Let’s start by looking at what high altitude means. High altitude starts to have an effect on our bodies from between 1,500m – 2,000m (4921ft – 6561ft) when our bodies start to react differently to make up for the changes in oxygen levels.
So, as you go higher the air pressure gets lower (the air gets ‘thinner’) so that for every breath there will be less oxygen for your body. Your body gradually adapts to getting less oxygen – you breathe faster and deeper and the body produces more red blood cells to carry oxygen molecules. This takes time, so this is why if you go from low to high altitude too quickly, you may feel symptoms of altitude sickness until your body acclimatizes.
Cusco is located at an altitude of 3,400 meters (11,200ft) and it is common for many visitors to experience some mild symptoms of altitude sickness or ‘soroche’ as it is known locally. It’s hard to tell if you will be affected by altitude sickness as some people can be more susceptible than others regardless of age, sex or physical condition.
Orange Nation knows how important it is to trust in a reliable honest operator to create your adventure of a lifetime while in Peru, whether you are booking a tour or trek. We strive to provide the best possible service from the booking process to the fulfillment of your trek or tour. Orange Nation has a wide variety of options for those that want to hike the Inca Trail! We offer the Classic Inca Trail as a 4 or 5 day trek. We also have the Inca Trail trek in a 2 day or 1 day starting at KM104, where those that want a shorter hike can still enjoy the incredible experience of hiking the trail and entering through the Sun Gate to the Citadel of Machu Picchu.
Orange Nation is a family owned travel agency and direct local tour operator based in Cusco with personal experience over many years of trekking and touring. Orange Nation is a 100% Cusqueñian Company without any shareholders. Dioselina, the owner, is passionate about providing people the best quality service possible.
Orange Nation always answers all emails promptly. We have online chat services, whatsapp, and international phone numbers from the USA, Canada, England, and Australia with which you can call us. You can also contact us through skype; our ID is orangenation. If you need us to call you, we can call you anywhere in the world. Just put it on your booking form or send us an email. That makes communicating with us easy and personal! We love to hear from you! Orange Nation is a family owned travel agency and direct local tour operator based in Cusco with personal experience over many years of trekking and touring. Orange Nation is a 100% Cusqueñian Company without any shareholders. Dioselina the owner is passionate about providing people the best quality service possible.
Orange Nation tours and treks are always done in an average or private groups of no more than 12 people. Your needs and desires are very important to us! Holidays, vacations, and adventures we are here to make it special. Our professional guides are able to give each client a personalized attention they deserved.
Our high quality service is not about quantity, nor is it about cheap prices and large groups…. We offer our guests a fair price, while providing the best possible service and personalized attention in small or private groups. Our focus is to provide the best tour and trekking experience possible with our unique trekking paths and customized tours.
Orange Nation is the specialist in creating unique tour and trekking routes. We focus on “Trekking the Ancient Paths of the Incas.” On the Lares trek, we have our own campsites for our trekkers only. Our special trek routes do not follow the crowds. Our routes give you the best possible opportunity to experience the marvels and wonders of the Inca Trail & Alternative Treks like the Lares Valley Hike and Salkantay Trek. Thus, you will have a true wilderness experience, following the ancients paths of the Incas.
If the Inca Trail is sold out for your chosen date, do not fret, we have a large variety of alternative treks to Machu Picchu available. This gives our guests plenty of options to choose from. We do not just focus on the standard treks that everyone else offers! We have Lares treks, Salkantay treks, and Ausangate treks. Explore our unique routes and the benefits we have added to provide the best experience for our trekkers. Our treks have different routes, campsites, and added features that no one else does! It may cost a bit more to do this but our focus is to provide the best “treks of the Ancient Paths of the Incas” experience possible.
Other alternative treks we offer from 2 to 9 days are Huchuy Qosqo trek, Ancascocha trek, Inca Quarry trek, Choquequirao trek and Ausangate with Rainbow Mountain. We also have a special combination trek of Lares 3 day and the short Inca Trail, which is very popular and provides the best of both worlds: the wilds of the Lares Valley and the fascinating history and archeology of the Inca Trail. Another special trek we have is the 7 days Salkantay trek and Classic Inca Trail. If you only want a couple of days of trekking or a trek to challenge yourself for 7 or more days, Orange Nation has an option for you!
Here are some great Alternative Treks that will take you to Machu Picchu! Just click on the links below to explore them:
Orange Nation has the most customized tours and packages for all budgets, which are created to meet our clients’ desires when looking for something unique in a travel experience. Our adventure tours and all-inclusive packages are carefully designed to give the best tour experience possible! Our tours are done in private or small groups with an average 4 to 6 people and a maximum of 8 people. We have several tours to Machu Picchu from which to choose.
With our tour packages, we have the flexibility to adapt them to your needs, such as you want to spend an extra day in Machu Picchu, add an additional tour or change the order a bit. Just let us know what you want to do and we will send you a customized itinerary!
All Treks & Tours are provided only by Orange Nation staff and professional guides. What that means for you is that Orange Nation will never pass you onto another company or 3rd Party; we will work with you and give you personalized service…. All the departures are 100% guaranteed – If you are booked and have made your deposit, you are going !
Orange Nation is a family owned tour agency based in Cusco, which provides personalized attention to each client’s needs from the very beginning of the booking process to the very end of your treks and tours. We want you to know that your needs and desires are important to us. We work hard on all the details because we want you to have the best travel experience possible! The personalized service includes making adjustments to our tours or treks so that we can meet your individual needs. One size does not fit all. We keep our groups small, 4 to 6 on average with a maximum of eight people. We offer private groups for a little extra cost. By keeping our groups small, our professional guides can give each client the personalized attention they deserve and want.
Orange Nation office staff are extremely knowledgeable, friendly and passionate about offering you great service! Our office staff, Saul, Yesenia, Sophia, Marisol, and Anita are the backbone to our whole operation at Orange Nation! We can thank our staff for a problem free and relaxing holiday for everyone. From the moment you are in contact with us until the moment you leave on your tour or trek they are organizing everything down to the tiniest detail, so that your trip goes off without a hitch!
Orange Nation always answers all emails promptly. We have online chat services, whatsapp, and international phone numbers from the USA, Canada, England, and Australia with which you can call us. You can also contact us through skype, ID orangenation. If you need us to call you, we can call you anywhere in the world. Just put it on your booking form or send us an email. That makes communicating with us easy and personal. We love to hear from you! Orange Nation office staff are extremely knowledgeable, friendly and passionate about offering you great service! Our office staff, Saul, Yesenia, Sophia, Marisol, and Anita are the backbone to our whole operation at Orange Nation. We can thank our staff for a problem free and relaxing holiday for everyone. From the moment, you are in contact with us until the moment you leave on your tour or trek they are organizing everything down to the tiniest detail, so that your trip goes off without a hitch.
Orange Nation carefully chooses the best native Quechua (Inca) guides possible. They all speak fluent English and are passionate about trekking in the Andes. All of them have a University Degrees in Tourism and Guiding in order to become Professional Guides. Each guide is licensed and has completed studies in Archeology, Anthropology and Biology. We only hire guides with a minimum of 2 or more years of experience. That means the best possible experience for you with guides that truly speak English and are knowledgeable in the Inca History, Heritage and Culture. In addition, all of our guides get trained by the RED CROSS in first aid, CPR and are prepared to deal with possible health emergencies.
Our Professional Chefs are fabulous! On the treks, out in the middle of nowhere, they are able to prepare delicious and abundant buffet style meals. Our professional and dedicated cooks use a mixture of local and exotic produce prepare Peruvian and international cuisine. We also cater to vegetarians, vegans, and other types of special diets or special dietary requirements upon request. We are sure you will enjoy your gourmet meals as you trek the Inca Trail!
Orange Nation has daily departures for any tour or trek you choose, as long as we have a minimum of two participants, we go! No need to worry that your trek will get cancelled. If you have booked, paid your deposit and received a final confirmation you are going.
We have the most customized trekking routes to meet our clients’ needs when looking for something different other than the typical classic treks offered everywhere. Our adventure treks are carefully planned and designed to give the best trekking experience possible. The details can be found ONLY on our site, www.orange-nation.com. Take some time to explore our numerous options!
Unique trekking routes: Orange Nation is the specialist in creating unique trekking routes, following the original Inca Trail through the Andes Mountain Range, “Trekking the Ancient Paths of the Incas.” and camping at places no one else does! This gives you the best possible opportunity to experience the marvels and wonders of the Inca Trail & Alternative Treks like Lares Valley Hike and Salkantay Trek.
Our Professional Chefs are fabulous. On the treks out in the middle of nowhere, they are able to prepare delicious and abundant buffet style meals. Our professional and dedicated cooks from a mixture of local and exotic produce prepare Peruvian and international cuisine. We also cater to vegetarians, vegans, and other types of special diets or special dietary requirements upon request. We are sure you will enjoy your gourmet meals as you trek the Inca Trail.
We employ around 90 porters. They all are farmers by trade and are native Quechua speakers. They are mainly from the three villages of Huacawasi, Calca and Patacancha. Along the Inca trail they are called our “Orange Machines,” our Super Porters. Our incredible porters are ready to carry your camping gear, food at all times and they are happy to help you with your necessities. It is important to us that we employ porters from the local villages, because by doing so we are supporting their local economies and supplying them with a reliable income.
Most of them have children and need employment. Orange Nation makes sure that all of our porters families are supported and ensure the children are educated and supplied with necessary equipment like books and notebooks.
Remember the survival of the Inca trail would be impossible if these local people were not with you!
Up to Date Equipment and Assistance to Carry Your Duffel Bag: We purchase new equipment in a 2 -3 year rotation and are constantly seeking out the most comfortable brands to use. We provide foam mattresses to all of our clients. We also have available to rent warm clean sleeping bags, Therma-rest air mattresses, and trekking poles. On all of our treks of 3 to 9 days, we hire porters or use horses to carry your duffel bags, a maximum of 7 kilos that includes your sleeping bag and air mattress. You can relax and enjoy your trek with no worries about carrying anything more than your small daypack.
Orange Nation believes in making your trekking experience something to remember. We carry your duffle bag not you! This frees up our trekkers to relax, enjoy and focus on the incredible scenery and not on carrying a heavy backpack. All of our treks of more than 2 days include a porter or horses to carry your duffle bag at no extra cost.
We have the most customized tours and packages for all budgets. They are created to meet our clients’ desires and needs when looking for something unique in a travel experience. Our adventure tours and all-inclusive packages are carefully designed to give the best tour experience possible. Our tours are done in small or private groups with an average 4 to 6 people and a maximum of 8 people. We have several tours to Machu Picchu from which to choose.
We also have many all-inclusive packages; some with treks included and others are comprehensive tours only. Our all-inclusive packages include everything for your tours, with no added costs. They are priced with hotels or without hotels to give you the flexibility of booking your own hotels. There is also the option to make them completely private for your group only. We even have a couple of luxury packages, one with the Hiram Bingham train and one with the Andean Explorer luxury train to Puno!
With our tours and all-inclusive packages, we have the flexibility to adapt them to your needs, such as you want to spend an extra day in Machu Picchu, add an additional tour or change the order a bit. Just let us know what you want to do and we will send you a customized itinerary. The details of all of our tours and tour packages can be found on our website at www.orange-nation.com under the titles of “Tours to Machu Picchu” and “Packages”. Take some time to explore it!
There is always the option with Orange Nation tours, treks, and all-inclusive packages to make them private for a small additional price.