A hiking trip in Peru definitely requires a well thought out packing list researched for completeness. I traveled to Peru in the month of May to hike Choquequirao. The weather was very pleasant with a wide temperature range between morning and evening. This was a five day trek with an arrival and departure out of Cusco. Below, I have included a packing list of all the items utilized during my travels. A portion of the beginning and end of this trip was spent a hotel in Cusco. For that reason, I was able to pack in a larger bag and leave my additional luggage at the hotel.
1. Phone. There is spotty cellular service at the beginning of the trek, but I utilized my phone for the majority of photos/videos on the trip.
2. Sols (Peruvian currency). There are small stands some of the camping sites where you can purchase gatorade or other beverages. You will need Sols for these purchases.
3. Camelback.
4. Hiking boots. My preferred hiking boot is La Sportiva.
5. Flip Flops vs tennis shoe.
6. Insect Repellant (DEET).
7. Hand Sanitizer.
8. Sunscreen.
9. Sunglasses.
10. Hat. I preferred a hat with flaps to cover the back of my neck.
11. Headlight. This is very useful in the evenings and also for any trip needed to the bathroom at night.
12. Energy Snacks.
13. Camera.
14. Back up charger. I utilized a back up charger to keep my phone charged for the duration of our trek.
15. Medications.
16. First Aid – band aids, etc.
17. Gloves/Scarf. Dependent upon the time of year you visit, there can be wide temperature variations. Elevation changes during the day can also be significant necessitating layered clothing.
18. Baby wipes.
19. Plastic bags. I liked bringing plastic bags to separate clean versus dirty clothing.
20. Waterproof clothes/jacket.
21. Passport.
22. Deodrant.
23. Toothbrush/paste.
24. Toilet paper.
25. Dry Shampoo/Soap.
26. Lip balm with SPF.
27. Thermal underwear.
28. Underwear/sport bras.
29. Socks.
30. Hiking pants.
31. Day pack/backpack.
32. Tops – sleeveless, short, long.
33. Jacket.
34. Fleece.
35. Pillow.
36. Quick dry towel.
37. Blister treatment.
38. Swimsuit.
Being an amateur hiker, many my find my list overdone. I feel that it is a pretty comprehensive packing list. Obviously, you can edit the items for your own needs and wants. I looked at multiple websites to come up with this list. Plastic bags are great to pack all clothes in. As I utilized clothing, I converted plastic bags into “dirty” bags to keep clean clothing separate. For my day pack, I utilized the Osprey Daylite. I felt this day pack was not quite large enough. Another challenge I faced was my Camelback leaked the entire trip. I was not able to use it. If you do buy new items, I recommend testing them out to ensure they do actually work.
Blister treatment/moleskin is an absolute must! My hiking boots are La Sportiva. They are fantastic. I ran into very few issues with comfort. I did need to utilize the moleskin on a couple problem areas after several days. It was recommended prior to leaving that we have waterproof boots that went to the ankle. I purchased almost all of my supplies from REI, Patagonia, and Amazon. One of my favorite purchases from REI was a Buff Original Multifunctional Headwear. I utilized this mainly to wear around my neck to protect against sunburn.
Walking sticks: I do not have my own walking sticks, but I did make the decision to rent them for the trek. The cost was $20. My friend who has more experience hiking said they were tremendously helpful to her in the past. I couldn’t agree more. Six of eight people in our group chose to utilize them. The two that did not were both very skilled hikers.
Bathrooms: All of the campsites on our trek had a toilet. However, there is no toilet paper. There are also showers available, but there is no warm water. One day I did try to take a cold shower and it literally took my breath away. I preferred to utilize baby wipes over a cold shower. I did keep clean clothing aside that I wore at night. In addition, I did keep a full clean outfit for Machu Picchu.
Insect Repellent: Prior to leaving, I bought a bottle of Permethrin. One bottle was not adequate to treat all of my clothes for the trip. There are very specific instructions for how to use. I do not know whether this was actually beneficial to me or not. I bought DEET and utilized this the entire trip. Keep in mind that DEET has to be applied prior to sunscreen. The last couple of days in the hike I was wearing short sleeves and did get several bites on my arms. Several people on the trip kept their arms and legs covered and did not get any bites.
Cell phone and cameras: I bought the best back up charger I could find. I fully charged it before I left. This kept my phone charged without any issues the entire trek. For the remainder of the trip, I brought a converter for use in the hotel. I did not get cell service until we returned to the start of the Choquequirao trail on the last day. Between my Nikon camera and cell phone, I could have kept my devices charged for another couple of days.
