Salkantay Trek & Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

At about 5:30a.m. your tour guide is going to pick you up from your hotel. A two-hour ride will take you through beautiful landscapes until you arrive at the Andean town of Mollepata, about 9180 feet above sea level.Where you will enjoy breakfast.

After that we are going to continue our journey to CHALLACANCHA, our trek starting point. We will meet with our staff, who will load the equipment on horses and mules. Around 10:00 a.m., we will begin our hike toward Soraypampa (3850 meters above sea level). During the hike we will have panoramic views of the majestic Salkantay and other mountains covered with snow, . Around 1:00p.m.,we arrive to the campsite where we will have a great Peruvian lunch. After lunch, we will visit Humantay Lake, an amazing lake in the mountains, (1 hours and 20 minutes hike) and we will come back to our campsite where our personal chef will be ready whit our happy hour some hours late we have our special dinner.

Are you ready!!!

After our powerful breakfast, we will leave the campsite around 7:00 am to start the four hour steep climb towards the Incachiriasca pass (4850 masl), the highest of the entire trail, and from which we will have impressive views of the Salcantay snow peak. We will immediately descend towards our lunch spot Ichupata, observing Salcantay’s neighboring valleys (it is possible that you will see condors in this area). After lunch we will descend towards the Pampacahuana community, next to which exists an original Inca canal. Here we have dinner and set up camp.

Good Morning Everybody!!!

At dawn our trek leads us to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We will pass little creeks and visit several small archeological sites. Our last station for this day will be Wayllabamba (3000m/9843f), both our camping site and the starting point for the Classic Inca Trail on the next morning.

In the morning our porters wake up us whit a great coca infusion to enjoy the beautiful panorama and the cozy and mystical atmosphere, our day starts early in the morning. Our trek takes us to the valleys of Yuncachimpa (3300m/10827f) and Llulluchapampa (3850/12631f) and finally leads us to the Warmiwañusca pass (4200m/13780f), which offers an impressive view of the snow-capped Veronica. After a short moment at the summit, we will continue walking down to our camping place named Pacaymayu (3500m/11483f).

After a heart warming breakfast!!!
Today’s hike is exceptionally beautiful because we will pass the ruins of Runkuraqay; Sayacmarca, Phuyupatamarca, Wiñayhuayna and enjoy dramatic views of the Aobamba Valley. We start with a steady ascent to the second highest pass at Runkuraqay reaching 12400 feet above sea level (3780 m.a.s.l) and passing through a circular Inca control point that occupies a commanding position overlooking the spectacular Vilcabamba mountain range below. Catch your breath and the rest of Inca trail is mostly downhill. Be careful with your knees as the descent from the pass to the ruins of Sayacmarca is very steep and you may feel the strain at the end of the day.
The name Sayacmarca means "inaccessible town" and describes the position of the site, perfectly perched on the rocks. The one of a kind Inca trail, now a monumental structure of granite stones, continues through ever-changing layers of cloud forest full of rare orchids, hanging mosses, bromeliads, and tree ferns. Past the Inca tunnel, a gentle climb will take you to the third pass at 12139 feet above sea level (3700 m.a.s.l), offering incredible views of several snow-capped peaks including Salkantay (20574 ft. /6271m) and Veronica (18865 ft./5750m). Close to the pass you will find the impressive ruins of Phuyupatamarca (cloud-level town). A brief explanation of the mysteries of Inca architecture, before continuing along splendid Inca road to the impressive agricultural site of Intipata and up to the third and last campsite at Wiñayhuayna (forever young) located at 8856 feet above sea level (2700 m.a.s.l). Wiñayhuayna, named after a variety of pink orchid that grows here, is the last official campsite before Machu Picchu. There is a small gift shop, a bar and best of all, hot showers for a small fee. There will also be many more trekkers gathering here, ready for the final hike into Machu Picchu We, therefore, recommend taking extra care of your personal belongings here. Keep an eye on your daypacks and don’t leave anything outside your tent at night. Tea time and Dinner.

We will get up very early around 4:00 am - to get to Inti Punku (the Sun Gate), to view Machu Picchu whit the first rays of the sun. That will be a hike of 1-2 hours, with significant upward stretches in the last half. You will be walking in darkness, so a headlight is strongly recommended. The trail is marked and takes about 1½ hours.
The trail contours a mountainside and drops into cloud forest before coming to an almost vertical flight of 50 steps leading up to the final pass at Intipunku (Sun Gate). Suddenly the whole of Machu Picchu.
A final short hike will bring us to the entrance and into the heart of Machu Picchu itself, where we spend the rest of the morning with 2 hours guided tour and some more exploring on your own. The shuttle bus ticket from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes is included, departs every 15 minutes and will be available for you descend to Aguas Calientes town and in the afternoon you will take the train to Ollantaytambo and from there a bus will drive you to Cusco.

• Backpack with rain shelter.
• Sleeping bag.
• Clothing for warm and cold climate like a waterproof jacket.
• Rain pants and lightweight pants.
• Trekking shoes.
• Slippers or sandals (for showers and hot springs).
• Woolen or synthetic socks and a sweater.
• Long- and short-sleeved polo’s/T-Shirts.
• Rain poncho and a hat.
• Bathing suit (for the hot springs in Aguas Calientes).
• Sunscreen, insect repellent, disinfecting alcohol and gel, water bottle and sterilizing tablets, toiletries and toilet paper.
• Camera (wrapped in plastic bag), a flash light and batteries.
• Some snacks like chocolate bars and dry fruit.
• Original passport, original ISIC student card and extra money in soles.

• Courtesy transfer from the airport to your hotel in Cusco (Please provide us your flight information)
• Pre-departure Salkantay trek& Inca Trail briefing, presented by your tour guides at our downtown Cusco office.
• Collection from your hotel in Cusco and transfer to head of Salcantay trek at Challacancha (trek starting point).
• Entrance ticket to Machu Picchu and Inca Trail.
• Weight Allowance: 8kg per trekker (weights to be carried by horses and porters).
• Visit different Inca archaeological sites during the Salkantay trekking & Inca Trail.
• Bus ticket Machu Picchu - Aguas Calientes.
• Expedition train ticket on Day 6 from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo.
• Collection from train station transfer to your hotel.
• Professional multilingual guides for Salcantay trek & Inca Trail.
• Assistant Tour Guide (for groups of 9 or more people).
• Professional cooks and cooking equipment.
• Well treated local horsemen and porters.
• Horses service (to carry tents, food and cooking equipment)
• 5 Nutritious Breakfasts, 5 High-energy Lunches, 5 Delicious Dinners.
• 5 Tea times.
• Vegetarian food available upon request with no extra charge.
• Nutritious Snacks.
• Hot tea kindly brought to your tent first thing in the morning.
• One liter boiled water every day after breakfast to refill your bottles, from second day.
• Clean and spacious 4P-capacity Tents – only 2 people per tent.
• Comfortable Personal foamy pad (double foam), given to you at the beginning of the trek.
• Private campsites.
• 24 hours emergency oxygen assistance.
• First aid equipment.
• Biodegradable personal hand soaps.
• Biodegradable dish washing detergents used by our kitchen staff
• Accommodation, food, transport, permits for our horsemen and cooks.
• Safe storage of your belongings at our office in Cusco while you are on the trek.
• Salcantay trek survivor certificate.

• Sleeping bag (If you don’t have a sleeping bag, you can rent with us).
• Lunch and dinner on the last day: after the guided tour at Machupicchu, you can enjoy free time to further visit the ruins and choose to have lunch either in Machupicchu or in Aguas Calientes at your own expense.
• Visit to the hot springs in Aguas Calientes: a relaxing way to end-up the 6-day trek while you’re awaiting the return train to Cusco, only 10 minutes from the village center.
• Tips.

Prices per Person 100% inc. Tour + Hotel