Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu: A Five-Day Detailed Review

Thinking about doing the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu over five days? That walk is apparently an incredible way to experience the gorgeous landscapes of Peru while making your way to the well known ancient Inca citadel. It is actually different from the typical Inca Trail, and it gets you amazing views, spots for learning about the land, and a really satisfying sense of adventure, to boot. This review gives you a more detailed look at the trek. So you can hopefully decide if it’s apparently the perfect thing for you.

What to Expect from the Salkantay Trek

Right, the Salkantay Trek; it’s generally known for some pretty impressive differences in terrain and scenery. During those five days, you’ll go from really high, chilly mountain passes, like, too it’s almost touching the sky, down into warmer, jungle-like settings. That change not only is that physically challenging, yet it offers really amazing views. It is also that each day tends to bring new views and different challenges.

Day one is mostly climbing. You’ll find yourself heading upward, it seems, rather steeply sometimes, away from Cusco. This is that getting used to the altitude part is extremely important, so try to take things a little easy on yourself. The second day is apparently the most difficult. You cross Salkantay Pass at 4,600 meters (15,091 feet). The air gets seriously thin, yet, the views from the top are honestly quite worth every labored breath.

As you get into days three and four, it’s almost all downhill. So you can enter into cloud forest. Now the temperature gets warmer. You also get to see things get greener. You’ll walk by rivers, by waterfalls, and through some fairly rich plant life. Day five brings you to Machu Picchu. That moment you catch your first glimpse of the citadel in the early morning light is frankly unforgettable.

Day-by-Day Breakdown of the Trek

Day 1: Cusco to Soraypampa

Your adventure gets going pretty early in Cusco, you know. You’ll take transport to Sayllapata or Mollepata. This is the real beginning of the hike. It is that, depending on the tour operator, the starting spot might be different. Most start at around 3,900 meters above sea level. From here, the day involves trekking to Soraypampa. This trek goes for about 5-6 hours. Be sure to take in beautiful mountain views.

Day 2: Soraypampa to Huayracmachay

Day two? It’s all about going across Salkantay Pass, often said to be the toughest part of the whole trek, I think. This part rises up to a massive 4,600m above sea level, the peak, too it’s almost piercing the sky. Get set for a solid 7-9 hours of walking, basically, often in pretty hard conditions. When you arrive at the top, you will apparently be compensated with unbelievable views of snow-capped mountains. It might be Salkantay, yes. You’ll also come down toward Huayracmachay for a very much well deserved rest.

Day 3: Huayracmachay to La Playa

The track basically transforms into a nice, downward slope. You are actually headed toward lower altitudes. That’s where the vegetation grows thicker and everything turns noticeably greener, that’s for sure. So you’ll apparently pass through cloud forests, where you can watch for all kinds of plant and animal life. Expect about 5-6 hours of trekking to get to La Playa, where you could perhaps enjoy warmer climates, if that makes any sense.

Day 4: La Playa to Aguas Calientes

Day four is, too it’s almost, a mix of walking and learning something new. You might be walking by coffee farms or perhaps fruit plantations, offering chances to try some local products. This leg usually ends in Hydroelectrica. You also get the choice to trek along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes. Another way is to take the train itself. The walking option goes for roughly 3 hours and offers, arguably, unique views and experiences along the way, you know.

Day 5: Machu Picchu and Return to Cusco

The last day comes very, very early! That is when you make your way to Machu Picchu. Catching the sunrise over the ruins? It is really an awesome, unforgettable experience. You will, seemingly, get a guided tour of the site. Then you can have some spare time to explore by yourself. Following your Machu Picchu visit, you are actually headed back to Aguas Calientes to catch a train and a bus back to Cusco, bringing your journey to an end.

What to Pack for the Salkantay Trek

Packing smartly is seriously key, you know, that helps ensure you actually have a very, very comfortable and rewarding trek. Here’s a suggested list:

• Backpack: Between 50-70 liters, one that suits the period of the trek and all your kit.
• Hiking Boots: Boots that are fully broken-in is seriously essential. That will save your feet a bit.
• Clothing: Pack clothes in layers, which can easily adjust to any of the different climate conditions. Consider waterproof pants and rain jacket, apparently, you could experience damp and wet condition there.
• Sleeping Bag: Essential to keep warm during these chilly nights in mountain environment.
• Trekking Poles: Such helpful things! This saves knees, really, most definitely downhills.
• Water Bottles or Hydration Pack: So staying hydrated. No big thing.
• Snacks: Get a whole stack of protein bars, dried fruit, nuts; these will keep the energy going through each leg of the trail, truly!
• Headlamp or Flashlight: If you need to navigate camp or wander off a very short way from camp to go the bathroom at nighttime.
• Sunscreen, Hat, and Sunglasses: Sun reflects stronger in higher places, so safeguard yourself, for certain!
• Insect Repellent: Especially to protect cloud forest and jungle from flying critters.
• Toiletries: Make some smaller quantities and pack in waterproof container/ziplock bags.
• First-Aid Kit: With stuff such as blister pads, painkillers, antiseptic cream, band-aids and some of the personal prescribed medications.
• Cash: Bring some spare Soles for the other expenses, souvenirs, and possibly the tips.

Choosing the Right Tour Operator

Picking the best tour operator is also important for any enjoyable and properly managed Salkantay Trek. So here are the points worth noting, if that makes any sense:

• Reputation and Reviews: You are actually looking for companies with generally favorable reviews on sites like TripAdvisor or Google. This is about previous travelers that have very specific reviews on these things.
• Included Services: Know clearly about which are parts of each packet: the porters, gear, foods, entry fees to Machu Picchu, so you actually avoid the unexpected extra fees and can actually get this planned right.
• Guides: Knowledge of guides matters, plus, of course, that they be able communicate freely to your own personal language. Also, a number of tours offer bi-lingual leaders!
• Sustainable Practices: To reduce some type of environmentally or ethically bad results of touring, just pick providers who adopt the methods of environment friendly behavior, by helping support communities.
• Group Size: Think about just how much you like personalized touch, as opposed to budget cost. Small teams are great for close interaction, yet sometimes have higher costs when all these prices come on the books at year’s conclusion!
• Price: Pricing compares with offerings; you can, honestly, get packages which reflect each the price as each of included facilities with a value comparison.

Tips for a Successful Trek

For anyone to complete their trip, or get something from what’s said, it actually might be a great plan in preparing things. Now the tips below would hopefully prove the help that is extremely valuable in completing any successful Salkantay trek:

• Acclimatize: Spend a day at a minimum, maybe longer. Just make sure to adjust Cusco to altitudes before any of your journeys; let our bodies manage, as in drink often lots of waters and light diet also, by possibly reducing what efforts we have there in terms energy expenditure at least during those 1st few days!
• Train in Advance: Get started some form walking for several time several weeks leading toward adventure that lies toward; focusing cardio exercises and leg reinforcements just like the squatter along lungers help well!
• Pack Light: Take a hard-line. So you won’t ever over pack to keep your backpack simple so climbing these gradients do not always involve needless hard pulling or more wear on system through trail that must travel!
• Stay Hydrated: Regular consumption for fluid is actually really highly necessary for retaining what levels the strength/energy plus aiding to mountain sickness; you might probably bring just waters on bottles. Or even use purifying treatments while drinking to source to those.
• Pace Yourself: It really walks consistently; do actually strain the human system more in these periods or get fatigued fast – taking just slow constant rate! Keep getting your rests that could happen just along path through hikes but keep to actually take these too short if stopping every some a couple time the hourly walk and the few breaks with eating a bit more, too!
• Listen to Your Body: So understand very precisely to something when experiencing distress through feeling and probably avoid getting too intensely at just once! When feeling symptoms due altitude or just any sickness, probably find support. From guides the other travels along to have this trek.
• Use Trekking Poles: When decreasing stress across any knees; in increasing levels on balance specially on going the part to more steep! Also decreasing some sort tiredness while being across trip which one, obviously, decreases any physical hard efforts while doing this!

Is the Salkantay Trek Right for You?

Thinking about whether this trek is seriously your thing? That honestly comes down to some things about yourself, mostly your fitness level and what you expect from the adventure. The Salkantay Trek isn’t really a walk in the park; it needs a reasonable level of fitness and stamina, mostly thanks to its high altitude and tough terrain. But, if you are ready for a challenge and eager to see a few of the seriously awesome mountain landscapes that can take the spot light by that route to Machu Picchu that isn’t just what everybody always does… this could very well be amazing to you, for certain!

For those who are adventurous type souls who also wish perhaps that some thing apart to the standard Inca Trail, one gives less overrunning feeling, the Salkantay provides amazing alternate trip, still amazing culturally, historical immersion within spectacular outdoors settings that just await. Just so you know your limitations physically so come set too! Just to accept also the unpredictable element along trails; these usually make adventure memorable. You know that kind of feeling.

Commonly Asked Questions