Inca Trail Shoes
Let me introduce myself: I’m Fleur, 32 years old, and I live in Nijmegen. Jessie is my sister and Jorge my brother-in-law, and in October I will be hiking the classic 4-day Inca Trail to Peru’s most famous landmark: Machu Picchu. Of course, I’ve booked through Machu Picchu Travel. In the coming months, I’ll be writing a blog about my preparations for the trek and my experiences along the way.
Looking for the right Inca Trail shoes!
The Inca Trail is booked, paid for, and confirmed. That means the preparations can begin! I start with buying a good pair of Inca Trail shoes, because I’ve already been told that my sneakers won’t make it. But what kind of shoes do I actually need? Since Google isn’t really helping me much, I decide to ask a few “experts” for advice.
The first expert is a sales assistant at outdoor and travel specialist Kathmandu. She immediately gives me some useful tips: high or low hiking shoes don’t really matter. High shoes provide a bit more ankle support, but they are also warmer than low-cut shoes. That makes sense.
She also recommends hiking shoes in category A/B. On the Bever Sports (Dutch Travel specialist) website, these categories are explained as well. Clear enough. After her advice, she suggests a sturdy pair of hiking boots from the brand Lowa.
I’ve already accepted that hiking boots are far from stylish. Coincidentally, I was wearing a dress with bare legs that day—probably not the best outfit for shoe shopping. But still, I think the purple color of these shoes makes them somewhat “fashionable.”
Unfortunately, they don’t have my size in stock, so I move on to Bever Sport.
Inca Trail shoes for running?
The salesperson at Bever suggested a very flexible pair of Salomon shoes. They felt great immediately. He also showed me the Lowa shoes I had tried at Kathmandu, but according to him, those were too heavy. The Inca Trail mainly consists of steep stone steps, so wearing shoes that weigh around 1 kilo each is not ideal, he explained. Still, I had my doubts about these lightweight shoes, because in photos you usually see people wearing sturdier hiking boots. So what turned out to be the issue? The salesman actually thought I was going to run the Trail! Not exactly the plan. So I explained to him what the Inca Trail really is (he assumed it was a Trail run). In the end, the first expert from Kathmandu was right. I went for the purple Lowa boots! Luckily, I can now start training in style. In October I’ll tell you whether it was the right choice—but I have full confidence in my new hiking boots.
Summary of tips
- Buy your shoes well in advance so you have time to break them in (3 months is ideal)
- Choose hiking shoes in category A/B
- Make sure they feel comfortable from the start—comfort is key
- High boots offer more ankle support but are warmer than low-cut shoes. Both are suitable for the Inca Trail, depending on your preference
- Make sure your shoes have a good grip, as Trails can become slippery when it rains
