The best route for those travelers who wish to track and experience a wilderness trek is the Salkantay and Inca Trail Trek. This is one of the most stunning and unique treks, which will take you right from the watershed of the Apurimac River to the Urubamba river. The second most prominent mountain in the Cusco region is around the stunning Mount Salkantay.
This breathtaking route twists and turns, climbs through high mountain scopes and descends steep valleys. It passes through pockets of the foggy, cloudy forest.
You will experience the wildest topography and the splendor of the oldest traditions and finest archeological sites. Several diverse ecological zones are filled with an astounding variety of plants and bird life.
From archeological sites to the architectural and cultural grandeur of Machu Picchu itself, the ancient and remote footpath takes you.
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Transfer from the airport to your hotel for free
Pick up at your hotel in the morning of the trek departure
Cusco – Soraypampa – Humantay Lake – Salkantaypampa
Your Andean mountain adventure begins at 5am when we pick you up at your hotel in our private van and drive to the trailhead at Soraypampa. Along the way, you pass through two picturesque indigenous villages called Iscuchaca and Limatambo. In addition, you will have spectacular views of stunning valleys and the snow-capped, famous Salkantay Mountain.
Once we reach the trailhead in Soraypampa, we power up with breakfast while admiring the breathtaking views of the mountain glaciers of Humantay (19,356 feet) and Salkantay (20,396 feet). We then take a 2.5 hours round-trip hike up to visit the turquoise Humantay Lake. Next, we take about one and a half hours to ascend to Salkantaypampa, where your appetizers and hot drinks are ready for you, right in front of the majestic glacier! You will have time to settle into your tents, which are already set up for you, before dinner.
Your guide will wake you with a hot mug of tea or coffee to enjoy in your tent before you get up for breakfast. Today, we continue walking off the beaten track for about 3 hours uphill. We stop to have lunch along the way and continue our trek for 3 more hours until we reach our campsite, which is approximately a kilometer away from the snow-capped mountain Salkantay. On the way, we will enjoy the magnificent views of all the surrounding snow-capped mountains, glacial lakes and amazing valleys. We have afternoon tea and appetizers before dinner.
Enjoy another hot drink in your sleeping bag before your tasty and hearty breakfast. Our day begins with a slow uphill climb of approximately 4 hours to reach the Incachiriaska Pass (4,880m/16,010ft) which translates to “the place where the Inca cools down.” Around this area in the rocky crags, lives the Andean Condor, the world’s largest flying bird. Your guide will help you keep an eye on the sky, hoping to get a glimpse of this majestic bird. From here, the trail levels off downhill and we reach our campsite for the night at Sisaypampa.
After a delicious breakfast, we say goodbye to our horsemen. From this point, your camping equipment will be carried by your porters.*** We start hiking towards the end of the valley, which enters a wider valley called Pampacahua. There, we find an Inca Canal that is still in full use by the local farming settlements. At the end of the Pampa, we find our first Inca archeological site named Paucarcancha that we pass by and we arrive at Wayllabamba for lunch. At this point, you are on the Classic Inca Trail, walking in the footsteps of the Inca! After another hearty and delicious lunch, we walk for 3 more hours through the Llullucha Valley to reach our campsite at Llulluchapampa, where we enjoy our afternoon tea surrounded by expansive mountain views.
Early in the morning, we have our breakfast then start our climb for about 2 hours following an original Inca path and trek up to the Warmiwañusqa Pass, also called Dead Woman’s Pass, at 4,217m/14,047ft. Here we have a magnificent view back down the valley we just ascended and also down the other side to the trail ahead of us. We descend the Inca Trail, where the stones have been reconstructed in some places, down to the Pacaymayu River and have lunch. Afterwards, we walk uphill for 2 more hours towards Runcurakay Pass (3,977m/13,127ft). From this vantage point, we enjoy the unbelievable views of all the surrounding mountains. Then we descend for 3 more hours to Phuyupatamarca (3,650m/12,047ft), where we spend the night.
Today is the most beautiful day of our trek. We have our breakfast early in the morning enjoying the sun rise, the Urubamba Canyon, the Machu Picchu Mountain and the stunning Inca sites. After that, we descend for 2 hours through the cloud forest to Wiñay Wayna for lunch. Then, we walk for 1 hour to the Sun Gate, from here you can enjoy your first breathtaking view of Machu Picchu and all the surrounding mountains. Afterwards, we descend to Machu Picchu Citadel. We enter the Citadel of Machu Picchu from the top through the “House of the Guardians”where you can take the famous postcard pictures of Machu Picchu. After finishing with photos we take our shuttle to Aguas Calientes, where we have dinner together at a restaurant, then spend the night in a hotel.
This is the day you’ve been waiting for! After an early breakfast at your hotel, you’ll take one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu so that you can be there to witness the sunrise. It is a truly extraordinary site and not something you’ll want to miss! Your guide will give you a guided tour of Machu Picchu, which takes about two hours. You will see many of the most important parts of Machu Picchu Citadel.
After your tour, those who have booked in advance for the extra hike up Huayna Picchu will have time to enjoy those views on their own. When you have had your fill of the exceptional views of Machu Picchu, you will take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes for lunch (not included). Depending on your train departure time, you may also have time for some shopping, sightseeing or a visit to the museum or hot springs.
The Expedition train will take you back to Ollantaytambo at 2:55pm or 3:20pm, following the spectacular Urubamba River. Close to Aguas Calientes, the canyon is narrow and the river has many beautiful sections of whitewater. You can also see Wiñay Wayna from the train, if you look up high on the steep canyon wall! Back at Ollantaytambo, your driver will meet you at the exit from the train station to take you back to your hotel in Cusco in our private vehicle. You can expect to arrive at your hotel by 7:00pm.
Day 1
