Conquering the 5-Day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu!
Once upon a time, the Salkantay Trek in Peru played second fiddle to the ever so famous Inca Trail, the gateway for globetrotters to the mystical wonder of the world, Machu Picchu. But this trail is no longer the underdog, and it's certainly not just a plan B for those unable to book the traditional hike months in advance! In fact, we believe the Salkantay Trek is now a favourite among backpackers - with 17 people in our trek alone! Remember, this trek goes DAILY!
It's no wonder that National Geographic Adventure Travel Magazine labeled it one of the top 25 treks globally. Yep, Salkantay is the real deal! This trek isn't just an alternative; it's a choice for those hungry for the awe-inspiring landscapes of the Peruvian Andes and those who are up for a challenge. Mountains, diverse nature, and views for days, all in the one trek!
And then after all your hard work trekking for 5 days, bam! You're standing in front of Machu Picchu, that South American Wonder of the World that you'll find on most traveler's wishlists. Peru-goers are practically obliged to see this ancient Incan masterpiece, and we were no different. Salkantay Trek seemed like the only way to do justice to this wonder of the world! And boy did we enjoy the challenge!
Our craving for more than just a stroll through the Peruvian wilderness led us to Machu Picchu Reservations, the tour company that promised to be our guiding light through this incredible journey!
Spoiler alert: Salkantay Trek not only met but exceeded our expectations. If you've found yourself here thinking "I'm not a hiker, but I love the sound of this adventure!" Then read on! We had the exact same wonders and doubts, but here we are. The memories and achievements of that adventure will be etched in our minds for the rest of our lives! Here's to chasing wonders and making each step count.
Trip itinerary and facts
Start point: Cusco, hotel pick up from 4:30 to 5:00 am
Duration: 5 days ( theres also a 4 day option)
Departure: Daily departures
Group size: Up to 17
Meals included: 5 Breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners
Total distance – 75km/47 miles
Starting point of hike – Soraypampa
Finishing point – Aguas Calientes
Average altitude – 3000m
Highest point – Apacheta or Salkantay Pass, 4580m
Day 1
Hiking details
Start point: Soraypampa - 3912mt (12834ft)
Break point: Humantay Lagoon - 4250mt (13779ft)
Camp spot and lunch stop: Quiswarniyoc campsite - 4000mt (13122ft)
Total hike: 6kms - up to 5 hours
Day 1 started with an early wake up at around 3am. I would say we woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed but in reality, we were starting to wonder if the whole thing was a mistake (we were still suffering a little from a hangover as we’ve reached that age now!) But, as we walked to the Machu Picchu Reservations office for our pick up. We started to liven up a little! We were picked up at 3:45am and had a sleepy 2hr drive before our stop in Mollepata for breakfast. Breakfast consisted of a pancake and a fruit salad with some coffee and teas, plus coca tea. This was also the first time we could properly speak to some of our group after getting on the bus wearily a few hours before. Our group was aged between 20-35 and had people from all over! Mainly Europeans but we had some from Brazil and Canada too!
,After breakfast we had another little drive to our drop off spot where we were to begin the hike up to Lake Humantay. Here was the last place to use the toilet before our campsite, so Inca toilets from here on in! There were lots of companies starting from this spot as many other companies do day trips to the lake too. But this didn’t hinder our trip. The guides took all of our main packs and gave those to the horsemen for them to bring up. We only walked with our day bags with snacks, water and waterproofs.
On the hike, we all went at our own paces, the quicker of the group at the front with our tour guide Nestor, and the others near the back with the main tour guide Juan. There were a lot of little stops along the way where Juan would teach us about the flora and fauna or about the history of the Incas. It was only 2 hours up to the top of the lake, this was including our long breaks! Once we reached the top, we had 45 minutes to take pictures and explore the surroundings and for Juan to teach us more about the glacier. We were even lucky enough to spot a condor flying around the lake which Juan said was good luck for our trip as it’s pretty rare to see them in this season because of the low clouds!
After our break at the lake, we started our walk to the campsite. The terrain here was “Inca flat” which means it was both up and down all the way there. It started to rain pretty much immediately after leaving the lake, which meant we all put on our ponchos and looked like the cast of Harry Potter running around the hills! It even hailed for a while at one point. But it didn’t stop us from our sights, lunch! We were all so ready to eat after our early wake up. Once the huts were in sight, we were all so excited! We got to lunch around 1:30pm, which was the last spot of the whole day so we had the rest of the day to relax or sleep!
I have to say, Day 1’s hike is a lot easier than we were expecting! Though some found it hard due to the altitude, so acclimatising is something you should definitely think about! We didn’t take any altitude medicine at all this trip, but we had already been to Arequipa and stayed a few days in Cusco so we think that really helped!
So what was the worst part about Day 1’s hike? The hike to the dinner hall!! The huts were based at the bottom of the hill and the dinner hall at the top and boy, was that a workout! We believe that was the worst gringo killer of the whole trip!
The lunch was amazing! We got 3 entrees!? A mango ceviche (no fish), a popcorn salad and a soup! After that we had huge plates of rice, corn, avocado and beef to share. It was more than enough food and a lot better than I was expecting! Super delicious! We were also sharing the dinner area with one other group who had their own table too. These people were doing the 4 day Salkantay trek, so they would be with us in the camp spots for the first 3 days. So we would see them along the way too!
Juan then gave everyone who had rented one their sleeping bags and sleeping inners. We rented one for $10USD each for the duration of the trip. Then we all went to choose our hut! Due to the rain constantly lapping down on us, everyone decided after lunch to take a nap in our huts. We would’ve liked to have explored a little but we were all cold from the rain and were ready for a little snooze. Happy hour started at 6pm, which consisted of crackers, popcorn and hot chocolate. Then dinner came shortly after which was again, just as amazing as lunch. Dinners always consisted of a soup and multiple dishes to share for the main. We would always get some sort of hot tea too! After dinner we had a talk from Juan about what to expect for our next day and went to bed before our wake up at 4am!
Day 2
Hiking Details
Start Point: Quiswarniyoc campsite - 4000mt (13122ft)
Break Point: Soirococha - 4400mt (14435ft)
2nd Break Point: Salkantay Mountain - 4630mt (15190ft)
Lunch Spot: Huayracmachay - 3912mt (12834ft)
Camp Spot: Chawllay - 2900mt (9514ft)
Total hike: 22km - up to 9 hours
We were woken up by a gentle knock on our glass hut window and handed a hot cup of coca tea by the kitchen team. I don’t know about you but I think that’s a pretty nice way to be woken up at the crack of dawn! Coca tea meant you had 30 minutes to get ready and be at breakfast, so we quickly packed our bags and sleeping bags and did the killer hike up to the dining hall to get our breakfast!
We were actually the first ones there and saw the table already lined with coffee and teas, bread and jam. When the rest of our group arrived, we were also given a small plate of scrambled eggs to enjoy with the bread. Juan once again told us what to expect for the day as this day is supposed to be one of the most difficult, with the first 3 hours being uphill to the summit of the Salkantay Mountain. So those who were struggling yesterday or felt they couldn’t complete the hike up to the summit were offered the choice to hire a horse up to the summit at the price of 90 soles. There was only one in our group who chose to hire a horse, but in the 4 day group there were 8 people.
We started the ascent to the summit and it was going really well. Those who chose to get horses stayed behind for a while so they wouldn’t get to the top too soon before we did. As we walked on the way, just as he did yesterday, Juan would stop and give some insight to us! We got to a point where we were given an option: the long and hard route or the short and easy route. For most people this seemed obvious, but who doesn’t love a challenge? Plus, we were told the views were much better from the hard route. So we set off with a mission. We were leading in front along with a Canadian guy, Bryce, and we decided we needed to try to beat the easy routers to the top. So, that we did! We raced up to the top, it was of course a little difficult in parts but it was totally manageable! Once we reached the top, we all did a victory photo of the first 3 to the top. We considered that an achievement!
At the top of the Salkantay we all stopped for photos with our group and our guides. They then found a space for us to sit, while they explained to us all about the 3 glacier ritual. He told us how important the glaciers and pachamama is to those who come to complete the hikes. We each took 3 of the best looking coca leaves, spread them out in front of our faces and blew them lightly facing each glacier while Juan prayed to the pachamama for our fortunes and also for good weather for the rest of our trip. After, we had to each build our own stone towers and place the coca leaves underneath to complete the ritual.
After this it was another 2 hours or so to our lunch spot. The sun was out and we came across a lady selling beers, as we were out front we stopped to have a beer in the sun while we waited for the rest of the group. Our refreshments empty, we continued to lunch, where it began to rain almost immediately... But the lunch made up for that with a delicious lomo saltaldo, yum. We shared a beer with the guides and watched the pigs running around the field as we ate. Luckily, the rain passed just before we finished and we started on our way again.
We descended for another 3 hours, heading through the jungle where all the mosquitoes were waiting for us... Luckily we had pants on for this day! Finally we reached our second camp spot in Chaullay, nestled at an altitude of 2,900 meters! This was a beautiful camp with big glass huts and a view of the jungle and a river! Here we also had the chance to pay 10 soles for a hot shower which was SO worth it! We caught up with some of the people in the other 4 day hike group and had some beers before dinner. This day our happy hour consisted of popcorn again but also some Picarones which look like doughnuts but they’re made from squash and sweet potato! Sounds weird but they were delicious! After dinner we had another briefing from our guide and then went to bed ready for our next day of hiking. Juan advised us though that tomorrow is an easy day too, so we were all looking forward to that!
Day 3
Hiking Details
Start Point: Chawllay - 2900mt (9514ft)
Break point: Collpampa - 2850mt (9350mt)
2nd Break point: Playa Sahuayacco - 2064mt (6771ft)
Lunch and Camp Spot: Lucmabamba - 2000mt (6561mt)
Total hike: 16km - up to 5 hours
Today’s wake up was a little later at 5am, with hot coca tea brought to our huts. Breakfast was served at 5:30 and we were all ready to go by 6am. Today we would be embarking on a 5-hour hike through the Santa Teresa Valley, shaped by the meandering Salkantay River!
Half way through our hike, we stopped at a farm that sold fresh avocado sandwiches, grenadine fruits and fresh juices. We stopped here for around 30 mins while the boys played a football match against another group. The guides were involved too and were more than happy when they scored and won 3-2 to the other team! We also spotted a woman from another group who was eagerly reffing the game from the sidelines. We all had guesses on where she was from and the majority guessed Irish. Turned out we were right and she brought all the Irish over and said “I’ve got a surprise for you” as she unveiled a huge Irish flag from her rucksack and got everyone in for a photo! Turns out she knows people Cathal knows from his village back in Ireland! Small world.
We then continued on the hike till our final stop, where we were picked up by a van and taken to a coffee plantation. We were given a demonstration of how coffee beans are roasted and ground and even got to try some of the delicious coffee too! We also had a boy v girl tournament on who can grind the coffee the quickest (but the girls got the easy method using a grinder and the boys had to use their own strength to grind. So, of course, the girls won.
We were then taken to our third campsite Lucmabamba, where we were served lunch. They had made nachos and guacamole and all the nachos were in animal shapes, it was so cute! Little llamas and dogs sticking out of a huge guac pile! After another hearty feed, we had the option to go zip lining and to a hot spring, which we agreed to both.
The zip lining was with Salkantay Zipline tour and 120 soles per person. It included 5 lines and a swing bridge. It was so worth it! We were able to hang upside down and be attached onto the lines like a condor, soaring above the Salkantay river. After, we waited on the car to pick us up to bring us to the hot springs and all those who hadn’t chosen to do the zip lining were in the cars waiting for us. They were all already drunk! This was the start of a very boozy night!
The hot springs were gorgeous, but we have to admit they weren’t all that hot. We spent around an hour in the springs, then left to the village outside where we all had a table waiting for us. We did shots of tequila with the guides and ended up buying and drinking 2 bottles of rum between 4 of us (oh no!) We were all having such a good time that it was dark before we left and all 4 of us piled into the car while the rest of the group were in the van. Immediately a phone was connected to the speaker and Irish music started blaring out of the speakers. A whole 45 minute journey back to the camp with an Irish singalong the whole way, even the driver joined in at some point. I reckon we drank a whole bottle between us during that journey because upon returning to camp we all had dinner in the dark (none of the lights were working) and not one of us can remember what food we had! A very unexpected, crazy night!
Day 4
Hiking Details
Start Point: Lucmabamba - 2000mt (6561mt)
Break point: Llactapata - 2700mt (8858ft)
Lunch spot: Hidroelectrica - 1890mt (6200ft)
Hostel Stay: Aguas Calientes - 2050mt (6725ft)
Total hike: 19km - up to 7 hours
Today’s wake up was the worst one of the lot. Hangover was already kicking in and the lack of sleep was high! Other members of the group had been vomiting all night and had barely slept, it was a minefield! Breakfast was delicious but definitely unappreciated by a bunch of foreigners with sore heads! We had pancakes and fresh fruit with a chocolate sauce. After breakfast the group was split up into those who had their Machu Picchu tickets already, and those who had not. The people who had booked last minute had missed out on the online tickets as they were all sold out, so only 7 of us out of 17 actually had tickets! So today, they had to miss half of the day and get dropped off closer to Aguas Calientes town to hopefully be in line quick enough to secure one of those last 200 tickets they sell for the next day. Some would say that they got lucky, as the trek for today is another 22km – Approximately 8 hours of hiking and on an ever growing hangover!
The first 3 hours is all uphill along the original Inca trail, leading to the enchanting ruins of Llactapata. However, unfortunately for us the weather was not on our side. We had torrential rain the whole 3 hours! The hangover was certainly being sweated out pretty fast as we climbed higher and higher. We all walked pretty quickly considering the heads on us! Once we reached the top and stopped where you would typically see your first glimpse of Machu Picchu, we looked out into the view and saw nothing but dense cloud and 8 very wet hikers! The usual insta worthy spot was quickly passed through as the rain was not showing any signs of stopping and we still had another 2 hours down the mountain before we reached our lunch spot. The way down felt like FOREVER! There was a river of water running down the entire path and the rain had made it so slippery!
This was the real killer of the whole trek. It’s safe to say our knees were screaming by the end! Once we finally saw that bridge at the end and the realisation that lunch was only a few more minutes away, the hangover was completely gone, the rain cleared up and the excitement started to build again. Hidroelectrica is the start of the train track into Aguas Calientes and is also where we stopped in the restaurant for lunch. The first appetiser came out and it was garlic bread!! We were so happy. Not like the garlic bread we’re used to but it was still SO GOOD. Then we had that with some more soup. Here we had a choice of a couple of main dishes and we went for the chicken. After lunch, the sun was shining and Juan got us all out in the sun to paint our faces with the seeds of the Achiote plant. Some definitely fared better than others, with some designs looking pretty close to someone who’d been in a huge fight! But that was all part of the fun.
It was the last 3 hours now of the walk to our final stop before Machu Picchu and spirits were high as we knew the rest of the way was all pretty much flat! We got to witness the train coming by a couple of times too which was cool, though it does get pretty close in some areas! Some of the walk you actually had to use the track as a bridge too as the footpath didn’t extend over all bridges, so make sure to get to safety quick if you hear the trains horn! Though this walk was pretty flat and easy, the longevity of the day was starting to take its toll and the walk felt like it was never gonna end - when all of a sudden we finally met with the end of the track! Only 15 minutes more to go up into the town! By this point unfortunately it had started raining again, but we knew what we had coming up… A hot shower! So it didn’t stop us from speeding along. As the sign for the Sawya Inn got closer and closer, we all felt such a sense of achievement after completing this day. From hangovers to hills to rain and railway tracks, we had made it to our final camp spot - that was no longer a camp at all but infact a lovely warm hostel with our own private bed! This was actually one of the benefits of being in a couple - couples got private rooms with en-suites while everyone else had the dorms. We had a lovely view of the river that runs through Aguas Calientes town too. We immediately raced for the hot shower and struggled to find something relatively clean to get back into.
The rest of our afternoon was free, so we decided to take ourselves off for a hard earned beer with the other Irish couple before dinner! The town of Aguas Calientes itself is actually super nice, with many little bars and restaurants, we kinda wish we’d had an extra night to explore! We then had our last ever dinner as a group and Juan let us know that we had 2 options for our journey to Machu Picchu. Take the 1h30 walk, with around 1700 steps up to the wonder, or, buy your bus ticket tonight for 5:30am for $12USD one way and save your energy! He recommended the latter but of course we wanted to 1. Save money but 2. Feel like we finished it properly, so we opted to hike. This meant our breakfast would be at 4am ready to start our hike at 4:30am. So, after dinner we all went for a quick ice cream and then crawled back to our beds ready for the big day tomorrow!
Day 5 - we completed the Salkantay Trek!
Hiking Details
Start Point: Aguas Calientes - 2050mt (6725ft)
Round trip: Machu Picchu - 2400mt (7874mt)
Total hike: (walk to and from Machu Picchu) 8km - up to 3 hours
It’s the day we’d all been waiting for and all been praying that the weather would hold out for! Our alarms went off at 3:30am and we ran to check the weather out the window and!!! Rain. Of course! But we weren’t gonna let that affect the day. We quickly got ready, checked out of the room and into our breakfasts! Necked a quick coffee and scoffed down our scrambled eggs and we were ready to go! Ponchos on and we made our way through the dark streets to the bridge to Machu Picchu. We didn’t realise but the bridge itself doesn’t open until 6am, so we ended up waiting around 15 minutes for it to open. Once it opened and the officers had checked our IDs and tickets, we crossed the bridge and the steps began! It started off well, but 45 mins in you could really feel the burn! Some of the steps are HUGE, we’re both pretty tall but could only imagine what some of those steps would be like if we were much shorter! But, we did it! Made it all the way to the top and even before the bus managed to make its way up! Then Juan arrived with those who took the bus and we went inside and started our guided tour (we were all doing Circuit 1/2!)
The circuits work in a one way system, so Juan first took us to the “classic Machu Picchu spot” which we all laughed when we arrived as although the clouds were adding to the feel of the place, they certainly drowned that view out! We had glimpses of what was to come but unfortunately the clouds never did pass for a clear view! However, during the 3 hour tour, we walked through the city and had many more chances for pictures! During the tour, Juan talked us through how the Incas came to Machu Picchu, the difficulties they faced when building the city on the rock face, their utter strength and willpower! Also all about how the Spanish took over many Inca sites, but were never told about or found Machu Picchu and how that is still a mystery to this day! He was so knowledgeable about all the buildings and he really painted a clear picture of how life was back then. He told us how it was rediscovered and why it is so special to the Peruvians nowadays. It was such a special tour and we can really appreciate why it’s a Wonder of the World!
Once we had reached the end of our circuit, we opted to take the bus back to Aguas Calientes so we could make the most of the couple hours we had left in the town before we took the train back. We had brunch at a place close to our hostel and then mooched around the markets and took a proper walk around the town. We finished the day with 4x1 happy hour Pisco sours at our hostel, which were actually pretty strong! Then said goodbye to everyone before getting on our 4pm vista-dome train. As we had booked so far in advance, we had managed to snag the best seats in the house and had the front row seat on the train with a huge window offering panoramic views of the journey home. Score! The train even had free snacks which included coca tea and coca sweets, quinoa cookies and a quinoa cereal bar. It also had shows of traditional dancing and even an alpaca fur catwalk. 1h 30 on the train and we arrived to Ollantaytambo where a Machu Picchu Reservations driver was waiting for us. It was another 2 hours drive from here to Cusco which we shared with other Machu Picchu day guests. It’s safe to say we couldn’t wait to get back to our hostel and get on some nice clean clothes!!
Upon reflection of this tour we would ABSOLUTELY recommend Machu Picchu reservations and the Salkantay trek to everyone! It was the best thing we did in the whole of Peru and we met some lovely people along the way! If anyone has any more questions about anything we did on this trek, please let us know! Follow our instagram page @twoeejitsabroad to see all the posts we did on this amazing trip and all the rest that are to come!
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