Join Us On Machu Picchu Salkantay Trek
Trek into an era bygone - Machu Picchu, the glorious remnant of an awe-inspiring civilization. The ten day trek will offer an unforgettable experience for the adventure lover in you - we would be taking the Salkantay trail that climbs to an altitude of 15000+ feet at Salkantay pass and offers glorious views all around. Prior to the Salkantay trek, we will take two days preparatory hikes in and around Cusco to acclimatize.
Duration
10 DaysPassport
Required with Peru VisaMinimum Age
13 years oldActivity
TrekkingAccommodation
3-star and up Hotels
- All accommodation: hotel in Lima / Cusco, Aguas Calientes, tents during Salkantay trek
- All transportation: airport pickup and drop in Cusco, transportation during day tours, transport from hotel to trailhead and back for the trek
- All breakfasts, lunch and dinner during the Salkantay trek. Breakfasts for hotel stays in Cusco and Aguas Calientes. Bottled or boiled water safe for drinking is provided for treks and day trips
- All park and entrance fees. Two way bus tickets from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. Train ticket from Aguas Calientes to Cusco
- Duffel Bag where you can put personal items you need for the trek, this duffel bag will be accessible at night at campsite, for things that you need during the day you need to have a day back
- Porters / mules – you only carry small daypack
- Information sessions and trip preparation assistance
- International flights to Lima. Domestic flights between Lima and Cusco
- Lunch and dinner at hotels
- Gratuities
- Visa and other travel related expenses
- Travel insurance
- Personal gear and equipment including shoes and sleeping bags
You will need to arrive early to Lima to take a domestic flight to Cusco on the same day. There are flights available from Cusco to Lima until evening. We suggest that you are scheduled to arrive Cusco in the afternoon so that there is some safety margin against delays and connection issues. We will pick everyone up from the airport and will be waiting just outside the airport building with a Miyar Adventures sign. Then we will take you to your hotel where you have the rest of the day to take it easy and get acclimatised.
Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire until the Spanish founded Lima. In Cusco, we will explore several Inca sites including the Koricancha Temple (Temple of the Sun) and the fortress of Sacsayhuaman. Next we will visit Qenqo, a site built in a natural rock formation which was created to represent the Andean constellations and the concept of the three worlds. After that we will travel to Puka Pukara, which was a shelter for travelers coming to Cusco from the Amazon. It was also a military center and used to protect the nearby temple located at Tambomachay. Our last stop is Tambomachay, known as the Temple of Water, where the Incas practiced religious traditions tied to water in order to rejuvenate the land. After that we are dropped back to the hotel.
We will spend this day on a local tour of Ollantaytambo. The town has been continuously inhabited since Inca times and houses many structures from its distant past. We will also make an excursion to the Pumamarca ruins. We will also have a briefing session for our Salkantay trek post dinner.
Trek start: Soraypampa (3883 m/ 12740 ft)
Trek end: Soyrococha (4400 m/ 14435 ft)
We start at 6:00 am in the morning from our hotel and drive for around 4 hours to Soraypampa, which is the starting point of our trek. On our way, we will stop at the Inca archaeological site called Killarumiyoq. We will also enjoy breakfast here before driving the rest of the way to the starting point of the trail, called Soraypampa. After lunch at Soraypampa, we will start hiking. We will take it gently and in about three hours would reach Soyrococha, our campsite for the day. The campsite offers great views all around. Expect it to be cold and windy though.
Trek start: Soyrococha (4200 m/ 13780 ft)
Highest point: Salkantay pass (4800 m/ 15748 ft)
Trek end: Colcapampa (2850 m/ 9350 ft)
Our acclimatization sojourn at Cusco would be called into service today as we hike up to highest point of Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu trek, Salkantay pass an hours trek from Soyrococha. The pass offers magnificent views of the Salcantay and Humantay glaciers. We will relish the views for a while and then descend on the other side. We will camp for the night at Colcacampa, that offers great views of the Santa Teresa river and valley below
Trek start: Colcapampa (2850 m/ 9350 ft)
Trek end: Lucmabamba (1947 m/ 6388 ft)
We continue our sharp descent on this day. Our surroundings change drastically as we come down in altitude. The vegetation is richer and the scenery much more greener as we approach Playa campsite (2085 m) for lunch. After stopping around for a while, we will descent further to Lucmabamba (1947 m) which would be our campsite for the night. From Playa, the terrain is well inhabited and we have the option of taking a transport part of the way if we so prefer.
Trek start: Lucmabamba (1947 m/ 6388 ft)
Highest point: Llactapata (2705 m/ 8875 ft)
Trek end: Aguas Calientes (2020 m/ 6627 ft)
We have another sharp climb on this day from Lucmabamba to Llactapata, which is a site of Inca ruins. Being higher than Machu Picchu by about 300 meters, Llactapata offers inviting glimpses of the historic site. Beyond Llactapata, it is an easy downhill towards the Hydroelectric station. From here, depending on how how we feel, we can continue a leisurely trek to Aguas Calientes or take a train. We will stay in a hotel in Aguas Caliente and enjoy the create comforts that comes with it. This would be a welcome change after having slept in the camps for the last three nights.
Today is an optional rest day in Cusco that you can use for sightseeing and shopping. It is also possible to plan your return flight on this day. Casual sightseeing and shopping in Cusco would be a relaxing way to end your Machu Picchu adventure. You hotel is covered for the night. Should you decide to return on this day, your trip cost would come down by the hotel price for this night.
For the more adventurous, Rainbow mountain is an interesting day hiking option. Rainbow mountain is a strikingly scenic mount at 16338 feet (4980 meters) formed of colored sediments that lends a unique character to it. To climb Rainbow mountain we will start from our Cusco hotel around 4.00 am as we have a four drivers south of Cusco to the trailhead. We will follow the highway before following a mountain road that passes through traditional villages and fertile valleys. We will have a boxed breakfast and hot drinks at the start of our hike. Please note that Rainbow mountain hike is not covered in your standard package rate.
Rainbow mountain can be done as a one day trip. Given the altitude (17000+ ft) we need to be properly acclimatized for this trip. It is possible to do this after the Salkantay trek if the group is feeling healthy and have appetite for more climbing.
Amazon Jungle trip is not covered as part of our itinerary. We can however coordinate with a reliable local agency to facilitate this trip extension. You would need to fly to Puerto Maldonado from Cusco and then the jungle trip will happen in the Tambopata reserve. Depending on room and amenities chosen, this would work out $400-600 per person (excluding domestic flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado) for a 2N / 3D trip. From Puerto Maldonado you can directly fly to Lima for international departure. Please note that Miyar will just coordinate this and pass on the costs directly to you without any markup (and consequently any responsibility) at our end.
- Plastic bags (to keep your clothes dry if it rains).
- Light long-sleeves shirts.
- T-shirts. and shorts (for day).
- Trekking pants.
- Socks
- Long Johns
- Strong footwear, ideally trekking boots.
- Tennis shoes or light sandals for after the day hike.
- Warm clothes (jacket, fleece, sweater, wooly hat and gloves).
- Small towel.
- Sleeping bag (if you prefer we can rent it).
