Salkantay Hike 5 Days / 4 Nights

We will pick you up from your hotel at 5:00 a.m. to drive for about 2 hours to Mollepata village. Here we’ll stop in a local restaurant and have breakfast, and then we’ll continue drive for half hour more to the start point of our Salkantay trek from a place named Challancha. As soon as we get there we’ll find a horseman who is going to waiting for us, he and our cook they will pack all the camping equipment and cooking stuff, we will give them our duffel bags, they are going to take care of our extra staff and our everyday food, so we will start hiking together with our tour guide who will be responsible of hiking group, the first 1/2 hours will be a little bit uphill to get Inca Canal where we will have a spectacular and brief taking lands escapes, from here is easy till lunch spot named Soraypampa (3800 m/11750 ft.); after enjoy a very delicious Peruvian food we will hike up to the beautiful snow- mountains Lake of (Humantay; 4120 m/13500 ft.)

After take a good rest in the Humantay lake we have to continue for about 2 more hours to our camping spot, we will walk dawn to close to the lunch spot and continue walk up hill till Salkantay pampa here we will be very close to the highest Salkantay snow-capped mountain.

We use this day to get a good acclimation that is reason we try make a kind of easy day, and we are not put you directly to the highest pass like other companies do, like this you can be more prepared for the second day and cross easy the highest pass and we always camp in very exclusive places with less people to enjoy more the nature on entire trip.

1RST DAY: Total distance: 15 km / 9 miles. (approx.)
Estimated walking time: 6-7 hours
Maximum altitude point: Humantay: 4120 m/13500 ft. (approx.)

After having our breakfast, we start walking early, because this day will be the longest but the most beautiful day crossing the Andes mountain ranges, our first 3 hours it´ll be uphill to get the highest point of the Trek (4650m/15200ft) located between 2 hugest mountains; Salkantay on the right and Tucarhuay on the left. By the way we will have a lot of opportunities to take wonderful pictures, once we get the top is even better landscapes of the glaciers is definitely spectacular. There is always a possibility of snow, rain, hail here so we have to go always ready for everything.

After the little break and very nice explanations of our tour guide about the local traditions, religious, of local people, we will continue our walk (downhill) through a dramatic cloud forest towards named Huayracmachay Quechua language means (The shelter of the wind), about 2 hours later we will have a very good lunch. We´ll hike about 3 more hours again after delicious lunch in the direction of the jungle´s beginning till we reach our second Salkantay Trek camping spot of chaullay or Colpampampa (3000m/9800ft).

2ND DAY: Total distance: 20 km/ 12 mi. (approx.).
Estimated walking time: 8 – 9 hours.
Maximum altitude point: 4,627 m/ 15180 ft. (approx.).
Campsite altitude: 2,900 m/ 9514 ft. (approx.).

After breakfast, we will say thank you so much to the horseman and take the last pictures with him, because from here there a car service already all our equipment it´ll be carrying on the car, for us starts an easier day, only about 15 km / 9 miles from here everything became easier, we start walking through the upper part of the jungle crossing the Lluskamayo River and a variety of little brooks to reach Lucmabanba walking about 6 hours. Today we will pass through valleys and have wonderful views of waterfalls, tropical fruits and more different type of plants fully of vegetation, as soon as we will get Lucmabamba our cook is going to waiting with amazing food, this is a small village one of the places around Machu Picchu produce ecological coffee, in the afternoon we will have option to join in to these local family for a beautiful explanations and elaboration of the organic coffee you will be able to buy some coffee from this family and support them too if you like, remember as well this is going to be the beginning of the recently discovered Inca trail for the day 4th.

Nota Optional: if you heard about nice hot springs, that is located 1 more-hour drive to the place named Santa Teresa, if you are very interesting you can rent a local car and drive down and back in the afternoon to the camping place named lucmabamaba and extra cost it´ll pay for you.

3 RD DAY: Total distance: 15 km/ 9ml. (approx.).
Estimated walking time: 5-6 hours.
Maximum altitude point: 2,900 m/ 9514 ft. (approx.).
Campsite altitude: 2,090 m/6856 ft. (approx.).

Today is go into be one of the long hike day as well, that is the reason to have breakfast early and start to walk to LLACTAPATA one of the beautiful view point to see Machu Picchu from faraway still. We beginning to walk up using the original Inca path for about 3 hours to get the small Inca site where you will get a chance to take one of the most spectacular pictures and landscapes of Machupicchu from faraway, to continue walking, passing a variety of crop plantations, coffee, banana, avocados etc. walking down till we reach the hydroelectric train station here our cook is going to providing a very good food and say good bye. After the lunch we keep walking about three hours along the train road till reaching Aguas Calientes town where we will spend the night in a good hostel and have dinner in a good local restaurant where we will organize everything for the 5th day.

In Aguas Calientes, you can take advantage of the thermal springs in the town (entrance 10 soles) a real treat after finishing the Salkantay Trek covering more 75 km or 46 mi. longest.

4 TH DAY: Total distance: 22 km = 13 mi (approx.)
Estimated walking time: 8 – 9 hours
Maximum altitude point: 2700 meters / 8858 ft. (approx.)
Hostel (Aguas Calientes) altitude: 2,040 m/ 6692 ft. (approx.)

Salkantay trek important day, depending of the different options we choose we wake up early morning about 4 am to start walking at 4:30 dawn hill the first half hour and them uphill per about one hour to the main gate of Machu Picchu, but there is another option to catch on of the first buses which leaves 5:30 to Machu Picchu (25-minutes long) in order to appreciate the magnificent city as the sun is rising.

All together after already use restrooms, because toilets are located only outside, we will enjoy of the Guiding tour exploring the most important sites in to the Machu Picchu and after this you can explore the mysterious city by yourselves. If you still have energy you can also climb Huaynapicchu (2720m/8890ft)!!! It takes 45 minutes to reach the top or the not very famous Machu Picchu Mountain it takes about one and half hour to get the top. And after enjoying everything you have to go down to Aguas Calientes to take the train back to Ollantaytambo and then bus back Cusco.

5 TH DAY: Total distance: 4 km/ 2 mi. (approx.)
Estimated walking time: 1- 1/2 hours. (approx.)
Maximum altitude point: 2,430 m/ 7972 ft. (approx.)
Wayna picchu mountain: 2667 m/ 8750 ft.
Machu Picchu mountain: 3082 m/10111 ft.