Salkantay Trek Map: Every Stop, Altitude and Distance

Stops, Altitudes and Distances

Sources measure the trek differently. Wikivoyage splits it into stages of 20, 20, 12, 12 and 10 km, about 74 km in total. Salkantay Trekking counts 73.3 km over five walking days. The Hiking Life measures about 92 km from the traditional Mollepata trailhead. The main disagreement is where you start: most operators drive past Mollepata to Challacancha or Soraypampa and skip about 20 km. Altitudes also vary slightly between GPS readings and operator listings, so ranges are given.

Two points are worth flagging. Huayracmachay, the lunch stop on day 2, has no reliable altitude figure. One source places Chaullay at 2,900 m and another at 2,700 m, so treat the descent target on day 2 as about 2,700 to 2,950 m depending on where your group sleeps.

How to Read the Distances

The totals differ because of start points and endings. From Soraypampa the walk is about 70 to 75 km. From Mollepata add 20 km.

The Llactapata ending adds an 800 m climb and an 800 m descent to Hidroeléctrica, per Wikivoyage, while the faster option skips it and uses road transport from Chaullay to La Playa or Lucmabamba. Neither ending changes the distance to the pass. If you want the route compared as bookable products rather than stages, the homepage holds the full comparison of Salkantay trek tours.

Day 1: Cusco to Soraypampa, with Humantay Lake

Most itineraries start with a road transfer. Cusco sits 110 to 115 km from the Mollepata area, a drive of 2.5 to 3.5 hours. Mollepata is the traditional trailhead at about 2,800 m, but Salkantay Trekking continues by vehicle to Challacancha at about 3,800 m and starts walking there, while other operators start at Soraypampa. From Challacancha it is about 10 km and 3 hours to Soraypampa at about 3,900 m, following a restored Inca water channel that local farmers still use.

Most groups add Humantay Lake the same day. The lake sits at 4,200 m and the walk from Soraypampa is about 2 km each way, 1 to 2 hours uphill, with roughly 300 to 400 m of climbing. One trekker's log records 670 m of total elevation gain on day 1 including the detour, over 4.5 hours of trail. Night one is at Soraypampa, at Sky Camp or in domes, with temperatures that can drop below freezing at this altitude. If you only want these two highlights, the 2-day Humantay Lake and Salkantay Pass trek at $335 covers this stretch and the pass, then turns back before the full route.

Day 2: Soraypampa Over Salkantay Pass to Chaullay or Colpapampa

Day 2 is the hardest day on the map. Salkantay Trekking counts 23.5 km from Soraypampa over the pass to Collpapampa at about 2,950 m. The climb from camp is 7 km and 3 to 4 hours, a switchbacking route called the path of the 7 snakes, topping out at Salkantay Pass. Operators quote the pass between 4,600 and 4,650 m, with 4,630 m the most common figure and OpenStreetMap tagging the marker at 4,629 m.

From the pass the trail drops hard. A 7 km descent leads to Wayracmachay for lunch, then 9.5 km and about 3.5 hours down into cloud forest to the night stop. One account logs 810 m of gain and a descent of roughly 1,700 m on this day, over about 8 hours. Camp is at Chaullay or Colpapampa, around 2,700 to 2,950 m, where the air turns noticeably warmer. Guides describe the pass day as steep up and knee-punishing down, and it is the day most likely to bring altitude symptoms because of the climb from a camp already near 3,900 m.

Day 3: Chaullay to La Playa or Lucmabamba

Day 3 heads downhill through humid cloud forest. On Salkantay Trekking's classic 5-day itinerary the day covers 17 km, while the same operator's dome itinerary lists 10.3 km on foot plus road transport. On the Llactapata variant you spend the night in Lucmabamba at 2,000 m.

On the faster option you ride from Chaullay to La Playa or Lucmabamba by vehicle, which trades trail for road. The Hiking Life measures the walking stage from Collpapampa to La Playa at 16 km, and Stingy Nomads count Chaullay to Lucmabamba at 18 km. Temperatures here are far warmer than at Soraypampa, so the packing changes as the map drops.

For a full kit list see the Salkantay trek packing list.

Day 4, Ending One: Llactapata to Hidroeléctrica

The Llactapata ending is the one on Salkantay Trekking's 5-day itinerary. From Lucmabamba the trail climbs about 2 hours to the Llactapata ruins at 2,700 m, where you get the first view of Machu Picchu across the valley. The route then drops about 1.5 hours to Aobamba for lunch and about half an hour more to the Hidroeléctrica power station.

Wikivoyage describes this stage as an 800 m climb followed by an 800 m descent. From Hidroeléctrica, which PeruRail places at 1,890 m, it is roughly 3 hours of flat walking along the railway tracks to Aguas Calientes at 2,040 m, a stretch of about 10 to 11 km. One caveat from the map: operators warn the Llactapata trail is not guaranteed in the rainy season because heavy rain makes it dangerous.

Day 4, Ending Two: Road Transfer to Hidroeléctrica

The second ending skips the Llactapata climb. Salkantay Trekking's faster option uses road transport from Chaullay to La Playa or Lucmabamba. From there a vehicle reaches Hidroeléctrica, and the route is the same flat walk of about 2.5 to 3 hours along the tracks to Aguas Calientes.

PeruRail puts the Hidroeléctrica to Aguas Calientes train at about 30 minutes if you would rather ride, and sources quote the fare at roughly US$30 to 40 for foreigners, so check the current price. Both endings land in the same town, so the difference is where you sleep on night three and if you see Machu Picchu from Llactapata on the map or not.

Day 5: Machu Picchu

The last day belongs to the ruins. Aguas Calientes sits at 2,040 m and the citadel at 2,430 m, reached by a Consettur bus ride of roughly 20 to 30 minutes, or on foot up about 1,800 stairs in roughly 45 minutes to an hour. Guided visits run about 2 to 3 hours inside, and some itineraries add a Huayna Picchu climb to 2,720 m.

Many itineraries return to Cusco by train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo, then road, while others go back by bus from Hidroeléctrica. For the wider ticket and circuit picture, the Salkantay trek cost guide breaks down what the ruins entry adds. Day-by-day starts and camps for days 1 and 2 are on the route map above.

The Pass Stays, the Valleys Shrink

A 4-day version still crosses Salkantay Pass and visits Humantay Lake on day 1 in the typical account below. What the fourth day removes is the slow valley stage: the walk from Chaullay toward Lucmabamba and La Playa is replaced by vehicle transport, and the two endings merge into the Hidroeléctrica walk. In a typical 4-day account, day 1 goes Challacancha to Soraypampa with the Humantay detour, day 2 crosses the pass at 4,630 m down to Chaullay at about 2,900 m, on day 3 a vehicle takes you to Hidroeléctrica and walks the tracks to a hotel in Aguas Calientes, and day 4 is Machu Picchu.

The full comparison of every bookable trek sits on the Salkantay trekking tours homepage.

4-day Tours Compared on the Map

The table lists some of the bookable 4-day routes and a 5-day reference from the tour cards, with their listed prices. For how the daily climbs feel, read the guide to how hard the Salkantay trek is.

Which Ending do 4-day Tours Take

The listings do not all say which ending they use, and the Salkantay Small Group 4-Day lists a climb to the Llactapata ruins. The Glamping Sky Lodge Domes: 4-Day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu at $680 keeps two nights in glass-topped domes before the Aguas Calientes hotel. The Private Salkantay 4-Day Trek at $1,265 is a private group trek with a Vistadome train home.

If five days fits your dates, the Classic 5-Day Salkantay Trek at $760 has three camping nights and a 3-star hotel night in Aguas Calientes before the ruins. Pick by how much of the lower map you want to walk.