Classic Salkantay Trek 5 Days with Salkantay Trekking

How the Listings Compare

Each row below comes from the operator's own listing, and anything the listing does not state is marked that way.

In the Price

The $760 covers all trek transport, hotel pickup and drop-off in Cusco, an experienced mountain guide, a chef, porters and horsemen, and the entrance fees for the Salkantay and Humantay Lake trails. The Machu Picchu entrance fee is included, booked as Circuit 2 if you reserve 5 months out, otherwise Circuit 3 and then Circuit 1. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included except lunch and dinner on Day 5, which you buy yourself. Water, tea time and daily snacks come on the trail. Camping facilities with dining rooms, kitchens, tables and chairs are set up for you, and a personal duffel bag up to 5 kg (11 lb) is carried.

The last night is a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes, and the way home is the one-way bus from Aguas Calientes up to Machu Picchu plus a panoramic seat on the Expedition or The Voyager train.

Not in the Price

You pay on site for the return bus from Machu Picchu down to Aguas Calientes, paid directly to the bus operator. A train from Hidroeléctrica to Aguas Calientes exists as an optional alternative to walking the tracks on Day 4, also paid on site. The sleeping bag and trekking poles are not included, and optional horseback rides run from Soraypampa to Humantay Lake on Day 1 and Soraypampa to Abra Salkantay on Day 2.

Travel insurance, tips, and lunch and dinner on Day 5 are yours to arrange. Your passport name, number, expiry and country are required at booking, so have it current before you pay.

Optional Mountain Add-ons

Three upgrade options add a mountain ticket to the booking: Huayna Picchu, Machu Picchu Mountain or Huchuy Picchu, each with pickup included. One operator lists Huayna Picchu at 350 tickets a day. Ask about the add-on when you book the trek rather than hoping for space later.

Day 1: Cusco to Challacancha, Soraypampa and Humantay Lake

Pickup from your Cusco hotel is around 5:00 a.m., with a breakfast stop in Mollepata before the road ride to Challacancha at 3,800 m (12,467 ft), where the walking starts. The first stretch runs about 7 km (4.35 miles) in roughly three hours along an old Inca canal to Soraypampa at 3,900 m (12,795 ft), where the Sky Camp waits. After lunch you hike three hours round trip up to Humantay Lake at 4,200 m (13,780 ft).

Dinner and the night go to the panoramic dome, with views of Apu Salkantay. Note that the listing gives Soraypampa as 3,900 m while some independent guides put it at 3,880 m or 3,920 m, so treat the exact figure as approximate.

Day 2: Soraypampa Over the Salkantay Pass to Colcapampa

The hardest day. Coca tea and breakfast, then a 7 km (4.35 mile) climb of about three hours up the so-called path of the seven snakes to Abra Salkantay, which the listing puts at 4,630 m (15,190 ft). Independent sources variously report the pass at 4,580 m to 4,660 m, so the listing figure sits within the published range.

You then descend about three hours to Huayracmachay at 3,850 m (12,631 ft) for lunch, and continue into the warming cloud forest to Colcapampa at 2,850 m (9,350 ft). The night is at Mountain Sky View Camp.

Day 3: Chaullay and Colpapampa to Lucmabamba

A 6:00 a.m. start with hot mate tea, then a gentle descent through the Santa Teresa Valley past rivers, waterfalls and coffee, banana and avocado plantations, with a chance of spotting the Cock-of-the-Rock. A vehicle meets the group at Zona Propiedad for the ride to La Playa, where you tour an organic coffee farm and taste the roast. The day ends at Lucmabamba at 2,000 m (6,562 ft) with a typical lunch and the night in the Super Jungle Domes, with free time in the afternoon.

Day 4: Llactapata, Hidroeléctrica and the Walk to Aguas Calientes

The last hiking day follows an original Inca Trail section, ascending two hours to Llactapata at 2,700 m (8,858 ft), an Inca site with direct views of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu. You descend an hour and a half to Ahobamba for lunch, then walk half an hour to Hidroeléctrica at 1,800 m (5,906 ft), passing a 250-meter artificial waterfall. From there you can take the optional train to Aguas Calientes, paid on site, or walk three hours along the tracks past the Intihuatana stone.

Dinner at a local restaurant and a night in the 3-star hotel close the day.

Day 5: Machu Picchu and the Train Home

You climb to the site very early for sunrise ahead of the crowds, then take a two-hour guided tour of the temples, houses, terraces and water channels. After the tour you can add Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain if you booked that option with advance reservation. You return to Aguas Calientes for lunch, which you buy yourself, then board the panoramic Expedition or The Voyager train to Ollantaytambo.

Private transport completes the trip back to Cusco.

If You Want Free Cancellation

All sales are final here, with no refund for cancellations. If that worries you, the Salkantay 5-Day Hiking Trek from Machu Picchu Holiday Tours offers free cancellation up to 24 hours with the Machu Picchu entrance and train tickets included, or the Salkantay 5-Day Trek with Gear from Exploor Trip does the same and throws in the sleeping bag and poles.

If You Are Outside the Age Range or Not Trek-fit

The price grid covers adults 18 to 60, and children 12 and over may join with a responsible adult at all times. The operator rates it a challenging trek needing a high level of fitness and does not recommend it for spinal injuries, pregnancy or poor cardiovascular health. A gentler taste of the route is the Humantay Lake 2-Day Trek, which skips Machu Picchu but keeps the Sky Camp night.

If You Cannot Book Five Months Ahead

Machu Picchu spots sell out and the listing says to book at least five months in advance. The ticket you get depends on timing: Circuit 2 for early bookings, then Circuit 3 and Circuit 1. If your dates are closer, the Salkantay Small Group 4-Day trek from SAM Travel Peru offers a full refund up to 6 days, though its inclusions list is thinner, so confirm the details.

If the Price Is the Issue

At $760 this is one of the dearer listings. The Salkantay Panoramic Domes Trek costs $300 for a similar route, but you then pay the Machu Picchu ticket, the sleeping bag and the return trip yourself. For comfort rather than price, the Salkantay Glass Cabins Trek from Alpaca Expeditions adds glass cabins and a 4-star hotel at $695.

Acclimatise in Cusco First

Altitude sickness usually kicks in above 2,500 m, per the NHS, and Cusco at about 3,400 m is already above that line. Wikivoyage recommends at least 2 to 3 days in Cusco or a similar altitude before a Salkantay trek, and the operator itself says arrive at least 2 days early. The NHS also advises avoiding a jump from below 1,200 m to above 3,500 m in one day and not gaining more than 300 m of sleeping height per night above 3,000 m.

Symptoms normally ease within 1 to 3 days, but confusion, breathlessness at rest or a cough with blood mean descending and getting medical help. More on this in the altitude and fitness section of the homepage.

What to Pack

Nights in the high camps can drop far below freezing while the jungle days are warm and humid, so you need both extremes. A sleeping bag rated for cold nights and trekking poles are the two items this listing does not supply. A headlamp, rain shell, sun protection and broken-in boots are the usual basics, and the Salkantay trek packing list covers the full kit.

Bring cash for the on-site extras and tips.

The Way Back to Cusco

After Machu Picchu you return to Aguas Calientes for lunch, then ride the panoramic Expedition or The Voyager train to Ollantaytambo. From there private transport takes the group back to Cusco. The listing does not state a return time to Cusco, so leave no tight connection on your final evening and book onward travel for the next day at the earliest.