Ultimate Salkantay Trek To Machu Picchu - 5 Days

Start the Salkantay Trek with a pick-up from your hotel’s door at 4:30 am (depending on your location) and drive for 3 hours to the trailhead – arriving approximately at 8:30 am. You will enjoy the first breakfast prepared by your chef, then meet the team of porters and horsemen to later start the Salkantay TreXperience! The first part starts with a 3-hour hike to Soraypampa (3600 m/11811 ft) following an ancient aqueduct used since the Incas. Lunch is served at Soraypampa, where our chef will prepare delicious meals using fresh local products. After lunch, you will continue with a 2-hour hike up until you reach the stunning glacial lake of Humantay (4200 m/13779 ft). Once at the lake, you will have time to explore the surroundings and relax, enjoying this spectacular turquoise water lake’s beautiful vistas. Then continue for 2 more hours to the first campsite at the base of Salkantay Mountain. Along the way, you will see various types of flora and fauna, such as the Andean goose (the love bird), deer, and vizcachas (which look a lot like rabbits). The campsite is at Salkantay Pampa (3900 m/12795 ft). This basecamp offers you an unobstructed view of Salkantay Mountain and the sky at night. Get ready for dinner, stargaze, and sleep under a million stars. Campsite Altitude: 3900 m/12795 ft Highest altitude: 4200 m / 13779 ft Distance: 12 km / 7.4 miles Duration: 6 hours Meals: Breakfast, snacks, lunch, tea, dinner Accommodation: Camping under million stars Considered: Moderate

Wake you bright and early with a hot cup of coffee or coca tea, admiring the spectacular views of the snowcapped mountains. After breakfast, you’ll start the ascent for 2 hours to the highest point of the Salkantay Trek at 4630 m (15190 ft); once on top, you’ll take some time to explore and enjoy the area and even visit a beautiful lake at the base of Salkantay Mounatin. It’s then another 3-hour downhill hike to the lunch place at Wayracmachay (3900 m/12795 ft). Vizcachas, a type of Chinchilla that is only found in Peru and is called Lagidium Peruanum, can be seen. After a well-earned lunch, you’ll get ready for the final stretch of the day: 3 more hours of downhill from the highlands, where the air is dry and cold, into the lush cloud forest, where the weather is warm and humid. This is definitely one of the fastest changes in temperature and landscape that you will experience. The campsite is located next to the village of Collpapampa at 2770m (9087ft). Campsite Altitude: 2770 mt  / 9087 ft Highest altitude: 4630 m /15190 ft Distance: 18 km/ 11.1 miles Duration: 9 hours Meals: Breakfast, snacks, lunch, tea, and dinner Accommodation: Camping next to a village Considered: Challenging

Enjoy a leisurely time in the village while admiring the view of the mountains you left behind. After breakfast, you’ll prepare for the most beautiful day of this expedition to the legendary citadel of Machu Picchu, hiking along narrow paths, following the river, passing wooden bridges, waterfalls, granadilla, and banana plantations, until you arrive at Lucmabamba (2000 m/6600 ft) for lunch. Today’s lunch is special and a highlight of the Salkantay trek; after hiking for about 3 hours and taking a van for the last part, you’ll get ready to participate in a Pachamanca Barbecue, an ancient traditional underground hot stone barbecue. After burying the food, you will visit the organic coffee farms and prepare your own cup. The cooking takes about 45 minutes, and then you sit down to enjoy the different delicacies like the cuy (Guinea pig), different types of potatoes, fruits, and vegetables prepared like a local. Once fed and re-energized, get ready for a final 3-hour climb along the ancient Inca Trail to Llaqtapata, a small citadel located on a mountain top at 2750m (9022ft) where you’ll catch the first glimpse of Machu Picchu from a distance. This place was discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911 and lost again until recently. You’ll be camping right in front of Machu Picchu; when you open your tent, you will be able to see the sunrise and sunset over Machu Picchu if the weather allows. Campsite Altitude: 2,750 m / 9022ft Distance: 16 km / 9.9 miles Duration of hike:  6 hours Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner Accommodation: Camping in front of Machu Picchu Difficulty: Moderate