Inca Trail Closed August 2026
The Inca Trail has three high passes which received unseasonal snow on August 17, 2026.
Two People Died on the Inca Trail
Inca Trail porter Gabriel Ríos died on Monday, August 17 after allegedly being abandoned by his employer during heavy rains and flooding.
He worked for Alpaca Expeditions, which routinely overworks and underpays their porters, according to the dozens of people I’ve interviewed over the years I’ve been reporting on the Inca Trail. When I ask porters and guides which company has the worst reputation as a bad employer among porters and guides, every time they tell me Alpaca Expeditions. I have been asking the same question for five years and it is always the same answer.
The same day, muleteer Alipio Quiñones Pérez died after helping stranded tourists on the Salkantay trail.
The heavy rain and snow is unusual in August and many blame it on the El Niño phenomenon that is starting to affect South America. Usually, El Niño begins to change weather patterns between April and June, with effects intensifying and being strongest November to January. The unusual weather can last until April, making it a full 12 months of disrupted weather patterns. Often, El Niño causes the Peruvian mountains to experience drought and the coast to experience heavy rains and flooding. However, climate change is also changing El Niño.
Climate experts and weather services have been warning Peru of a “Super El Niño” for the past 5 months. So, why were so many people caught off guard on the Inca Trail and Salkantay? Why were they not prepared for heavy rain?
Why did two people die?
Alpaca Expeditions porters are routinely required to carry more than the legal allowed weight and poorly equipped.
Peru does not have adequate workers’ rights, compensation or protection.
The Peruvian government does not adequately enforce the few workers’ rights laws on the books and Peruvian companies get away with treating their employees horribly.
International travelers visiting Peru must understand that the Peruvian government does not enforce regulations. There is no guarantee that tour companies treat employees ethically. There is also no guarantee that tour companies have adequate safety procedures for their employees or clients.
This is an ongoing crisis and the blog will be updated.
This was the original title of my article published in BBC Travel but was later changed to “An Ethical Guide to the Inca Trail” which I argued with the editors about because currently it is almost impossible to do the Inca Trail completely ethically. The entire system must be changed.
Read more about the Inca Trail:
An ethical guide to the Inca Trail in BBC Travel, published March 2025
Workers’ Rights on the Inca Trail in Resonate Travel, published October 2025
Problems Afoot on the Inca Trail in Horizon Guides, published June 2024
Don’t Do the Inca Trail in my Peru blog, published March 2025
