Salkantay Trek, 5 Days
Over the pass at 4,630 m, down through the cloud forest, into Machu Picchu
- 5 days
- 4,630 m max
- Challenging
- Cusco to Cusco
Five days from the glaciers to the jungle — Humantay Lake, the Salkantay pass at 4,630 m, a coffee farm in the Lucmabamba valley, the view of Machu Picchu from Llactapata, and the citadel itself. No permit lottery, and you sleep in glass domes rather than tents.
Salkantay is the walk people take when the Inca Trail is sold out, and then come home arguing it was the better trek anyway. That argument has some merit.
It is higher, at 4,630 m against the Inca Trail’s 4,215 m. It is emptier, because there is no permit cap and therefore no fixed daily queue of walkers on the same schedule. And it changes far more underfoot — you start on glacial moraine with ice above you and finish four days later among orchids and coffee plants, having dropped the better part of 3,500 m.
What it does not have is the archaeology. There are no Inca ruins along the road until Llactapata on day four, and no Sun Gate at the end. That is the trade, and it is worth understanding before you book rather than after.
What you'll see
No permit lottery
Unlike the Inca Trail, Salkantay has no government cap on walkers. You can book it three months out rather than six, and a change of dates does not cost you the trip.
Humantay Lake
A glacial lagoon at 4,200 m, turquoise in a way photographs never quite manage, directly beneath the Humantay ice. You are there on the first morning.
The Salkantay pass
4,630 m, with the glaciers of Apu Salkantay — 6,271 m and the second-highest peak in the Cusco region — standing over you. It is the high point of the trek in every sense.
Four ecosystems in five days
You lose almost 3,500 m of altitude across the walk, from glacial moraine to orchids, bamboo and hummingbirds. Very few treks anywhere change this much underfoot.
Domes, not tents
Two nights in geodesic domes with clear panels over the bed, one in a panoramic hut at Chaullay, and one in a hotel with a hot shower. You still walk all day, but you sleep properly.
Llactapata
An Inca site facing Machu Picchu across the valley, reached on an original stretch of Inca road. You see the citadel from the south-west, from a viewpoint most visitors never hear about.
Salkantay Trek, 5 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 Quishwaraniyoc, and up to Humantay Lake
Six kilometres of walking but all of it uphill at altitude, to 4,200 m and back down to camp. About five hours on your feet.
- 04:40We collect you from your hotel or flat in Cusco. Pick-ups run until about 05:00.
- 07:00The municipal checkpoint at Mollepata, where the Humantay Lake fee is paid in cash, then a buffet breakfast.
- 08:30Soraypampa. The horsemen and pack horses are waiting, and your guide runs a proper warm-up before anyone starts climbing.
- 09:00The climb to the lake, steep from the first step. Most people take an hour and three quarters to two hours.
- 11:00Humantay Lake at 4,200 m, under the glacier that feeds it, with time to sit down and take it in.
- 13:00Down to our own camp at Quishwaraniyoc and a buffet lunch cooked on the mountain.
- 15:00The afternoon is yours. Your dome faces the Salkantay massif, and the panels over the bed are for the night sky.
- 19:00Dinner, then the briefing for the pass.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Stargazing dome at Quishwaraniyoc
Day 2
Over the Salkantay pass to Chaullay
The hardest day — twenty-two kilometres and around nine hours, climbing to 4,630 m before a long descent into the high jungle.
- 05:00Coca tea brought to your dome, which is how everyone on this trek learns to like coca tea.
- 06:00Breakfast, then straight into the climb.
- 10:00Abra Salkantay at 4,630 m, facing the glaciers of the mountain itself. The guides make a small offering here, and you are welcome to join in or just watch.
- 12:30Two hours down through the moraine to Wayracmachay, and a hot lunch waiting.
- 14:00The afternoon descent, with the air thickening and the first trees appearing.
- 16:30Chaullay, and a panoramic hut built for exactly this moment.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Panoramic hut at Chaullay
Day 3
Down the valley to Lucmabamba, coffee and hot springs
Sixteen kilometres and about six hours, nearly all downhill, through orchids and bamboo. The easy day, and the one with the afternoon off.
- 07:00Breakfast at Chaullay, then down along the river.
- 11:00A family coffee plantation, where you pick, roast and grind your own and then drink it. Better coffee than anything waiting for you in Cusco.
- 13:00Buffet lunch.
- 15:00Your choice — the zipline circuit above the canyon, or the volcanic pools at Cocalmayo hot springs, which after two days over a pass is the more popular answer.
- 19:00Dinner at the Lucmabamba camp, and a second night in a dome, this time with the jungle making noise outside it.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Dome at Lucmabamba
Day 4
The Inca road to Llactapata, then the railway to Aguas Calientes
Twenty-two kilometres and about nine hours, and the second hardest day. A climb on original Inca paving, then a long descent and a flat walk beside the rails.
- 06:00Breakfast, then straight uphill on a preserved section of Inca road through the cloud forest.
- 09:30Llactapata, an Inca site placed deliberately opposite Machu Picchu. Weather permitting, this is where you first see the citadel, small and across the canyon.
- 12:30The long descent to the Aobamba basin and Hidroeléctrica, where lunch is waiting.
- 14:00The flat walk beside the railway and the Urubamba, about three hours, with the canyon walls closing in.
- 17:00Aguas Calientes, and a hotel room with a hot shower in it.
- 19:00Dinner in town and the briefing for the citadel — your entry time, your circuit, and how early you will be getting up.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Night
- Hotel in Aguas Calientes
Day 5
Machu Picchu, and back to Cusco
A four o'clock breakfast, the stone staircase up to the gate, and a full guided tour. Then either the train or the road home.
- 04:00Breakfast at the hotel, in the dark.
- 04:45The pedestrian path to the gate — roughly 1,600 stone steps cutting across the switchbacks, about an hour and a half. A bus ticket instead is the single best thing you can add to this trek.
- 06:15Through the gate as the sanctuary opens, with the sun coming up over the peaks.
- 06:30Guided tour of the citadel on Circuit 2, the most complete route through it.
- 09:00Your optional peak, if you booked one, or the descent back to Aguas Calientes.
- 14:30The afternoon train to Ollantaytambo, or the three-hour walk back to Hidroeléctrica if you chose the road.
- 19:30Dropped a block from the Plaza de Armas in Cusco. By road it is nearer 21:30.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Night
- Not included — you are back in Cusco
What the price covers
Before you set off
- Compulsory briefing at your hotel or flat in Cusco at 18:00 the night before
- Your duffel bag, handed over at the briefing, for the 7 kg the horses carry
- Door-to-door collection in Cusco between 04:40 and 05:00
- Private transport from Cusco to the trailhead
- Free storage of your main luggage in Cusco for the whole trek
Guides and safety
- Certified bilingual mountain guide, on the trail and inside the citadel
- Emergency oxygen and a full first-aid kit, carried throughout
- Small groups, and our operations team reachable at any hour
Crew and gear transport
- Muleteers and pack horses carrying the camp, the food and your duffel bag
- 7 kg allowance per person, sleeping bag included in that weight
Where you sleep and what you eat
- Two nights in geodesic stargazing domes, at Quishwaraniyoc and Lucmabamba
- One night in a panoramic hut at Chaullay
- One night in a hotel room in Aguas Calientes, with a hot shower
- Five breakfasts, four lunches and four dinners, cooked by the mountain chefs
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy diets at no extra charge, given notice
Machu Picchu and getting home
- Machu Picchu entrance on Circuit 2, secured when you book
- Guided tour of the citadel
- Your chosen return to Cusco, by train via Ollantaytambo or by road via Hidroeléctrica
Not included
- The Humantay Lake fee, about 20 soles, paid in cash at the Mollepata checkpoint
- A sleeping bag and trekking poles, both of which you can hire from us
- The shuttle bus between Aguas Calientes and the citadel gate — you walk up unless you add it
- Bottled water, though hot drinks and purified water are provided at camp
- The Cocalmayo hot springs, about 50 soles on the day, including the shuttle
- Hot showers at the second camp, about 10 soles, and wifi there at about the same
- Horses on the steep sections, 100 to 130 soles, arranged with their owners at the trailhead
- Travel insurance, which for this trek you really should have
- Tips, which are genuinely optional — our crew is paid properly before any tip
Salkantay Trek, 5 Days: prices and options
Add-ons
- +£80
Return by train instead of the road
Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo by rail, then a private transfer. Four hours instead of ten, and compulsory if you add a peak.
- +£25
Zipline at Lucmabamba
The canyon circuit on the afternoon of day three, instead of the hot springs.
- +£15
Sleeping bag hire
Rated to -10 °C, for the whole trek. The first two nights drop below freezing.
- +£15
Trekking poles
A pair for the whole trek. Your knees will want them on day four.
- +£60
Huayna Picchu
The peak behind the citadel, on day five. Train return required.
- +£60
Machu Picchu Mountain
Higher and longer than Huayna Picchu. Also requires the train return.
As a private trip
Your own guide and vehicle, on your dates. Per person — the more of you there are, the less it costs each.
| Group | Each |
|---|---|
| 2 people | £780 |
| 3 people | £740 |
What to bring
Papers and money
- Your original passport, checked at the citadel gate
- 400 to 600 soles in small notes — the mountain takes nothing else
- Your medication and any personal first aid
- A head torch, needed on day five and useful in the domes
On your back
- A trekking pack of about 30 litres for what you carry yourself
- A two-litre bottle or hydration bladder
- Dry bags or plastic bags for anything that must stay dry
- A power bank, a camera and a quick-dry towel
Clothes for the cold half
- Walking boots, ideally waterproof and definitely broken in
- Thermal leggings, trekking trousers and hiking socks
- A fleece and an insulated jacket for the first two nights
- A waterproof jacket and overtrousers
- A wool hat, gloves and a neck buff
Clothes for the warm half
- Long-sleeved shirts and quick-dry t-shirts
- Shorts for the cloud forest days
- A swimming costume for the hot springs
- Sandals or camp shoes
- A sun hat and sunglasses with UV protection
- Factor 50 or higher sun cream, lip balm and insect repellent
Questions we get asked
How does this compare with the Inca Trail?
They are different walks with the same ending. The Inca Trail is archaeology — six ruins on the road itself and an arrival through the Sun Gate — and it is capped by government permits that sell out months ahead. Salkantay is landscape. It is higher, wilder and emptier, it drops through four ecosystems in five days, and there is no permit cap, so you can book it three months out. If you want the history, walk the Inca Trail. If you want the mountains, walk this.
Is the five-day really better than the four-day?
It is more comfortable rather than more complete. Both cross the same pass, both visit the coffee farm and Llactapata, and both end at the citadel. The five-day adds a night in the panoramic huts at Chaullay, breaks the descent over two easier days, and gives you the hot springs or the zipline on day three. The four-day compresses the same ground into longer days. Take the five if your leave allows it.
How fit do I need to be?
Very. Two days of nine hours, a pass at 4,630 m, and total distances around 66 km. This is a harder walk than the Inca Trail in raw terms, even though it has no camping-in-a-tent element. Spend two months walking hills with a pack before you fly, and be honest with us at the briefing if you have not.
How long before the trek should I arrive in Cusco?
Two full days, minimum, and three is better. You are at 4,200 m before lunch on day one, which is no place to discover you have not acclimatised. This is also your buffer if the Lima connection goes wrong.
What happens if I cannot finish?
You have until the pass on day two to decide, and that decision is taken with your guide rather than alone. If you turn back, we get you to Cusco, and you can still rejoin the group at Machu Picchu by train or by road. There is an extra cost for the transport, but the citadel is not lost.
Do I have to walk up to Machu Picchu on the last morning?
Only if you do not add the bus, and we would rather flag this loudly than let you find out at four in the morning. The pedestrian path is about 1,600 stone steps and an hour and a half, after four days of walking. Plenty of people do it and are glad they did. Plenty of others buy the bus ticket and are equally glad. Tell us when you book.
How cold does it get?
Below freezing at the first two camps overnight, and up to 18 °C in the cloud forest by day three. The domes are warmer than tents but they are not heated, and the sleeping bag matters. Hire the -10 °C one from us rather than bringing a summer bag.
Will I have a phone signal?
No, and it is one of the better things about the trek. Coverage goes from about nine in the morning on day one until you reach the second camp, where wifi can be bought for a few soles. From day three the signal is generally back. Tell anyone at home before you set off.
What is the food like?
Buffet meals cooked fresh on the mountain by chefs who travel with the group, and genuinely good. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and allergy diets are catered for at no extra cost — tell us when you book, not at the trailhead.
Can I come on my own?
Yes, and many do. Small mixed groups are the norm, there is no single supplement to walk, and five days on a mountain is an effective way to meet people.
Which return should I choose?
The train, unless money is the deciding factor. It takes four hours and puts you in Cusco by half past seven. The road means a three-hour walk back to Hidroeléctrica after the citadel, then six and a half hours in a vehicle, arriving about half past nine at night. The road option is also incompatible with Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain — there is not enough day.
Why do I need so much cash?
Because almost everything not in the price is paid in soles on the mountain, where no card works — the lake fee, the hot springs, a hot shower, a horse if your legs give out, and tips at the end. Four to six hundred soles in small notes covers it.
Ask us about Salkantay Trek, 5 Days
Tell us your dates and we'll come back with availability, the circuit we'd recommend, and a firm price. No deposit to ask, and we answer within one working day.