Salkantay Trek To Machupicchu 5 Days – Tents

We pick you up from your hotel at 4:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. to drive for about 2 hours to Mollepata where we will have breakfast (Optional: not Included) in a local restaurant after the breakfast we will drive for 40 minutes more to Challacancha where we start our Salkantay trek.

As soon as we are at Challacancha the cook and the horseman will pack all the camping equipment and cooking stuff and we start hiking the first hours will be a little bit uphill to get The Inca Chanel where we will have a panoramic views of beautiful snow-capped mountains (Humantay; 4120m/13500ft and Salkantay; 6271m/20575ft) – just the start! We will begin our Salkantay trek towards Soraypampa for another 2 hours, our first Salkantay Trek camping spot at our base Camp so we will have lunch here and take a little rest then by the afternoon we will have a trek for about 2 hour to go to the Humantay Lake (3800 m/11750ft; the highest and coldest campsite of the trip) we will be very close to the second highest Salkantay snow capped -mountain of Cusco. Anyway our camp is going be at Soraypampa. Sleeping tents will be ready and we will have a warm delicious dinner in the evening.

1st Day: Total distance: 15 km (aprox.)
Estimated walking time: 7-8 hours.
Maximum altitude point: 4,120 m (aprox.Humantay Lake)
Campsite altitude: 3,800 m (aprox.)

After having our breakfast we start walking about 7:00 am ,because this day will be the longest day the first 4 hours is uphill to get the highest point of the Salkantay Trek (4650m/15200ft) located halfway between 2 huge mountains; Salkantay on the right and Tucarhuay on the left. From the pass, the views of the 2 snow-capped mountains are incredible. There is a possibility of snow here.

After a rest, we will continue our walk (downhill) through a dramatic cloud forest towards Huayracpunku, where we will have lunch in a Dome Dining. We hike again after lunch in the direction of the start of the jungle until we reach chaullay (3 hours) (2900 meters/ 9500 feet) where will be our second campsite.

The trail from the village of Challway to lunch at La Playa is when you make the noticeable change from the mountains down into the Jungle. Trickling streams amongst the sub-alpine plains give way to raging waterfalls and streams. There are a number of river crossings across bridges constructed from simple tree logs and branches, The vista of the river valley and the occasional stream crossings are to occupy your mind for the 4 hour trek down to lunch.

The area known as La Playa is our lunch place, here that the mosquitos, start coming out in force, so the insect repellent will be our best way to keep them away.

We take a local bus for an hour long bus ride which will bring us to the Cocalmayo´s hot spring and to the town of Santa Teresa, which is the first actually town that you’ll encounter along the trek.

In Santa Teresa, we take the dinner and rest until the next day. We´ll have our third night in a Camping

After breakfast you will have the option, to perform the Zip line, with one of ours operator in Santa Teresa, after this activity, a bus will bring us till Hydroelectric.

Once in Hydro, we´ll have the lunch, to then continue till the town of Aguas Calientes.

The trek to Aguas Calientes is along the train tracks, 12 kilometers (7.5 miles).

Trekking to Machu Picchu along the train line is much more enjoyable than we anticipated as a wide path undulates beside the tracks. Almost the entire distance is shaded by jungle foliage, trees and flowers, the incline is very gradual. This is the perfect "cool down" after 4 days of trekking.

We can tell that we are getting close to our destination, Aguas Calientes and we´ll notice more and more trekkers along the trek... We´ll be only a short walk away from a hot shower. There are no words to describe the joy of seeing the town of Aguas Calientes, the tired legs are quickly forgotten as we are near our hotel. Not only would we get to take a hot shower, but also sleep in a real bed... Hurrah!.

There are no words to describe the joy of seeing the town of Aguas Calientes, the tired legs are quickly forgotten as we are near our hotel. Not only would we get to take a hot shower, but also sleep in a real bed... Hurra!.

We all meet for dinner at a restaurant and get a plan for our next day.

We´ll have an overnight in a hotel with a soft bed. !you gonna love it! Even you won´t want to get up of bed the next day, Come on!!! You´ll must do it. Tomorrow is Machu Picchu! Dream with it!

Today we come to the long-awaited end of our trek, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO: Machu Picchu! We will get up early after a refreshing night in our hostel to beat the crowds to the top of Machu Picchu and enjoy their serenity in the light of the morning. The entrance control point to Machu Picchu is open from 06:00 AM to 17:00 PM. We will walk to Machupicchu (a bus trip is optional for $ 12.00) and we will enter the Real Ciudadela de los Incas, which is hidden. Here we will have a guided tour of 2 hours through this incredible ancient city to visit temples, terraces, palaces, priests houses, the sundial, the industrial sector and the fields of cultivation. Surprise yourself with the ingenuity of engineering of the Incas, which was far ahead of its time and even today it is a mystery! Without modern tools, steel or iron to work, the people who built this city were great at organizing this community in a sustainable and beautiful way on the side of a mountain, even carrying water in channels through its streets so that the people can use. When a Peruvian guide showed this site to Hiram Bingham, it was almost unrecognizable, covered in thick vegetation and in poor condition. Since then, it has been cleaned and restored and is now protected and treasured by the world in general.

After this tour, you can go up to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (be sure to book in advance to get tickets for these!). Each mountain takes about 3 hours to go up and down. Another option with less impact for which you do not need an additional ticket is to walk to Puerta del Sol, the main entrance from the Inca Trail (this takes around 2 or 2.5 hours round trip). Another option is to walk to see the Inca Bridge.

OPTION 1:GO BACK IN TRAIN

You can stay and enjoy this magical city for more than 7 hours before returning to Aguas Calientes for the train trip at 18:45 hrs (subject to availability) to Ollantaytambo.

A bus will pick up our group and leave it in the city of Cusco at approximately 22:30 hrs. Rest your feet and your body now, but we can assure you that your heart will continue to rise for the next weeks and years!

OPTION 2: GO BACK BY VAN

Afterwards, you can enjoy some free time until approximately 12:30 pm, which is the recommended time to start returning from the mountain to the train station. The train back to the hydroelectric plant will leave Aguas Calientes at 1:30 pm.

Upon arrival at the hydroelectric plant, we will transfer from the train to a private truck, which will take us to Santa Teresa. There, we will have a break of one hour to have a last chance to get some food or use the bathroom before embarking on the final leg of the trip. Then we will return to Cusco, returning by the same road that brought us here. We will arrive in Cusco around 22:00 pm (approx.).

End of our services.