Pisaq, Peru
Frequently Asked Questions

  • Students who come to Peru are looking to immerse themselves in new cultures and new experiences, while also being committed to their athletic training. Each day will be packed with learning and service, exploring a new place, and staying active. As in all of our programs, we are more interested in your dedication to the ideals of the program – service, athletics, and adventure – than in any quantitative measure of speed or ability. In Peru, we have had athletes who have been Division I college recruits all the way to students who just like to stay active but don’t consider themselves pinned to one sport. Strive participants have come from just about all sports: running, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, swimming, crew, field hockey, triathlon, hockey, skiing, wrestling.  Whichever end of the spectrum you find yourself on or what sport is your passion, our group leaders and coaches will make sure you have the opportunity to push yourself as an athlete and as a person.

    College students who are interested in Strive should read about and apply to the Strive College Intern Program, where you’ll learn about service, athletics, and adventure from a point of view of more responsibility.

    Adult runners of all levels (and even non-runners!) are welcome to join us on our 10-day trips specifically designed active adult travelers.

  • High school participants are required to meet their group leaders and trip-mates in a designated US departure airport where they are chaperoned all the way to their program country, through customs, and back.

    For more on high school travel, see our Flights and Travel Page.

  • The trek takes you through the Andes, high up over a mountain pass next to majestic Salkantay Mountain, and then down into the cloud forest, before heading back up over a final high ridge from which we’ll get our first glimpse of Machu Picchu. The scenery is spectacular and the hike, while challenging, is very manageable for Strive participants, who will have spent several weeks at altitude already at that point. You’ll be way better prepared for the hike than most travelers. The trip won’t be a cake-walk, but with your training and acclimatization, you’ll be fine and it’ll all be worth it – we promise. If a student has particularly bad sickness (altitude or other) during the trek, our professional guides are well trained to deal with this and, in worst cases, students can be re-routed to lower elevation via car or horse.


  • We’ll send you a complete packing list prior to departure. But in general for the trek you will need to have a day backpack (the one you use for school is likely to be sufficient), strong footwear (running shoes are okay if you do not have hiking boots), one complete change of clothing, sweater, jacket (fleece or another light, small, and warm), water bottle (metal or nalgene type – potable water will be provided as necessary), flashlight or headlamp and batteries, broad-brim or peaked cap, sunblock, insect repellent, toiletries, camera and spare batteries.  A sleeping bag will be provided for you during the trek but if you prefer using your own sleeping bag or want it for other parts of the trip feel free to bring it along.  You also need to bring your student ID card and original passport with you on the trek.

    There will be a team of donkeys to carry all of the heaviest items such as tents, food, foam sleeping mats and cooking equipment. Each day the guides and donkey-drivers will set up camp in advance of the trekkers’ arrival and start to prepare dinner. Tents are two person A-frame style and there is a communal dining tent for eating. A change of clothes and your sleeping bags will also be carried by the porters or donkeys (with weight limitations) so that you need only hike with a day pack.

  • If you have them and they’re broken in, then it’s probably good to have them. If you don’t then running shoes will generally do. We do not recommend trekking in sandals or using new boots. Make sure that whatever shoes you bring are sturdy enough for the duration of the trek and know that they may get muddy, dusty and dirty!

  • All of your belongings will be put into safe storage at our hotel in Cusco while you are hiking. We’ll meet up with our bags after the trek as we spend our last night of the trip in Cusco before flying home the following morning.

  • In general, in Pisac, during the day when the sun is out, it can be very hot, between 70 and 80F. The sun is quite powerful so we recommend you wear sun-screen and keep hydrated as much as possible. In the early morning and evening, however, it is quite cold once the sun retreats behind the surrounding mountains, and temperatures can get as low as 30 degrees on a cold morning/night. In the morning, you’ll probably run in pants or tights and a long sleeve shirt, maybe even a hat and gloves, while in the afternoon, just shorts and a t-shirt will be fine. May to August is the dry season so you are unlikely to experience a lot of (or any!) rain in Pisac.

    For the hike, the temperatures are similar, but could be a bit cooler at the highest points, and much warmer on the third and fourth days as we near Machu Picchu and the more humid lower elevations. We’d recommend you bring plenty of layers which you can take off as the day progresses. Pants that zip off at knee level are ideal and t-shirts, long-sleeved shirts and a warm fleece are also recommended. It can rain in the lower cloud forest around Machu Picchu, so a poncho is a good thing to have, too.

  • For the most current information, please consult your doctor and/or check out the Center for Disease Control website.  We, at Strive, are not medical professionals and we recommend you consult your own physician for any advice and recommendations regarding vaccinations and medications.

  • The tap water is not potable in Peru. Purified water is readily available and is included in Strive’s programs for all meals. If you want extra water, it might be worth investing in a SteriPen – a device which uses UV light to kill the nasty stuff in tap-water that makes you sick.  Strive members have been using Steripen’s for years now in country and they are an effective method of sterilizing water.

  • All of the group leaders on this trip speak English and Spanish fluently, so if you don’t speak Spanish, they’ll look after you. However, if you have or are studying Spanish and want to use it, you’ll have plenty of opportunities during your trip. In Pisac, outside of the few tourist hubs, few people speak anything other than Spanish or Quechua, the local Andean language. At the service projects where you’re working, as you explore the town, and in many of your daily interactions you’ll have ample opportunities to hear and speak Spanish. If you want to get the most out of your trip, we really recommend you check out our Spanish Immersion Program, which will let you get a head start on the language so you can interact with the locals and fully immerse yourself in the culture. If you don’t have time for the extra week, you can also sign up for Spanish language classes during the main 3-week trip.

  • Yes! Strive has our own financial aid program. 

    Many students have also had great success with personal fundraising through traditional fundraiser, crowd-sourcing, pledging, etc.

    Lastly, you can always contact us if you have any questions or if you’re looking for more help.