Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

Our Salkantay Trek adventure beging with the  pick  up from your hotel at 4:30 a.m. You will be met at your hotel by your guide; afterwards, we will drive for three hours in our van (bus) to the trail head. You will have time to take your first breakfast in Mollepata town or buy some stuff you could need along the expedition if the weather allows. If the weather is good, the views from this area are breathtaking. You will be looking at two big mountains, called Humantay (5,900 masl; 19,356 ft) and Salkantay (6,215 masl; 20,390 ft).

Once in Sayllapata( 3450masl-11,318ft)your guide will introduce the team, take a group photo and at around 9:30am you should be hiking, During the day hike, you will enjoy the stunning views of the Andes; while you are hiking, the Humantay and the Salkantay mountains will appear between the clouds; after a few hours of hiking, you’ll arrive at Soray Pampa, located at 3,900 meters (12,795 feet), for our lunch, and we’ll camp here.

After your lunch and rest, we’ll climb up to the Humantay Lake and admire its turquoise color. This hike is optional according of your physical conditions. It takes about an hour to reach the lake and 45 minutes down to the campsite. The Machu Picchu by Locals team will provide you with warm water to get washed up and change into something warm. We will have a happy hour with hot chocolate and coffee, followed by dinner. If the weather allows, you will get to enjoy the constellation, as your tour guide will show you the Milky Way.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner (Snack and afternoon tea)
Accommodation: Camping (tent)
Adventure: Absolutely, completely satisfactory

After an early wake-up with the first daylight at 05:30 am and a quick breakfast, we soon start hiking up to the highest point of Salkantay Trek: the Salkantay Pass (4630 MASL, 15,190 ft). The distance is a 7 km (4.3miles) tough ascent in 3 hours, between the rocky valley and the magnificent Salkantay Mountain in from of us (6,215masl-20,390ft) When we finally reach the pass, we can rest, and we definitely will appreciate the spectacular views of the mountains and the imposing snowy peaks of the Apu Salkantay, Humantay, Tucarhuay, and Pumasillo. The Salkantay Mountain is the second highest mountain in the Cusco region, and one of the Inca Gods is called “Apu.” After reaching the top, there is a 5km (3.1miles) 2 hours downhill hike towards the camp for our lunch. The walk downward is on a serpentine trail and a rocky gravel path to get to the Huayracmachay lunch spot.

In the afternoon, we will enter the upper part of the Amazon jungle, which is also called “the cloud forest.” This is a 10 km (6.2 miles) hike in 3 hours on a wide trail in the thick forests. This hike is truly beautiful, there are decorated the hills with colourful sceneries and a lot of wildlife and native plants. The forests are, most times of the year, warm or have a temperate temperature. When finishing this magnificent hike, we finally arrive at Chaullay Village (2900 m ASL; 9,514 ft), our base camp in the jungle.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Snack and afternoon tea)
Accommodation: Camping
Adventure: Absolutely

At 6:00 am, we will start our trek to La Playa through the Santa Teresa valley. We will be hiking for approximately 6 hours. During the hike, we’ll see waterfalls and wild orchids, but also coffee, banana, and avocado plantations. Here you can taste the famous passion fruit and granadilla fruit. We will see a village called Colpapampa, where waterfalls, varied flora, and birds can be observed. If we are lucky, we will be able to see the famous bird called “the Cock of the Rocks.” This bird is the national bird of Peru.

After lunch at La Playa, we will hike for approximately 1 hour to our base camp, called Lucmabamba (2400 MASL; 7874 ft). We will explore the tropical forest for a little while and have a lovely visit at an organic coffee farm. Here you can taste the coffee prepared by the locals. Coffee is the main farming industry of the local people here in the jungle, and they farm many hectares of coffee to export to the USA, Asia, and Europe. Coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia, but it wasn’t until the Spanish invaded Cusco that it was brought to this region. We will also explore an orange and an avocado plantation.

At the afternoon late you will have the option to enjoy the hot-spring of Cocalmayo, your tour guide will let you know the way and how to get there.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Camping
Adventure: Absolutely

The chef of the trek will wake you up early with a hot cup of coca tea served in your bed. You will get ready for today’s activity while enjoying your last breakfast prepared by the trek chef. We will begin the hike early, and you will get the opportunity to enjoy a small part of the famous Inca Trail! After a climb of two hours with amazing views of the Santa Teresa valley, we will arrive at the Llactapata Inca site right in front of Machu Picchu. This will be the first archaeological site we will see of the Lost City of the Incas, and it is a very special place to enjoy and spend time. We will be able to see not only the Machu Picchu ruins from this spot, but also the Huaynapicchu and the Machu Picchu Mountain. We will explore this Inca site with the guide, and he will continue the history lessons about the Incas of this beautiful country, and of course you will have plenty of time to take as many photos as you want.

After the Llactapata ruins, we will continue our trek with a 2-hour downhill hike. At this hike, you’re always able to have views of Machu Picchu until we arrive at the Hidroelectrica train station, which is our lunch place. The most impressive part of this area is the natural waterfall, which is 300 meters high and generates the electricity for the region of Cusco. We will then arrive at the famous Intiwatana. Intiwatana is an ancient rock used as a sundial in ancient Inca times.

According to history, this old Inca stone used to work with the famous sundial stone at Machu Picchu. These could measure and read the winter solstice, which was the beginning of the new farming season for the Incas. After we pass this small Inca site, we will reach the train rails. Next to the rails there is a nice path to walk on; this path will take us approximately 3 hours to arrive at Aguas Calientes, which is located at the foot of Machu Picchu. This section is very interesting because it is the trail that was used by the American Professor Hiram Bingham, who rediscovered Machu Picchu after centuries of it being lost.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation:Hostel
Adventure:Absolutely

Highlights of today: Finally  after 4 days hiking in the Salkantay Trek, early in the morning we arrive  to Machu Picchu, we should be one of the first group  in Machu Picchu to get pictures without many people and have chance to see the sunrise.

Today is the most important day of your expedition. To get the most out of the day, we encourage every group to have an early breakfast before catching one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu (starting at 5:30 a.m.). The hotel will hold your bags for you until you return from your tour. The bus will take 30 minutes to get to the top. Once you arrive, your guide will introduce you to Machu Picchu. You will head directly to a beautiful place to watch the sunrise and take pictures.

You and your guide will walk around the citadel for two and a half hours, teaching you more of the history and culture of the Incas. At the end of the tour, you will have some time to yourself, or if you have arranged to hike Huayna Picchu (which must be booked in advance as it sells out and costs $60 per person), your guide will show you where to begin this hike, which will take no more than two hours round-trip. You should start heading to the bus line to head back to Aguas Calientes around 1 p.m., as your train will typically leave at 14:30 p.m. (your guide will inform you if the train time is earlier). You take a two-hour train back to Ollantaytambo, followed by a two-hour car drive back to your hotel for drop-off. End of our Salkantay Trek service.

Take Note: Machu Picchu mountain can be climbed instead of Huayna Picchu for $35 per person. This hike is more challenging and takes three hours minimum, round-trip. You always have the opportunity to climb to the Sun Gate for free. This is a much easier two-hour round-trip walk.

Meals: Breakfast
Overview:  Touring in Machu Picchu
Adventure: Absolutely