Salkantay Trek 4D/3N

The day you arrive in Cusco, we will meet with you at your hostel/hotel to introduce ourselves and finalize trek payments. It is important that we recieve this payment in advance so we can purchase all food for the trek. The night before the trek, you will have your pre-departure briefing. At this meeting we will discuss the final preparations for the trip and answer any remaining questions.

We will pick you up at 5:00am from your hotel and travel by private van to the village of Mollepata in the verdant Apurimac River Valley. After breakfast and getting ready, we will take a three and a half hour walk to Sicllapata. Here we will eat lunch surrounded by beautiful panoramic views of the snow-capped peaks of Humantay and Salkantay. We will continue our trek towards Soraypamapa (4000m/12750ft) for another 4 hours. This campsite is the highest and coldest campsite of the whole trip.

The second day is the longest day of the trek. After an early breakfast, we will start hiking up a moderate climb for three and a half hours until we reach the Salkantay Pass (4600m/9800ft). From this point, we can soak in spectacular views of Salkantay. At the pass you can leave a piece of rock carried from the bottom as a present for the mountain spirit.

We will continue a downhill trek for two hours to Huayracmachay. After a quick rest, we will continue our hike for three and a half hours through the Amazon jungle (do not forget your bugspray!). We will reach our second campsite, Colcapampa (3000m/9800ft) and have dinner. Depending on how quickly the group hikes, other possible campsites are Challway or Qolllpapampa.

After breakfast at 5:30am, we will start a 6 hour hike through the tropical jungle. We will cross the Lluskamayo River and a variety of small streams so waterproof shoes are a good idea. We will pass through gorgeous valleys and have wonderful views of waterfalls. Your guide will show you naturally growing tropical fruits and native plants and flowers. We will stop for lunch at la Playa campsite (2500m/8350ft) and then take a van for one hour to the Hydroelectric train station. At 4pm we will take a train to Aguas Calientes where we will spend the night. In Aguas Calientes, we will enjoy a celebratory dinner and and you will have the luxury of comfortable beds and hot showers. You will also have the option of visiting the thermal springs in the evening (an additional 10 soles).

We will have two options to arrive to MachuPicch: 1) we can hike for one and a half hours from Aguas Calientes to MachuPicchu, or 2) we can take a bus to MachuPicchu. By waking up early, you will witness the magnificent sunrise at this ancient Inca city. At MachuPicchu, you will have a guided tour for approximately 2 hours. After the tour, you will have free time to explore this mysterious city by yourself.

When you finish at MachuPicchu, you will meet your guide in Aguas Calientes for lunch where he/she will give you your train ticket back to Cusco.

All our departures are available from March to January. We do not trek in February. We highly recommend you book your tour far in advance because during the high season (May to September) MachuPicchu entrace tickets and train tickets sell out several weeks in advance.

Our four-day Salkantay trek is the newest trek to Machu Picchu. This service is perfect for small groups of friends, couples, and individuals.