Salkantay Trek + Classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 7 Days

An easy hiking day to acclimatise. The night before, you have a briefing with your guide. After an early breakfast at your hotel, we pick you up from 06:00 with the guide and vehicle (the pick-up time may vary and is confirmed at the briefing). We drive past the villages of the Anta plain (Izcuchaca, Zurite and Ancahuasi) and through the Limatambo valley to Mollepata, where we sort out the trek paperwork, and on to Challacancha, the start of the hike. From there we walk to our first camp at Soraypampa. After lunch we hike to Humantay Lake, fed by glaciers high on the slopes of the impressive Mount Humantay. It takes a 4-hour walk to reach the lake, but the view is worth it, and the bravest can go for a swim. Our local guide leads this unique experience, with the majestic view of Mount Salkantay. Back to Soraypampa. Walking time: about 6 hours. Terrain: open paths and some steep uphill trails. Night at Soraypampa, at 3,869 m / 12,690 ft.

After a delicious breakfast we set off very early towards Choqueckilla. On the way up you enjoy the landscape and the impressive snow-capped Salkantay. Our camp is at the foot of the peak, at 4,000 m (13,123 ft), with views of the Vilcabamba mountains, where we have a comforting lunch. It is not an easy day, but you enjoy a landscape of snow-capped peaks and the local wildlife, with your guide’s explanations. A local can do this stretch in just 3 hours; we take about 7 hours, including lunch. Walking time: about 7 hours (including 2 hours for lunch). Terrain: steep paths and open slopes.

Without a doubt the hardest day of the trek: long and cold, crossing the Salkantay range over the Inca Chiriasca pass, with the Andean peaks of 6,264 m (20,551 ft) rising behind you. We wake up with a hot coca tea, because it will be quite a cold day, and have a hearty breakfast to warm up. A steep climb on narrow paths, with constant ascents and rocky structures, takes 3 to 4 hours at a steady pace to the Inca Chiriasca pass (5,200 m), with tight bends until you finally see the rocky structure of the pass. Unless you walk in June or July, the trail will most likely be free of snow and ice, although there can be hail, sleet, ice or rain at any time of year. The air is thin and the path steep, but anyone fit and acclimatised can cross the pass without trouble — people in their sixties have done it with us. Our group carries extra oxygen, and you can also ride a horse over the pass. You will enjoy the imposing Andean topography, with mountains, glaciers, valleys, lakes and some of the region’s plants and animals. After the Inca Chiriasca pass, the reward is the beauty of this region: we descend about 1,700 m (5,577 ft) to our camp, where you can rest and have a comforting lunch. Walking time: about 8 hours. Terrain: narrow paths.

Today starts with a 4-hour descent along an Inca canal to the archaeological site of Paucarcancha, which we visit. We then enter the Cusichaca valley, where we have lunch and meet our support team, the porters. From here we join the Inca Trail and walk to the camp where we spend the night, at Wayllabamba. Walking time: about 8 hours. Terrain: narrow paths.