Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu: A candid Review (5 Days)

Okay, so the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu? Very much a thing folks need to think about if they’re reasonably fit and, to be honest, don’t want to go with the flow with zillions of other folk on the Inca Trail. I did the 5-day, 4-night gig, and it turned out a memorable experience, for good and, well, slightly challenging reasons. This isn’t really just a pat review, more of what it was actually like so that others can be totally set if they choose this alternate hike. Prepare yourself to be blown away!

Why Salkantay Over the Inca Trail?

Firstly, booking the Inca Trail? That could be wild difficult! You need to grab permits way, way in advance. Salkantay, it’s almost, like, the cooler, much more laid-back sibling. Very nearly zero permit headaches! Too, the scenery is totally breathtaking. Very dramatic mountains, really dreamy cloud forests, it is that the landscape keeps shifting constantly. It’s also often viewed as very slightly tougher than the classic Inca Trail, so you have the bragging rights after.

Speaking of alternatives, the classic Inca Trail sells out many months ahead; Salkantay offers much more spontaneity, in some respects. Anyway, I booked mine only about a month beforehand, so there were absolutely no troubles. Think freedom, folks!

Day 1: Cusco to Soraypampa – Kicking it Off

Day one starts early! We’re talking like, four a.m. early. Bright eyed and bushy tailed? Hmmm, I wouldn’t go that far. Pretty much you all pile into a bus from Cusco, then, for instance, you head towards a village named Mollepata. Just a little breakfast pit-stop to gear up, that’s followed up with more driving. Now, the starting point of the trek is a place named Soraypampa. Now, the hike, it is that it eases you in gently. Pretty much three to four hours of relatively flat trails.

You get to see the first, incredibly wonderful sights of the snow-capped mountains. At base camp, the accommodations were really quite decent; the dome tents provided make very for comfortable sleeping. More or less that very first day’s all about acclimating to the altitude. You’re probably going to want to sip coca tea, alright, folks, drink up!

Something very cool to note? So we visited Humantay Lake that very afternoon. Gosh, is that place pretty? Like your calendar picture material! Honestly, the turquoise water under the snow-capped Humantay Mountain, I have never seen anything like it.

Day 2: Soraypampa to Chaullay – Conquering the Pass

So, day two! The most difficult one by a mile. Okay, so you ascend the Salkantay Pass; it’s nearly like, 4,600 meters (15,091 feet) above sea level! In some respects, you’re dealing with very thin air. So that climb took like, I don’t know, about three hours, possibly? Seems longer when you’re seriously puffing. The path winds steeply up, mostly over a very rocky landscape. So you can believe the views from the pass, you know, they’re a massive reward.

At the very top, you just have a moment to snag some photos, celebrate small, then, you know, begin your descent. You descend pretty steeply through much looser scree. Those poles for walking were an absolute godsend. It could be about five hours of walking downhill before we made our camp, it is that my knees were screaming. Chaullay’s definitely lower and a bit warmer. Is that that much needed after the icy pass!

Here’s what’s up, pace yourself! Don’t just run the hike all the time. Sip on water frequently. And hey, a handful of coca leaves? Tends to be a real magic trick, seriously. Very slow and completely steady progress gets you there.

Day 3: Chaullay to La Playa – Into the Cloud Forest

Okay, so Day three offers a totally welcome change! You transition from those alpine vistas into, that, seriously thick cloud forest. Like, it’s almost a jungle environment. Actually, a very flat hike today, that runs through a very lush valley. The temperatures also rose quickly as we dropped. By the time we walked like, it is that the jacket was very off.

Is that just that the sights and sounds? That’s great though, so too it’s almost therapeutic! Waterfalls, definitely crazy tropical birds. I actually spotted a very bright hummingbird; they are very pretty! You just might hike through coffee plantations. Usually, our guides stopped to totally explain about the process of making coffee. By the time that you get to La Playa? That’s where there are some serious hot springs! Like, soak those sore muscles, definitely worth doing.

We, unlike other tours, it is that it did include a treat at an organic coffee farm. Honestly, so it was fascinating to see it; the process and trying some just locally produced coffee and buying bags of it.

Day 4: La Playa to Aguas Calientes – To Machu Picchu Town

Day four usually involves another fairly early start. Next, you hop onto a bus from La Playa up to Hidroeléctrica. That sounds crazy? It’s, very literally, a hydroelectric plant. So from there you then walk along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes. Anyway, just the town, that’s beneath Machu Picchu.

Okay, so that walk? Pretty flat; a couple of hours of just chugging along the railroad, often viewed as very tedious by loads of folks, I hear. A bit uninspired to do, that’s what they reckon. Me? Like your point of view? Is that you see loads of totally gorgeous scenery.

Anyway, that the arrival into Aguas Calientes feels amazing. It could be that very first hot shower for four days. You have dinner at a very tourist-oriented restaurant (mostly included) so you get a totally crucial briefing for your day at Machu Picchu.

Day 5: Machu Picchu – The Grand Finale

Today is very it, folks, the reason you have hiked up, the culmination of the work. Early start to catch one of the first buses from Aguas Calientes up to Machu Picchu, it is that you totally want to beat the crowds.

We went, and my opinion is very worthy if possible, is to employ the services of an official Machu Picchu guide at the entrance. Actually, a pro guides the tours inside Machu Picchu. The guide explains so much about the location; you learn everything with a guide’s help. Machu Picchu truly is impressive; the location, its beauty, history.

You could actually pre-book to hike either Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain to catch just even wilder panoramic views. They, honestly, need tickets way ahead. They aren’t included in any of your basic trek package but will definitely amplify any experience you get here!

Some Lessons I Gleaned

Altitude Adjustment: Seriously. Spend several days within Cusco beforehand! Is that acclimatize, drink loads of water and maybe consume the coca tea.
Packing Savvy: Layers folks! Conditions change super rapidly; just have clothes ready for anything from sweltering sun to crazy rain to cold wind. Definitely high altitude; that very quickly!
Footwear is extremely necessary: Properly worn-in hiking boots are crucial.
Poles For Trekking: Seriously, rent those things. Is that that make a totally huge impact downhill, which is usually really savage onto your knees!
Snacks: Take energy bars and snacks and keep up those calorie amounts and sugar as the trek climbs.

The Salkantay Trek gave me just the time to step away from, seriously, the world and connect, on just the deepest level, alongside the environment. Seriously though, just be prepared physically and pack all necessities. Also, very likely that that can transform it to memories that seriously last. Just give that opportunity that that transforms life experiences; just go on out there!

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