If you love adventure. Enjoy the best trekking routes in the world, our classic Salkantay trek 5 days is for you. Combine the most exciting trekking trails with the most incredible landscapes you can imagine.
Expect to pass through snow-capped mountain tops before heading into the cloud forest on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. You will end up walking through the lush Peruvian jungle as you get closer and closer to the Wonder of the World, Machu Picchu. The drastic change in weather and environment is what makes this exciting hike so unique.
As if that wasn’t enough to get your heart beating faster, what better way to end the ultimate journey than with a visit to the Lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu. You will enjoy a guided tour of approximately two hours before climbing Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountain and contemplating a panoramic view of the fortress. You will feel like you are flying high like a condor and you will be transported back in time hundreds of years to imagine what life was like back then. Do not miss our Salkantay Hike to Machu Picchu 5 days.
This is the day when we depart for our trip to the classic Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu 5 days.
Early at 4:00 am, we will go to your hotel in a private car, so that we can travel to the point of our trek. After 3 hours, we will enjoy a brief stop in Mollepata to buy some things that may be missing for Salkantay Classic Trek 5 days. We will then continue to soraypamapa, where we will begin our trek. First, you’ll meet the cooks and the riders, and you’ll also do one last gear check. Then we’ll be on our way.
We will start with a moderate hike to the incredibly beautiful Humantay Lake (4,200 m/13,780 ft). This round trip takes approximately 3 hours and covers 3 km / 1.86 mi. It’s not far, but you have to take it easy at this altitude. You will have some time once you reach the lake to enjoy the fantastic scenery. There are not many places in the Andes as impressive as the turquoise waters that sparkle against the Humantay Glacier. You will feel as if you were in a fairy tale! Back at the camp, you will enjoy a delicious and well-deserved lunch.
After lunch, we will have time to explore the place or relax. You cannot describe the energy here, but you will feel it is peace for yourself once here. So after dinner, you can enjoy a night under the stars, constellations and comets, and wake up seeing the Apu Salkantay taking care of you.
Today we will get up very early and with all the energies emanating from the Apus (sacred mountains), before breakfast they will give us coca tea to start the walk. Enjoy a nutritious breakfast before embarking on our trek to the highest point of the route, the Salkantay Pass (4,630 m / 15,190 ft). You will walk 7 km / 4.34 mi for 3 hours. It’s a tough ascent up the ‘path of the 7 snakes’, aptly named because of its winding path.
Once you reach the top, you will appreciate the most magnificent view of the surrounding valleys, as well as the Salkantay mountain that is right next to you (6,271 m / 20,574 ft), which is the second highest in the Cusco region and one of the Apus (Inca gods). You can also see the Humantay, Tucarhuay and Pumasillo mountains.
After taking in the views and enjoying a break, you will begin the 7 km / 4.35 mile downhill hike to the lunch spot at Huayracmachay (3,850 m / 12,631 ft), from where you can enjoy fantastic views.
This section of the trail is rocky and gravelly with wonderful views down into the valley below. After an invigorating lunch, you will enter the edge of the Amazon rainforest, also known as the “cloud forest”. This part is 8 km / 4.97 mi and takes about 3 hours. Along the way, you will be able to enjoy a magical tropical forest and witness how quickly and dramatically the landscape changes from the Andes to the Amazon. You will see colorful landscapes, unique wildlife and native plants. You will find that the weather gets much warmer here.
After your longest day of hiking, you’ll be delighted to arrive at our campsite at Chaullay (2,900 m/9,514 ft). You will be served a hearty meal before bed in your Andean cabin for a restful night’s sleep in the small town.
The third day, the awakening will be at 6:00 a.m. for your wake-up tea and then breakfast before leaving camp. Our first destination will be La Playa, and we will be walking through the Santa Teresa Valley. Today you will enjoy a more moderate hike than the day before, while immersing yourself in the lush landscape of rivers, waterfalls, orchids, and many plantations, including banana, avocado, and coffee.
We will pass through a small town called Collpapampa, then we will descend through a valley where you will see waterfalls, birds, hot springs, fruit trees and lots of flora and fauna. You may be lucky enough to see Peru’s national bird, the “Cock of the Rock”.
At La Playa, we’ll enjoy a tasty lunch before heading to Santa Teresa (2400 m – 7.874 ft), just another hour away. In the afternoon, you will have free time to explore the tropical surroundings and visit an organic coffee farm, as well as enjoy the hot springs of Cocalmayo (optional). Which are just 15 minutes from our camp.
After dinner, of course, you will go to bed for the night in one of our exclusive camps. While you rest, you can listen to the different sounds of nature and feel in harmony with mother earth.
We will be eager for our last day of the classic Salkantay trek, already after having breakfast. This morning, you will be able to walk a bit on the original and world-famous Inca Trail! After a 2-hour uphill climb and mesmerizing views over the Santa Teresa valley, you’ll arrive at Llactapata (2,700 m/8,858 ft), an Inca archaeological site right in front of Machu Picchu.
Llactapata is the first Inca site you will see on the trek, and you will learn all about the mysteries of ancient culture and the extraordinary site. You can even have your first exciting view of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu from here. You will also see a part of the classic Inca trail.
You will then walk downhill for 1:30 hours, where you will get another couple of glimpses of the Inca citadel, Machu Picchu, along the way, which will only make your anticipation for tomorrow stronger. We stop for lunch at Hidroelectrica (1,800 m / 5,906 ft). One of the most impressive sites on this section is the 250-meter-high artificial waterfall, which generates electricity for the entire city of Cusco.
Once in Hydroelectric, you have a couple of options:
1. If you are tired after all the trekking, you can choose to board a train to Aguas Calientes (US$34.00 extra).
2. If you want to enjoy the last leg of the trek, you can enjoy the flat walk along the side of the tracks towards Aguas Calientes, which takes around 3 hours. It will be one more opportunity to enjoy its warm jungle environment while walking.
The walk is next to the train tracks that lead to Aguas Calientes. Once in the small town, you will enjoy dinner at a restaurant and spend the night in a comfortable hotel.
NOTE: During the rainy season, the walk along the Llactapata Trail is not 100% guaranteed for security reasons. When there are frequent heavy rains, this trail can become very dangerous.
This is the day we were waiting for during the Salkantay trek 5 day and finally, you are going to visit one of the New 7 Wonders of the World and UNESCO World Heritage Site: Machu Picchu! You’ll need to get up early today to ensure you beat the crowds and enjoy the serenity of the site in the morning light.
Once in the Inca citadel, you will enjoy a guided tour of approximately two hours through the most relevant sectors of this incredible ancient site. You will see houses, temples, terraces, farm fields, among others. You will be impressed by the intelligence of the Incas in terms of engineering, which was ahead of its time and remains a mystery in many ways.
After your tour, you can choose to go to Huayna Picchu Mountain (2,720 m/8,924 ft) or Machu Picchu Mountain (3,000 m/9,843 ft); these tours will take you an hour and a half and three hours up and down, respectively (tickets must be booked in advance).
Be sure to return to Aguas Calientes for lunch before boarding your train to Ollantaytambo, which leaves at approximately 2:55 p.m. m. (subject to availability). Our private bus will pick you up at the next station and take you back to your hotel in Cusco around 8:00 p.m. m. and you will feel satisfied with this experience for 5 days in the classic Salkantay trek.
We went with PERU TREK and I can only say that it was AMAZING! They were very attentive and experienced, I highly recommend this trekking and if you are lucky enough to have Peru Trek as your travel agency, your experience will be much better! so happy i did it.
This 4 night 5 day trekking experience was amazing and exceeded all expectations!
Our main guide really made the experience super fun and exciting. His knowledge of the local environment and the history of the Incas made this trip very interesting. He kept us all motivated with positive energy even when things got rough on the road.
Arriving at our food venues, our personal traveling chef, Alejandro, provided us with 3-4 course meals, shared family style with our group of 10.
It is an exhaustingly beautiful experience! Absolutely, I recommend it to everyone. It makes seeing Machu Picchu a truly well-deserved moment, and therefore that much more worthwhile. The food was impeccable and every day a motivation to keep going when the walk was long or hard. Our guide, always motivating, of course, turned us on to have fun and helped us as a group to grow together. He was also not shy to discuss any topic and share his knowledge as a local. Our rider, was also a very motivating person and we are very grateful that we don’t have to carry all our luggage ourselves.
So in 3 words: A real treat! Travel with the company PERU TREK!
