Salkantay Trek 5 Days and 4 Nights Complete, Waking Up Machu Picchu: 5-Day Full-Service Salkantay Trek To Machu Picchu: Natural Beauty & Local Culture
Full Service
ACCOMMODATION
CULTURAL
GROUPS
DIFFICULTY
Salkantay Trek Complete, Wake up viewing Machu Picchu
Join our amazing 5 days 4 nights trek on the Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu, where you can enjoy amazing views of Machu Picchu from the comfort of our glass cabins. You will be accompanied by a professional guide throughout the trek, allowing you to fully enjoy this unique experience.
During the trek, you will have the opportunity to experience the cultural diversity and natural beauty of the region while staying in different places. On the first night, you will stay at Salkantay Lodges with privileged views of the majestic Salkantay Glacier and the challenging Salkantay Pass. On the second night, you will sleep in a local home to immerse yourself in the culture and tradition of the area. On the third night, you will enjoy our exclusive glass cabins facing Machu Picchu, and on the fourth night, you will rest in a hotel in Aguas Calientes. This unique experience will allow you to enjoy the region in a way you will never forget.
For the Salkantay Trek, you only need to carry a lightweight backpack with essential items such as sunscreen, insect repellent, jackets, and snacks. Horses will transport the rest of your belongings.
Altitude sickness and fatigue can be common during the trek, but local families from Refugios Salkantay provide support by offering saddle horses and transportation on specific stretches at no additional cost. In addition, accommodations with Local Families and Authentic Experiences will allow you to enjoy private rooms with private bathrooms to ensure comfort and relaxation for hikers. They cater to all dietary needs and preferences, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable hike to Machu Picchu, and specialize in offering traditional, nutritious, and delicious dishes that reflect the region's rich culinary heritage. You will also experience traditional Inca cuisine, including dishes such as pachamanca, an ancestral cooking technique that uses hot stones to cook meats and vegetables.
Furthermore, the package includes entrance tickets to Machu Picchu and the return train to the city of Cusco on the fifth day, meaning you won't have to worry about organizing logistical details as everything will be managed by the Refugios Salkantay team.
In summary, if you are looking for an authentic experience on the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, the full-service of Refugios Salkantay is the best option. With accommodations in private rooms, local assistance, and adaptation to dietary needs, all you need to do is enjoy the beautiful hike and local culture on the way to Machu Picchu.
Tour Price Per Person
$690USD
5 Days / 4 Nights
Waking up Machu Picchu (Full Service)
Trip Details Salkantay Trek
The Salkantay trek is a breathtaking adventure that combines natural beauty with cultural richness. With Refugios Salkantay, you can enjoy a deeper and more authentic experience, staying in lodges and homestays that have a history and tradition of their own. This makes the trek more meaningful and allows you to feel part of the local community.
The Salkantay trek is a breathtaking adventure that combines natural beauty with cultural richness. With Refugios Salkantay, you can enjoy a deeper and more authentic experience, staying in lodges and homestays that have a history and tradition of their own. This makes the trek more meaningful and allows you to feel part of the local community.
The Salkantay trekking experience is at the same level as the Inca Trail, full of incredible scenery, unique landscapes, contact with nature, you can see from glacial lakes, live and experience unique experiences with local families who will attend you.
-
DAY 01
Cusco - Challacancha - Soraypampa (Laguna Humantay)
Start your exciting adventure to Machu Picchu in our private vehicle, which will pick you up from your hotel between 4:50 and 5:00 am. Your professional guide will greet you and accompany you throughout the journey to ensure a safe and enriching experience. After a journey of approximately 2.5 hours, you will arrive in the community of Mollepata, where my family will welcome you at the "La Casona" restaurant. There, you will have the pleasure of meeting the founder of "Refugios Salkantay", Mercedes Sotelo, who will serve you a delicious breakfast with her personal touch.
After breakfast, we will take you in our comfortable van to Challacancha, a picturesque village just one hour away.
We will start our exciting hike to our first lodge in Soraypampa, which will take us approximately 2 hours. During the first section of the hike, your expert guide will accompany you to explain the mountains surrounding the trail and show you an ancient aqueduct that still supplies water to nearby valleys and agricultural areas (7 kilometers - 4.35 miles).
Upon arriving at the lodge, you will be welcomed with a hot coca tea and accompanied to your private room with a private bathroom. After settling in, you will enjoy an authentic Inca culinary experience using ancestral cooking techniques with hot stones, where delicious and nutritious meats and vegetables are cooked (we cater to all dietary needs and preferences).
After a hearty lunch, we will take a short acclimatization hike to the spectacular Laguna de Tukarhuay, which will take us approximately 3 hours. You will enjoy stunning views of the Tukarhuay Glacier, also known as the Humantay Glacier, with the majestic Salkantay Glacier as a backdrop, one of the most sacred mountains in Inca mythology (the "Apu" Salkantay), reaching a height of 6200 meters / 20,341 feet. After returning to the lodge, we will enjoy a snack and a delicious dinner. This exciting journey will allow you to acclimatize for the rest of the hike. Rest up and get ready for what's to come on the next day!Starting elevation: 3,380 metres / 11,089 feet.Highest elevation (Humantay Lake): 4,300 metres /14,107 feet.OVERNIGHT: Refugios Salkantay: 3,850 metres /12,631 feet.Approximate night-time (outside) temperature at the lodge: 0 - 5°C.
Food (Lunch - Dinner)WifiHot showerCell phone chargingBedModerate (10 km / 6,20mil)Towels5 hours -
DAY 02
Soraypampa - Salkantay Pass - Lucmabamba (Homestay)
We'll wake you up at 5:00 am with a coca tea, followed by a delicious breakfast waiting for you in our dining area at 5:30 am.
We'll begin our hike at 6:00 am, climbing up the highest point of the trail, Salkantay Pass (4650 m/15255 ft). It's a 7 km (4.34 miles) steep ascent that will take approximately 3 hours from the rocky valley base to the magnificent Salkantay mountain (6271 m / 20574 ft). You only need to carry a small daypack, as the families of Refugios will take care of the rest of the luggage. If you feel the effects of altitude or fatigue during the climb, don't worry, we'll have a saddle horse available for you at no extra cost. (The horse comes with a complete first aid kit and an oxygen tank).
Your guide will also have a satellite radio for any emergency communication needed. Once we reach the summit, we can catch our breath and enjoy the stunning views of the surrounding valleys and towering snow-capped peaks of Salkantay, Humantay, and Tucarhuay. Salkantay mountain is the second-highest peak in the Cusco region.
After reaching the highest point of the trek, we'll descend for approximately 2 hours to the town of Huayracmachay, where we'll have a delicious lunch and a short rest. In the afternoon, we'll continue walking with our guide into the high Amazon cloud forest. It's a downhill hike of approximately 10 km (6.2 miles) that will take about 3 hours. This is a wide trail that passes through an area of dense vegetation with plenty of tree cover. It's an incredibly beautiful part of the trek, with a diverse flora and fauna, panoramic views, and native plants and flowers. The forests are typically warm and tropical throughout the year, with high temperatures at certain times of the year. We'll arrive at the town of Chalway (2900 meters / 9514 ft).
Upon arrival at Chalway, our private vehicle will be waiting to take us to the Lucmabamba Refuge, approximately 1 hour away. The local family will warmly welcome us and show us our rooms before enjoying a family dinner with local ingredients.Starting elevation: 3850m /12631 feet.Max elevation: 4660m / 15,288 feet.OVERNIGHT: Lucmabamba Lodge: 2400 metres / 7874 feet.We include an emergency horse if altitude sickness affects you or if you are tired during the most difficult section (Soraypampa - Salkantay Pass)Weather: Cold.
Food (Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner)WifiHot showerCell phone chargingBedChallenging (22 km / 13,67mil)Towels9 hours -
DAY 03
Lucmabamba (Family Homestay) - Llactapata Inca Trail - Llactapata (Lodge Facing Machu Picchu)
Start your day with a traditional breakfast accompanied by a local family, followed by an interactive cultural experience where you will have the opportunity to process your own organic coffee and taste one of the world's best coffees. The families will teach you traditional methods of roasting and grinding coffee beans.
We will then continue through banana, granadilla, yucca, and avocado plantations before boarding our private transportation for a half-hour ride through local coffee and fruit plantations to reach the best hot springs in the Cusco region (Cocalmayo), where we will relax for a couple of hours before returning to the Lucmabamba family house for a delicious lunch.
After lunch, we will continue for 2 to 3 hours along the original Llactapata Inca Trail until we reach the Llactapata lodge, located in a magical place in the middle of a lush forest with a stunning view of Machu Picchu. The family of Mrs. Susana will give you a warm welcome and show you their cabins that have a view of the impressive Machu Picchu and its surroundings. The cabins have a glass roof, allowing you to see the sunset and sunrise of Machu Picchu from the comfort of your bed.
After dinner, we will light a bonfire and enjoy the imposing mountains.Starting elevation: 2400 metros / 7874 feet.OVERNIGHT: Llactapata Lodge: 2700 metres / 8858 feet.Weather: During the day time hot and humid, and chilly at night.Visit the hot springs of Cocalmayo.Coffee experience.
Food (Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner)WifiHot showerCell phone chargingBedEasy (8 km / 4.97miles)Towels4 hours -
DAY 04
Llactapata (Glass Roof) - Hidroeléctrica - Aguas Calientes
After a delicious breakfast, we will continue our descent with our guide, arriving at the Inca site of Llactapata...right in front of Machu Picchu. This will be the first archaeological site on the path to the mysterious lost city of the Incas! After visiting the ruins of Llactapata, we will continue our hike with a descent of approximately 2 hours, where we will have a continuous view of Machu Picchu until we reach the train station at Hidroeléctrica, where we will have lunch. One of the most impressive views in the area is the natural waterfall that generates electricity for the entire Cusco region. Here, we will cross the river on an impressive suspension bridge.
After lunch, we will head towards the "Intiwatana" or sun dial, a famous and ancient rock that was used as a clock during the Inca period. According to history, this "Intiwatana" worked in conjunction with the famous sun dial within the Machu Picchu site. The people used these two stones to estimate the times of the winter solstice, which was when the new agricultural cycle began, a very important time of year for the Incas. After visiting this Inca site, we will arrive at Hidroeléctrica, where we will have our lunch.
After lunch, we will have a 3-hour hike to Aguas Calientes, where our designated hotel is waiting for our large suitcases and where we can enjoy a hot shower. Our guide will give us all the details for our guided tour the following day.Su Guia les dara todas las pautas para su guiado para el siguiente dia.Aguas Calientes Elevation: 2,000 metresWeather: HotAccommodations: Hotel La cabaña (or similar)
Food (Breakfast - Lunch)Hot showerWifiCell phone chargingBedModerate (14 km / 8.69mil)Towels6 hours -
DAY 05
Machu Picchu – Return to Cusco
We'll have an early breakfast to make the most of the day. Your guide will come to your hotel to take the shuttle bus to Machu Picchu, which takes about 30 minutes. Once inside Machu Picchu, you can visit the main lookout point. Here you can take your idyllic postcard photos of Machu Picchu.
After watching the sunrise (if weather permits), we'll begin our guided tour that will last approximately 3 hours. You'll visit the most important sites and temples within the archaeological site, and during your tour, you'll learn more about the history and culture of the Incas and the Inca empire.
At the end of the tour, you'll have time to take photos, or if you have booked a permit to climb Huayna Picchu/ Machu Picchu Mountain, to climb your respective mountain. These permits must be booked in advance. After climbing the mountain, you can walk to the Sun Gate (approximately 1.5 hours) or even to the Inca Bridge (45 minutes).
We suggest that you return to Aguas Calientes 2 hours before your train's departure time. The train ride is approximately 2 hours to get to Ollantaytambo. We reserve train schedules for our clients between 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm.
In Ollantaytambo, our driver will be waiting for you at the train station's exit to take you on a 2-hour car ride to your hotel in the city of Cusco, We'll drop you off at the door of your hotel. Note: The Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain tickets are subject to availability. Please consult your Refugios Salkantay specialist for more details when making your reservation.Approximately 4 hoursMachu Picchu: Easy to moderate
Food (Breakfast)EasyCultura
Tour Price Per Person
$690USD
5 Days / 4 Nights
Waking up Machu Picchu (Full Service)
GROUP TOUR:
$690 per person
A group tour means that it is open for other trekkers to join you. This means that your group will have varying hiking and fitness abilities. All our guides are experts on how to keep the trek moving and happy no matter how fast you hike.
PRIVATE TOUR:
Private tours are available and priced by party size.2 Trekkers: $910 per person
3 Trekkers: $880 per person
4 Trekkers: $830 per person
5 Trekkers: $780 per person
6 Trekkers: $730 per person
7 or more Trekkers: $690 per person
All our tours are priced in US dollars.
STUDENT DISCOUNT:
$25 off per person
Student discounts apply to anyone who has a valid UNIVERSITY STUDENT CARD at the time of the trek or who is 17-years-old or younger. For those using a university student card to receive the discount, we need to see a copy of the card at the booking. For those booking children 17-years-old or younger, we need a copy of their passport at booking time. Please send all to info@refugiossalkantay.com
ADDITIONAL ITEMS:
There are several optional upgrades you can include on this trip. Below is a quick list of prices, but check our Overview section for more details.
Huayna Picchu: $70 per person.
Montaña Machu Picchu: $70 per person.
