On a multi-day trek, the kitchen is where trust is earned. You can have the best guide and the most beautiful trail in Peru, but if the food is poor, the whole trip suffers. That is why at Andean Moments we treat our trekking cooks as a core part of the team, not an afterthought. This is who they are, how they work, and why trekkers consistently tell us that the best food on the Cusco treks was one of the highlights of their trip, whether they walked the Inca Trail, the Salkantay Trek or the Choquequirao Trek.
Our trekking kitchen team
Every Andean Moments trek travels with a professional trekking cook and a kitchen assistant. They are not porters who happen to cook: they are trained cooks from the Cusco region, most of them with years of experience feeding groups in the mountains, and many of them have worked with us season after season.
Their day starts before yours. On the Inca Trail the kitchen crew walks ahead of the group with the porters, so when you arrive at the lunch spot or the campsite, the kitchen tent is already up, the water is boiling and the first course is on its way. On the Choquequirao Trek they work from the kitchens of the Andean guest houses where you sleep, and on Salkantay they follow the group from camp to camp with the mules. In every case the result is the same: a hot meal, on time, served at a proper table.
Fresh ingredients, prepared with care
Nothing on our treks comes out of a packet. The cooks buy fresh produce in Cusco before each departure: vegetables, fruit, Andean potatoes, quinoa, fresh trout, chicken and eggs. Everything is carried in by porters or mules and prepared from scratch at each stop.
Hygiene is part of the job. All water used for cooking and drinking is boiled, fruit and vegetables are washed with treated water, and the kitchen is kept to the same standard we would expect from a restaurant in Cusco. Stomach problems on the trail are far more often caused by street food eaten the day before than by our trek meals.
Plenty of food, served buffet-style
Trekking at altitude burns 3,000 to 4,000 calories a day, and our menus are built for that. Breakfast is a full spread: oatmeal or quinoa porridge, eggs, pancakes, bread, fruit and hot drinks, including mate de coca to help with the altitude. Lunch and dinner are served buffet-style on large platters so everyone can help themselves and come back for seconds. A typical meal has a soup to start, two or three mains to choose from (fresh trout, lomo saltado, stewed chicken, quinoa dishes, native potatoes), salads and vegetables, and dessert.
When you reach camp in the afternoon there is always tea time with hot drinks and snacks before dinner. Nobody goes hungry on an Andean Moments trek; if anything, trekkers are surprised by how much food there is.
Presentation that surprises
Our cooks take real pride in their work, and it shows on the plate. A rice dish shaped like an animal, vegetables carved into flowers, a causa rellena arranged on a bed of lettuce: it is a small thing, but after a long day of walking, sitting down to a meal that looks like it came from a restaurant is a real morale boost. It is also the moment most trekkers pull out their phones.
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, at no extra cost
Our cooks regularly prepare vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals on all three treks, at no extra charge. Peruvian cuisine is naturally rich in quinoa, potatoes, corn, beans and vegetables, so plant-based menus are varied and generous rather than an afterthought. The same goes for allergies and other medical food requirements: tell us when you book and the cook will plan the shopping accordingly.
The same standard on all three treks
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
On the Inca Trail 4 Days the kitchen crew cooks in a tent at over 3,000 metres and still serves a three-course dinner every night, from a gourmet welcome dinner at Ayapata to a farewell dinner at Wiñay Wayna where the group thanks the porters and cooks. The Inca Trail 2 Days includes lunch on the trail and a night in Aguas Calientes.
Salkantay Trek
The Salkantay Trek 5 Days crosses from the glacier to the cloud forest, and the menu follows the landscape: soups and stews to fight the cold up high, fresh fruit and avocado from the valley lower down. On the descent through Lucmabamba the trail passes coffee farms where you can pick and grind your own coffee.
Choquequirao Trek
The Choquequirao Trek 4 Days includes 11 meals cooked in Andean guest houses in the Apurimac Canyon, with coca tea waiting when you arrive, and ends with a Pachamanca: a traditional Andean barbecue where meats, potatoes and vegetables are slow-cooked underground over hot stones, shared with the whole crew.
Good food is not a luxury on a trek: it is what keeps you strong, healthy and in good spirits for the next pass. If you want a team that takes that seriously, see the full itineraries of the Inca Trail 4 Days, the Salkantay Trek 5 Days and the Choquequirao Trek 4 Days, and tell us about any dietary needs when you book.
