Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

The day before the departure of the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu tour, the coordinator will visit you at your accommodation or the place you indicate for the briefing. A small meeting in which he will explain all the details and tell you the time and pick up point.

Pick up in Cuzco

The guide will pick you up at your accommodation in Cuzco from 4:30 in the morning. When the whole group is gathered, you will start a several hours ride by minibus, overlooking the spectacular snowy landscapes of the Salkantay or Humantay mountains.

Mollepata

The first stop will be for breakfast in Mollepata, where you will buy the access ticket to the Humantay Lake. The trail continues for another hour until you reach Marqoq'asa: starting point of the Salkantay route.

Marqoq'asa → Soraypampa

Around 9:30 in the morning the hike begins, from Marqoq'asa to Soraypampa. This first part of the trail will take us through some deep valleys. After 14 km, we will arrive at the lunch and camping point of Soraypampa, where we will stay that night, so take the opportunity to leave the luggage.

Humantay Lagoon

After the rest, we will begin the ascent, during an hour and a half we will reach the 4220 meters of altitude of the Humantay lagoon, one of the great moments of this route and the highest point of the route of the first day. After enjoying the views for a while, we will start the descent to the camp, where we will arrive in less than an hour.

Soraypampa Camp

Around 18:00 we will be back at the camp, where we will have tea together. Afterwards, the cook will serve dinner at 19:30 and we will be able to retire to our cabins where we will have a well-deserved rest.

💬 Howlanders tip

Remember to carry your personal hygiene products in your backpack. Soraypampa camp does not have showers and it will come in handy to have wet wipes with you, in our experience they are very useful on these routes. 😊

Salkantay Pass

On the second day of the trek, we will wake up early, drink coca tea and start trekking. Today we will reach the highest point of the trail: the Abra Salkantay, at 4,630 meters of altitude. From there we will enjoy spectacular views of the valleys and the imposing snow-capped peaks of the Humantay, Tucarhuay and Pumasillo mountains. You won't know where to look!

Huayracmachay → Colpapampa

At this point, we leave behind the high Andean landscapes and begin to change ecosystems. For 2 hours we will descend until we reach Huayracmachay, where we will have lunch. Later, we will continue walking 3 more hours until we reach Colpapampa, the camp for the second day, where we will have dinner and spend the night.

💬 Howlanders Council

In this place, you will be able to take a hot shower at the home of locals in the area for 10 soles.

Sahuayaco Beach

We will wake up early and after breakfast we will start our hike to the small village of La Playa Sahuayaco, crossing the Santa Teresa Valley. We will be in full contact with nature, we will see rivers, waterfalls, wild orchids and coffee and banana plantations. We are in the middle of the high jungle, the climate is warmer and more humid, and the landscape is absolutely different!

Hydroelectric → Aguas Calientes

After lunch the minibus will take us to Santa Teresa and then to Hidroeléctrica, from where we will continue on foot for about 3 hours following the path left by the train line. Finally we will arrive to Aguas Calientes.

During this journey you will have to carry all your luggage, as horses are not allowed to travel in this area.

💬 Howlanders tip

You will be able to coordinate with the guide the delivery of your luggage directly to your accommodation for a small surcharge.

Aguas Calientes

Once in Aguas Calientes we will leave the backpack in our accommodation with private room and bathroom (which at this stage of the route is always appreciated). We will have free time to rest or visit the town before dinner.

We will go to bed early and recharge our batteries, because the next day awaits us one of the most special moments of our adventure: The imposing citadel of Machu Picchu!

Aguas Calientes

Last day! We will prepare breakfast and at the time indicated by the guide (according to the assigned entrance time to Machu Picchu), we will head to the citadel. You can decide whether to go up to Machu Picchu walking the almost 2 hours uphill route, or take the bus that will take you to the access.

Machu Picchu

We will access Machu Picchu and discover the fascinating history of the site. At the end of the visit, you can decide whether to go down to Aguas Calientes walking or by bus (not included).

RETURN TO CUSCO BY TRAIN + BUS 🚆🚐 (RECOMMENDED✅ )

By booking this option you will be able to include in your reservation the extra Huayna Picchu or Huchuy Picchu (subject to availability) and visit one of these two additional areas. These areas are only available if you select to return to Cusco by train.

Finally, you will return on foot or by bus (not included) to Aguas Calientes, take the opportunity to stroll around the town and have lunch in one of its restaurants.

In the afternoon, you will take the panoramic train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo (schedule according to availability) in a journey of an hour and a half. The trip runs along the banks of the Vilcanota River and is considered one of the most beautiful short trips that can be made by train.

Upon arrival at Ollantaytambo a private transport will be waiting to take you back to the center of Cuzco, where you will arrive at approximately 22:00.

RETURN TO CUSCO BY BUS 🚐.

If you select the option to return by bus, you will have less time to explore Machu Picchu, you will not be able to add the visit to Huayna Picchu or Huchuy Picchu in your reservation.

Your visit to Machu Picchu will end at 12:00. From there, you will have to walk to Hidroeléctrica (3 hours approximately), where the bus will be waiting for you to leave for Cusco at 15:00.

This option is the longest of all, and has a total duration of 6 hours. You will be back in Cusco around 21:00.

🚀Howlanders Tip

If you are thinking of returning to Cusco by bus at the end of the tour, we recommend that you stay one more night in Aguas Calientes, and return to Cusco by bus on the fifth day. This way, you will be able to fully enjoy the experience.