Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu (5 days)

• Program for type of accommodations in Aguas Calientes:
• Without accommodations:
• Local price: US$ 299 per person.
• International visitor price: US$ 319 per person.
• Hostel Eco Mapi with shared room:
• Local price: US$ 309 per person.
• International visitor price: US$ 329 per person.
• Hostel Presidente or similar with private room:
• Local price: from US$ 339 per person.
• International visitor price: from US$ 359 per person.
• Hotel Tierra Viva or similar with private room:
• Local price: from US$ 377 per person.
• International visitor price: from US$ 397 per person.

*Local price for citizens of Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia, and foreign residents of other nationalities in Peru.

*International visitor price for non-resident international visitors in Peru.

Discounts

• Teenagers from 14 to 17 years: US$ 10 on the local price and US$ 20 on the international visitor price.
• Students**: US$ 10 on the local price and US$ 20 on the international visitor price.

*To access to these discounts, write us at reservas@denomades.com.

**See requirements in FAQ’s.

• Pickup at the hotel in Cusco.
• Drop-off in downtown Cusco.
• Transport:
  • Shared transport from Cusco to Challacancha.
  • Shared transport via Expedition train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo.
  • Shared transport from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.
• Accommodations:
  • 1^st night in the Soraypampa camp (shared double hut).
  • 2^nd night in the Chaullay camp (shared lodge).
  • 3^rd night in the Santa Teresa camp (shared double tent).
• Meals:
  • Breakfast (every day except for the first and last).
  • Lunch (every day except the last).
  • Dinner (every day except the last day).
• Camping gear (carried by a herder and mules):
  • Tent.
  • Sleeping pad.
• Bilingual guide (Spanish and English).
• Luggage carrying service the 3 first days (up to 5 kg (11 lbs.) per person).
• Entrance ticket to the Salkantay Route.
• Entrance ticket to the Machu Picchu citadel (archaeological site).

• 4th night of accommodations in Aguas Calientes, in case you choose the option without accommodations.
• Showers at Soraypampa camp (no access).
• Showers at Chaullay camp (S/. 10 per person).
• Showers at Santa Teresa camp (S/. 5 per person).
• Bathroom access along the route.
• Sleeping bag.
• Trekking poles.
• Extra luggage weight (S/. 50 for up to 12 kg (26.5 lbs.)).
• Breakfast on the first day (S/. 7 per person), lunch and dinner the last day.
• Drinks at dinner on the fourth day.
• Water.
• Entrance ticket to the Cocalmayo Hot Springs (optional activity, S/. 25 per person).
• Zipline ticket (optional activity, S/. 100 per person).
• Health insurance.

• Train upgrade to Vistadome category: US$ 35 per person.
• Entramce ticket to Machu Picchu Mountain: US$ 20 per person.
• Entrance ticket to Huayna Picchu Mountain: US$ 20 per person.
• Roun-trip bus between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu: US$ 24 per person.

*It is not possible to climb up both mountains, Machu Picchu Mountain and Huayna Picchu, during the same tour.

*Due to the pandemic, the optional mountains Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu are closed to the public until further notice. In case you include one of them in your booking and during the date of your trip still remains closed, we will make the corresponding refund.

1. Select the departure date from the calendar.
2. Select the number of people.
3. Click on "Add to cart".
4. Pay the full price of the tour online.

• Minimum age of 14 required for this activity.
• Not allowed for pregnant women.

Start: Day 1 at 4:30 am at your hotel in Cusco.
End: Day 5 around midnight in downtown Cusco.

Day 1: Cusco – Challacancha – Soraypampa (16 km or 10 miles, 6 hours). We will pick you up at your hotel to start the trip towards our starting point, and will head off towards Mollepata, which is a 3-hour trip. Once we arrive there, we will have to pay our entrance fee to the community and then we will have breakfast (not included) in a restaurant of a local family. There will be enough time to buy some last items before meeting with the group with whom we will make the trek. After receiving the guide’s instructions, we will board the bus again that will take us to Challacancha, where we will start the trek. We will hike the trail while observing the initial landscapes with mountains and valleys. After 3 hours, we will reach the Soraypampa camp at an altitude of 3,900 meters (12,795 ft.). Here we will have lunch and then have some time to rest and recover. In the afternoon we will go up to the Humantay Lagoon, a natural sight one and a half hours from the camp and at an altitude of 4,100 meters (13,451 ft.), where it is possible to see the glacier with the same name in the background if weather permits. Once back at the camp, we will rest for a moment before having dinner, where we will spend time together and listen to the guide’s instructions for the next day before going to sleep in our tents.

Day 2: Soraypampa – Abra Salkantay – Chaullay (22 km or 13.67 miles, 10 hours). We will begin the day with a coca tea in our tents to wake up with energy. After packing up and getting our things ready to go, we will meet for breakfast and then get ready to begin the trek. We will begin to go up the mountains while observing the different landscape from the previous day and making stops to rest as we gain altitude. Our destination is the Abra Salkantay at an altitude of 4,650 meters (15,256 ft.), where we will have views of the Humantay Glacier and the snowcapped Salkantay Mountain. At this highest point of the trek, we will perform a small ceremony of thanks to the Pachamama (Mother Earth) and the surrounding Apus (mountains), and then we will continue on to Huayracmachay for lunch, at an altitude of 3,800 meters (12,467 ft.). After recovering some energy, we will continue our descent while going from a cold, mountain landscape to a warmer jungle landscape until reaching the Chaullay camp (2,900 meters, 9,514 ft.), where we will have dinner and then go to sleep in our tents.

Day 3: Chaullay – Santa Teresa (11 km or 6.8 miles, 5 hours). We will begin the morning with a coca tea in our tents to wake up and then get our things together. After breakfast, we will say goodbye to the porter, who will go on ahead with our luggage, and then we will begin our hike. We will see different types of plantations along the route such as quinoa and pomegranate, and the guide will tell us about different flowers and their importance in the Andean culture. After hiking for 5 hours, we will reach Playa Sahuayacu to have lunch. After resting for a little while, we will then continue our journey by bus to Santa Teresa, where we will spend our third night. Here we can go to the Cocalmayo Hot Springs (optional, not included) during the afternoon to help our muscles recover from the days of hiking, which has 3 pools with different temperatures. At night we will eat dinner, receive instructions for the next day, and have time to hang out with the group and rest.

Day 4: Santa Teresa – Aguas Calientes (16 km or 10 miles, 6 hours). The day begins with breakfast so we have energy to make the hike to Hidroeléctrica. We will continue observing the diverse landscapes, now at altitudes ranging from 1,700 to 2,000 meters (5,577 to 6,562 ft.), where we can see the jungle landscape all the way to our destination. There is also the option to take a zipline during the morning which covers several kilometers of cable among the hills, as well as a hanging bridge, and it includes transportation to Hidroeléctrica for lunch. After lunch once the group has already reunited, we will walk alongside the railroad track for 3 hours to get to Aguas Calientes. Here, we will get settled into our hostel and then at dinnertime we will go to a restaurant in the town. After dinner, we will receive the guide’s instructions for the following day, as well as a snack for the trek between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu, and then we will leave to go to the hostel to sleep.

Day 5: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco. We will get up very early to hike from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. A climb up the stairs to the citadel will be awaiting us, where we will meet with our guide to take a 1-hour tour with explanations about how the site was discovered, the time period in which it was built and the techniques used to build it, as well as other interesting information. Then, we will have some free time to explore on our own and take pictures or climb up one of the mountains (Machu Picchu or Huayna Picchu) if you included this optional service. After touring the site, we have to go back to Aguas Calientes to pick up our things and go to the train station a half an hour before the departure time of the train to Ollantaytambo. From there we will take a vehicle that will drop us off in downtown Cusco.

Time in the citadel

The time available for visiting Machu Picchu is three hours in total. This time must be administrated as follows: one hour of guided tour, and the rest for visiting the citadel freely or climbing one of the mountains: Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu.

Map

• If you cancel this tour, you will not receive a full refund.
• If you cancel more than six days in advance, you will only receive a refund of US$ 40 per person from the advance deposit made at the time of booking.
• If you cancel less than six days in advance, you will not receive any refund.