Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu 5 Days

DURATION:

4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS

TRIP CATEGORY:

TREKKING

GROUP SIZE:

UP TO 12 PEOPLE

MAX. ALTITUDE:

4,480 MASL. / 16,076 FT.

ACTIVITY LEVEL:

CHALLENGING

Description :

Trek through the most amazing alternative to the Inca Trail. Hiking the 5 day Salkantay Trek starts from Cusco, takes you past the glacier-top Salkantay Mountain, meaning Savage Mountain. Experience the adventure, natural beauty, solitude, and authenticity of this remote path leading you to Machu Picchu. Where the classic Inca Trail has beauty, the Salkantay Trail has nature!
The Ultimate Salkantay Trek 5 days 4 nights takes you to explore the second most popular route to Machu Picchu after the Classic Inca Trail 4 days. You can see the Humantay Lake, hike around snow-capped mountains and the cloud forest, visit organic coffee farms, participate in a Pachamanca barbecue, camp at Llaqtapata, finish the Trek in Machu Picchu, and return on the Panoramic trains.

Itinerary

Day 1:Cusco | Mollepata | Soraypampa | Humantay Lagoon

Today, your trekking adventure to Machu Picchu finally starts! Our guide will pick you up at your hotel in Cusco at 4:30 am. We will drive together with the group to Mollepata (approx. 3 hours), where we will have a nutricious breakfast. We will then drive one more hour to Challacancha (3,380 meters/ 11,090 feet), the starting point of our hike, passing the view point of Hornada Pata where the valley splits into two (Valley of Mollepata and Challacancha). The beginning of the trail will take us through some beautiful valleys. After a three hour hike, we arrive at our campsite in Soraypampa (3,900 meters/12,800 feet) at approximately 13:30 pm. We will have time to relax and enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by our cook.

Later, we will finally visit the famous Humantay Lagoon! After 1.5 hours of hiking, we will arrive at the lagoon (4,220 meters/ 13,850 feet) with incredibly blue-green water and the snowy Humantay Mountain peak behind it, making it one of the most impressive places in the Andes Mountains. We will take some time to admire the breathtaking views and then descent to our campsite in Soraypampa. Arriving at approximately 6:00 pm, we will have tea and dinner, and spend the night in our beautiful glass cabanas.

Day 2:Soraymapa | Salkantay Pass | Collpapampa

At 5:00 am we will enjoy a large breakfast so that we have a lot of energy for our hike today. Starting our trek from Soraypampa, we will ascent for 3 hours to the highest point of Abra Salkantay, where we enjoy breathtaking views of the snow capped high Andes Mountains of Salkantay, Humantay, Tucarhuay, and Pumasillo (4,650 meters / 15,250 feet). Passing through Salkantaypampa and Soyrococha, we will discover a beautiful small lake and then begin our descent towards Huarachmachhay for 3 hours (3,800 meters / 12,470 feet). There, we will have lunch and then continue our descent for 3 more hours until we reach our campsite in Collpapampa. We will have tea and a delicious dinner prepared by our cook. Tonight we will sleep in our comfortable domes at the campsite.

Day 3:Collpapampa | Lucmabamba

After a rejuvenating night’s sleep, we start day 3 of our Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu with a delicious breakfast. We begin our 5 ½ hours hike through the Peruvian jungle, passing over many ascents and descents. This part of the trek marks the cloud forest, where we will discover several coffee plantations, orchids and many natural plants used for medicines. We will arrive at our lunch point to rest a little. Here you have the option to visit the thermal baths located in Cocalmayo, Santa Teresa (not included). We will return to our campsite at 6.00 pm for tea and a freshly prepared dinner.

Day 4:Lucmabamba | Llactapata | Aguas Calientes

Today, we will enjoy the sunrise in a lush landscape of rivers, waterfalls, orchids, and many plantations, including banana, avocado, and coffee. We will have a nutricious breakfast and get ready for the next part of our trekking adventure: we will finally hike along a part of the original Inca Trail! We will walk up along the Inca Trail, enjoying the beautiful views of the Santa Teresa Valley. After a 2.5 ascent, we will arrive at the Inca archaelogical site of Llactapata. Our local guide will share his knowledge about the history of this place. Besides, we will get the chance to get our first glimpse of Machu Picchu Mountain and Huayna Picchu Mountain. We will go downhill for lunch and then continue our hike to Hidroeléctrica. You can choose to walk to Aguas Calientes for around 3 hours, or opt to board a train for $32.00 extra. Upon arrival in Aguas Calientes, we will enjoy a delicious dinner at a local restaurant in the village on the bottom of the magnificent Wonder of the World. Tonight, we will be staying at a hotel overnight.

Day 5:Aguas Calientes | Machu Picchu | Cusco

The grand finale! We will wake up very early this morning for our visit to famous Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. This complex is considered a jewel of the Inca architecture. It is a complete town with different quarters, squares, alleys, buildings, astronomical observatories and terraces. The city was rediscovered on July 24, 1911 by the US researcher Hiram Bingham. We will have a guided tour to see and learn about the Machu Picchu site, a Wonder of the World. After the guided tour, you will have free time to take photos and discover this magical place by yourself.

For those who have previously selected to climb Huayna Picchu Mountain or Machu Picchu Mountain, you will do so at your designated time (1st group: 6am to 8am, 2nd group: 9am to 11am).

In the afternoon, we will return to Aguas Calientes. We will have some time for lunch (not included), which is the perfect opportunity to explore the local restaurants. We then take the train to Ollantaytambo, leaving at 14:55 pm. On the way back, we can enjoy the incredible landscape of the Sacred Valley. Upon arrival at the train station, we will be picked up by our transfer staff and dropped off at Plaza Regocijo in Cusco.

INCLUSIONS

Included

Salkantay trek 5 days briefing at 7:00 pm a day before the departure at Terra Peru Travel office
A duffle bag to pack 7 kilos of your belonging
English/Spanish speaking professional tour guides
Professional chef and cooking equipment
Horses for carrying up to 7 Kilos of personal luggage and other required equipment
Pick up from your hotel in Cusco
Private transportation
5 breakfasts
4 lunches
4 dinners
3 nights of camping
1 night hotel in Aguas Calientes
Pillows at the first and second camp
Entrance ticket to Machu Picchu
Guided visit to Machu Picchu
Return journey from Aguas Calientes to Cusco BY TRAIN or BY CAR depending on your choice
Vegetarian/Vegan options available on request with no additional charges
First-Aid equipment and oxygen bottle for emergencies

Not Included

Entrance ticket for the Humantay lake charged by the local government of Mollepata = 20 soles per person
Sleeping Bag – If you do not have one you can rent from us for $10 USD for the whole trek
Trekking Poles – If you do not have one you can rent from us for $10 USD for 01 pair for the whole trek
Travel insurance
Extra expenses such a hot shower in the second camp for 10 soles or maybe if you like access to internet wifi for 10 soles
Tips

Packing List

Original Passport
Walking boots
Waterproof jacket / rain poncho
Warm jacket
Hat and gloves
T-shirts
Comfortable trousers
Sun hat
Sun cream (factor 35 or higher)
Insect repellant
Toiletries and hand sanitiser
Personal medication
Camera and film with extra batteries
Torch with spare batteries
Daypack

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