5 Day Salkantay Trek

Be ready for Salkantay Trek 5 Days! You will be pick around 4:00am! Travel comfortably with blankets in our transport for some more rest before we make a brief stop in Mollepata for an optional breakfast. After two hours, we’ll continue on to Challacancha to start the hike!

After meeting the cooks and horsemen, and doing a last equipment check, you’ll be ready to begin your adventure! Start off with a moderate three-hour walk to Soraypampa (3,900 m /12,795 ft), your first stopping point for the night. This section is relatively flat with a slight bit of uphill through a deep valley of glaciers. You’ll notice that much of the trail follows an ancient Inca water channel, which local farmers still make use of today! This segment is 7 km (4.35 mi) overall.

Once you arrive at Soraypampa, you’ll settle in at our exclusive Sky Camp for the night. Take a bit of time to rest after having your first lunch in the mountains. Then head out on the hike up to the incredibly beautiful Humantay Lake (4,200 masl/13,780 fasl), feeling refreshed and ready to go!

The round trip to Humantay Lake will take around 3 hours and covers 3 km/1.86 mi – it’s not a long walk but you need to take things slowly at this altitude. Once you arrive, you’ll have some time to enjoy the breathtaking scenery. The turquoise waters against the backdrop of the Humantay glacier is something you won’t find anywhere else in the Andes!

Back at camp, you’ll enjoy a delicious dinner with a beautiful sunset as your company. You can’t describe the feeling you get here, but you’ll understand it once you arrive. Then it’ll be time to settle in to your Sky Camp igloo, with a glass roof that looks out over a night sky full of stars, constellations and comets. Wake up to see the Apu Salkantay watching over you – it’s an experience like no other!

Start your day with an energizing cup of coca tea to get you going and a nourishing breakfast. Then it’s time to set off on the trek to the route’s highest point, the Salkantay Pass at 4,630m/15,190ft. You’ll have to navigate 7 km/4.34 mi over 3 hours up the aptly named ‘Trail of the 7 Snakes’ – its winding path makes for a difficult ascent!

Reach the top of the route and your eyes will be met with a magnificent view – valleys, Salkantay Mountain (6,271 m/20,574 ft), the second-highest in the Cusco region and one of its Apus, as well as Humantay, Tucarhuay and Pumasillo mountains. Take a break to appreciate all you see before heading downhill for 7 km/4.35 mi to Huayracmachay (3,850 m/12,631 ft) and an array of fantastic views.

After a re-energizing lunch, you’ll enter the edge of the Amazon jungle, otherwise known as the ‘cloud forest’. This 8 km/4.97 mi stretch will take around 3 hours and features a magical tropical forest with a dramatic landscape change from the Andes to Amazon. Witness colorful scenery, unique wildlife, and native plants as you find the climate becoming much warmer!

After a long day of hiking, you’ll be relieved to reach Chaullay (2,900 m/9,514 ft) where a hearty meal awaits you before settling in for the night with your Andean hut and peaceful village.

You’ll be woken at 6:00 am for tea and breakfast before setting off from the campsite. Your first destination is La Playa, where you’ll walk through the Santa Teresa Valley. Enjoy a more leisurely, picturesque stroll with more downs than ups as you take in the lush landscape of rivers, waterfalls, orchids, and various plantations including banana, coffee, and avocado!

Passing through a small village named Colpapampa and descend through the valley to observe waterfalls, birds, hot springs, fruit trees and plenty of flora and fauna. With a bit of luck, you might even catch sight of Peru’s national bird – the Cock of the Rock!

In La Playa, you’ll devour a tasty lunch before making the hour-long trek to Lucmabamba (2,000 m / 6.562 ft). This will be your camp for the night and you’ll have the afternoon free to explore its lush tropical surroundings, visit an organic coffee farm (which is especially perfect for those who are coffee lovers), take in the delightful smell of oranges and avocados in their many plantations and more! The main farming industry in the jungle exports products to places all around the US, Asia and Europe.

Once you’re ready for bed after dinner, you’ll be settling down for the night in one of our exclusive campsites – the Jungle Domes. Here, you’ll be able to hear the many sounds of nature and feel at one with the earth as you look up at the stars through the top of your dome-shaped bed.

You’ll be eager to put on your hiking boots for your last day of trekking after you’ve filled up on fuel at breakfast. This morning you’ll be able to walk along a bit of the original, world-famous Inca Trail! After a 2 hour uphill climb and fascinating views over the Santa Teresa Valley, you’ll reach Llactapata (2,700 m / 8,858 ft), an Inca archaeological site right in front of Machu Picchu.

At Llactapata, you’ll be able to learn all about the mysteries of the ancient Inca culture and get an exciting first glimpse of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu. Your guide will be on hand to fill you in on all the history of the Incas, while you take photos to share your fantastic experiences with friends and family back home.

After the trek down, you’ll get a couple more peeks at Machu Picchu. After lunch, you’ll head for Hidroeléctrica (1,800 m / 5,906 ft). Here you’ll be able to see the impressive 250-meter-tall artificial waterfall that generates electricity for the city of Cusco – making your anticipation for tomorrow’s visit to Machu Picchu even stronger!

Once in Hidroeléctrica, you have two options:

If you’re tired out after all the trekking, you can opt to board a train to Aguas Calientes (US$ 34.00 extra).

If you want to enjoy the last stretch of the trek, you can take a 3-hour flat walk along the side of the tracks to Aguas Calientes – giving you one more chance to enjoy your warm jungle surroundings as you hike.

Along the way, you’ll see Inhuatana, an ancient rock that the Incas used as a sundial. It worked in tandem with the sundial stone at Machu Picchu to measure and read the winter solstice – signifying the beginning of farming season for the Incas. You’ll then reach the train tracks leading to Aguas Calientes where you will enjoy dinner at a restaurant and spend a comfortable night in a hotel.

You’re finally going to visit one of the New 7 Wonders of the World and UNESCO World Heritage Site – Machu Picchu! To make sure you beat the crowds and enjoy the serenity of the site in the early morning light, be sure to rise early.

Once in the Inca citadel, enjoy a guided tour of roughly two hours through its most significant sectors. You’ll see houses, temples, terraces, crop fields and more – all showcasing the impressive engineering work of the Incas that remain an enigma in many ways even today.

After your tour, you can choose to ascend either Huayna Picchu Mountain (2,720 m / 8,924) or Machu Picchu Mountain (3,000 m / 9,843) – these tours will take one and a half and three hours up and down respectively, though tickets must be booked in advance.

Make sure you’re back in Aguas Calientes for a spot of lunch before boarding your train to Ollantaytambo, which leaves between 1:37 pm and 6:20 pm (subject to availability). Our private bus will collect you from the next station and drive you back to your hotel in Cusco at around 8 pm.