Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu – 5 Day Hiking Adventure

5.0
(6 reviews)

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5 days (approximately)
Pickup offered
Offered in: English and 1 more

Embark on a once in a lifetime journey along the remote and majestic Salkantay Trail, a breathtaking 5 day trek to the legendary Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.
This ancient high Andean route, an alternative to the classic Inca Trail, winds through 15 stunning ecosystems, from lush cloud forests to dramatic high altitude passes above 2,100 m.
Along the way, you'll connect with welcoming local communities, discover hidden Inca archaeological sites, and immerse yourself in the spiritual energy of the Andes.
Your Salkantay adventure includes a certified guide, delicious meals, comfortable accommodations, entrance tickets, and all necessary transportation, so you can focus on the experience, not the logistics.

What's Included

Equipment: Eureka Timberline tents, two per tent.
Porters & Horsemen: A personal porter will carry your duffel bag.
Lunch (Optional[4])
Lunch
Dinner (Optional[4])
Dinner
Emergency Horse: An extra horse is available if you need a break.
Breakfast (Optional[5])
Breakfast
Transportation: All your transportation is included in this trek.
Professional bilingual guide
Briefing: Come to our office the night before your trek.
Tourist Train - Aguas Calientes - Ollantaytambo
Hotel: Three nights camping, one night in Aguas Calientes hotel.
Optional - Sleeping bag: USD $25
Optional - Inflatable air mat: USD $20
Optional - Walking sticks (pair): USD $20
Optional - Huayna Picchu Mountain $ 35
Food:Lunch the last day is not included.
Tips for driver and guide (optional)
Personal expenses

Meeting and pickup

Pickup points
You can choose a pickup location at checkout (multiple pickup locations are available).
Pickup details:

We will be picking you up from your hotel within the historic centre of Puno. Please Note: This service doesn't include pick up in private residencies, example; Airbnb or hotels that are outside the historic centre.

OR
Meeting point
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Duration: 5 days (approximately)
    Day 1

    Cusco - Challacancha - Sorayapmpa

    1 stop
  • 1

    We pick you up from your hotel and then we go the bus station and travel by bus for about 3 hours to Mollepata where we will have breakfast this firs breakfast need to be order in a local restaurant in Mollepata after that we take again the private transport until Challacancha where is going to start our trek. A 3 hour walk will take us to Soraypampa where we will have lunch with panoramic views of beautiful snow-capped mountains (Humantay; 4120m/13500ft and Salkantay; 6271m/20575ft) – just the start! We will begin our trek towards Soraypamapa, our first campsite (3800 m/11750ft; the highest and coldest campsite of the trip) taking in the beautiful landscape along the way as optional visit we will go to Humantay lake which is 1 hour walking from Soraypampa our first Campsite.

    7 hours • Admission ticket included
    • Day 2

    Sorayapampa - Chaullay or Collpampa (Mighty Salkantay)

    1 stop
  • 2

    We will have breakfast at around 5.30am and begin our walk to the highest pass on this trek (4650m/15200ft) located halfway between 2 huge mountains; Salkantay on the right and Tucarhuay on the left. From the pass, the views of the 2 snow-capped mountains are incredible. There is a possibility of snow here. After a rest, we will continue our walk (downhill) through a dramatic cloud forest towards Huayracpunku, where we will have lunch. We hike again after lunch in the direction of the start of the jungle until we reach our second campsite, Chaullay or Colcapampa (3000m/9800ft).

    8 hours • Admission ticket free
    • Day 3

    Chaullay - La Playa (The Coffee Plantation)

    1 stop
  • 3

    After breakfast, at 6.30am, we start trekking for the day through the upper jungle crossing the Lluskamayo River and a variety of little brooks to reach La Playa walking about 6 hours where we will Camp at a coffee plantation where we will learn about the process of the coffee so we will harvest, toast and ground the coffee as part of this trek . Today we will pass through valleys and have wonderful views of waterfalls, tropical fruits ,plants and as soon as we are at la playa place where we are going to camp at a coffee plantation, on the other hand the horses will go back to Mollepata. from here there are an optional thing to do so we can take a local bus to drive one hour to get to Santa Teresa where we can enjoy the natural hot spring ( bus fares and entrance fees to the the natural hot spring is not included in this tour).

    8 hours • Admission ticket included
    • Day 4

    La Playa Coffee Plantation to Llactapata or Santa Teresa - Hidroeletrica - Aguas Calientes

    1 stop
  • 4
    Aguas Calientes

    Highlights of today: The best day of the trek! We will try to get as early as possible to Llactapata. We hike up through a part of the original Inca trail and get some experience of the native people who live here in the area. Have a chance to harvest several fruits and have one of the best views of the Urubamba valley. See The Salkantay Mountain in the background and have your first glance on Machu Picchu! We will have breakfast at 8am and leave our campsite at la Playa we will walk for about 20 minutes to get to Lucmabamba so will do the original Inca Trail trail of Lacctapata from this place we can see Machupicchu and Huaynapicchu from far, after we arrive to Hydrolectric where we are going to have our lunch then we continue walking, passing a variety of crop plantations, coca, banana we will be walking about two and half hours along the train road till reaching Aguas Calientes town where we will spend the night in a hostel. In Aguas Calientes, you can take advantage of the thermal springs in the town (entrance 10 soles) a real treat after finishing the trek.

    12 hours • Admission ticket free
    • Day 5

    Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - Cusco

    1 stop
  • 5
    Machu Picchu

    We wake up early morning about 4 am to then to 4:30 to have the breakfast and leave to walk up to Machu Picchu which takes one and half hours up to Machu Picchu but there is another option to catch the first bus which leaves 5:30 to Machu Picchu (25-minutes long ) in order to appreciate the magnificent city as the sun is rising. A walking tour (approximately 2 hours) is given by your Guide and after this you can explore the mysterious city by yourselves. If you still have energy you can also climb Huayna Picchu (2720m/8890ft)!!! It takes 45 minutes to reach the top. Then you will take the train around 2:00pm, 4:00pm or 6:20pm according to the train Availability so you will arrive to Ollantaytamabo after 2 hours travelling so A private transport will wait for you and will take you back to Cusco to your Hotel.

    12 hours • Admission ticket free

Additional info

  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness
Supplied by Encuentros Peru Adventure

Tags

Multi-day Tours
Bus Tours
Private and Luxury
Historical Tours
Walking Tours
Archaeology Tours
Nature Walks
Adventure Tours
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Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

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Rating

5.0 Based on 6 6 reviews
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