The snow of "Salkantay" is the Apu tutelar of Cusco with 6271 meters of altitude. In our journey we crossed beautiful Andean landscapes, we passed an opening of 5000 meters and we will have the possibility of observing Condors and Alpacas in their natural habitat.
This 3 day Salkantay trek is a program designed exclusively for those people who do not have much time and love the challenge of walking in the mountains.
It is a challenge to walk the first day 22km from Soraypampa - Chaullay, it is a nice and picturesque walk that starts from the Andean area until you reach the jungle.
It is an ancient and remote alternative hike to Machu Picchu tours, it has much more spectacular views and with different ecological levels we will walk among lagoons, impressive snow-capped mountains such as Salkantay, crossing rivers and subtropical zones of abundant vegetation and fauna. This road is an excellent option for those who want to escape from the most congested routes and in a faster way, or for those who are looking for an alternative hike to Machu Picchu tours when the spaces of the traditional Inca Trail are occupied. This impressive excursion passes under the magnificent mountain Salkantay (6,710 masl / 22,014 ft.), One of the highest and most impressive of the Peruvian Andes. Its first days will be dominated by the impressive Nevados of Salkantay, Soraypampa, Paso Salkantay, Chaullay and Santa Teresa. The second day will be a walk from Santa Teresa to Hidroeléctrica and then to Aguas Calientes. The last important day the impressive sacred citadel of the Incas Machu Picchu is visited during the last day of the program. This 3 day Salkantay trek is an interesting alternative for those who have little time who have not found space on the route from the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The excursion to Salkantay was recently named by the magazine "National Geographic Adventure Travel" among the best 25.
Day 01: Cusco - Soraypampa - Salkantay Pass - Challway
Day 02: Chawllay - La Playa - Hidroeléctrica - Aguas Calientes
Day 03: Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - Cusco
>Highlights of the 3 Day Salkantay Hike:
>Important info about your trek:
Departure Point: Cusco - We pick you up from your hotel.
Departure Time: 04:00 am
Briefing Point: Our guide will visit your hotel 2 or 1 day before the trek
Briefing Time: Between 17:00 - 18:00
Return Point: Cusco - Our driver will drop-off in your hotel or Airbnb department
Service Level: Superior service all inclusive, extra horses for your equipment and private transport.
Physical Rating: 3 - Demanding - Some high-altitude hikes or more strenuous activities, but accessible to most healthy travellers
Age requirement: 12+ / All travellers under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Salkantay Tour Operator: Inca trail Machu
Travel Crew: A professional Tour Guide, A Cook, Horseman and Horses.
Salkantay trek Accommodation: Campsite (1 nights), Hotel (1 night)
Meals: 2x breakfast, 2x lunch, 2x dinner, 1x afternoon hot beverage.
Transportation: A private transportation, 1x train (Expedition Class).
Camping equipment: Double tent, Sleeping bag, Inflatable mattress, a blanket, a pillow, day pack and duffel bag.
We pick you up from your hotel at 3:00 a.m. to travel until Mollepata which is 2 hours by bus, then continue to Soraypampa where we started our expedition to Salkantay. As soon as we are in Soraypampa our cook and the horseman will pack all the camping equipment, food and cooking stuff. We started our trek, the first 3 hours will be a bit steep to reach the lunch point that is Soyrococha where we will have lunch with panoramic views of Salkantay mountain (6271MASL / 20575ft) and Humantay mountain (4120MASL / 13500ft ) - this simply it is the beginning! We will start our Salkantay expedition to the highest point that is at 4600 meters at high altitude then we will start down to Chaullay for our first camp.
Total distance: 21 kilometers (approx.)
Estimated walking time: 7-8 hours(approx.)
Point Maximum altitude: 4600 masl (approx.)
Camping altitude: 2900 masl (approx.)
After having breakfast, we started walking around 6:30 in the morning, because today will be the longest. We start descending to La Playa (the beach) for 5 hours, where we stopped for lunch. After a break, we will continue our trek to take a local transport to the hydroelectric power station and then continue our 2-hour walk along the railway line until we reach Aguas Calientes, where it will be our last night in Hotel.
Total distance: 19 km (approx.)
Estimated walking time: 7-8 hours
Point Maximum altitude: 2750 masl (approx.)
Aguas Calientes altitude: 1900 masl (approx.)
This is the most important day of our 3 day Salkantay trek, we wake up early in the morning around 4 am to have breakfast and go for a walk to Machu Picchu which takes an hour and a half, but if you want you can take the first bus that leaves from 05:30 to Machu Picchu (25 minutes) in order to appreciate the magnificent sunrise. Then you will have a tour with the guide (approximately 2 hours) and after this you can explore the mysterious city by yourselves. If you still have the energy you can also climb the Huayna Picchu (2720masl / 8890ft), it takes 45 minutes to reach the top of the Mountain. And after enjoying Machu Picchu you have to go down to Aguas Calientes to take the train back to Ollantaytambo at 6:20 p.m. and then to take the bus back from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.
