Salkantay Trek

At 5:00 a.m. we will begin our trip going through the valley of the Apurimac River. The road is only paved until Limatambo. We will travel for one hour driving up to Mollepata and from that point we begin our hike. The hike lasts 5 hours walking through the valley of Rio Blanco which contains the thawed ice coming from the snowy peaks of Salkantay and Humantay. We will camp in a place named Soraypampa.

Today we will ascend to Humantay doing 7 large switchbacks and from there make a 45 minute walk afterwards. From this point you can see the valley of Santa Teresa as well as the peaks of the mountains and their lakes. We begin to descend down the valley to a place called Challhuay where we will camp.

Continuing the trail to the valley below we will arrive at Santa Teresa, which is a small tropical village located on the banks of the River Vilcanota. This town was hit by a disastrous mudslide caused by El Niño in 1998. As a result the train line between Cusco and Quillabamba was destroyed. We will stay in Santa Teresa in a camp. In the surroundings of Santa Teresa you will find fruit farms, which have an abundance of oranges, plantains and other kinds of fruit. We will set up our camp in this area.

Today we will walk through the valley of the River Vilcanota to the hydroelectric plant and from there to Machu Picchu along the old train line. The hike will take about 4 hours from Hydroelectric to Aguas Calientes. There we will take you to a two star hotel, very clean and enjoyable. In the night we will visit the thermal waters of Aguas Calientes (optional).

Early in the morning we will begin our trip to Machu Picchu. We will hike for 45 minutes up to 1 hour approximately then you will have 2 hours with your guide and he will explain you about Machupicchu, after that you are free for walking around Machu Picchu. Later you will return to Aguas Calientes. In the afternoon we will return to Ollantaytambo by train and there will be a bus waiting for you to bring you back to Cusco.