Salkantay Trek To Machu Picchu 5 Days & 4 Nights

First Day: Cusco – Mollepata – Challacancha – Soraypampa – Humantay Lake

Starting of picking-up and departuring from Cusco at 04:00 – 05:30 am, in the morning the bus will go through small towns and communities such as Izcuchaca, Limatambo and Mollepata a short break for breakfast, 40 minutes and drive to Challacancha (3600 m.a.s.l) the starting point of the hike, to get the best views in the upper part of the valley to appreciate the panoramic views of the entire valley of Limatambo, native people and other snow-capped mountains in the Andes, after from a brief introduction of our staff, the walking is through the vegetation and a narrow path between the dark hills, much of the path is flat and flat at the edge of the water channel to Soraypampa, in this place we will have the trails winding, They are considered original Inca roads that connect the Peruvian coast and the oldest cities of the Inca period, following the narrow path and colorful landscapes in the Limatambo valley, in the afternoon resting for ascending or walking up to the lagoon, we will take a rest and pleasant time, it is recommended for the views and the sunset, before the evening we descend to the camp for dinner and spend the night in the tents in Soraypampa (3900 m)

• Meals: lunch and dinner
• Total distance: 12 – 13 km (7 miles approx.)
• Walking time: 6 -7 hours
• Mini. Low point: 3600 m
• Max. Altitude Point: 4,200 m (13,799 ft)
• Camping altitude: 3,900 m (12,795 ft)

Second Day: Soraypampa – Salkantay Pass – Chaullay

Next day in the morning after having a nutritious breakfast, we will start the trek to the top of the route (7 km / 4hrs), during the ascent it is clear to appreciate the first view of the Salkantay mountain, we will begin our walking towards the base of white peak and Salkantay (6271m / 20569ft), crossing Salkantaypampa, and then begining the steep climb to Soyroccocha, right next to the breathtaking views of the Salkantay glacier (4600m / 15088ft), the highest trek, In addition to enjoy the breathtaking views of the surrounding glaciers and the snowy peaks of the Vilcabamba mountain range, you can see the Amazon rainforest, and you can also see chinchillas and condors in their natural habitat. From the highest point we will start to descent to wayracpampa the lunch place. This place is in the middle of the day’s stretch, from this point; We will start to descend towards a more tropical climate and in the so-called cloud forest. Along the route, we can see the remains of an ancient Inca trail, which is approximately 3 meters wide, enjoying increasingly abundant vegetation, passing by waterfalls. After the last 3 hours hike we will arrive at the second night camp to the town of Chaullay the base camp is located at 2,900 m.a.s.l – 9,514 ft.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Total distance: 22 km (13.50 miles)
• Walking time: 8-9 hours
• Max. Altitude Point: 4,600 m (15,090 ft)
• Camping altitude: 2,900 m (9,514 ft)

Third Day: Chaullay – The Beach – Santa Teresa – Thermal Baths

Chaullay in the cloud forest, in the early morning we start walking towards the beach, crossing the small town called Collpapampa, where the Salkantay river becomes the Santa Teresa River. After a short break, we continue our descent to the banks of the Totora River, after passing the waterfalls in Coripacchi, the settlement in Wiñaypoko where there are many varieties of fruits such as passion fruit, mango, banana, avocado and also coffee, at noon we will reach the small town of La Playa for lunch and continue the bus trip (1 hour) to Santa Teresa Huaquiña (1600 m.a.s.l) in the afternoon it is optional to go to the thermal baths after enjoying the hot springs, we will return to the camp site for our Dinner and overnight in the tents.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Total distance: 12 km (7.50 miles)
• Walking time: 5-7 hours
• Max. Altitude Point: 2,900 m (9,692 ft)
• Camping altitude: 2,000 m (6,560 ft)

Fourth Day: Santa Teresa – Hydroelectric – Aguas Calientes

After enjoying breakfast, on this day it is optional to zipline / zipline for 2 hours before hiking (it is not included in the tour), the hike is next to the river following the dirt road to the Hydroelectric, in hydroelectric we will have lunch after lunch the last 3 hours walking is surrounded by the lower valley of the Machupicchu complex where there is a large amount of biodiversity of plants, orchids and wildlife such as Bears, Capisos, butterflies and Pumas.

Next to the train line to the town of Aguas Calientes, the road is next to the river we can enjoy the view towards the mountain of Huaynapicchu and majestic Machupicchu Mountain. Early arrival to Aguas Calientes, accommodation is waiting for us in comfortable hostel in Aguas Calientes.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Accommodation: Hotel.
• Maximum altitude: 2000 meters above the sea level.
• Minimum altitude: 1,600 meters above the sea level.
• Distance traveled: 18 km approx.

Fifth Day: Aguas Calientes / Machu Picchu To Cusco

We will wake up early for visiting Machupicchu, a guided tour. Machupicchu citadel will last approximately 2 or 3 hours. Then, you will have free time to walk, climb the mountain or Huaynapicchu, from where you can see spectacular views of Machupicchu, the valleys and the mountains that surrounds it (note that there are only 400 visitors allowed per day to visit Huaynapicchu and Machupicchu mountain, or the door of the sun and the impressive Inca Bridge In the afternoon, returning to Aguas Calientes then boarding the train to Ollantaytambo and finally boarding the bus 2 hours back to Cusco Regocijo main square (plazaleta regocijo)

Please Note: We always do our best to follow the fixed itinerary, however it may change from time to time based on temporary weather and park restrictions, camping availability, weather, road closures, guest capacity / injuries and natural events such as fires and floods.

Private Service Prices

Price per person  US$600.00 (adults)

Private Service Prices

• 2 people    US$ 789 per person
• 3 people    US$ 730 per person
• 4 people    US$ 710 per person
• 5 people    US$ 690 per person
• 6 people    US$ 660 per person
• 7 people    US$ 620 per person
• 8+ people  US$ 600 per person

THE PROGRAM INCLUDES:

• Briefing (meeting) where our guide will explain you about the walking and giving you the maps. The briefing is scheduled one night before your trip and it is mandatory! Otherwise, we will not be responsible for any type of misunderstanding in the information given and received!
• Pick up from the hostel in Cusco and transferring to the starting point of the trek.
• Entrance ticket for the Salkantay and Machu Picchu network.
• Professional guide in bilingual tourism.
• Additional guide for groups over 9 people.
• Expert cook in roads.
• Assistant chef for groups over 9 people
• Rider with his horses that load the camping equipment and food.
• Food during the journey: 4x breakfast, 4x lunch, 4x dinner (the fourth day we will have dinner at a restaurant.
• Vegetarian option is free; just inform us in advance, please.
• First aid kit plus sensitometer.
• Oxygen balloon.
• Camping equipment: 2 people tents, mattresses, chairs, tables
• Kitchen equipment: kitchen tent, dining tent, kitchen utensil, cutlery, dishes.
• Hostel in Aguas Calientes.
• Machu Picchu guided tour of approximately 2 ½ hours.
• Expedition train returning from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo.
• Transfer of arrival of the train station to Cusco (plazaleta regocijo).

THE SERVICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:

• Breakfast on the first day and lunch and dinner on the fifth day.
• Drinks not mentioned in the tour.
• Bus up and down from / to Aguas Calientes to / from Machu Picchu
• Train from the Hydroelectric Station to Aguas Calientes
• Entrance to Huaynapicchu
• Entrance to the mountain Machupicchu
• Sleeping bag (you can rent one of us – prices below).
• Canes (you can rent from us – prices below).
• Tips to the staff (in Peru they are tips part of remuneration, for this reason they are expected, but they are not obligatory).
• Entrance to the thermal baths in Aguas Calientes
• Entrance to Huayna Picchu (you can order it additionally – see below).
• Extra transportation used in the walk.

• Entrance to Huayna Picchu
• Mountain entrance
• Rent an extra horse to help with loading personal equipment
• Rent a sleeping bag
• Rent a cane
• If you want to extend your stay in Aguas Calientes (the town just below Machu Picchu), contact us to get hostel prices).