Salkantay Trek with Vistadome Train: TreXperience 5-Day Trek

Included in the $698

TreXperience bundles the two tickets most treks leave out: the Machu Picchu entrance and the Salkantay trek entrance. The round-trip bus to Machu Picchu and the Vistadome or 360 degree train back are also covered. The itinerary has the group riding the Vistadome Panoramic to Ollantaytambo and then taking a private transfer to Cusco.

On the trail you get all meals prepared by the trekking chefs, water and daily snacks, a 7 kg duffel carried by muleteers, a sleeping pad, pillow, rain poncho and hand towels. A satellite phone, first-aid kit and oxygen tank travel with the group, and there is a safety briefing the day before. Hotel pickup and drop-off, plus free airport pickup and drop-off, are listed.

What You Still Pay for

The main optional extra is a Waynapicchu or Machu Picchu Mountain ticket, which the listing says must be booked well in advance. Operator guides report those mountain tickets at S/200 for foreign adults, against S/152 for the standard circuits, so add that only if you want a summit climb. The mattress, sleeping bag and trekking poles are optional rentals and the listing does not quote a price for them.

Bring a valid passport on the day of travel, because the ticket is issued against the passport details you give at booking. Wikivoyage lists a S/20 trek fee payable on the route for independent hikers, but this listing already includes a Salkantay trek entrance ticket.

Day 1: Cusco to Soraypampa Via Humantay Lake

An early departure from Cusco drives about 3 hours through the highlands, with a breakfast stop in Mollepata, before the trek begins at Challacancha. The climb to Humantay Lake takes about 4 hours, then it is about 1 hour down to Soraypampa for lunch. In the afternoon the group continues uphill to the TreXperience Salkantay Mountain Glamping site at 4,150 m for dinner under the stars.

Sleep in a glamping tent.

Day 2: Over the Abra Salkantay to Colcapampa

Hot coca tea or coffee arrives at the tent before a steep ascent to the Abra Salkantay, which the listing puts at 4,630 m (15,190 ft) and calls the trek's highest point. Other guides place the pass between 4,580 m and 4,660 m, so treat the exact figure as approximate. A long downhill follows, with lunch at Wayracmachay, and the listing blocks about 4 hours more of descent after lunch as the terrain shifts into cloud forest.

The night is spent in rustic Andean huts at Colcapampa.

Day 3: Lucmabamba, Pachamanca and the Llactapata Camp

About 3 hours of trekking through the valley crosses wooden bridges and passes plantations of granadilla, bananas and coca leaves to reach Lucmabamba. Here the group takes part in a Pachamanca barbecue cooked underground with hot stones and visits an organic coffee farm to roast and grind beans for a fresh cup. After lunch comes a challenging climb of about 3 hours on preserved Inca Trail paths to the Llactapata Archaeological Zone, where the camp looks across the valley at Machu Picchu.

Day 4: Llactapata to Aguas Calientes

Coffee at sunrise over Machu Picchu, then a descent of about 2 hours through vegetation full of orchids and hummingbirds to Hidroeléctrica. After a final meal with the trekking chef, the route follows the railway tracks beside the Urubamba River for about 3 hours, passing Mandor and its botanical gardens. The group arrives in Aguas Calientes by late afternoon to check into the 3-star hotel.

Dinner is at a local restaurant and the evening is free for the hot springs or the town.

Day 5: Machu Picchu and the Vistadome Home

One of the first buses takes the group up to the site, which stands at 2,430 m (7,972 ft). A guided tour of 2 to 3 hours covers the temples, terraces and plazas, and anyone who pre-booked can hike Waynapicchu or Machu Picchu Mountain. After lunch in Aguas Calientes, the Vistadome Panoramic train runs to Ollantaytambo through wide glass windows, and a private transfer returns the group to Cusco.

The listing blocks about 3 hours for the train leg and about 2 hours for the transfer.

Fitness, Health and Age

The listing requires a high level of physical fitness and is not recommended for travellers with spinal injuries, pregnant travellers or travellers with poor cardiovascular health. Children from 3 to 17 may join with an adult, and adults up to 99 are accepted. If five days of trekking at altitude sounds like too much, the 2-day Humantay Lake and Salkantay Pass trek covers the high country without Machu Picchu, or read more on how hard is the Salkantay trek.

Money and Booking Terms

All sales are final and no refund is available for cancellations, although the listing says the trip can be cancelled for bad weather. That makes this a poor match for anyone who might need to move dates, and travellers wanting flexibility should compare the Humantay Lake 2-Day Trek, which offers a full refund up to 6 days, or the GetYourGuide listing Hiking by Salkantay to Machu Picchu 5 days, which offers free cancellation up to 24 hours. Passport name, number, expiry and country are required at booking for every participant, so book only when everyone's passport details are final.

Group Size and Format

This is a shared small-group trip of up to 16, not a private trek, and there is no single supplement mentioned in the listing. Travellers who want fewer people should look at the Salkantay Small Group 4-Day, capped at 8, and those who want a private format with the same Vistadome finish should see the private 4-day Salkantay trek with Vistadome train, though it costs considerably more. Anyone wanting more comfort under canvas should compare the Salkantay Glass Cabins Trek with its glass cabins and 4-star hotel night.

Acclimatise in Cusco First

Cusco sits at about 3,400 m (11,200 ft), and the glamping camp on night one is higher still at 4,150 m. The NHS advises against going from below 1,200 m to above 3,500 m in one day, and Wikivoyage recommends at least 2 to 3 days in Cusco or a similar altitude before starting the trek. Altitude sickness symptoms usually begin 6 to 10 hours after arrival and most pass in 1 to 3 days.

Plan the arrival flights around those days, and read the homepage section on altitude and fitness before committing.

What to Pack

You carry a daypack and hand a duffel of up to 7 kg (15 lb) to the muleteers, so pack tight. The route moves from freezing high-altitude nights to warm humid cloud forest, so both layers and light clothing are needed. The listing provides a sleeping pad, pillow, rain poncho and hand towels, while the sleeping bag, mattress and trekking poles are optional rentals you arrange separately.

Comfortable walking shoes are explicitly recommended. A valid passport must be carried on the day of travel because tickets are checked against it at Machu Picchu. For a full kit list see the Salkantay trek packing list.

Getting Back to Cusco

The listing does not give a departure time for the return, but the sequence is fixed. After the guided visit and lunch in Aguas Calientes, the group boards the Vistadome Panoramic train to Ollantaytambo, a ride the listing blocks at about 3 hours, and a private transfer then covers the final leg to Cusco in about 2 hours. For how the return differs between departures, the homepage explains what the listing price covers across the different departures.