Coca leaves in Machu Picchu

[prufrock]

Is it true visitors are given coca leaves to chew on when traveling to Machu Pichu?

[d360]

yes cocoa leaves and cocoa tea is used to dull the effects of altitude throughout Peru and Bolivia. Hotels will serve cocoa tea when guests arrive in Cusco to acclimatize to the altitude. The effects are no slight the average person probably doesn't even notice.

[juliux77]

Chewing them together is a centuries-old practice to make working in higher altitudes easier. The Incas used it; so do their modern day descendants and savvy tourists

[wakingdream]

My husband and I hiked the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu and had a really adventurous time. We had taken a tour of the Colca Canyon previous to our hike and were introduced to the coca leaves to aide altitude sickness and they worked liked a charm! You don't actually chew them, rather, you ball them up, stuff them in your cheek and squeeze more then chew, soaking the leaves with your saliva and creating a juice from the leaves that you then swallow. Works like a charm. It does create a bit of numbness in your mouth, but it is worth it if you're ailing from the elevation and hiking at the same time.