Our strength

Our strength compared with the competition.

We know, like our customers, that our Treks distinguish from the others. Below are our strengths, see for yourself.

	First, the price. There are numerous Websites offering the Inca Trail Trek, visit them, compare, but remember to write down our address because we are sure you will come back!
	We offer discounts for students (without limits of age), teenagers, children and travel agencies.
	We offer, without fees and if you ask for it, the transfer from the airport in Cuzco to your hotel.
	Our prices are all included, from the beginning to the end of the Trek and trekkers can leave without being worried, with any money, for the whole duration of the Trek. Most of our competitors do not include, for example, the lunch the last day, the bus for transfers, ...
	We propose, without fees, to replace proposed meals by vegetarian meals.
	Tents provided are of a very good quality, they are spacious, made for 4 persons. We use them to lodge 2 persons only.
	All our gear is carefully selected and checked before and after every Trek. Some people have seen broken tents or useless when raining. Ours are checked after every Trek and replaced if necessary.
	In case of cancellation, most agencies make no refunds. Without arguing or demanding any written proof, we make a 70 % refund of the full payment. The balance corresponds to administrative and banking fees and the amount paid to the Ministry of Culture Cusco and it is not refundable. Refunds are made directly to your bank account within 48 hours.
	If other agencies offer discounts, the reservation is only effective after sending by fax a copy of the written proof. Our exclusive reservation system allows you to transfer a copy of these documents directly to our servers.
	A lot of agencies wait to "have enough customers" to start a Trek. In practical terms, they can only propose few departures per week. Our large volume of reservations allows us to propose at least one departure per day, all year round (except in Febrary because the Trail is closed for maintenance).
	All the agencies can only book few months before the Trek departure day. We are the only agency in the market to propose more: up to 1 year earlier for the current season (from January to January).
	Without the intention of being unfaithful, most agencies only give the clients a simple receipt, for... mmm... let's say tax reasons. They have chosen to do so but it is to the detriment of the clients who don't get a legal purchase proof therefore they are not protected. Our behavior code is to be completely legal and we give every client a detailed and legal receipt.
	Only few agencies offer the possibility to book online, and if they do, it is through non secure websites. Our online payment system is SSL secure, it accepts many types of credit cards and guarantees not only confidentiality and security of your personal and bank information but that the Site is really what it pretends to be (digital certificate). Furthermore, this reduces reservation delays and paperwork.
	Finally, as you have noticed, we propose only one thing: the Inca Trail. We think that diversity will lower the high level of quality of service you are entitled to demand.

Comparative chart with our competitors

We are proud of our services and our clients know it. If you find other Travel Agencies offering the trek, compare their information and ours yourself. For many things, we know we are the only ones to offer them. Judge for yourself:

Points	Majority of Agencies	Minority of Agencies	Our Agency	Comments
Minimum delay to make reservations	15 days before the Trek	8 days before the Trek	3 days before the Trek	For everybody, the process is long which is uncertain, so every agency sets a minimum delay. Notice that the legal delay is 2 days.
Maximum delay to make reservations	2 to 6 monthss before the Trek	1 to 9 monthss before the Trek	1 year before the Trek (for the current season)	Making reservations in advance means to set prices for a long period of time. Most agencies cannot afford this luxury.
Time needed to request a reservation	15 days	7 days	5 minutes	Almost all the agencies make reservations by email then the payment is wired. With our system, everything is made online, in real time.
Time needed to have an effective reservation	10 days	6 days	1 day	After the payment (immediate because it is made online), we go reserve your Trek very quickly. For example, you make a request at 20:00 (local time), the next day you will have your reservation.
Total duration between the request and the effective reservation	25 days	13 days	1 day	We are the only ones offering such a short delay between your initial request and the effective reservation.
Minimum spaces to make reservations	200	150	Without minimum	This difference is easy to explain: for most of them the reservation process takes so much time that it wouldn't be smart to offer reservations if there are few spaces available.
Departures per week	1 to 2	3 to 5	Everyday	Since we sell a lot, we are among the few that offer a departure everyday of the week.
Reservation online	No	Simple form, without payment	Yes	To be a part of few agencies offering online payments gives you the guarantee of a quick and secure payment. Only by having Visa/MasterCard authorization for accepting payments online, this guarantees our seriousness.
Availability online	No	External link	Yes, in real time	Most agencies wait until they have your reservation request to check manually the current availability.
Discounts	Students	Students and children	Students, teens, children and agencies	Our student discounts don't have a limit of age.
Written proof for discounts	Sending the copy by fax before the reservation	Sending the copy by fax before the reservation	Automatic and immediate transfer of the document	Our system allows you to send a scan or a simple digital picture of your written proof directly to our servers.
Airport-hotel transfer	Additional cost	Free	Free, manageable	Permanently manageable to indicate us the date and time of arrival.
Not included on the total price	Bus, last lunch and bank fees (5 to 8%)	Bus and/or last lunch and/or bank fees (5 to 8%)	Nothing	We are simply the only ones to include everything. You don't have any extra or hidden charge, from the beginning to the end.
Meals				We are the only ones to give examples of proposed meals. Moreover, we are one of the rare to bring tables and chairs. Many porters prefer to have light weight and transform the Trek into a picnic.
Vegetarian meals	No	Yes, without cost	Yes, without cost	The choice is made directly from our forms. Some make confusion between vegetarian meals and light meals. We show examples of proposed meals because we don't have anything to hide.
Gear quality				Some agencies (not always small ones) have for example tents with holes or dubious sleeping bags.
Tents	2 persons tents, used dor 2	4 persons tents, used for 4	4 persons tents, used for 2	Provided tents are of high quality, roomy, made for 4 persons. We use them for 2 persons only.
Invoice for the customer	Simple informal receipt	Invoice on demand	Systematic invoice	Giving an invoice to the customer means having to pay taxes (19%). Not giving an invoice frees the agency of any responsibility, as in case of cancellation, robbery, insurance, accident, etc.
Refund in case of cancellation	No	Up to 50%, manually, 1 week later	Up to 70%, directly to your account, within 48 hours	The refund request is made online and the amount is directly wired to your account, without discussion.
Online customer service	No	No	Yes	We offer a full customer service online and in real time, for example, to view a copy of your reservation, to have practical and personalized information, to have the possibility to cancel online, etc.
Secure website	No	Yes, 128 bits	Yes, 256 bits	Our servers, located in Austin (Texas-USA), are highly secured, certifies as hacker safe (certificate required by Visa and MasterCard since July 2006 to authorize online payments).