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3 Day Salkantay Trek Intrepid

3 Day Salkantay Trek Intrepid

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.

 

Overview
Itinerary
Includes
Before you go

Quick Itinerary: 

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:

  • 3 day trail to Salkantay with a professional Tour Guide, cook, horseman and horses; 
  • Discovery of this new alternative trek to Machu Picchu; 
  • Andean highlands and cloud forest exploration; 
  • Learning about the sacred mountain of the Incas - Apu Salkantay! 

>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. 

 

Day 1: Cusco - Soraypampa - Salkantay Pass - Challway
Inca Trail Machu

Salkantay trek guided tourWe 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.)

 

Day 2: Chawllay - La Playa - Hidroelectrica - Aguas Calientes
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Salkantay toursAfter 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.)

 

Day 3: Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - Cusco
Inca Trail Machu

Salkantay toursThis 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.

 

Included
Inca Trail Machu

  • Pre-trek briefing (Our guide will visit your hotel a day before the trek for your briefing); 
  • Early morning, the transport by private bus to Mollepata- the initial point of the trek; 
  • Private transportation to Mollepata and Extra 1 hour Soraypampa.
  • Salkantay trek Accommodation: Campsites (1 night); Hotel in Aguas Calientes (1 night) 
  • Entrance ticket to Salkantay and Machu Picchu;
  • Proffesional bilingual tour guide during 3 days of Salkantay and Machupicchu,
  • Meals: 2x breakfast, 2x lunch, 2x dinner and 1x afternoon hot beverages; 
  • Professional Cook; 
  • Horseman; 
  • Horses to carry food, camping and cooking equipment and 7 kg of each passenger's stuff (We never overload our horses, always take care of the Animal Welfare);
  • Camping equipment: Personal double tents (4 person tent which allows a greater comfort, and also storage of backpacks); 
  • Inflatable mattress (Term-a-Rest Mattress); 
  • A sleeping bag (for up to -5°C); 
  • Kitchen equipment that includes tables and chairs, 
  • Duffel bag (for your personal belongings); 
  • Tourist train from Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu) to Ollantaytambo; 
  • Tourist bus from Ollantaytambo to Cusco; 
  • First aid kit including emergency oxygen bottle.

Not Included
Inca Trail Machu

  • Breakfast on the first day Lunch and dinner on the last day: after the guided tour to Machupicchu, you can enjoy free time to visit the ruins and you can choose to have lunch in Machupicchu or Aguas Calientes on your own. 
  • Arrival in Cusco is calculated after nightfall, dinner is at your own cost. 
  • Visit the hot springs in Aguas Calientes: a relaxing way to finish up the 3-day trek while we wait for the train back to Cusco, just 10 minutes from the town center, entrance fee is S/10.00 PEN
  • Huayna Picchu ticket (if you wish to climb this mountain, an additional charge of 85 USD per person depending on availability)
  • Tips 
  • International and domestic flights
  • Others not mentioned

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Salkantay Trek Accommodation
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From $ 650.00
per person
Code ST3
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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.
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