Inca Trail Porter Project

Bringing Peru’s Porters to Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu draws visitors from around the world, many of whom reach the iconic site by trekking the Inca Trail. But behind every trek is a team of local porters whose hard work, knowledge and experience make the journey possible.

Porters carry equipment along the demanding four-day trail, tackling altitudes of more than 4,000 metres and carrying loads of up to 20kg. Yet while they help thousands of travellers experience Machu Picchu, many porters have historically never had the opportunity to visit the site themselves. As trekkers continue towards Machu Picchu, porters ordinarily leave the trail and descend towards Aguas Calientes, ready to return home or prepare for their next trek.

In 2017, Exodus set out to help change this. Through the Inca Trail Porter Project, we began giving the porters who work with us the opportunity to visit Machu Picchu themselves, accompanied by a Quechua-speaking guide so they could experience and learn about this important part of their cultural heritage in their native language. Read the Porter Project Report

The story was captured in our documentary Carried Away: Inca Trail Porter Project, which followed Irish adventurer Jarlath McHale as he returned to the Inca Trail in 2017, this time working alongside the porter team, and captured the moment Exodus porters experienced Machu Picchu for themselves.

Since those first visits, the project has continued. In 2026, 200 Exodus Inca Trail porters have had the opportunity to visit Machu Picchu, recognising the people who play such an important role in making the Inca Trail experience possible for our travellers.