SALKANTAY TREK TO MACHU PICCHU 5 DAYS / 4 NIGHTS

What is Included?

• Pickup at the hotel in Cusco.
• Drop off in the center of Cusco.
• Transfers:
  o Shared transportation from Cusco to Challacancha.
  o Shared transportation by Expedition train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo.
  o Shared transportation from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.
• Accommodation:
  o 1st night in Soraypampa camp (double shared tent).
  o 2nd night in camp Chaullay (shared double tent).
  o 3rd night in camp Santa Teresa (shared double tent).
  o 4th night in Aguas Calientes in Hostal (private room, with private bathroom).
• Food:
  o Breakfast (every day, except for the first and last day).
  o Lunch (every day, except the last day).
  o Dinner (every day, except the last day).
• Camping equipment (transported by mule):
  o Carp
  o Insulator.
• Bilingual guide (Spanish and English).
• Baggage handling service for the first 3 days (up to 5 kg per person)
• Entrance ticket to the citadel of Machu Picchu (archaeological site).

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED?

• Shower in Soraypampa camp (no access).
• Access to shower in Chaullay camp (S / .10 per person).
• Access to shower in Santa Teresa camp (S / 5 per person).
• Access to bathrooms on the way.
• Sleeping bag.
• Trekking sticks.
• Extra baggage weight (S / .50 for up to 12 kg).
• Breakfast on the first day (S / .7 per person), lunch on the last day or dinner on the last day.
• Drinks at the fourth day dinner.
• Water in the bottle.
• Entrance ticket to Cocalmayo hot springs (optional activity, S / .10 per person).
• Ticket for zipline (optional activity, $ 30 per person).
• Health insurance.

OPTIONAL

• Train return to Vistadome category: US $ 35 per person.
• Entrance ticket to Machu Picchu Mountain: US $ 20 per person.
• Huayna Picchu mountain entrance ticket: US $ 20 per person.
• Round trip bus between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu: US $ 24 per person.
• Sleeping bag us $ 20 for the entire route.
• Entrance ticket to Ruta Salkantay uS $ 5 per person.

* It is not possible to climb the two mountains, Machu Picchu Mountain and Huayna Picchu, in the same tour.
* By the new regulations in Machupicchu, those people who go up to Huaynapicchu or Machupicchu Mountain, will lose the guided tour in the citadel of Machu Picchu.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING

• 30L backpack to carry the things that you will use during the walk.
• Covers waterproof backpack.
• Sleeping bag.
• Trekking poles (recommended).
• First layer (t-shirts and synthetic pants).
• Short sleeve shirts and long sleeves.
• Jacket coat.
• Waterproof clothing (jacket and pants, or poncho).
• Synthetic underwear
• Swimwear.
• Towel.
• Trekking shoes
• Flip flops.
• Hat and gloves for the cold.
• Cap for the sun
• Sunglasses.
• Personal toiletries.
• Toilet paper.
• Sunscreen.
• Insect repellent.
• Headlamp.
• External battery (most of the accommodations do not have access to electric power).
• Water (1 l per person on the first day, you can buy more water on the way).
• Snacks
• At least S /. 200 for expenses not included in the trekking (the amount considers activities and optional leases).

ITINERARY

Start: Day 1 at 04:30 at your hotel in Cusco.
Term: Day 5 around midnight in the center of Cusco.

Day 1: Cusco – Challacancha – Soraypampa (16 km walk, 6 hours).

We will pick you up at your hotel to go to the starting point and leave by vehicle to Mollepata, in a 3-hour trip. There, we will have to pay the entrance to the community and then we will have breakfast (not included) in a restaurant of a local family. We will have time to buy the last items before meeting with the group with whom we will make the walk. After the guide’s instructions, we will climb back to the bus that will take us to Challacancha, from where we will start the trekking. We will walk the path, seeing the first landscapes with mountains and valleys. After 3 hours, we will arrive at the first camp, Soraypampa, at 3900 m. n. m. Here we will have our lunch and time to recover energy. In the afternoon we will go up to the Humantay Lagoon, a natural spectacle, at 1 hour and a half from the camp and at 4100 m of altitude, where you can see the glacier of the same name in the background, weather permitting. On the way back, we will rest a moment before dinner time, in which we will share and receive instructions from the guide for the next day, before going to sleep in our tents.

Day 2: Soraypampa – Abra Salkantay – Chaullay (22 km walk, 10 hours).

We will start the day with a coca tea in our tents, to get up with energy. After ordering our things, we will meet for breakfast and then get ready to start the walk. We will begin to climb between the mountains, seeing the difference of landscape with that of the previous day, making stops to rest as we gain altitude. The destination is the Abra Salkantay, at 4650 m. n. m., where we will have views of the Humantay glacier and the snowy Salkantay. In this, the highest point of trekking, we will make a small thank you ceremony to the Pachamama and the surrounding Apus (mountains), and then we will continue our way to Huayracmachay, at 3,800 m altitude, for our lunch. After recovering the energies, we will continue descending, going from a cold and mountainous landscape to a warmer and jungle one, until the Chaullay camp (2900 m of altitude), where we will have dinner and rest in our tents.

Day 3: Chaullay – Santa Teresa (11 km walk, 5 hours).

We will start the morning with a coca tea in our tents, to wake up and order our things. After breakfast, we will say goodbye to the muleteer, who will go ahead with our luggage, and we will start the trek. On the route we will see different plantations, among which are quinoa and pomegranate. The guide will give us explanations about some flowers and their importance in the Andean culture. After 5 hours of walking, we will arrive at Sahuayacu Beach, where we will have our lunch. After having rested, we will follow the road by bus to Santa Teresa, where we will spend our third night. Here, during the afternoon, it will be possible to go to the thermal baths of Cocalmayo (optional, not included), complex with 3 pools of different temperatures, and recover the muscles of the walk of the previous days. During the night, we will have dinner, the instructions for the next day, time to share with the group and rest.

Day 4: Santa Teresa – Aguas Calientes (16 km walk, 6 hours).

The day starts with breakfast to face the hike to Hidroeléctrica with energy. We will continue to see the diversity of landscape, already traveling altitudes between 1700 and 2000 m, where it is possible to appreciate the jungle landscape to our destination. On the other hand, there is the option of taking a zipline during the morning, which involves several meters of cable between the hills, in addition to a suspension bridge, and includes the transfer to Hydroelectric for lunch. After lunch, and once the group has gathered, we will walk along the train line for 3 hours to Aguas Calientes. Here, we will settle in our hostel until dinner time in a restaurant in the city. After lunch, we will receive the guide’s instructions for the next day, as well as a snack for the road between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu, before going to rest.

Day 5: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco.