What’s the food like on the Inca Trail? At Apus Peru, we provide top-notch food on the trail, no matter what trek you do.
After a challenging day of trekking, what could be better than a hot, delicious meal to nourish both your body and soul? Our chefs routinely receive rave reviews for their delicious culinary creations, blending Peruvian and Western flavors.
The food was surprisingly impressive. I never expected fresh fish and meat on a hiking trip! – Bridget, Inca Trail
We use only the freshest, best quality ingredients. Our highly trained chefs prepare delicious, hearty and well-balanced meals that will keep you energized during the trek.
Vegetarian? Gluten-free? Think beets should stay in the ground and not on your plate? We can cater to all your dietary needs and preferences, just let us know when you book your trek (and remind us at your briefing!) so we can accommodate you.
Preparing high quality, nutritious meals at 4000m presents some obvious challenges, but our highly trained chefs have years of experience and are experts at trail-side cooking.
The Apus cook was a star, providing delicious, creative, healthy, and plentiful meals and snacks including fresh fruit and vegetables cooked properly (not mushy). My partner’s dietary restrictions were also 100% accommodated and there was real coffee (not instant). We ate better on this trek than on any other trek we’ve done! – Karen C. (USA), Inca Trail
On Day 1 of your trek, we recommend you bring 1-2L of water with you to start off the trek with.
On the trail, there will be opportunities to fill up your reusable water bottle with boiled water at meal breaks, or you can fill up with water from streams along the way. Stream water must be purified using purification tablets or a hand-held water purifier.
Water provided by your cook is boiled for a full three minutes before cooking, and raw vegetables (if served) are thoroughly washed in boiled or purified water. Did you know? Water boils at lower temperatures at high altitude! Since boiling water may only reach 80˚C (176˚F) instead of the usual 100˚C (212˚F), it is necessary to boil water longer to make sure that any bacteria or other nasties in the water are killed off.
Everyone has slightly different water needs. It is your responsibility to ensure you take enough water with you on the trail each day. Please communicate your needs with your guide and cook.
Curious to know what you might expect? Here is a sample menu for a typical trekking day:
We also provide snacks for you every day to take with you on the trail, and these are packed in re-usable bags that you keep during your trek.