This 46.7-mile-long trek to Machu Picchu will be an in-depth experience of life in the Andes. With jaw-dropping sights that change from lush valleys to peaks capped with snow, Salkantay links up to the legendary Inca Trail to create one of the best short thru-hikes in the world. 

Start your adventure with a 2-hour ride Mollepata village. Your guides will pick you up at your hotel at 5.00 am. Along the way, marvel at the spectacular snow-capped peaks and valleys with colorful landscapes until your first stop in the village of Mollepata. After breakfast, continue on to Challacancha—the starting point of the hike located at 3,500 meters above sea level. Prepare and pack all the equipment on the horses  and around 9:30 am, start hiking towards Soraypampa. It will take about 3 hours to arrive at the campsite, where you will have your first lunch prepared by the cook. Enjoy the impressive views of the canyon and in the afternoon, after a well-deserved rest, go for a short walk to the Humantay Lagoon, located at 4,200 meters above sea level/13,800 ft. The hike takes approximately 90 minutes and another hour to return to camp. It might get quite cold but the views are unique and worthy of your energy. Enjoy a delicious dinner at the campsite and talk to your tour guide about the itinerary for the next day.

Driving: 2 hours
Hiking: 5.5 hours
Distance: 14 km / 8.69 miles
Altitude: 3,500 m/11,500 ft to 4,200 m/13,800 ft
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Soraypampa basecamp

Wake up early and prepare for another day of hiking. Enjoy a delicious breakfast and start the hike up to Salkantay Pass. You will pass through the Salkantay Pampa and continue zig-zagging up to the summit 7 km away from the basecamp. This second day will be the hardest of the entire trek. Take some breaks along the way and breathe in the fresh mountain air, take a few pictures and recover some energy. Once you arrive at the pass (4,630 m/ 15,228 ft) take in the views of the snow capped Salkantay mountains. Let’s hope the weather allows you to see the sunset over this magical place and have the opportunity to see condors flying over the peaks.

Continue hiking about 9 km downhill, along a rocky gravel path, until reaching Huayracmachay just in time for lunch. In the afternoon, continue with the descent until you arrive at the High Forest (cloud forest), where you can see some wonderful native plants. As you make your way down, the temperature will improve considerably due to the low altitude. You should reach the village of Chaullay around 4 p.m.. Your vehicle will be waiting to take you to your next campsite, Loreta La Playa, located at 2,900 m/ 9,514 ft . Take a break for a while and get ready for dinner, where your tour guide will take you through the itinerary for the next day.

Hiking: 8 hours
Distance: 18 km / 11.1 miles
Max. altitude: 4,215 m / 13,821 ft
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Loreta La Playa lodge

This day begins around 7:00 am. Wake up for a coca leaves tea, have breakfast and take a walk through the area to visit the local plantations of bananas, avocados, oranges, passion fruit, papaya, medicinal plants and others. You’ll have the opportunity to visit a local organic coffee farm (the main agricultural industry in the area), where you can savor the freshly prepared coffee. Around 11:00 am, return to the campsite and rest. At noon, join the group for a delicious lunch served in the dining room of the lodge. Around 1:00 pm., a car will take you for a 90 min. ride to the Hydroelectric Power Plant — the trailhead for a hiking route following train tracks near the banks of the Urubamba River. On the way, explore the archaeological site Intihuatana, famous for its ancient sundial from the Inca period, which was carved out of a large natural rock. You can see the Sacred Mountains such as Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu from here. The hike continues through the cloud forest with a very exuberant landscape and presents a great variety of plants and a large number of orchids. After 3 hours of walking, around 5:30 pm, you will have reached the village of Aguas Calientes (2,000 meters above sea level/6,600 ft.) where you’ll spend the night in a hotel.

Driving: 3 hours
Hiking: 3 hours
Walking distance: 11 km /7 miles
Altitude: 2,000 m /6,600 ft.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Aguas Calientes

This will be the most important day of the tour! Start your last and amazing journey very early in order to reach Machu Picchu — before the people who are doing the Inca Trail and even before the hikers who travel on touristic trains, having the chance to enjoy the sunrise from the Sun Gate. Leave the hotel at 6:30 am and walk to the bus station. The bus will drive you for 30 minutes along a zig zag path to reach the Inca Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (2,400 m.a.s.l./7,900 ft). Explore this incredible place and begin with the guided tour that will last approximately 2 hours. The guide will explain about the site’s history, taking you to magical and interesting places that have made Machu Picchu one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. After the tour, enjoy some free time to take photos, walk or explore the site by yourself. There is also an option to climb the Huayna Picchu Mountain (depending to availability). In the afternoon, take the tourist bus down for about 25 minutes to Aguas Calientes. Have lunch in one of the village’s good restaurants and around 6:00 p.m. board the return train to the village of Ollantaytambo, arriving at 7:50 p.m. You’ll take the tourist bus back to the Cusco City, arriving at 9:30p.m. where you’ll say goodbye to your guides and head to your accommodation.

Driving: 5 hours
Walking distance: 11.8 miles/ 19 km (10 hours)
Altitude: 2,400 m / 7,900 ft
Meals: Breakfast

Horses that will carry all the camping equipment such as the food, kitchenware and your personal belongings can carry up to 5 kg/11 pounds of your luggage. Your guides will provide canvas bags where you will place your personal items. You will get these bags at the information meeting, 1 day before the trek. So you will only carry a small backpack with water.