trekking in the Andes...
One of my favourite topics...
I haven't done the Machu Pichu Trail, but trekked 3 days / 2 nights camping the Inca Trail to Ingapirca, another Inca city (not really ruins, as the Incas really knew how to build earthquake proof buildings) in Ecuador. My partner & I hiked alone, not part of an organised group, and as he'd previously trekked in Chile, Bolivia etc, I'm also drawing on his experiences, and I've also travelled widely in Costa Rica, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Chile, Argentina etc - all but Mexico and first trip to Costa Rica since diagnosis.
A few general points about travelling in Latin America
(1) Learn as much Spanish as possible (unless you're limiting yourself to Portuguese or English speaking countries) - it's a relatively easy language, particularly if you know any Latin, Italian, French or Romanian. Your efforts will be rewarded out of all proportion to to your efforts.
(2) South American food is great (lots of beef, rice, avacados, tomatoes, tree tomatoes, mangoes, soup etc), but you will find it difficult if you're vegetarian (especially as saying you don't eat carne is more likely to be interpretted as you don't eat beef [but will eat chicken, pork etc] than that you don't eat any meat; you'll also suffer if you don't like rice as that's the main carbohydrate with most cooked meals, although bread with soup is also available.
(3) Camping food - we bought local versions of the sort of food we'd take backpacking anywhere - packet soups, rice, noodles, pasta, bread, cheese, tomatoes, fruit, bolied sweets, muesli bars, peanuts etc.
(4) Coffee isn't as good as you'd expect - instant Nescafe is standard in South American cafes, restaurants etc, not good ground Costa Rican coffee.
(5) Altitude - Machu Pichu Trail max altitude reached 4200m, distance 31km, 3or 4 days; Cuzco (nearest city to Machu Pichu) is at 3310m, so worth spending a few days there, sightseeing and buying supplies, while acclimatising to the altitude (we spent a few days at Quito, Ecuador, 2800m before Ingapirca Trail) (details taken from The Andes: A Trekking Guide, by John Biggar & Cathy Biggar, brother & sister who run Andes trekking & climbing company from Castle Douglas in southern Scotland, ISBN 0-9536087-1-9, I have no commercial links with this company, just found their guidebooks excellent) There is a drug, Diamox [trade name] or acetazolamide [generic name] which can be prescribed to take before going to altitude -ask for advice from GP, and if they don't know anything, try a specialist travel clinic or read
http://www.traveldoctor.co.uk/altitude.htm I didn't bother, but had been to 3800m before (in Indonesia, before diagnosis). Remember, it gets cold at altitude, especially at night, so take plenty of layers of clothing, and keep kit as dry as possible, as wet kit isn't as good at insulating. A heat emitting partner & good sleeping bag helps, too!
(6) For up to date information about trekking companies, I'd suggest you look on the Thorn Tree forum on
www.lonelyplanet.com
(7) Season: recommended season for trek April to September, best May, June & July
(8) I've never bothered with a Frio bag not glucagon, but if you're used tgo travelling with them, then take them, if not, just do what I did- keep insulin in a plastic tub or box, out of direct sunlight, nowhere near bus engines etc, and used hotel / restaurant fridges whenever possible.
(9) Travel insurance - check that there are no exclusions for activities such as trekking, going above 4000m etc, as well as declaring diabetes.
(10) Most of all - buen viaje!
