8-Day Salkantay Trek

After breakfast, enjoy a free day to explore Cusco at your ease. The capital city of the Inca Empire is now the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, as well as the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city. You may visit the local archaeological sites of Saqsaywaman, Tambomachay and Qenqo or you can take part in a Peruvian cooking class or chocolate making class, depending on how you want to spend your free day. We can help arrange and suggest all activities available in this incredible imperial City.

Services Included:

Overnight: Jose Antonio Hotel. Accommodation in Standard Room with private bath.

Meals: Breakfast.

Our Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu begins when we pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at around 5 a.m. We’ll then travel in our private bus to Mollepata, which takes about four hours. It’s a lengthy trip, but it’s needed to get out to this relatively remote region. On the way, you’ll be able to enjoy the wonderful scenery, including views of the Izcuchaca and Limatambo mountain ranges.

Eventually we’ll arrive at the colorful Andean village of Mollepata, where the trailhead for our Salkantay trek begins. Here we’ll met our horsemen, porters and cooks. Setting off, we’ll trek for about three hours until we reach Cruzpata, where we will have lunch with panoramic views of the beautiful snow-capped mountains of Humantay and Salkantay, and can visit Humantay Lake. Our specialized chefs not only produce the most delicious food but also use locally sourced ingredients from the nearby villages so that we are directly contributing to the areas where we trek. Heading onwards, we’ll trek until we reach our first campsite at Soraypampa, taking in the beautiful landscape along the way. We’ll set up camp and later have dinner, surrounded by mesmerizing scenery.

Hiking Time: .4-5 hours approx.

Hiking Distance: 7 Km / 4.35 miles

Lowest Point: 9,906 m / 10,521 ft

Highest Point: 4,220 m / 13,845 ft

Services Included:

Transport: Cusco – Mollepata

Tour Guide: Spanish/English.

Horsemen and mules: They carry cooking and camping equipment.

Overnight: Soraypampa Camp.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

We will wake early and have breakfast around 5:30 a.m. We have a long day of trekking ahead of us, through some of the most incredible scenery in Peru. This will be our most challenging day, as we ascend to the highest point on the trail.

We first make the climb to a mountain pass at 4,650 m (15,200 ft) – the highest location on the trek. From here, we’ll have sublime views of two huge snow-capped mountains: Salkantay on the right and Tucarhuay on the left. After a rest and time to enjoy the views, we will continue our walk downhill through a dramatic cloud forest towards Huayracpunku, also known as Huayracmachay, where we will have lunch. We’ll then set off again, trekking for about three hours through jungle-like scenery until we reach our second campsite, Colcapampa, at 3,000 m (9,800 ft). If our group has made good progress, we might have time to push on to alternative campsites at Challway or Andenes. Wherever we decide to stop, we’ll set up the camp and prepare a big meal, a well-deserved reward after a hard day of trekking.

Hiking Time: 8 hours approx.

Hiking Distance: 16 Km / 9.94 miles

Lowest Point: 3,000 m / 9,800 ft

Highest Point: 4,650 m / 15,200 ft

Services Included:

Tour Guide: Spanish/English.

Horsemen and mules: They carry cooking and camping equipment.

Overnight: Challway or Andenes Camp.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Waking at 6: 30 a.m., we’ll have a hearty breakfast before setting off. Today, much of our trekking takes us through a region of jungle known as the “ceja de selva” or eyebrow of the jungle: the swathe of jungle that lies between the Andes and the Amazon rainforest. We’ll cross the Lluskamayo River and find ourselves in a world of waterfalls, tropical fruits and colorful birds. If we’re lucky, we might even see a cock of the rock, Peru’s national bird. The temperature will be much warmer here, and the various waterfalls and creeks provide plenty of opportunities to cool down with a refreshing splash in their crystalline waters.

We’ll stop for lunch and then continue trekking for three more hours, until we reach our last campsite at the village of La Playa, at 2,500 m (8,202 ft). At La Playa you’ll have plenty of free time to relax and enjoy the nearby hot springs: the perfect way to soothe those aching muscles! Later we’ll have dinner and then turn in for the night, relaxed and ready for our final day of trekking.

Hiking Time: 6 hours approx.

Hiking Distance: 15 Km / 9.32 miles

Lowest Point: 2,500 m / 8,202 ft

Highest Point: 3,000 m / 9,800 ft

Services Included:

Tour Guide: Spanish/English.

Horsemen and mules: They carry cooking and camping equipment.

Overnight: La Playa Camp.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

On our final day of trekking, we’ll have breakfast at 6:30 a.m. before setting off towards Llactapata. It will be a steady three-hour climb, and as we ascend we’ll have wonderful views of the Santa Teresa Valley below us. Eventually we’ll reach Llactapata, an impressive Inca ruin that may have served as an important resting place and roadside shrine on the journey to Machu Picchu, which it is connected to, via the Inca Trail. From here we get our very first glimpse of our final destination: Machu Picchu in the distance, an inspiring sight indeed!

After a rest and time to take photos, we will continue along a downhill trail for about two hours, passing plantations of coffee cocoa, bananas and other native crops are grown. Eventually we’ll reach the Hydroelectric Station, a well-known point along various routes to Machu Picchu, where we’ll have lunch. Then we will walk for a couple more hours until we reach Aguas Calientes, the lively town that sits below Machu Picchu.

After checking in to your hotel you’ll have some free time, so you can explore the town and, if you like, visit the nearby hot springs. We’ll have dinner in one of the many great, local restaurants in Aguas Calientes, and then you can return to your hotel for an early night before our final day -- and our tour of the magnificent Machu Picchu.

Hiking Time: 6 hours approx.

Hiking Distance: 12 Km / 7.45 miles

Lowest Point: 2, 040 m / 6,692 ft

Highest Point: 2,400 m / 7,874 ft

Services Included:

Tour Guide: Spanish/English.

Overnight Hatun Inti Boutique. Accommodation in Suite Room with private bath.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Wake up early for breakfast before our guide will pick you up from your hotel at 5:40 am to begin the short bus journey to the gates of Machu Picchu where you will watch the sunrise. After entering the Citadel begin a guided walking tour (approximately two hours) of the citadel complex. After this experience, enjoy some free time to explore the mysterious city as you please.

Then, you will take the bus down to Aguas Calientes for lunch later we will board the train back to Poroy. Upon your arrival at the train station, we will pick you up and take you back to your hotel in Cusco.

Services Included:

Bus Tickets Consetur: Aguas Caliente – Machu Picchu – Aguas Caliente (Per route: 25 minutes)

Tour Guide: Spanish/English

Entrance Fee: Machu Picchu City.

Train Tickets: Aguas Calientes – Poroy (Expedition Train – 3.5 hours)

Transport: Poroy Train Station – Hotel in Cusco (30 minutes).

Overnight: Jose Antonio Hotel. Accommodation in Standard Room with private bath.

After breakfast enjoy your last day at leisure before transferring to the airport for your return flight home via Lima.

Services Included:

Transport: Hotel – Cusco Airport (20 minutes).