SUMMARY:

Trekking Salkantay To Machu Picchu / 5D4N

This tour with GREAT TRIP WORLD has confirmed daily departures and can be booked up to 48 hours in advance. However, access to the Machu Picchu citadel is always subject to availability, so it is recommended to make the reservation as far in advance as possible.

OUR SERVICES INCLUDE / DON’T INCLUDE:

Optional Services:

• Round trip bus between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu: US$ 24 per person.

There is no possibility to add any mountain due to the time at which the citadel must be left to hike to Hidroeléctrica and take the bus from that place to Cusco.

WHAT TO BRING:

• 30-liter backpack to carry things you will use during the daily walk.
• Waterproof backpack cover
• Waterproof jacket and pants (Gore-Tex or similar)
• Fleece-type thermal clothing (Polartec or similar)
• Thermal underwear (base layer)
• Short and long-sleeved shirts
• Trekking shoes
• Sufficient battery (limited electrical outlets for charging batteries).
• Earplugs
• Beach sandals (for showers and rest)
• Swimsuit
• Towel
• Flashlight
• Padlock
• Hat and gloves for cold weather
• Sun hat
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Ziploc bags or similar (for trash)
• Trekking poles
• Sleeping bag
• Personal hygiene items
• Toilet paper
• Insect repellent
• Water (1 liter per person on the first day; you can buy more water along the way)
• Snacks
• At least S/. 200 for expenses not included in the trek (the amount considers optional activities and rentals)
• Travel insurance

Restrictions:

• Minimum age of 14 years to participate.
• Not allowed for pregnant women.

PRICE:

Program prices with Machu Picchu entrance by type of accommodation in Aguas Calientes until December 31, 2024

• Without accommodation:
  • Non-resident in the Andean Community Adult: US$ 329 per person.
  • Andean Community Resident Adult: US$ 310 per person.
• Hostal Vista Machu Picchu or similar with private room:
  • Non-resident in the Andean Community Adult: US$ 349 per person.
  • Andean Community Resident Adult: US$ 329 per person.
• Hotel SAMANANCHIS MACHU PICCHU or similar with private room:
  • Non-resident in the Andean Community Adult: from US$ 362 per person.
  • Andean Community Resident Adult: from US$ 339 per person.
• Hotel Jaya or similar with private room:
  • Non-resident in the Andean Community Adult: from US$ 425 per person.
  • Andean Community Resident Adult: from US$ 400 per person.

If you select a program without entrance to Machu Picchu, you must consider an entry no later than 06:00 to 07:00, and a discount will be applied as follows:

• Non-resident in the Andean Community Adult: US$ 40 discount.
• Non-resident Minor in the Andean Community (14 to 17 years old): US$ 20 discount.
• Andean Community Resident Adult: US$ 20 discount.

NOTE:

• Andean Community: corresponds to residents in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia.
• Minor discount: you can access prices for minors (14 to 17 years old) directly in the passenger number selector.

ITINERARY:

• Start: Day 1 at 04:30 at your hotel in Cusco.
• End: Day 5 at 22:00 at Plaza San Francisco, Cusco.

Day 1: Cusco – Challacancha – Soraypampa (16 km trekking, 6 hours). We will pick you up at your hotel to go to the starting point of the tour. We will start a 3-hour journey to Mollepata, where we can have breakfast at a local restaurant. We can buy the last items before meeting our group for the next 5 days. Our guide will give us the last instructions before boarding our transport again to Challacancha, where the hike begins. We will recognize the mountainous landscape until we reach our first camp: Soraypampa. At this place, at an altitude of 3900 m, we will have our lunch, after which we can rest. In the afternoon there is the possibility of trekking to the Humantay Lagoon, which is at an altitude of 4100 m. In this place, besides the lagoon and if the clouds allow it, we can see the hanging glacier on the mountain and take very good photos of the surroundings. Once back at the camp, we can rest before our dinner and receive some instructions for the next day.

Day 2: Soraypampa – Salkantay Pass – Chaullay (22 km trekking, 10 hours). Upon waking up, we will be given coca tea to wake up with energy and cope with the altitude. We will organize our things and have breakfast, after which we will start the walk through the gorge that allows us to climb the mountain. We will see the difference in landscape compared to the previous day, with larger rocks, some streams, and, of course, the snow on the surrounding mountains. As we gain altitude, we will make some stops to rest and take photos, as well as consume some snacks to give energy to the body. We will reach the Salkantay Pass, at 4600 m altitude where, weather permitting, we will have views of the Humantay glacier and the Salkantay snowcapped peak. This is the highest point of the trek, where with our guide, we will perform a small thanksgiving ceremony to Pachamama and the Apus (mountains) around. After this moment, we will continue our way to Huaracmachay, at 3800 m altitude, where we will have our lunch of the day. After regaining energy, we will continue the downhill path and will be able to see the change in landscape from mountainous to semi-jungle, where the Chaullay camp is located, at 2900 m altitude. Here, we will rest and have dinner, and then go to sleep.

Day 3: Chaullay – Santa Teresa (11 km trekking, 5 hours). We will start the day with coca tea to wake up with energy and organize our things before breakfast. This day, we say goodbye to our muleteer, as he will go ahead with the luggage to the next accommodation. We will walk at our own pace, observing the different plantations in the area: quinoa and pomegranate, for example. The guide will give us some explanations about some plants and their importance to Andean culture. We will reach Sahuayacu beach, where we will have our lunch and the opportunity to buy some local products. After a rest, we will take a bus that will take us to Santa Teresa, where we will spend our third night. During the afternoon, it is possible to visit the Cocalmayo hot springs (optional), a complex with three pools of different temperatures, and thus relax and recover from the hike of the previous days. In the evening, we will have our dinner, some instructions for the next day (especially for those who want to take the zipline), and some time to share with the group before resting.

Day 4: Santa Teresa – Aguas Calientes (16 km hike, 6 hours). We will have an early breakfast in the morning to start the walk to Hidroeléctrica. We will continue observing the diversity of the landscape, as we will be walking between 1700 and 2000 m altitude, where it is possible to observe a jungle landscape up to our destination. On the other hand, those who decide to do the zipline will be able to travel several meters of cable from hill to hill and even cross a suspension bridge, having different perspectives of the landscape. For people taking the zipline, transportation to Hidroeléctrica is included.

Once the group is gathered for lunch, we will prepare our luggage to take only what is necessary for the next day of excursion. The rest will be left organized and entrusted at Hidroeléctrica, so that the next day, we will only pick it up to board the bus back to Cusco.

We will walk following the train line until we reach Aguas Calientes, where we can settle in our respective accommodations, relax, take a shower, before meeting with the rest of the group for dinner. After the meal, the guide will give us the last instructions for the next day.

Day 5: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco. We will get up very early to walk from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. We will check in at the bridge, where they will check our entrance and start climbing the stairs to the entrance of the citadel. Here, we will meet our guide to enter Machu Picchu and have a 1-hour tour, where he will give us the main details about the citadel. Then, we will have time to explore freely and take photos. Since you have to take the bus back to Cusco, which leaves between 14:00h and 14:30h, it is recommended that you leave the citadel at 10:00h, so that you have time to walk from the bridge to Hidroeléctrica, without going through Aguas Calientes. In Hidroeléctrica, we will pick up our luggage and take the bus back to Plaza San Francisco in Cusco, where our tour ends.

Visit to the Archaeological Site

To enter the Machu Picchu archaeological site, you must have the entrance called Llaqta Machu Picchu. Remember that if you select a program without entrance, you can buy it on the Ministry of Culture's website.

The entrance will give you access to the archaeological site following one of its 4 circuits, which you must choose once you are at the entrance to the citadel:

• Circuit 1: high and low parts of the archaeological site, as well as the area of terraces and platforms for 3 hours.
• Circuit 2: high and low parts of the archaeological site, as well as the routes to Inti Punku and the Inca Bridge for 4 hours.
• Circuit 3: lower part of the archaeological site that includes the agricultural zone, Temple of the Sun, Inca House, and the Archaeological Reserve for 1 hour and a half.
• Circuit 4: lower part of the archaeological site that includes the agricultural zone, Temple of the Sun, Inca House, Sacred Rock, and water mirrors for 2 hours and a half.

We recommend that you choose circuit 2 to explore the citadel, as you can visit a greater number of attractions within Machu Picchu and take classic photographs. On the other hand, if you decide to add the visit to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain as an optional service, the time in the citadel is reduced, depending also on the time of your visit to one of the two mountains.

In case it is not possible to confirm the visit to the mountain as early as possible, the only possibility of visiting the citadel will be through circuits 3 and 4.

CANCELLATION POLICY:

• The cancellation or rescheduling of this tour does not have a 100% refund.
• If you cancel or reschedule with more than 6 days in advance, only US$ 40 per person of the advance paid to reserve will be refunded.
• If you cancel or reschedule with less than 6 days in advance, the advance paid to reserve will not be refunded.