Main Info
OVERVIEW AND HIGHLIGHTS:
One of the most incredible ways to visit Machu Picchu is by doing the Salkantay trek. This 4-day, 3-night trekking route crosses the imposing Salkantay snow-capped mountain and then reaches the Wonder of the World.
The Salkantay trek owes its name to the Salkantay mountain, also known as Salcantay or Sallqantay, in Quechua. It is the highest peak in the Vilcabamba mountain range and is called the wild mountain.
This is because the word Sallqantay means wild or invincible. It has mountains of glacial origin, lagoons and crosses the Amazon rainforest, making it one of the most beautiful and interesting hikes in all of Peru.
INCLUDED:
- Professional Bilingual English-speaking tour guide
- Pre-Departure Briefing at your hotel 1 or 2 days before your trek
- Pick up from your hotel and transportation to the beginning of the trek
- Warm meals during the trip
- 3 Breakfast, 3 lunches, 3 dinners tea and snacks
- Boiled Water at every campsite
- Tents. TWO PEOPLE IN EACH TENT
- Tables, chairs and kitchen equipment
- Chef, muleteers and horses
- Horses (to carry our belongings, duffels bag, food and equipment)
- 01-night hotel in Aguas Calientes
- Round trip bus from Aguas Calientes to Machupicchu
- Entrance ticket to Machupicchu, Salkantay and Humantay Lake
- Train ticket from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo (Expedition or Voyager service)
- Return transportation from Ollantaytambo to your hotel in Cusco
- First-aid and oxygen kit
- Duffel bag
NOT INCLUDED:
- Breakfast on the 1rst day
- Lunch and dinner on the 4th day
- Sleeping bag (Available for renting) = $20USD
- Inflatable Mattress (Available for renting) = $20USD
- Trekking poles (Available for renting) = $5USD per each
- Huayna Picchu entrance fee: if you would like to climb this mountain an additional fee of $80USD per person applies.
- Guided for Huaynapicchu = $30USD
- Vistadome train this upgrade is an additional cost of $75USD
- Tips for chefs, muleteers and trek guides.
- Personal Snacks
- Travel insurance
WHAT TO BRING AND ADVICES:
- It is really advisable and important that you arrive in Cusco at least 2 days prior to the trek, in order to acclimatize to the altitude.
- Just in case, you can take personal medication for altitude sickness, you will find some drug stores at the main street Av El Sol or near to the main square of Cusco.
- Please make sure to inform us about your health/food/physical restrictions in advance so we can prepare them for you.
- If you pay the remaining balance, it is advisable to carry some cash. You can get some money at the ATMs located in the center of Cusco City.
- Be always ready for rain and cold, take some rain poncho waterproof clothes and warm clothes.
- Insect repellent, some mosquitos are really annoying especially at lower altitude. You will probably visit Machupicchu so this advice is for you.
- Original Passport is very important to enter to Machupicchu
- Extra money is advisable just in case to buy souvenirs or in case of emergency.
- Camera and Memory cards (recommended)
- Rechargeable batteries and adapters (recommended)
- Small towel and swim wear
- Hiking boots, walking shoes (with ankle protectors, recommended)
- Sun block
- Sunglasses
- Flashlight (headlight recommended).
Itinerary
We start this amazing adventure with the pickup from your hotel at 5am, this will be a ride of two hours approximately until we arrive to Mollepata community, Where We will have our first breakfast which is not included, after breakfast we continue on transportation to Challacancha where is the starting point of the hike. Here we meet the chef and muleteers and need to check our luggage, pack the horses, and begin the long ascent to our campsite. Three hours and a half approximately to arrive at our campsite, on the way you will hike the original Inca trail Canal. The experience is unique, you will be part of nature and see far away the Salkantay mountain which is breathtaking at first glance. After this we will arrive to our campsite where we will be waiting for you, you will get the accommodation and we will have the lunch to recover energy, you will have some free time until we will start our hike up to Humantay Lake, this will take two hours to hike up and one hour on the way back approximately. You will enjoy the beauty of Humantay Lake which is located on the bottom of the snowcapped Humantay Mountain. It is quite cold as you can imagine but the view is unique and worthy. Back to our campsite, you can change your clothes and then you will enjoy a delicious dinner. After dinner, our tour guide will brief the itinerary for the next day, which is a hike moderate to challenging.
MEALS: Lunch, Dinner
NIGHT: Soraypampa Campsite.
ACTIVITY LEVEL: Moderate to Challenge
WALKING DISTANCE: 10 km/6.21 mi
WALKING TIME: 5 or 6 hours
MINIMUM ELEVATION: 3,800 m/12,467 ft
MAXIMUM ELEVATION: 4,200 m/13,780 ft
BASECAMP ELEVATION: 3,900 m/12,975 ft
This day, you will wake up early, be ready and prepared for this beautiful experience. You will enjoy the delicious breakfast and start the hike up to the Salkantay Pass. You will pass through the Salkantay Pampa and continue zip zap up to the Summit. We will take some breaks along the way to enjoy the nature of the stunning mountains, time for pictures and a proper guiding explanation and of course to recover some energy. Once you arrive at the pass you will reach 4,630m/15,228 ft. Now you can take beautiful pictures with the snowcapped Salkantay mountain. Then we will continue our hike to Wayracmachay all the way down. The landscape will change a little bit and you will notice it. Once there you will have a delicious lunch. Our chefs will surprise you. After recovering some energy, We need to continue all the way down. You will find that the temperature will improve considerably because of the low altitude, our campsite is located at 2900m/9514 ft. So it is quite nice in contrast to the first base camp. You can rest and get ready for dinner, where our tour guide will brief the itinerary for the next day.
TEXTOS MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
NIGHT: Chaullay Campsite
ACTIVITY LEVEL: Challenging
WALKING DISTANCE: 24 km/13.67mi
WALKING TIME: 11/12 hours
MINIMUM ELEVATION: 2,900m/9,514ft
MAXIMUM ELEVATION: 4,600 m/15,190 ft
BASECAMP ELEVATION: 3000m /9,842 ft
After a challenging day, we will wake up early in the morning to have a delicious breakfast. This day will be for relaxing, the trail is beautiful and the vegetation is very dense and we will see a variety of orchids and impressive waterfalls approximately 80 meters high. We will hike all the way down through the Santa Teresa Valley to Lucmabamba where we will have lunch and board the transportation to Hifroelectrica. In the afternoon, we continue walking towards Aguas Calientes for 2 hours (12 kilometers) where we will spend the night in a proper hotel. The dinner is Included and your tour guide will give you important information for the next day. The main reason for this program: Machupicchu.
MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
NIGHT: Hotel in Aguas Calientes (Standard).
ACTIVITY LEVEL: Difficult
WALKING DISTANCE: 27km/16.78mi
WALKING TIME: 8 or 9 hours
MINIMUM ELEVATION: 2000m/6,560 ft
MAXIMUM ELEVATION: 3,000m/9,842 ft
AGUAS CALIENTES ELEVATION: 2,040m /6,693 ft
TEXTOSWe wake up early in the morning (depending on the time of our entrance). Some of you will want to
hike to the entrance to Machupicchu which can take one hour and a half. Some of You will want to take the first bus (5:30am) from Aguas Calientes to the Machupicchu Citadel, usually 30 minutes by bus. Our guide will thoroughly guide you through the Machupicchu archeological site for about 2 hours, then time to come back to Aguas Calientes town where You can get lunch (not included in the program) and in the afternoon we will take the train to Ollantaytambo, you need to be at the Aguas Calientes train station 30 minutes in advance. A representative of our company will meet you at the train station in Ollantaytambo town then We will take You back to Cusco in proper tourist transportation. We will leave you at your hotel.
MEALS: Breakfast
NIGHT: Not included
ACTIVITY LEVEL: Moderate
WALKING DISTANCE: 7km/ 3.11mi
WALKING TIME: 2 hours approx.
MINIMUM ELEVATION: 2040m/ 6690ft
MAXIMUM ELEVATION: 2430m/ 7970 ft
