Classic 5 Day Salkantay Trek

This amazing trek takes place in the shadow of the sacred Salkantay mountain, one of the highest and most stunning mountains in the Peruvian Andes. Passing through Quechua communities and lesser-known Inca ruins, to finally reach Aguas Calientes, the home of Machu Picchu, on the fourth day.

You will then make a memorable visit to the impressive Sacred Inca city of Machu Picchu on the last day of the program. This trek is an exciting alternative for those wanting to do a different trek to the Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu.

The Salkantay Trek is listed as one of the 25 best treks in the world by National Geographic Adventure Travel Magazine.

Itinerary

Day 1: CUSCO | MOLLEPATA - CHALLACANCHA - SORAYPAMPA (HUMANTAY LAKE)

Stop At: Salkantay Trail, Peru
Today we will begin by picking the passengers up at around 4am from their hotel. We will then drive for 3 hours, passing by Anta
and Mollepata, until we get to Challacancha which will be our starting point for the hike. Around 9:30am we will start our
excursion towards Soraypampa (3, 869masl/12, 690fasl), which will take around 3 hours. Once there we will serve you lunch. After
this we will walk for 3 hours (5 km/3.1 miles) up to Lake Humantay (4, 221masl/13, 845 fasl) and after visiting it, we will come back
down to the camp at Soraypampa for the night.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
•
•
Accommodation included: Transparent Igloos

Day 2: SORAYPAMPA / SALKANTAY PASS-HUAYRACMACHAY-CHAULLAY

Stop At: Salkantay Trail, Peru
The passengers will get to enjoy their breakfast at 5am to begin our hike up to the highest point of the trek: the Salkantay pass
(4, 638masl/15, 213fasl). This will take around 4 hours at a distance of 7 km (4.34 miles) through the base of the rocky valley and
the imposing Salkantay Mountain (6, 271masl/20, 574fasl). After we will walk for 5km (3.1 miles) downhill along a winding and
rocky trail which will take us to the eating spot at Huayracmachay, where lunch will be served. We will then continue our hike in
the afternoon, which takes us towards the Amazon jungle where we get to see the “cloud forest”. This stretch is 10km (6.2 miles)
and takes around 6 hours. At the end of this challenging trek we will get to our campsite at Chaullay (2, 870masl/9, 414fasl) to
spend the night.
Duration: 10 hours

Meals included:
•
•
•
Accommodation included: Andean Huts

Day 3: CHAULLAY / COLLPAPAMPA-LA PLAYA (LUCMABAMBA)

Stop At: Salkantay Trail, Peru
At 6am we will start our trek for the day for 5 hours through the Santa Teresa valley, towards the small village of La Playa. The
passengers will get to observe rivers, waterfalls, wild orchids, coffee plantations, bananas, and avocados. We will also walk
through the village of Collpapampa. After having lunch, we will explore the tropical forest for a while and visit an organic coffee
farm. Afterwards, we will make our way to the third campsite to spend the night there.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
•
•
•
Accommodation included: Jungle Domes

Day 4: LA PLAYA (LUCMABAMBA) / LLACTAPATA-HYDROELECTRIC-AGUAS CALIENTES

Stop At: Salkantay Trail, Peru
At the campsite, the passengers will get to enjoy the last breakfast prepared by the chef of our team. The, we head uphill for 2
hours through the Santa Teresa valley and reach the Incan site of Llactapata which we will explore with our guide. Next, we
continue our hike downhill for 2 hours to the place where lunch will be served. After this, we make our way to the train station at
Hydroelectric. Then we will get to the train tracks which we follow to the town of Aguas Calientes for 3 hours. Once in Aguas
Calientes, the passenger will spend the night in a hostel, in a shared room.
Duration: 9 hours

Meals included:
•
•
•
Accommodation included: Hostel

Day 5: Machu Picchu

Stop At: Salkantay Trail, Peru
This day begins very early with the intention that the passengers get to enjoy the archaeological site of Machu Picchu before a
majority of the other tourists arrive. The control point at the entrance of Machu Picchu opens to visitors from 6am to 5pm. It's
important to mention that this hike up to Machu Picchu can be tough and that the option to take a bus up exists at an extra price
of US$12.00. Once inside Machu Picchu you will receive a guided tour for approximately 2 hours. After enjoying this Incan fortress we'll make our way back down to Aguas Calientes town where, at approximately 4:22pm (depending on availability), we will take our train back to Ollantaytambo. This ride is 2 hours long. In Ollantaytambo we will board our bus that takes us back to Cusco. We will arrive in the city at around 9pm
Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.

04:00 AM

Traveler pickup is offered
We can pick you up from any hotel located in Cusco city.

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

If you cancel at least 4 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.