Hiking the Inca Trail and the Porter who Make it Possible

Hiking the Inca Trail is one of the most popular activities of travelers to Peru. The trek usually takes three to four days, and you will be able to enjoy the spectacular scenery of the Andean mountains. You will walk through different ecological and climatic zones, over high passes - up to 4200 meters - and through lush tropical forests, visiting beautiful ruins along the way. At the end, your efforts will be rewarded with the breathtaking views of the ruins of Machu Picchu. For a trek such as this, tents, gear and provisions have to be carried along and porters will be employed to carry the loads.

You may already be aware of the porters' working conditions in various other popular trekking areas such as the Himalayas. The porters on the Inca Trail are mainly recruited from the poor peasant communities in the area, often leaving their farms to supplement their meager incomes. They work extremely hard to make your trail experience memorable. On January 1, 2001, new regulations concerning the use of the Inca Trail, including porter issues, were launched. However, the implementation of these rules is not yet satisfactory.

As a responsible traveler, you may want to know what you can do to support the porters' struggle for a `fair go'. The porters depend on this work, but some companies treat them better than others. Below, you'll find a few recommendations that can help make their life a bit easier:

There is a load limit of 25 kg per porter imposed on the tour operators organizing Inca Trail tours. However, this limit is not enforced, making it virtually meaningless.

• Please do not ask porters to carry your backpack on top of their regular loads, not even for additional payment. This would grossly exceed the permitted load limit.

The costs of Inca Trail tours vary greatly from relatively expensive (often, reputable companies) to very cheap (local budget offers). Tours that you may book from home will still be delivered by a locally contracted company. Generally, if you pay more, you find that a better porter to client ratio is in place. However, it also means that additional items may be carried such as toilet tents, folding chairs, more food, and so on. Interestingly, the salaries paid to the porters are very low regardless of how much you pay for the trip. There are very responsible overseas companies trying to minimize negative impacts of tourism on the hosts and to enforce rules related to fair treatment of local tourism workers. More expensive operators may generally provide more for the porters, but this is not automatically the case. Clients should still keep an eye out for signs of maltreatment of porters.

• Please try to book through reputable companies rather than local `cheapies' which often use a very poor porter to client ratio and leave the porters to fend for themselves.

Many companies give porters minimal or no food, minimal or no fuel, and no shelter for the night. Porters are usually only allowed to carry up to 5 kg for their own needs. This means, they often go hungry, drink only cold water and sleep under boulders or tarpaulins.

• If you have surplus food, perhaps you want to share this on the trail. However, this should not lead to companies relinquishing their responsibility to feed their staff.

The porters' pay is poor, and often they have to pay for their own food and transport from this money. Furthermore, many companies expect that damaged or lost equipment is to be paid for by porters at grossly inflated prices. This leaves very little to take home to their families, sometimes nothing at all.

• If you wish to give the porters a tip at the end of the trip, please be aware that tips given to the guide or cook for distribution to all is often not passed on. Similarly, any presents you may want to leave, such as warm clothing, may be "collected" by supervisors under the guise that the porters stole it. Try to make clear that your gifts are meant for specific people.

Sick or injured porters may be left to their own devices and sent off the trail without assistance. Porters have no insurance or assistance with medical costs.

• Please insist that sick or injured porters are looked after.

Porters have little chance to complain about unfair or exploitative treatment as they would not be hired again.

• Please be kind to the porters. They are lovely people trying hard to make a living. If you notice anything on your trip that you feel does not meet the standards of decent treatment of employees, please report this to the local tour operator. Also report it to the overseas company, if you made your bookings in your home country.

For more information on porters, visit the web sites of organizations such as the International Porter Protection Group (IPPG), www.ippg.net or Tourism Concern.

Irmgard is with the School of Nursing Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, and writes frequently about travel medicine.