The snow of "Salkantay" is the Apu tutelar of Cusco with 6271 meters of altitude. In our journey we crossed beautiful Andean landscapes, we passed an opening of 5000 meters and we will have the possibility of observing Condors and Alpacas in their natural habitat.
This 3 day Salkantay trek is a program designed exclusively for those people who do not have much time and love the challenge of walking in the mountains.
It is a challenge to walk the first day 22km from Soraypampa - Chaullay, it is a nice and picturesque walk that starts from the Andean area until you reach the jungle.
It is an ancient and remote alternative hike to Machu Picchu tours, it has much more spectacular views and with different ecological levels we will walk among lagoons, impressive snow-capped mountains such as Salkantay, crossing rivers and subtropical zones of abundant vegetation and fauna. This road is an excellent option for those who want to escape from the most congested routes and in a faster way, or for those who are looking for an alternative hike to Machu Picchu tours when the spaces of the traditional Inca Trail are occupied. This impressive excursion passes under the magnificent mountain Salkantay (6,710 masl / 22,014 ft.), One of the highest and most impressive of the Peruvian Andes. Its first days will be dominated by the impressive Nevados of Salkantay, Soraypampa, Paso Salkantay, Chaullay and Santa Teresa. The second day will be a walk from Santa Teresa to Hidroeléctrica and then to Aguas Calientes. The last important day the impressive sacred citadel of the Incas Machu Picchu is visited during the last day of the program. This 3 day Salkantay trek is an interesting alternative for those who have little time who have not found space on the route from the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The excursion to Salkantay was recently named by the magazine "National Geographic Adventure Travel" among the best 25.
Day 01: Cusco - Soraypampa - Salkantay Pass - Challway
Day 02: Chawllay - La Playa - Hidroeléctrica - Aguas Calientes
Day 03: Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - Cusco
>Highlights of the 3 Day Salkantay Hike:
>Important info about your trek:
Departure Point: Cusco - We pick you up from your hotel.
Departure Time: 04:00 am
Briefing Point: Our guide will visit your hotel 2 or 1 day before the trek
Briefing Time: Between 17:00 - 18:00
Return Point: Cusco - Our driver will drop-off in your hotel or Airbnb department
Service Level: Superior service all inclusive, extra horses for your equipment and private transport.
Physical Rating: 3 - Demanding - Some high-altitude hikes or more strenuous activities, but accessible to most healthy travellers
Age requirement: 12+ / All travellers under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Salkantay Tour Operator: Inca trail Machu
Travel Crew: A professional Tour Guide, A Cook, Horseman and Horses.
Salkantay trek Accommodation: Campsite (1 nights), Hotel (1 night)
Meals: 2x breakfast, 2x lunch, 2x dinner, 1x afternoon hot beverage.
Transportation: A private transportation, 1x train (Expedition Class).
Camping equipment: Double tent, Sleeping bag, Inflatable mattress, a blanket, a pillow, day pack and duffel bag.
We pick you up from your hotel at 3:00 a.m. to travel until Mollepata which is 2 hours by bus, then continue to Soraypampa where we started our expedition to Salkantay. As soon as we are in Soraypampa our cook and the horseman will pack all the camping equipment, food and cooking stuff. We started our trek, the first 3 hours will be a bit steep to reach the lunch point that is Soyrococha where we will have lunch with panoramic views of Salkantay mountain (6271MASL / 20575ft) and Humantay mountain (4120MASL / 13500ft ) - this simply it is the beginning! We will start our Salkantay expedition to the highest point that is at 4600 meters at high altitude then we will start down to Chaullay for our first camp.
Total distance: 21 kilometers (approx.)
Estimated walking time: 7-8 hours(approx.)
Point Maximum altitude: 4600 masl (approx.)
Camping altitude: 2900 masl (approx.)
After having breakfast, we started walking around 6:30 in the morning, because today will be the longest. We start descending to La Playa (the beach) for 5 hours, where we stopped for lunch. After a break, we will continue our trek to take a local transport to the hydroelectric power station and then continue our 2-hour walk along the railway line until we reach Aguas Calientes, where it will be our last night in Hotel.
Total distance: 19 km (approx.)
Estimated walking time: 7-8 hours
Point Maximum altitude: 2750 masl (approx.)
Aguas Calientes altitude: 1900 masl (approx.)
This is the most important day of our 3 day Salkantay trek, we wake up early in the morning around 4 am to have breakfast and go for a walk to Machu Picchu which takes an hour and a half, but if you want you can take the first bus that leaves from 05:30 to Machu Picchu (25 minutes) in order to appreciate the magnificent sunrise. Then you will have a tour with the guide (approximately 2 hours) and after this you can explore the mysterious city by yourselves. If you still have the energy you can also climb the Huayna Picchu (2720masl / 8890ft), it takes 45 minutes to reach the top of the Mountain. And after enjoying Machu Picchu you have to go down to Aguas Calientes to take the train back to Ollantaytambo at 6:20 p.m. and then to take the bus back from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.
The best time for hike to Machu Picchu tours is from May to December, the dry season, especially, between June and August. The period from January to March should be avoided at all costs, because it is quite rainy: not only is it unpleasant to walk on a path that turns into a slippery quagmire, it also increases the danger of landslides or falling stones.
Our tents are Eureka Mountain brand, appropriate for 4 seasons. We provide 3-person capacity tents; however, if are only two persons, they can use it! In this way, we provide you more space and comfort. In case of a single traveler, we provide him a 2-person capacity tent.
Sleeping Mattress – Therm-A-Rest mattress
We provide with inflatable mattresses of the brand Therm-A-Rest. The mattresses are 3 cm heigh that will ensure you a sufficient isolation from the cold earth!
This inflatable mattress provide you more comfort to sleep in the camp.
Sleeping Bag
We use only feather sleeping bags that are suitable up for temperatures minus 16°C. Therefore, don´t be worry about cold as temperature at night reaches just up to 0°C (maximum -5°C)!
During your 3 day Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu, you will spend the night in one of the following hotels, depending on the availability of each one:
Both are located in Aguas Calientes or Machu Picchu town, and each bedroom has a private bathroom and confortable beds (Double or Matrimonial) for your confort. Also, it includes the breakfast and a hot beverages for free. Single accommodation can be arranged for a supplement, subject to availability. Please request this at the time of booking.
If you would like to upgrade your accommodation, the discount is U$ 25 per person (Double or Single room).
We can recommend the following hotel in Machu Picchu or you can choose and book the hotel by yourself:
Santuary Lodge Machu Picchu - 5 Star: The accommodation is Standard Patio
Casa Andina Machu Picchu - 3 Star: The accommodation is Standard Traditional
Tierra Viva Machu Picchu - 3 Star: The accommodation is Standard
Ferre Machu Picchu - 3 Star: The accommodation is Standard
Please note: we do provide a daily morning snack and our meal service is very complete and well supplied. The recommendation of taken own snack applies only for customers who like a specific snack that might not be in our menu. Bottled water for the first morning and a water bottle to be refill.
Optional: walking sticks; you can also rent it from us.
The Responsible People foundation is registered under the Peruvian Non-Profit Organization Act. With an annual contribution from Inca Trail Machu, we support our operating costs as well as a significant portion of project development costs.
