Salkantay Trek To Machu Picchu 5 Days And 4 Nights

This trek runs beneath the magnificent Salkantay mountain (20,569ft), one of the highest and most stunning in the Andes. The Salkantay Trek was recently named on the National Geographic Ultimate Adventure bucket list – defined as “The 20 most extreme, hair-raising, legendary adventures on the planet.” It is a trek open to everybody, and the most popular alternative to the Inca Trail trek.

This offers 4 days of trekking through various landscapes including highlands, cloud forest, rain forest and dry mountain. Throughout the trek you have amazing views of Apu Salkantay, Pumasillo Mountain and Humantay Mountain, three of the most stunning peaks of the Vilcabamba Mountain range. 

Our trek includes the services of lodging in a very nice hotel on the fourth night of the trek, a very unique coffee plantation tour in the afternoon of day 3, and dinner at great restaurant in Aguas Calientes. 

DAY 1: We will pick you up from your hotel early in the morning and have a beautiful scenic drive of 3 hours duration to Mollepata. At Mollepata we will have breakfast at one of the local houses. After breakfast we will get back on the road for 1 hour and 45 minutes until we reach Soraypampa, the start of the trek. During this portion of the drive we will see our first views of Salkantay and Humantay Mountains.

At Soraypampa (12,467 ft) we will meet our support staff, who will pack everything for the trek and load the equipment onto horses. We begin our hike with a visit to Humantay lake. This is a 2 hour excursion.

After that expedition, we return to the trailhead and begin the hike to Salkantaypampa. We begin with a gentle 2 hour climb to Salkantaypampa, our lunch spot for the day. After lunch we ascend for 2 hours to Soyrococha (14,332 ft), our camp for the night. 

DAY 2: We start the day with breakfast. After that we are going to hike for 1 hour uphill to the highest point of the trek, the Salkantay pass (15,252 ft). At the top we are going to make an offering to Salkantay and talk about the Inca culture and why this spot is venerated. Our next task is a 2 hour downhill hike to Huayrac (12,464 ft), where we will have lunch. After lunch we will hike downhill for 4 hours until we reach our camp for the night, Colpapampa (10,170 ft). 

DAY 3: We are rewarded with a more gentle hike today. We will have breakfast and then hike 6 hours on gentle up and down segments. We will be hiking through the rain forest, following the path of the Santa Teresa river. Along this path you will see the most beautiful waterfall along the trek. We will reach Lucmabamba, our campsite for the evening, around noon. After lunch, we will do an incredible coffee tour at the plantation adjacent to the campsite. 

DAY 4: We will wake up early and have breakfast. Today´s hike starts with a moderate 3 ½ hour climb through the rain forest until we reach the Llactapata ruin (8,856 ft), where we will have a thorough tour. This is the location where you will have your first view of Machu Picchu in the far distance. Leaving Llactapata, we begin a 2 ½ hour descent to Hydro, where we will have lunch. At 3 pm we will board the train to Aguas Calientes. On arrival at Aguas Calientes you will check into your hotel. Dinner will be at a restaurant.

DAY 5: You will have breakfast at your hotel before we take a bus to Machu Picchu. Once there you will be given a 2 hour walking tour of the site. If you have elected to climb Huayna Picchu (subject to availability) you will begin the hike at 10 AM.  If you are not climbing the mountain you will have free time to explore Machu Picchu before you return to Aguas Calientes.

Once in Aguas Calientes you will board the train to Ollantaytambo. From Ollantaytambo you will travel by private van to Cusco.