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Salkantay

Difficulty:

Average/High

Length:

4 nights/5 days

Brief description:

A true Andean adventure... The trek involves a 4 day hike through the dramatic Vilcabamba Range and offers a different, less travelled route to the breath taking views of Machu Picchu. We will be crossing the paths between the Salkantay Peak (6270m) and Humantay Peak (6070m) whilst being shown the fantastic views of the ice white glaciers.

We take a descent into a range of ecological zones including flourishing sub-tropical valleys and to the sporadic alpine meadows. On our way through the hike we will be surrounded with tropical fruits, coffee plantations and a copious variety of flowers and bird species.

On our 4th day of walking we will be following one of the Inca trails over a low jungle pass until we reach the top where we will enjoy a glorious view of the Machu Picchu ruins.

From here we will make our way back down to Aguas Calientes where we will be resting and spending a night of comfort in a hostel. Our last day will include spending the day with a local guide to visit the impressive Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu before returning back to Cusco City centre.

Itinerary

Day 1

Cusco - Mollepata - Soraypampa

Leaving Cusco city centre at 4.30am-5.00am in a private car we will stop at Anta village for breakfast. We will continue for 2 hours to the town of Mollepata which sits at 2900m above sea level.

During the trip we will be overwhelmed with scenic views of Salkantay.

Our porters will meet us at Cruz Pata and load our equipment onto horses and mules. Here we will begin our walk around 9.00am.

At 1.00pm we stop for lunch at Soraypampa which sits at 3850m.

After lunch we will climb to Laguna Humantay, which will take around one hour and a half.

At 5.00pm we arrive to our camp site at Soraypampa for the evening where our tents will be ready for us and dinner will be served.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 2:

Soraypampa - Chaullay

Starting the day early ready for the most challenging part of the hike, we will leave at 7.00am. Hiking to Salkantay Pampa and going on to walk on the side of the snow covered peaks of Humantay which is located next to the Apu Salkantay.

Around 11.00am we reach the highest point in our trek, Salkantay Pass at 4600m.

We stop for lunch at Huayrac Punku, before continuing our 3 hour walk towards Rayanniyoc Field (2890m), and Chaullay field (2920m) where we camp for the second night.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3:

Chaullay - Playa Sahuayaco - Santa Teresa

The days trek will start around 7.00am and we walk for around 6 hours towards Playa Sahuayaco. Passing through a town called Collpabamba, also know as the "Forest Cloud Brow", there will be hot springs, waterfalls, different flora, fruit filled trees and birds. We may be lucky enough to catch a view of the famous bird called "Cock of the Rocks".

From Playa Sahuayaco we head to our campsite spot located at the hot springs of Santa Teresa.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4:

Santa Teresa – Hydroelectric - Aguas Calientes

In the morning, after breakfast, we will be making our way to visit the Hydroelectric, at 1870m where we stop for lunch.

We will continue to walk to two and a half hours to the town of Aguas Calientes.

Upon arrival we help you locate your choice of hostel or hotel.

At 7.00pm we all meet at a local restaurant.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5:

Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu - Cusco

Breakfast will be served at 5.00am at your hotel, then we take the bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu taking 25 minutes. Catching a glorious sunrise over the city.

You will have a two and a half hour guided tour and free time to explore the mysterious city. If you still have energy you can also climb the mountain of Huayna Picchu at 2720m, this takes around one hour and a half to reach the top.

Afterwards we will head back to Aguas Calientes by bus, we will meet for lunch and collect your train tickets for your return to Cusco. The earliest train normally leaves around 3.00pm-4.00pm. We will head to Ollantaytambo or Poroy by train with a private bus picking us up to take us back to Cusco City Centre.

Meals included: Breakfast

Included: