G Adventures plans to operate more than 100 Inca Trail trips in September and October, after resuming them earlier this month.
The famous trail in Peru has officially reopened after a pause amid the pandemic and the operator welcomed its first clients on the route on August 3.
Its ‘Inca Warriors’ have now led 14 trips along the trail, with travellers from Canada, the US, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands hiking the four-day route to reach Machu Picchu.
G Adventures has also been working closely with local authorities to support the Covid-19 vaccination programme for Inca Trail porters, who received their first dose last the weekend.
In line with new safety procedures, physical distancing, hand sanitisation and mask wearing are required, with trips operating at 50% capacity.
Sarah Miginac, general manager for Latin America at G Adventures, said: “It’s wonderful to see our first groups returning to the Inca Trail, not only for our travellers who have been waiting to enjoy this epic challenge for many months, but also for our local team of Inca Warriors and porters who have been eager to return to doing what they love.
“We’ve worked hard to ensure the highest level of safety training, including sanitisation, mask wearing and, most recently, vaccination of all our porters, and have received glowing feedback from the travellers who have trekked with us in recent weeks.
“The tourism halt has been devastating for these communities, and we’ve worked with our non-profit partner, Planeterra, to help raise funds to support their families through the pandemic.”
Peru is currently on the red list for the UK government’s traffic light travel system.