Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu (5 days)

Prices of the programs with entrance fee to Machu Picchu for type of accommodation in Aguas Calientes until December 31st, 2024:

• Without accommodations:
• Adult non-resident in Andean Community: US$ 319 per person.
• Adult resident in Andean Community: US$ 299 per person.
• Hostel Eco Mapi with shared room:
• Adult non-resident in Andean Community: US$ 329 per person.
• Adult resident in Andean Community: US$ 309 per person.
• Hostel Vista Machu Picchu or similar with private room:
• Adult non-resident in Andean Community: from US$ 359 per person.
• Adult resident in Andean Community: from US$ 339 per person.
• Hotel Jaya or similar with private room:
• Adult non-resident in Andean Community: from US$ 404 per person.
• Adult resident in Andean Community: from US$ 384 per person.

If you select a program without entrance fee to Machu Picchu, you must have a ticket at the latest with entrance from 6:00 am to 7:00 am (ingreso de 06:00 a 07:00), and a discount will be applied as follows:

• Adult non-resident in the Andean Community: US$ 40 off.
• Minor non-resident in the Andean Community: US$ 20 off.
• Adult resident in Andean Community: US$ 20 off.

*Andean Community: resident citizens in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia.

*Discount for minors: you can access to the prices for minors (age 14 to 17) directly in the passengers’ number selector.

• 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.

• 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 (US$ 15 per person).
• Trekking poles.
• Extra luggage weight (S/. 10 per kg, per day, maximum 12 kg).
• Breakfast on the first day (S/. 7 per person), lunch and dinner the last day.
• Drinks at dinner on the fourth day.
• Water.
• Entrance fee to the Cocalmayo Hot Springs (optional activity, S/ 10 per person).
• Round trip transport to the hot springs:
• 1 person: S/ 180.
• Group of 2 people: S/ 90 per person.
• Group of 3 to 6 people: S/ 50 per person.
• Group of 7 to 10 people: S/ 40 per person.
• Group of 11 people or more: S/ 30 per person.
• Health insurance.

• Train upgrade to the Vistadome category from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo (return trip): US$ 80 per person.
• Entrance ticket to Machu Picchu Mountain: US$ 65 per person.
• Entrance ticket to Huayna Picchu Mountain: US$ 65 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.

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.

• 30-liter backpack to bring things you will be using during the day.
• Waterproof backpack cover.
• Waterproof jacket and pants (Gore-Tex or similar).
• Fleece clothing (Polartec or similar).
• Thermal clothing (base layer).
• Short and long-sleeved t-shirts.
• Hiking shoes.
• Plenty of batteries (there are no electrical sockets to charge batteries).
• Earplugs.
• Flip-flops (for showers and resting).
• Bathing suite.
• Towel.
• Headlamp.
• Lock.
• Winter hat and gloves for the cold.
• Cap to protect yourself from the sun.
• Sunscreen.
• Sunglasses.
• Ziploc bags (to store garbage).
• Trekking poles.
• Sleeping bag.
• Toiletries.
• Toilet paper.
• Insect repellent.
• Water (1 liter per person for the first day; you will be able to buy water during the trek).
• Snacks.
• At least S/. 200 for extra expenses not included in the trek (the amount considers optional activities).
• Travel insurance.

• 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 8:00 pm 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. After lunch 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.

Visit to the archaeological site

To enter to Machu Picchu archaeological site, you must have the so-called Llaqta Machu Picchu entrance ticket. Remember that, in case you select a program without entrance fee, you can buy it in the Ministerio de Cultura website.

The entrance will give you access to the archaeological site following one of its 4 circuits, which you will have to choose once you are in the citadel entrance:

• Circuit 1: high and low part of the archaeological site, as well as the platforms and terraces area for 3 hours.
• Circuit 2: high and low part of the archaeological site, as well as the routes to the Inti Punku and the Inca’s Bridge for 4 hours.
• Circuit 3: low part of the archeological site including the agricultural area, Temple of the Sun, Inka House, Sacred Rock, and Archaeological Reserve for 1 and a half hours.
• Circuit 4: low part of the archeological site including the agricultural area, Temple of the Sun, Inka House, Sacred Rock, and water mirrors for 2 hours.

Our recommendation for you to tour the citadel is choosing the circuit 2, because it will allow you to visit a bigger number of attractions inside Machu Picchu and taking the classic pictures. On the other hand, in case you decide add the visit to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain as an optional service, you will have less time in the citadel, depending also on the time in which your visit to one of the two mountains is confirmed.

In case we cannot confirm the visit to the mountain as early as possible, the only possibility to visit the citadel will be with circuits 3 and 4.

• If you cancel or reschedule this tour, you will not receive a full refund.
• If you cancel or reschedule more than 6 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 or reschedule less than 6 days in advance, you will not receive any refund.