Salkantay Trek Expedition

Early morning, we will pick you up from your hotel in our private bus. We head west through the Anta Valleyand stop at the Inca temple of Tarawasi. Then we continue our drive to the village of Mollepata, where we will enjoy a quick sojourn of this charming town.Then we carry on our excursion to Soraypampa (10,660 ft/3250 m), where our crew awaits us with mules or horses to begin our hike. We will trek through delightful terrains to Ichupata, where our first campsite is located.

Meals: Lunch, dinner

Maximum Altitude: Soyrapampa12,693 ft (3869 m)

After an appetizing breakfast, we start our hike, getting over the Rio Blanco. One of the most appealing parts of this hike is that you can see condors. We carry on ascending to the Inca Chiriaska pass (15,826 ft/4825 m) under the south front of Salkantay (20,600 ft/6247 m), the tallest summit of the Vilcabamba mountain range. The route continues down, then up to Chachani Qasa, where we will camp.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Maximium altitude: 15,830 ft (4100 m) (Inca Chiriaska pass)

A quick trek takes us to Cruz Qasa pass at 15,465 ft (4715 m) with ecellent vistas of the Mount Ocobamba (16,813 ft/5126 m). We then descend to 13,615 ft (4150 m) and after ascend to the Chuqeñan pass (14,114 ft/4302 m). We then carry on our exquisite trek across the meadow over 13,451 ft (4100 m) for approximately 7.5 km to Aqoqasa (13,887/4234 m), where we camp.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Maximum Altitude:Chachani Qasa 4600 M

Chuqueñan Pass 4302 M

Today we traverse across the final pass (15,908/4446 m). We then go down and pass the Inca ruins of Raqay and the village of Ancasqocha. Then we descend to the narrow Chillca gorge and the most abundant area of the region, the Urubamba Valley, where we will direct to Ollantaytambo to finally take the train to Aguas Calientes.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Maximum altitude:15,354 ft(4680 m) (Aqoqasa pass)

On the final day of our tour we leave Aguas Calientes early to go to Machu Picchu by taking the bus up to the inca citadel. Our guide will tell us all about the history of this Inca fortress. In the afternoon we return to Cusco.

• Pre-trek briefing
• Early morning transfer by private bus to Soraypampa - the initial point of the trek
• Accommodation: Campsites (3 nights) and a hotel (1 night)
• Entrance fee to the red of Salkantay and Machu Picchu
• Meals: 4x breakfast, 4x lunch, 4x dinner and 4x afternoon hot beverages
• Professional bilingual Tour Guide
• Professional Cook
• Horseman
• Horses to carry food, camping and cooking equipment and 5 kg of each passenger's stuff
• Camping equipment: personal double tents, term-a-rest mattress;
• Tables and chairs, a cooking tent with cooking equipment, dining and toilet tents and bottled gas
• A sleeping bag (for up to -5°C)
• Tourist train round trip to Machu Picchu
• Tourist bus from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.

• Entrance fee to Huayna Picchu ($80)
  
• Meals not included above.
  
• Items of a personal nature including personal medical supplies.
  

Many people include the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in their “Things to do” list before they depart the planet, although what most people don’t know is that there are various Inca Trails Trips to Machu Picchu to pick from in the Cusco region. The difference lies in what kind of an experience you want, hiking the Inca trail and how challenging you like your treks.

You have to take into account that usually you will need to book in advance the Inca Trail, and in case it is fully booked, we recommend other best alternatives:

• Lares Valley Trek to Machu Picchu (4 days / 3 nights)
• Salkantay Short Trek to Machu Picchu (4 days / 3 nights)
• Cachicata Trek to Machu Picchu (4 days / 3 nights)
• Choquequirao Trek to Machu Picchu (9 days / 8 nights)
• Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu (9 days / 8 nights)

OPTIONAL SERVICES TO BE HIRED

• Walking sticks or trekking poles USD 20 for both
• You need to take 5 kilos of personal belonging included in the tour price carried by horses ...If you would like to request more porterage for personal items each extra 3 kilos requested is USD 20 additional charge but you can just request this in the office at your checking.
• Maybe you have to doubt to walk in this trek, you can hire the extra emergency horses, the price is USD 80.

LUGGAGE AND BACKPACKER FOR YOU TREKKING

Generally speaking you should pack as lightly as possible. The horses carry your luggage from Soraypampa (1st day) to Playa camping (3th day). 4 day hike, our chef takes your luggage by bus to Hidrolectrica. From there to Aguas Calientes, you are expected to carry your own luggage (max 3 hrs), in case, the local train running, our chef take your luggage to the town. We recommend keeping the weight under 5 kg/10lb. You will need to carry clothes, sleeping bag.

If very important your take best cover backpacker, because the weather in Salkantay trek is change every date, we can’t predict it raining or no. If you don’t have, we recommended to put your clothes, sleeping bag and other personal equipment inside the plastic bag.

SALKANTAY TREK PACKING LIST

• Original passport (+ copies for a case of lost),
• Original ISIC (an international student card if applicable)
• Travel insurance (+ copies for a case of lost),
• Pocket money in Nuevos Soles,
• A backpack
• A small rucksack,
• Rain gear (a rain-jacket and a waterproof trousers or a rain poncho - this can be purchased in Cusco),
• Resistible footwear, waterproof trekking shoes are recommended,
• Sandals (for a higher comfort while at a campsite),
• Warm clothes such as a jacket, a fleece (thermal clothing is also recommended for cold nights during camping),
• Hat or a cap (to protect you against the Sun, rain as well as cold),
• Sun cream or sun block,
• After-sun cream or hydrating cream for face and body,
• Insect repellent – recommended minimum is 20% DEET (please note that no malaria cases have been reported during this trip!),
• Camera and its charger/batteries (please note that batteries are consumed quickly under cold conditions),
• Flashlight/headlamp + batteries,
• Handkerchiefs and toilet paper,
• Small towel and toiletries,
• Sufficient reserve of underwear,
• Swimsuit (to visit the thermal baths of Aguas Calientes),
• Snacks (biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc.)
  Please note: we do provide a daily morning snack and our meal service is very complete and well supplied. The recommendation of taken own snack applies only for customers who like a specific snack that might not be in our menu.
• Bottled water for the first morning and a water bottle to be refill.
• Optional: walking sticks; you can also rent it from us,
• Please note: we provide with filtered boiled water during the entire trek, but if you like to use water from streams along the trail, you need to take some water-purifying tablets with you.