Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu 4 Days

We will pick you up from your hotel early in the morning and have a beautiful scenic drive of 2 hours to Mollepata town (2,900 m / 9,514 ft), where we will enjoy a brief stop for breakfast at a local restaurant. We will then continue driving for one more hour to Soraypampa (3.880 m / 12,726 ft), the trailhead for the Salkantay trek, and where we will meet the horsemen and the rest of the crew, as well as do a last equipment check. From Soraypampa we will start the hike up to the spectacular turquoise water Humantay Lake (4,200 m– 13,779 ft). which will take about 4 hours round – trip. After enjoying the beauty and taking pictures, we will hike back down to Soraypampa and then continue the hike up to reach the first campsite at Salkantaypampa. There, we will have the rest of the afternoon free to relax and prepare for the next day.

Early in the morning , We will wake you up with a hot cup of Coca tea and then breakfast to start our second day. Our journey will begin with flat terrain for about 10 minutes before transitioning into a challenging uphill climb. This segment of the trail is steep and demanding, so we will proceed at a comfortable pace since our destination is only 4 hours away. Along the hike, we will be surrounded by natural landscapes and we will have the best views of the snow -capped.

Upon reaching our campsite, known as Pampa Japonesa (4,740 m /15,551 ft), where we will spend the night, we will enjoy our lunch before embarking on an afternoon exploration of Salkantay Lake (4,790 m / 15 715 ft) , which typically takes 2 to 3 hours. This will bring us near the Salkantay glacier. Following our lake excursion, we will return to the campsite. Pampa Japonesa offers an incredible vantage point to soak in the beauty of the Soraypampa Valley, providing ample opportunities for breathtaking photos of the Salkantay glacier. The sunset view from here is truly stunning. As night falls, we will appreciate the starry sky before settling in for dinner.

Today, we will slowly ascend on a two-hour uphill hike to reach the Incachiriaska Pass (5,100 / 16,732 ft), also known as the Frozen Inca Pass, the highest point of our trek. Upon reaching the summit, we will have the option to either take a 30-minute hike closer to the glacier or descend to our lunch spot.

The scenery today is once again breathtaking. As we ascend over the shoulder of Salkantay, we are humbled by the towering presence of the mountain, gaining insight into why the Incas revered it as a deity.

After reaching the Pass, we will enjoy a three-hour downhill trek to our lunch spot, YanaCcaca. Where, we can relax a bit before continuing with the hike. We will descend towards our campsite at the Inca Canal through beautiful valleys and a section of the Inca trail that connects to different archaeological sites in the area .

We will enjoy an energetic breakfast and start with a 3-hour downhill trek to the Incan ruins of Paucar Cancha (3,143 m / 10,410 ft), a beautiful archeological complex . Here we will switch from using horses to carry our gear to porters – this is to prevent damage to the Inca Trail. Following lunch, we will have the pleasure of meeting our porters, who have trekked all the way from km 82, the starting point for those embarking on the 4-day Inca Trail hike. At the same time, we will say bye-bye to our horsemen. After a brief stop at the checkpoint to present our passports and Inca Trail permits, we will embark on a one-hour hike to Wayllabamba. From there, we will continue our journey to the Ayapata Campsite, where we will settle in for the night.