Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu (5 Days)

The Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu 05 Days trek, today is very famous and visited by many tourists from different countries, because it offers much more spectacular views in different altitude levels: Beautiful, impressive glaciers of the Andes mountain range, small freshwater rivers, subtropical areas with abundant flora and fauna, you will also be able to see the traditional high Andean communities.

Salkantay Trek Itinerary 05 Days

DAY 1: CUSCO – MOLLEPATA – MARCCO QASA – LAGUNA HUMANTAY – SORAYPAMPA

We leave Cusco at 5:00 am in a private company transport to get to Mollepata (2900 masl), here we are going to start our first day of hiking, we will have a five-hour walk to the camp; During the walk we will be able to enjoy the majestic snow-capped Humantay (5480 masl), walking in the Andes mountains until we reach the Soraypampa camp where we will have a delicious lunch and a short rest, in the afternoon we will visit a beautiful lagoon located very close from the glacier «laguna de Humantay», the walk to this lagoon is 1 hour to go up and 1 hour to go down, we will have an average of 45 minutes to explore the lagoon, take photos and have an informative talk by our professional guide.

Back at our Soraypampa camp (3900 masl) we will have “tea time” where our guests can enjoy the famous coca tea to counteract altitude sickness and where our guide will explain a little more about the area in which we are, then we are going to enjoy the Andean night sky to understand a little more about Andean astronomy. Then we will have dinner and then go to rest to be ready for the next day, which will be the hardest of the whole way (night camping in Soraypampa).

Estimated walking time: & nbsp; 6 to 7 hours.
Total distance: & nbsp; 16 km
Altitude of our camp: & nbsp; 3,900 masl.

DAY 2: SORAYPAMPA – SALKANTAY PASS – HUAYRAQMACHAY – CHAULLAY

After a succulent breakfast we prepare for our walk doing different stretching exercises, this will be a very long and hard day because we will reach the highest point of our tour, we have 04 hours of ascent from Soraypampa to the Salkantay pass (4,600 meters above sea level), during the ascent we will be able to appreciate different lagoons and we will appreciate the change of ecological level from the Quechua zone to the puna zone, if the climate favors us we will be able to appreciate the majestic Apu Salkantay (6,271 meters above sea level) which is one of the most important within the geography of the department of Cusco and one of the most important mountains within the Inka culture.

After an explanation about the area by our specialized guide, we will begin with the descent to the town of Huayracmachay, where we will have lunch, after a well-deserved nap we will continue with the descent to the town of Chaullay, where we will pass The second night, in this last part of the day we will appreciate the geographical change between the cold and dry zone that we were in the previous days towards the humid and tropical zone, we will also appreciate the change in the local flora and fauna, we will be able to appreciate different types of birds as well as different orchids, we will arrive at the campsite around 5:00 pm, as the day before we will have tea time and then dinner and overnight.

Estimated walking time: & nbsp; 8 to 9 hours.
Total distance: & nbsp; 21 km
Altitude of our camp: & nbsp; 2,750 masl.

DAY 3: CHAULLAY – COLPAPAMPA – SAHUAYACO – LUCMABAMBA

This day will be unique and unforgettable, because during the walk we will see a great variety of flora and fauna, starting from CHALLAY, passing through the COLLPAPAMPA community and continuing the descent through the local vegetation, observing the hot springs in a valley, near the course of the Santa Teresa River, where you can also see various varieties of orchids and large waterfalls, we will also feel climate change, because this day we will enter the area of ​​the jungle called “high jungle”, then we will arrive at Lucmabamba where we will have lunch made by our chef.

After lunch we will have the whole afternoon free to explore the area, visit coffee plantations, coca and many fruit trees, we will also be able to learn a little about the customs and traditions of the people who live in this area; Optional: Visit the thermal baths of Cocalmayo in Santa Teresa (this has an extra cost for transportation, it is prior coordination with your guide and you can decide once the lunch of the third day is finished).

Estimated walking time: & nbsp; 5 to 6 hours.
Total distance: & nbsp; 16 km
Altitude of our camp: & nbsp; 2,400 meters above sea level.

DAY 4: LUCMABAMBA – LLAQTAPATA (INCA SITE) – HYDROELECTRIC – AGUAS CALIENTES

On this day we will go up for about 3 hours, through an original Inca trail until we reach the first archaeological zone of this trail, in this part of the mountain we will observe a large amount of vegetation, flowers, shrubs, trees of high jungle until we reach the archaeological zone of Llactapata, once here we will have a panoramic view of Machu Picchu with a whole chain of mountains, a totally different view from the traditional photos that we all know, after having a guided visit of Llactapata and having After exploring this archaeological complex, we have to make an average descent of about 2 hours until we reach the hydroelectric plant where we will have the last lunch with our cook.

After lunch we will continue our walk towards the town of Aguas Calientes, this walk lasts 2 hours and 30 minutes, during this tour we will pass through Mandor, also known for its botanical gardens that show beautiful, colorful flowers and many species of orchids, and if you have time you could also visit the Mandor waterfalls, our arrival at the town of Machu Picchu will be at 5:00 PM average, where we will spend the night in a comfortable hotel with private rooms, shower hot water, cable TV and Wi-Fi. Around 7:00 PM, we will have dinner and last preparations for the most important day of our excursion, the visit to the sacred city of the Incas MACHUPICCHU !!!

Estimated walking time: & nbsp; 8 to 9 hours.
Total distance: & nbsp; 18 km
Altitude of our accommodation AC : & nbsp; 2,000 masl.

DAY 5: MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO

Very early after breakfast (5:00 am. approximately) we will begin the ascent for an hour of walk to the Inka citadel of Machupicchu, in this way we can be one of the first groups within the Inka city which will allow us enjoy the majestic sunrise, then we will have a guided tour of the most important Inca temples and palaces within the citadel of Machu Picchu, with your guide for approximately 02 hours, then you can explore the mysterious Inka city by Own account, (Optional to climb the mountain of Huaynapicchu extra cost $ 25 USD per person).
At the appropriate time we will descend from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes to board our return train to Ollantaytambo and from there by car to Cusco, our Average time to arrive in Cusco will be 8:00 PM, and then make the transfer to their respective hotels.

End of services.

Salkantay Trek Includes:

• ✅ Transfer by bus from the hotel in Cusco – Molletapa.
• ✅ Bilingual guide (English and Spanish).
• ✅ Bus ticket from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu .
• ✅ Food (04 breakfasts, 04 lunches and 04 dinners).
• ✅ Horses (only for equipment).
• ✅ Aguas Calientes train tickets ( Machu Picchu) – Cusco (Ollantaytambo).
• ✅ Entrance ticket to the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu.
• ✅ Bus ticket from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes.
• ✅ Kitchen tent.
• ✅ Tents.
• ✅ 01 night in a hostel in Aguas Calientes.

Salkantay Trek Does not include:

• ⛔ First breakfast.
• ⛔ Last lunch (in Aguas Calientes).
• ⛔ Sleeping bag.

Recommendations for & nbsp; Salkantay Trek:

• ➡️ Bring a small backpack with clothes for the 5 days.
• ➡️ Personal hygiene items.
• ➡️ Wear comfortable shoes, recommended trekking shoes.
• ➡️ Bring personal medicines and original passport.
• ➡️ Bottle of water and purifying tablets.
• ➡️ Raincoat in the rainy season (from October to March).
• ➡️ Flashlight, camera and batteries.
• ➡️ Warm clothes for the first and second day.
• ➡️ Swimsuit (if you want to visit the thermal baths).
• ➡️ Insect repellent.
• ➡️ Blocker or sunscreen.
• ➡️ Sun caps.
• ➡️ Toilet paper, small towel.
• ➡️ Snacks: Cookies, chocolates, etc.
• ➡️ Horses (to carry a tent, food and kitchen equipment)
• ➡️ Walking sticks.
• ➡️ Bring a sleeping bag.