Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu 4 Days
Our 4-Day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu is the best option if you are short on time during your trip but still want to experience nature.
Salkantay is the name of a mountain located in the northwest of Cusco. The tallest peak of the mountain range rises to 6,271 meters above sea level. Salkantay means ‘Savage Mountain’ and it is a strikingly beautiful single peak providing a great focal point for this route.
The Salkantay trek normally takes 5 days and is popular with trekkers wanting to combine a quieter, less trodden route with a visit to the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu.
One of the reasons the Salkantay Trek is so popular is due to its incredible diversity of views and ecosystems. The Salkantay Trek is voted among the top 25 treks in the world. The trek is dominated by the 20,500-feet-high Mount Salkantay. The walk is dominated by the 20,500-feet-high Mount Salkantay and takes you through the beautiful Mollepata Valley and passes Salkantay at an altitude above 15,000 feet. The Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu is only slightly more difficult than the Inca Trail, and horses are used to carry food and equipment.
Itinerary
Day 1 CUSCO – MOLLEPATA – CHALLACANCHA – SORAYPAMPA (HUMANTAY LAGOON)
We will begin the day by picking up the passengers from their respective accommodations at around 4:00 a.m. After two hours of travel, we will arrive in the town of Mollepata, where we will make a brief stop of 30-45 minutes for breakfast.
We will continue to Challacancha, which will be the starting point of the trek (8km / 3.5 hours) to our sky camp camp (transparent igloos) located in Soraypanpa. After lunch at the sky camp, we will continue with the hike (2km / 2 hours ascent) towards the turquoise Humantay lagoon. After visiting the lagoon, we will return to the sky camp where dinner awaits us. This will be the best opportunity to observe the night sky from their beds.
- Total walking distance: 12km (approx.)
- Hours of walking: 6.5 hours (approx.)
- Challacancha altitude: 3,700m.a.s.l.
- Soraypanpa altitude: 3,900m.a.s.l.
- Humantay lagoon altitude: 4,200m.a.s.l. (approx)
- Difficulty level: Moderate
- Meals included: Lunch and dinner, plus snacks and afternoon tea time.
Day 2: SORAYPAMPA-ABRA SALKANTAY-WAYRAQMACHAY -CHAULLAY
We will wake up at 5:30 a.m., enjoy breakfast, and start the hike to the highest point of the entire route: the Salkantay pass (4,650msnm) via a rocky and steep path (7km / 3 hours). This section will require passengers’ physical resilience and good acclimatization. At that point, there will be a short break, and you can enjoy incredible views of the Salkantay snowy mountain. Later, we will descend towards Wayraqmachay, where we will have lunch, and then we will continue the walk for 2.5 hours until we reach Chaullay, where we will spend the night in the camp walk huts.
- Total walking distance: 17km (approx)
- Walking hours: 10.5 hours (approx.)
- Soraypampa height: 3,900m.s.n.m (approx)
- Salkantay opening height: 4,650m.s.n.m (approx)
- Wayraqmachay height: 3,900m.s.n.m (approx)
- Chaullay height: 2,900m.s.n.m (approx)
- Difficulty level: Challenging
- Food included: lunch and dinner, as well as snacks and afternoon tea time.
Day 3 : CHAULLAY-LA PLAYA-HIDROELECTRICA-AGUAS CALIENTES
At 6:00 a.m. approximately we will start our tour (17 km / 6 hours approximately) towards the small beach stay. On the way, we will enjoy the lush landscape: rivers, waterfalls, passion fruit, and granadilla. We will also travel through the town of Collpapampa, also known as the top of the cloud forest. After lunch at the beach stay, passengers will be transported in a vehicle to a hydroelectric. There the passengers will continue with a 3-hour walk along the train rails to the town of Aguas Calientes where we will spend the night in a lodging.
- Total walking distance: 17km (approx)
- Walking hours: 6.5 hours (approx.)
- Chaullay altitude: 2,900m.a.s.l. (approx)
- Beach stay altitude: 2,064m.a.s.l. (approx)
- Hydroelectric plant altitude: 1,890m.a.s.l. (approx)
- Aguas Calientes altitude: 2,060m.a.s.l. (approx)
- Difficulty level: Easy
- Meals included: Lunch and dinner, plus snacks and afternoon tea time.
Day 4: MACHU PICCHU
After a restful night of sleep in the lodge, we will get up very early to go to the archaeological complex of Machupicchu with the intention of arriving before most tourists. After the tour, passengers can climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Mountain Picchu. For this, you need to book tickets in advance. The time it takes to go up and down any of these mountains is about 3 hours. A less demanded option and for which no extra ticket is needed is the walk to the Sun Gate. This journey takes 2 or 2.5 hours round trip. Another interesting option is to walk to the Inca bridge. You can enjoy the citadel of Machupicchu for more than 7 hours before returning to the town of hot waters.
Finally, we will board the train back to Ollantaytambo (2 hours journey) where we will wait for the transport to Cusco that will leave the passengers in their respective hotels.
Included
Included
- Professional bilingual tour guide
- Entrance fees to The Salkantay Trek
- A briefing about the Salkantay Trek one day before
- Liners for your sleeping bags
- An Andean ceremony on the second day, offered to Mother Earth
- Pick-up from your hotel
- Transportation to Soraypampa (trailhead)
- Tourist train back to Ollantaytambo (the ‘Expedition’ can be boarded at 14:30, 18:45, or 21:30, departing from Aguas Calientes)
- Private transportation back from Ollantaytambo to Cusco
- Entrance fees to Machu Picchu
- Meals: *3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 afternoon snacks (hot drinks, biscuits and popcorn) and 3 dinners
*Vegetarian/special diet options available - Camping equipment
- Therma-rest (air mat) sleeping mat
- Horseman, mules, or porters (they only carry cooking supplies and camping equipment) and 7 kilos of your personal items
- 1 night accommodation in Aguas Calientes
- Biodegradable personal hand soaps and biodegradable dishwashing detergents used by our kitchen staff
- First Aid kit
Not Included
Not Included
- Entrance fees to Huayna Picchu (if you choose this option, an additional charge of 30 dollars will be applied to the original price)
- Extra horse to ride or for any extra backpack
- Sleeping Bags
- Tips for the guide and crew (Optional)
Recommendations
We Recommend You Bring
- A backpack with a change of clothes for the entire period of the program
- Rain gear (jacket and pants if available) or rain poncho (plastic ponchos can be purchased in Cusco).
- Strong footwear, recommended waterproof trekking boots
- Sandals or jogging shoes for greater comfort while at camp
- Warm clothes, including a jacket, fleece, and thermal clothing is also recommended, especially for sleeping
- Flashlight/headlamp and batteries
- Camera and batteries (batteries consume more quickly under cold conditions)
- Hat or cap to protect you from the sun, rain and cold
- Sun block
- After-sun cream or hydrating cream for face and body
- Insect repellent – minimum recommended 20% DEET – no malaria risk has been reported
- Handkerchiefs
- Toilet paper
- Snacks: biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc. Please note that we do provide a daily morning snack, and our meal service is very complete and well supplied. This recommendation applies to all clients
- accustomed to specific snacks, as it may happen that they are not included in our selection.
- Water container and water for the first morning. Important notice: plastic water bottles are no longer allowed on the Inca Trail. Plastic water containers (i.e., Nalgene) or metal ones are recommended.
- Optionally: water-sterilizing tablets in case you pick up water from streams or rivers along the route.
- Otherwise, we provide filtered boiled water, which is safe to drink and has not reported any health problems so far.
- Small towel
- Swimsuit (if you wish to take a bath in the hot springs)
- Cash in soles and/or US$
- Original passport
- Original International Student Identity Card (in case you have applied for a student discount)