Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

We will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m. to go by tourist bus to the Mollepata town (2,900 masl), where we will arrive at approximately 9:00 a.m. for breakfast. This day we will make a beautiful and scenic drive to Limatambo, during which we will have panoramic views of the majestic Salkantay mountain. We will also see a chain of impressive snow-capped mountains and the valley of the Apurimac River. We will meet our organization staff and load the equipment on the mules to start our trek to Cruz Pata (3 200 masl). The hike of approximately 3 hours will take us through Andean and traditional communities such as Cruz Pata and Challacancha, where we will stop for lunch at approx. 12:00 hrs. After a short rest, we will continue walking through the villages of Soraypampa (3 850 masl), arriving at approximately 17:00 hrs. Our dinner and first night of camping.

After an early breakfast, we will start the most difficult trek of the trip. We will leave at 7:00 a.m. and we will hike through the site called Pampa Salkantay and then we will go to the left side of the snowy Humantay, located next to the snowy Salkantay. At 12:00 hrs. we will be at the highest point (Abra de Salkantay, 4 600 masl). We will appreciate spectacular views of the mountain and the imposing snowy Salkantay (6 264 masl), the second highest peak in the region of Cusco, as well as the mountains of Humantay and Huayanay. After 1 hour of rest we will have lunch for the day in the area called Huayracmachay (3 700 masl) and continue walking for about 3 hours to the camp of Rayanniyoc or to the camp of Chaullay (2 920 masl). Here we will have our second night of camping.

After breakfast we will resume our hike at 7.00 am. We will walk for 5 hours, observing the village called Collpabamba (3100 m.a.s.l.), immersed in the cloud forest or jungle. On the way we will see waterfalls, fruit trees, a variety of flora, coca and birds, here we can observe the banana harvest and the waterfall. If we are lucky we will be able to see the famous “Cock of the Rock”. Then we will have lunch in Wiñaypoqo and enjoy an hour of free time to rest and continue the walk of approximately 3 hours to reach the area called La Playa (2250 m.a.s.l.), appreciating the great variety of orchids along the way. We will continue our hike to the village of Santa Teresa (1990 m.a.s.l.), arriving approximately at 16:30 hrs. Optional: Local transportation from La Playa to Santa Teresa and visit to the thermal baths of Cocalmayo (10 minutes from the village of Santa Teresa). Dinner and camping in Santa Teresa.

After breakfast at 7.30 a.m. we will start our 2.5 hour hike to the hydroelectric plant (1,870 masl), observing along the way fruit plantations such as banana, passion fruit, coffee, etc.. We will also have the opportunity to observe from far away the lost city of the Incas: the majestic Machu Picchu. After lunch at Hidroeléctrica with all the staff, we will leave for the town of Aguas Calientes. This section can be done on foot in approximately 2.5 hours or also boarding the train that leaves at 16:30 hrs and that will take us in 45 minutes to the town of Aguas Calientes (2,050 meters above sea level). In Aguas Calientes we will have the option to go to the thermal baths, which are at a distance of 2 kilometers from the town. We will then return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Early in the morning, we will hike up or take the first bus to Machu Picchu to enjoy the sunrise in this magical place, before the arrival of other tourists from the Cusco city. We will enjoy the tranquility of the lost city of the Incas in a guided tour (Approx. 2 ½ hours), by the most important places of this great city of the Incas, note that during the tour there are established routes for your visit. In the afternoon we will go down by bus to Machu Picchu Pueblo (before Aguas Calientes town), we will board our train to Ollantaytambo, and then take our transportation that will take us to the city of Cusco.