Embark on the Salkantay Trek Classic 5 Days, one of the most scenic and rewarding trekking experiences in the Cusco region. This adventure takes you from the spectacular Andean highlands to the lush cloud forest on an unforgettable journey toward Machu Picchu.
Along the trail, you will admire impressive mountain landscapes, turquoise alpine lakes, tropical valleys, and remote communities surrounded by the Andes. One of the highlights is reaching the breathtaking Salkantay Pass, located at high altitude beneath the majestic Salkantay Mountain.
The 5-day route allows you to experience the changing landscapes at a comfortable pace while enjoying the natural beauty and cultural richness of the region. As you descend toward the cloud forest, the scenery transforms dramatically before reaching the town of Aguas Calientes.
The adventure concludes with a guided visit to Machu Picchu, giving you the opportunity to explore one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in the world. The Salkantay Trek Classic 5 Days is an excellent choice for travelers seeking adventure, spectacular scenery, and an unforgettable journey through the Peruvian Andes.
After picking up everyone from their respective places or hotel, we left Cusco around 5:00 am to the town of Mollepata by car for 2 hours. Once in Mollepata, we stop to have a delicious breakfast also You pay 20 soles of the entrance fee to the local municipality.
Then we continue by car 1 hour more to challacancha where we will meet with the horse guys and horse who will take all the luggage, food, and the 6 kilos of each hiker belongings.
After You will begin with a moderate three-hour hike to Soraypampa (3,900 m / 12,795 ft), where we will spend the first night. The first part of the section is relatively flat with a slight ascent through a deep glacier valley. You will notice that much of the trail follows a restored Inca water canal, which local farmers still use today.
Once in Soraypampa, you will settle into our exclusive Sky Glass House for the night. You will have some time to rest after enjoying your first lunch around the mountains. After recharging your energy, we will start hiking up to the beautiful Humantay Lake (4,200 m /13,780 ft).
We start the uphill hike to Humantay lake for 2 hours, When you arrive at the lagoon you will have enough time to explore, photograph the place and the guide will explain all the meaning of the Humantay lagoon.
After a couple of hours in the lake, we start to go back down1,5 hours to Soraypampa camp, once you arrive in the camp you will enjoy a cup of hot tea or coffee.
If you are tired, you can rest in the Sky Glass House which are the cabins with glass doors, inside there are pillows, sleeping pad and it has illumination for the night.
The second day of the trek is the most difficult, as it consists of 20 kilometers of trekking and takes you to the highest point of the whole trek, (4,630 m / 15,190 ft) meters above sea level. The cooks will wake you up around 5:00 am with a cup of hot coca tea as you take your time to repack and get ready for the nutritious breakfast that will be served around 5:45 am. After breakfast, it is time to start hiking up to the highest point of the trek 4630 m. This will take 3 to 4 hours of uphill hiking at a regular to slow pace.
Once you are at the highest point, you will have time to enjoy the mountains, take pictures, learn about the mountain gods, and take part in a small traditional Andean ritual for the Apus mountain god. You’ll then start hiking down for 2 hours before we rest with a delicious lunch and continue for 3 more hours of downhill hiking to the second camp, Collpapampa, which is located at (2,900 m / 9,514 ft) meters and marks the beginning of the Peruvian Amazon. At camp Collpapampa, we will provide you with your camping equipment, hot tea, and dinner.
There is also an optional hot shower offered by locals that can be used for 10 soles. You can also buy some drinks such as beer, soda, water.
On the third day, we will wake up in the beautiful (but warm) jungle. We’ll wake you up around 6:00 am with a cup of coca tea as the cooks are preparing the delicious breakfast.
Around 7:00 am, we’ll begin our 4-hour hike along the Santa Teresa Valley which is formed by the Salkantay River, after 4 hours of hiking we arrive at La Playa Sahuayaco.
Along the trail, you’ll see plantations for coffee, bananas, avocados, Coca, passion fruit, and more. Once we arrive at La Playa Sahuayaco, we will take local transportation to the third campsite, Lucmabamba, which is about a 30 minutes drive.
At camp, we’ll share a delicious lunch before heading out to the hot springs of Colcampayo (optional). Colcampayo is about a 55-minute car ride from camp. We’ll spend a couple of hours relaxing in the natural, clean water of the hot springs before heading back to camp for tea time, a warm dinner, and a group bonfire. All of these activities are optional, so if you’d rather lay back and relax at camp—you are certainly welcome to!
Llactapata is an Inca ruin located along the Salkantay trail, which you will have the chance to visit on the fourth day. From Llactapata, you will enjoy a beautiful view of Machu Picchu from a unique angle. For this beautiful trek, we’ll start with an early breakfast, around 5:30 am, before taking local transportation for 45 minutes to Lucmabamba.
Upon arrival, we’ll start the 3-hour uphill hike along the original Inca trail until we arrive in the Inca ruins of Llactapata once at the Inca site you will have plenty of time in Llactapata to enjoy the views of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu Mountain, and if the weather is good, you’ll get one more glimpse of Salkantay Mountain.
Afterward, we’ll hike downhill for 2 hours, arriving in Hidroelectrical for a nutritious lunch and much-earned rest. The final part of the hike is a 3-hour hike along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes. Once you arrive in the small town, we’ll take you to your hotel where you can shower and rest before our final supper at 7:00 pm in a local restaurant. After dinner, we’ll head to bed, anxious for our final day and ultimate reward: Machu Picchu
Note: During the rainy season, the hike up the Llactapata Trail is not 100% guaranteed due to safety concerns. When heavy rains are frequent, this trail becomes very dangerous.
Salkantay trekking important day ,We wake up early morning about 4 am to then to 4:30 to have the breakfast and leave to walk up to Machu Picchu which takes one and half hours up to machupicchu but there is another option to catch the first bus which leaves 5:30 to Machu Picchu (25-minutes long) in order to appreciate the magnificent city as the sun is rising. A walking tour (approximately 2 hours) is given by your Guide and after this you can explore the mysterious city by yourselves. If you still have energy you can also climb Huayna Picchu (2720m/8890ft)!!! It takes 45 minutes to reach the top.and after enjoying Machu Picchu you have to go down to aguas calientes to take the train back to ollantaytambo and then bus back cusco.
and those who return by bus they will have to walk back from Machu Picchu to Hidroelectrica to take the bus back(you must be between 2:30pm to 3:00pm)
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