My boyfriend and I have just returned from doing the Inca Trail with Inca Land Adventures (ILA). To say that we were impressed is an understatement. Their level of service went above and beyond our expectations, and we are fickle Americans, after all!
One of the major requirements for us was fair treatment of porters on the trip, and Inca Land Adventures abides by Porter Law, which is still very loosely enforced on the trail, allowing some operators to cut costs by having their porters carry heavier loads than permitted. Once you see how hard these guys work, you'll understand why this is relevant. Inca Land also provides their porters with equipment, uniform, etc.
As mentioned in another post, Inca Land Adventures purchases your Inca Trail permit, rail tickets, etc. as soon as you send the deposit rather than waiting for a larger group size to form so they can be purchased together. This typically results in smaller groups - in our case, it was just my boyfriend and I. Prior to selecting Inca Land, we solicited quotes from other agencies as well, and they were all comparable (within the $400-$460 range per person for a 4-day trek). Essentially, we ended up having a private tour for the same price as if we were in a group of 12! And we were able to explore everything on our own pace without having to worry about waiting for other people.
ILA was also accommodating to food issues and sensitivities (gluten, non-meat and dairy) which considering the constrains of Peruvian cuisine and the trail itself are not a small feat!
What really impressed us was the fact that there was always someone from the agency every step of the way - they picked us up at the airport, did the briefing on our schedule, dropped us off at the airport again, organized transfers at Ollantaytambo (mind it, we took the trip in June 2010 and the railroads were partially non-operational due to a landslide back in Feb). There was a person waiting for 2 hours at Ollatantaytambo, because our train was late! And this is without having any phone communications! Upon arrival at Cuzco, we were also greeted by an agency personnel at our hotel, who just wanted to make sure we arrived alright. If this is not taking care of your clients, I don't know what is.
Please keep in mind that Inca Land Adventures is locally operated and all money goes to local people, as opposed to a large faceless corporation. Overall we were immensely impressed with the operator and would recommend them to anyone. More info on their website www.incalandadventures.com



