting and benefiting local people and the environment. This can only be done by learning a little bit about the country, the culture and even a few words of the local language before you arrive. Responsible travel is more adventurous than “mass tourism” as it requires interaction with local people, staying in small locally owned hotels and sampling some of the delicious local cuisine. Things may not always go to plan but they will certainly be more exciting and at the end of your visit you will feel more fulfilled and informed about the places and people you have visited having experienced a deeper and more real travel experience.

Pachacutec Expeditions fully supports the principles of responsible travel and sustainable tourism and has been working hard to show that it is possible to provide an excellent quality service whilst being culturally sensitive, looking after our trekking staff and helping to conserve the environment. In our opinion the only way to improve trekking standards and reduce the impact of tourism on the environment is to provide good quality information, charge a price that is fair and reasonable for the services provided (with no hidden extras) and demonstrate that our company is working towards conservation of the environment and looking after the well-being of those persons who work for Peru Treks and those communities that we visit as part of our tours.

 Our Mission Statement

Pachacutec expeditions recognizes the fact that if tourism is not correctly managed it can have a very negative effect on the local people and culture, the environment and the local and national economy. This is particularly true for a country such as Peru whose economy depends so much on tourism.

It is obviously important to us that you have a great time when you visit Peru, but this must not be at the expense of our national treasures: our environment and our people. As a professional company we have a duty to act responsibly and to encourage and promote responsible tourism. The emphasis must be on actions right now rather than just a list of things we would like to achieve in the future. Pachacutec expeditions has many economic, environmental and social responsibilities which we have included below in our Responsible Tourism Policy. Our goal is to become Peru’s foremost responsible tour operator, an achievement which in our opinion is very achievable with our determination. However, visitors must also accept their role in helping us to realize this goal. Our web page How You Can Help lists some tips for how you can contribute to being a responsible traveller. Only if tourists and travel companies work together can we ensure that tourism can really benefit local communities, providing income, positive cultural exchange and a financial incentive to protect the natural environment.

Pachacutec expeditions Responsible Tourism Policy

Economic Responsibility

Our most important responsibility is to ensure that the financial benefits of tourism are passed down throughout the entire company, including the office staff, guides, trekking staff (porters, cooks, horsemen) and the mountain communities in which we work. We have listed below some of the measures that we have taken to ensure that this is done.

1. Where possible we purchase equipment locally. Obviously all fresh produce and food is bought in local markets and small shops. Camping equipment such as dining tents, kitchen tents, porter backpacks, duffle bags, porter jackets, biodegradable soap are all fabricated in Cusco. Porters shoes and back support belts are made in Lima. Our tents and sleeping bags are manufactured by Doite in peru rather than using overseas makes. Only our portable toilets and special biodegradable toilet bags are manufactured in the USA. Therefore about 99.99% of all income remains within Peru.

 Environmental Responsibility

1. Pachacute Expeditions has a zero litter tolerance. On our treks all rubbish and waste material is carried out and disposed of in suitable facilities in the main towns and cities. The waste is divided into organic (green bags) and inorganic (black bags). We never bury waste along the route of the trail (see below for exception) and certainly never dump rubbish behind a hedge.

2. When campsites do not have proper flush toilets we take a portable toilet and toilet tent. We use special biodegradable toilet bags which are carried out (Inca Trail) or buried on more remote treks.

3. We give all of our clients biodegradable soap to wash with (made locally) and wash the dishes with biodegradable detergent. Dishes are washed in a bowl using filtered water and the dirty water are passed through a fine mesh to filter out any solids before being returned to a suitable outlet (sink, sewer or river).

4. Only clean burning fuel (butane gas) is used for cooking. Kerosene is not permitted due to the possible dangers to the environment caused by spillage. Camp fires are not permitted on the Inca Trail or in areas considered to be a fire risk.

5. Travellers are encouraged to bring water purification tablets or water filters on the trek as this reduces the use of plastic bottles and also reduces the weight carried.

6. When our clients come to our office to pay their trek balance we provide them with a written trek briefing. This briefing includes information about Machupicchu Sanctuary regulations which aims to protect the environment within the protected areas of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary.

7. We reduce paper wastage in our office by not producing any form of paper brochures. All communications are by email and paper mail is rarely sent or received. We have reduced the need for paper in our office by the use of computer technology. Reservation details required for the purchase of Inca Trail permits and train tickets are transferred to the relevant companies by computer disk.

8. We have an ongoing training of our staff to ensure high standards of environmental care and responsible behaviour. At the end of every trek our clients are asked to fill out a trek report which allows as to monitor and highlight any areas of our service that can be improved upon.

 Social Responsibility

1. We encourage our clients to act in a responsible manner. Our web page How You Can Help lists some tips for how you can contribute to being a responsible traveller. Our guides are professionally qualified and have a great passion for their work. Not only will they tell you about the history of the places you will visit but they will also be able to tell you about the culture and the local traditions and superstitions. Most of our guides are fluent in the Quechua language (the native language used in the countryside) and all of them have the ability to communicate in Quechua to an intermediate standard.

2. We employ local people and pay them a fair wage helping to put money into the local economy. All trekking staff are paid punctually at the end of each trek. Office staff are paid monthly and receive free health insurance for them and their families, pensions, and bonuses at the start of the school year, independence day and Christmas. All porters receive free accident and life insurance which covers them throughout the year and not just when they are working on the Inca Trail.

Meet our staff

pachacutec expeditions works with experienced professionals. We provide tailor-made programs, private trips, incentive programs and special interest trips like trekking, climbing, river rafting, and jungle excursions. Our staff pays attention to every detail and is always prepared to offer the best advice and recommendations. Our employees are flexible, and always willing to help! Our team is highly trained to create unique experiences according to your needs and desires.

What is a porter?

Thousands of tourists hike the Inca Trail each year and this would not be possible without the help of our valuable porters who carry all of our equipment, personal belongings, food, and hiking gear. A porter is the most important person on the Inca Trail trek, and perhaps the most misunderstood both by tourists as well as Inca Trail tour operators. The porters are the most important because they are the ones making your tour as pleasant and comfortable as possible.

who are the porters?

Porters are indigenous Cusqueñian people who have lived in Cusco, at 4,000 meters high, all of their lives relying on the land of the Andes. Due to economic problems, it is important for these local indigenous people to continue working in the mountains they know so well, rather than give up their jobs in the country to move to the city. They prefer to stay in their local villages and support the education of their children by working as porters on tours. Sadly, many tour operators don’t give them the recognition they deserve. Often tour operators do NOT provide porters with adequate clothing or gear for carrying things while paying them very low salaries. Because of this, you will see thirsty, hungry porters with a low morale along the Inca Trail. Our government has created the Law of the Porter, which requires tour agencies to treat porters better and provide necessary resources for them, but sadly, many of these regulations are not met. Please make sure that the agency you book through respects the Porter Law and be sure to ask for proof of this. Otherwise you could be contributing to the ill treatment of these hard-working porters.

Inca Trail Porters Protection Law No. 27607

(Dec 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
– Our Company, Pachacutec expeditions treats its porters well.
– 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!

How can you help?

1. Book your trip with a responsible company / tour operator.
Currently, none of the trekking companies are perfect and there is still a lot of room for improvement. However, if you pay less than USD 600 for the Inca Trail, porter well-being is probably not a priority in the concerns of the company.
When booking with a company, you should ask how porters are treated saying this is important to you. Legal salary, decent meals and warm and dry environment.
2. Hiring a porter
Hiring a porter will make your trip more enjoyable, giving you time to enjoy the scenery instead of looking for your boots! People are also being given a job they really love and need to work.
3. Interacting with your porters Talk to your porters, learning about their traditions and peoples. Share coca leaves with them. Even encourage them to sing some of their local songs. Most porters suffer from low self-esteem and shyness, so the first step is not to expect them to talk to you first.

4. Thank your porter.
Show your porters that you appreciate them. Thank them verbally and give them a tip, though tips are optional
. Report cases of abuse / exploitation / abandonment of porters
If you are not satisfied with how your porters are treated, you should complain to the guide. If he/she cannot solve the problem, make a big fuss at the agency office back in Cusco.
Porter Salaries (USD $ 1 = 2,75 soles)
The Peruvian government can be praised for introducing a new law in 2002 indicating that a porter must receive a minimum salary of 42 soles per day (about US$ 15). It can be said that only a few companies actually pay this salary; unfortunately, most companies have chosen to disregard this law and 30 soles seems to be the average salary companies pay their porters while some companies continue to pay salaries as low as 30 soles per day.  pachacutec expeditions pays  more than it , thats why porter love us,

Weight limit

The maximum weight a porter can carry on the Inca Trail is limited to 25 kg. This includes his personal 5 kg. Each porter is weighed at the beginning of the route and then again at Wayllabamba at the start of the second day. This regulation was introduced in 2002 and has been strictly applied. Companies infringing this law receive penalties and risk losing their licenses. However, as with most regulations, many companies go to great efforts not to meet them.
Meals and sleeping conditions

The biggest difference between a responsible and an irresponsible society is how they care for their porters along the journey. Many porters are given very little to eat on the way. They have to wait and see how much the tourists have eaten so they can divide the leftovers among them accordingly. This leaves a lot of porters hungry and tired. In general, porters sleep together in the group diner and cooking tents.
Porter Culture

The Quechua race has a history of being oppressed, first by the Incas, then by the Spaniards and then by the land owners. Only in relatively recent reforms have the Quechua people started to own their own land. Due to their long history of being dominated by others, many of them have low self-esteem. It’s important that you try to get involved with the porters in your group along the Inca Trail. Take some coca leaves to share with them and try to learn a couple of basic words in Quechua (the guide will be pleased to help you). Many of the porters have amazing stories to tell about the traditions and life in their villages. At the end of the journey don’t forget to show you appreciate their work and value their contribution to the trek, by thanking them verbally and giving them a tip.

How much should I tip?

Tips for the guide and the cook depend on the quality of the service you received and they are your decision. However, even when you think the food was horrible and the guide did not speak or explain well (which we hope was not the case), porters were probably the ones who worked the hardest carrying the camp equipment and shelter tents, so please don’t forget to tip them. The amount depends on you, but it is recommended that each porter in your group takes home an extra 40 to 55 soles. Try to bring a lot of small change so you can tip the porters directly. This is much better than giving the cook or the guide the money to be split up later among the porters because many times the money is distributed badly.
I have heard many stories in which the tourists have wanted to show their appreciation to the porters by giving them hundreds of dollars! Unfortunately, if the porters receive big tips they will often end up drinking at Aguas Calientes or Urubamba for several days after the trek spending all that money that didn’t go to their families where it is needed. Try to give a reasonable amount,
pachacutec expeditions.