Short trek from Salkantay to Machu Picchu
3 days

We start the day by picking you up from your hotel at 03:00 am. In our tourist transport we will travel through Anta, Mollepata and Challancha for a total of 3.5 hours, ending in Soraypampa (3850 m.a.s.l.). After two hours of travel, we will stop in Mollepata to take advantage of the sanitary facilities and souvenir stores. Through the windows of our tourist transport you can clearly see the snow-capped mountains of Apu Salkantay and Huamantay: two colossal gods of the Incas. You will also see spectacular landscapes of high peaks and low valleys in a colorful panorama. In Soraypampa, we will have breakfast (included), meet our support staff, and organize all equipment and pack mules.

From here, we will start trekking to the highest point of the trail: the Salkantay pass (4650 m.a.s.l.). The distance is 7 km of difficult ascent in 3 hours between the base of the rocky valley and the magnificent Salkantay mountain (6271 m.a.s.l.). Upon reaching the summit, we will appreciate the spectacular views of the surrounding valleys and the imposing snow-capped peaks of Salkantay, Humantay, Tucarhuay and Pumasillo. The Apu Salkantay is the second highest mountain in the Cusco region. Then we descend 5 km for lunch. The hike down is a serpentine, rocky, gravel trail that leads to the lunch camp of Huayracmachay.

In the afternoon, after our lunch, we will enter the high part of the Amazon rainforest, which is also called "the cloud forest". This is a hike of 10 km approx. 3 hours. At the end of this exceptional hike, we arrive at Chaullay (2900 m.a.s.l.), our base camp. This hike is truly beautiful; the hills are decorated with colorful landscapes, wildlife and native plants. The forests are warm and tropical most of the year with temperate climates.

At 06:00 am, we will begin our hike to the small village of La Playa through the Santa Teresa valley. You will be able to absorb this new and lush landscape during a 6 hour hike. During the hike we will see rivers, waterfalls, wild orchids and coffee, banana and avocado plantations. We will see on the route a village called Colpapampa, also called "cloud forest front", where we can observe waterfalls, birds, hot springs, fruit trees and flora and fauna. If we are lucky, we may even be able to see the beautiful bird called "El Gallo de las Rocas", the national bird of Peru.

After lunch at La Playa, we will take local transportation to the Hidroeléctrica train station. Here you will have two options:

1° If you are exhausted, you can take the train to Aguas Calientes.

2° If you are still willing to walk, you can walk from Hidroeléctrica to Aguas Calientes for approximately 3 hours along the train track.

Once in Aguas Calientes, you can rest a bit before dinner or walk. At 7:00 pm, we will have dinner at a local restaurant. All expenses in Aguas Calientes are covered by the company, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and lodging at our hotel.

The highlight of the trek, Machu Picchu! We will wake up early at the hotel. This is best for visiting Machu Picchu, before the mass of people arrive. The Machu Picchu entrance checkpoint is open from 6:00 am. Until 5:00 pm. We board the first bus that leaves at 5:30 am. Heading to the citadel of Machu Picchu, where we will arrive in 30 minutes or if you want you can walk from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. Here we will have a guided tour of 2 to 3 hours. We will visit temples, palaces, priests' houses, a sundial, the industrial sector and agricultural fields. After this guided tour, you are free to climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (book in advance to get your tickets) or visit the sun gate.

At the indicated time you will go down to the town of Aguas Calientes to board your train to the town of Ollantaytambo and then to the city of Cusco.