SALKANTAY TREK 5D/4N

DAY 1: CUSCO - CHACLLACANCHA - SORAYPAMPA (L-D):

Begins bright and early, with a private bus pick-up from your hotel at 4:30am. The bus is comfortable, and most passengers continue to rest until 7:30am, when we arrive in Mollepata for a country-style breakfast (not included). After passing the park checkpoint, we drive another hour to begin our hike at Challacancha, in the dry foothills of the Andes. Here, we’ll spend a bit of time getting to know each other and loading the pack horses with our food and personal gear while the guide tells us about the upcoming day.

Our morning walk is a leisurely three hours, mostly following an aqueduct along a flat path on the side of the hills. We’ll arrive at our first camp around 1:30pm, a set of glass-roofed cabins with views of both Humantay and Salkantay glaciers and the immense Inkan stars a bit later in the night. Here, we’ll have a short rest and lunch of soup, mains, salads, and tea.

In the afternoon, we’ll walk directly uphill from camp for about an hour and a half to Humantay Lake. The incline is steep, but traverses past local houses and many views that encourage rest stops along the way. At the top, the magnificent Humantay lake sits below Humantay glacier, reflecting it back upon itself. Panoramic views of glaciers, high peaks, and valleys more than rewards the climb.

In the evening, the guide will give us a briefing of the next day over another homemade, three-course meal. After meeting the chefs, hikers often spend the evening playing cards, chatting, or watching the stars.

Distance: 12 km / 7.5 miles

Walking time: 5-6 hours, depending on your pace and stops

Starting elevation: 3,600 m / 11,811 feet

Highest elevation: 4,200 m / 12,795 ft

Camping altitude: 3,850 m / 12,834ft

DAY 2: SORAYPAMPA - SALKANTAY PASS - COLLPAPAMPA (B-L-D):

It's another early 4:50am start; but this time, your guide will wake you with hot coca tea at your cabin door. Breakfast is hearty and waiting for you in the dining room, and the horses are loaded while you eat. At 5:45, we’ll start walking; with the moon setting over the glacier behind us, and the sun rising on the glacier in front.

It’s a steady three-hour ascent to the highest point of our hike: Abra Salkantay. You’ll pass over flats with shallow rivers and home-made wooden bridges, boulders, traditional stone fences, and various types of alpine grasses. At the pass, we’ll take a rest stop and bask in the magnificent views of the four surrounding glacial mountains. Your guide will take this opportunity to provide some history – both geographical and cultural – of the area.

The walk continues downhill by a gully to reach a small homestead, where our chefs are waiting with lunch ready. After six hours walking, this rest is well-deserved, and the three-course meal appreciated. This is our last meal in the high, dry alpine landscape before descending into the High Amazon.

The afternoon walk is wetter, warmer, and greener. For hikers who’ve come from Cuzco, entering this dense, viney landscape is a welcome change. Your guide will find and explain the uses of many of the plants we’ll begin to pass by, which range from poisonous, to edible, to bug-repelling, to hallucinogenic to medicinal.

After three hours, we’ll arrive at a green flat with glamping tents set in a semi-circle above a gorge. Dinner features local vegetables, allowing jungle (rather than Andean) cuisine. Again, we’ll hear about the plan for the following day, and campers often socialize a bit longer with a beer form the small adjoining shop.

Distance: 22 km / 13.7 miles

Walking time: 10 hours, depending on your pace and stops

Starting elevation: 3,850 m / 12,834 ft

Highest elevation: 4,630 m / 15,190 ft

Camping altitude: 2,900 m / 9,500 ft

DAY 3: COLLPAPAMPA - PLAYA SAHUAYACO (B-L-D):

A later start, you’ll be brought coca tea at 6am. We’ll begin hiking at 7am, following the valley down past a now-roaring Ollantaytambo river. We’ll spot natural hot springs dotted along the cliffside above the river and see local farmers and communities carrying out their daily life. We’ll stop for a snack at a granadilla farm. Big swings and a rustic pulley & suspension bridge provides opportunities to see the river from above for the brave hearted.

We’ll follow this jungle-path – rife with wild strawberries, granadillas, and orchids – until we reach a farm cottage where a driver awaits us with a minivan. A short drive takes us into coffee-country, and we’ll arrive at our accommodation around 1pm. After another large lunch, this time with avocados from the trees at the property, we’ll get changed and head to the local hot springs.

The natural hot springs are a perfect remedy for our tired bodies: with three different warm pools, and a cold river diverted to free-flowing showers for the hot-cold experience. We’ll spend up to 2 hours here, and end with Cañazo shots – a Peruvian sugar spirit. Feeling relaxed in body and mind, we’ll return to our waiting dinner at our accommodation.

Distance: 14 km / 8.7 miles

Walking time: 6-7 hours, depending on your pace and stops

Starting elevation: 2,900 m / 9500 ft

Camping altitude: 2,060 m / 6,759 ft

DAY 4: PLAYA SAHUAYACO - HIDROELECTRICA - AGUAS CALIENTES (B-L-D):

Is another big hike with an early start. Again, coca tea wakes us at 4:50am, and breakfast is ready at 5:30am. We’ll be walking by 6am, winding up through coffee plantations and orchards of local fruit. Your guide will explain the different types of coffee bean produced in this region, and the companion planting methods used in their growth. After a wakeful 30 minutes of steep uphill, we’ll reach the main path. This path winds high with stunning views of the massive mountains on all sides. We’ll stop after two more hours, reaching the highest point of this first ridge for a short break and a local coffee.

Another hour and a half take us to a small site of ruins, which haven’t been restored and so sit deep under vines and long jungle grass. A clearing next to this provides spectacular views over the gullies to Machu Pichu on the facing peak. This perspective of the famous ruins, from above and couched in the surrounding mountains, is a highlight for many hikers.

Lunch waits for us after another two hours steep descent through a hotter, denser jungle. We’ll have a menu del día of local food, as we sit on a balcony surrounded by banana palms and large jungle flowers. If we’re lucky, the famous Machu Picchu train might pass less than a metre in front of the restaurant while we dine.

After a rest in the hammocks at the restaurant, we’ll follow the river for three hours to reach Aguas Calientes. This route follows the trainline, and weaves under massive fig trees and thick canopies. The more adventurous hikers may choose to have an impromptu dip in one of the inlet streams along the way – with the glacier-water providing a refreshing change to the heavy jungle heat.

In Aguas Calientes, we’ll shower and rest in a three-star hotel, before meeting in a local restaurant for dinner. Over traditional food and drinks, the guide will give a brief history of Machu Picchu and point out a few of the more interesting features of the ruins that we should look for the following day.

Distance: 25 km / 15.5 miles

Walking time: 6-7 hours, depending on your pace and stops

Starting elevation: 2,060 m / 6,759 ft

Highest elevation: 2,800 m / 9,186 ft

Accommodation altitude: 2,040 m / 6,693 ft

DAY 5: AGUAS CALIENTES - MACHU PICCHU - CUSCO (B):

Start your morning early with an unforgettable hike from Aguas Calientes to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. Follow a scenic uphill trail featuring a series of stone steps surrounded by lush vegetation and beautiful mountain scenery.

Upon reaching Machu Picchu, enjoy a guided tour with your professional guide, exploring the most important areas of this ancient Inca wonder. Discover its fascinating history, impressive architecture, sacred temples, agricultural terraces, and ceremonial spaces while learning about the Inca civilization.

After your visit, descend on foot to Aguas Calientes, where you will have free time to enjoy lunch (not included), explore the town, or relax before your journey back.

In the afternoon, board your train to Ollantaytambo. Upon arrival, our transportation will be waiting to take you back to Cusco, with drop-off at your hotel. Expected arrival in Cusco: approximately 6:30–7:00 p.m., depending on train schedules.

Distance: 4 km / 2.5 miles

Walking time: 3.5 hours, depending on your pace and stops

Starting elevation: 2,040 m / 6,693 ft

Machu Picchu elevation: 2,430 m / 7,970 ft