Salkantay & Classic Inca Trail, 6 Days
Humantay Lake, a 5,100 m pass, then the Inca road to the Sun Gate
- 6 days
- 5,100 m max
- Challenging
- Cusco to Cusco
Seventy kilometres joining Peru's two great routes. Two days on the wild Salkantay side over the Frozen Inca Pass at 5,100 m, then four on the Classic Inca Trail over Dead Woman's Pass and through Runkurakay, Sayacmarca and Wiñay Wayna to the Sun Gate.
Peru offers two famous walks to Machu Picchu and they are usually presented as a choice. Salkantay has the glaciers, the high lakes and the emptiness. The Inca Trail has the archaeology, the stone road and the Sun Gate.
This trek refuses to choose. Two days on the Salkantay side — Humantay Lake, then the Frozen Inca Pass at 5,100 m, which is nine hundred metres higher than anything on the Inca Trail — then down into the Pampacahuana valley and along an old Inca canal to join the Classic Inca Trail at Wayllabamba from above.
It is the hardest thing we sell, and the number that matters is not the seventy kilometres. It is 5,100 m on the second morning, with a night at 4,280 m before it. Do not book this as a first multi-day trek.
What you'll see
The Frozen Inca Pass, 5,100 m
The highest ground on any trek we run, crossed on the morning of day two with glaciers on both sides. It is 900 m above Dead Woman's Pass.
Two great routes, one trek
Salkantay for the glaciers, the lakes and the emptiness, then the Classic Inca Trail for the archaeology and the Sun Gate. Most people choose between them. This does both.
Humantay Lake on day one
The turquoise glacial lagoon under the Humantay ice, reached before you have even started the hard days.
Paucarcancha and the quiet valleys
You join the Inca Trail at Wayllabamba from above, via the Pampacahuana valley and an ancient Inca canal, which is not how anybody else arrives.
Six Inca sites on the trail
Runkurakay, Sayacmarca, Phuyupatamarca, Intipata and Wiñay Wayna, before the Sun Gate on the final morning.
Mules for the first half, porters for the second
Cargo mules carry the camp across the Salkantay section, then a licensed porter team takes over where mules are not permitted on the Inca Trail.
Salkantay & Classic Inca Trail, 6 Days: day by day
Times are what we actually aim for, not a best case. Traffic into Cusco and the train timetable move them by a little.
Day 1
Cusco to Salkantaypampa, past Humantay Lake
Fifteen kilometres and about eight hours, camping at 4,280 m. A drive into the high Andes, the climb to Humantay Lake under the glacier, then on into the Salkantay valley.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Camping at Salkantaypampa, 4,280 m
Day 2
Salkantay Lake and the Frozen Inca Pass
Thirteen kilometres and about eight hours, and the hardest day of the trek. Past Salkantay Lake, over the Frozen Inca Pass at 5,100 m, then down into the quiet Pampacahuana valley to camp beside an ancient Inca canal.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Camping by the Inca canal, 3,670 m
Day 3
Paucarcancha, Wayllabamba, and onto the Inca Trail
Fifteen kilometres and about seven hours. The Inca site of Paucarcancha, then down to Wayllabamba where you join the Classic Inca Trail, and on to camp at Ayapata.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Camping at Ayapata, 3,300 m
Day 4
Dead Woman's Pass and Runkurakay Pass
About ten hours and the second hard day. Warmiwañusca at 4,215 m, then Runkurakay and Sayacmarca before the camp at Chaquicocha.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Camping at Chaquicocha, 3,600 m
Day 5
Phuyupatamarca, Intipata and Wiñay Wayna
Ten kilometres and five hours, the most beautiful day on the Inca Trail. Cloud forest, terraces and three of the finest sites on the route, with the last camp only a few hours from Machu Picchu.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Camping near Wiñay Wayna, 2,600 m
Day 6
The Sun Gate, the citadel, and the train home
Six kilometres and two to three hours to Inti Punku for the first view of Machu Picchu from above, then the guided tour of the citadel and the panoramic Vistadome train back to Cusco.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Not included — you are back in Cusco
What the price covers
Before you set off
- Pre-departure briefing before the trek
- All transport from start to finish
- Certified bilingual guide for the whole six days
- Your Classic Inca Trail permit, issued in your name
Entries
- Entrance to Humantay Lake and the Salkantay area
- Machu Picchu on Circuit 1, as assigned and available
- A second Machu Picchu entrance on Circuit 3, as assigned and available
Camp and crew
- Five nights of camping, with tents shared by every two trekkers
- Dining tents, tables, chairs, a kitchen tent and portable loos
- Cargo mules for the Salkantay section and a personal porter for the Inca Trail section
- A duffel of up to 7 kg carried for you
- Pillow, sleeping mat, hand towels and extra blankets
- An experienced trekking chef
- First-aid kit, oxygen supply and satellite phone
Meals and home
- Every meal on the trail except lunch and dinner on the final day
- Drinking water and daily snacks
- Return on the panoramic Vistadome train
Not included
- A sleeping bag, an inflatable mat and trekking poles, all available to hire
- Lunch and dinner on the last day
- Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain
- Travel insurance, which for a 5,100 m pass you really should have
- Tips, which are genuinely optional
Salkantay & Classic Inca Trail, 6 Days: prices and options
Add-ons
- +£15
Sleeping bag hire
Rated to -10 °C. The camp at 4,280 m on night one is the cold one.
- +£15
Trekking poles
A pair for the whole trek. Six days of descents make the case.
- +£60
Huayna Picchu
About two hours there and back on day six, after the guided tour.
- +£60
Machu Picchu Mountain
About three hours there and back, on a broader path.
What to bring
Papers and money
- The original passport your Inca Trail permit was issued against
- 400 to 600 soles in small notes for tips and the last day
- Your medication and any personal first aid
- A head torch
On your back
- A daypack of 20 to 30 litres
- A refillable water bottle
- A camera and a power bank
- A quick-dry towel
Clothes for the cold half
- Walking boots, broken in well before you fly
- Thermal base layers, trekking trousers and hiking socks
- A fleece and a down jacket — night one is at 4,280 m
- A waterproof jacket and overtrousers
- A warm hat, gloves and a neck buff
Sun and altitude
- High-factor sun cream, and more than you think
- Sunglasses with UV protection — glare off the glaciers is serious
- A sun hat and lip balm
- Insect repellent for the cloud forest days
Questions we get asked
How hard is this, honestly?
It is the hardest trip on this site. Six days, seventy kilometres, five nights under canvas, and two major passes — the Frozen Inca Pass at 5,100 m on day two and Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 m on day four. Night one is spent at 4,280 m. You should have real hill-walking experience and several months of preparation behind you before booking it.
What is different about 5,100 m?
A great deal. At that height there is roughly half the oxygen there is at sea level, and even well-acclimatised walkers move slowly and feel it. Guides carry oxygen and a satellite phone for exactly this reason. Spend at least three nights in Cusco or the Sacred Valley beforehand, not two.
Why combine the two routes?
Because they offer opposite things. Salkantay is glaciers, high lakes and empty valleys with almost no ruins. The Classic Inca Trail is archaeology and the arrival through the Sun Gate. Walking both means you join the Inca Trail at Wayllabamba from above, through the Pampacahuana valley, rather than starting at Km 82 with everyone else.
Do I still need an Inca Trail permit?
Yes, and that is the booking constraint. The Salkantay half needs none, but the four days on the Classic Inca Trail need a named, non-transferable government permit tied to one date. Book four to six months ahead for May to September.
Is the trail ever closed?
The Inca Trail network closes every February for maintenance, which closes this itinerary too.
What carries the gear?
Cargo mules on the Salkantay section, where they are allowed, and a licensed porter team on the Inca Trail, where they are not. Either way a duffel of up to 7 kg travels for you and the camp goes ahead.
How cold does it get?
Below freezing at the first two camps, and considerably below on night one at 4,280 m. Hire the -10 °C sleeping bag rather than economising. By day five you are in cloud forest and it is warm.
Which meals are not included?
Lunch and dinner on the final day, once you are off the trail. Everything else is cooked on the mountain.
Ask us about Salkantay & Classic Inca Trail, 6 Days
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