The Imperial Salkantay Trek

Welcome to the imperial, Andean Inca city of Cusco, the cultural capital of Peru! Upon arrival, we will take you to your hotel to drop off your luggage and freshen up. After lunch and when you are ready, we will take a leisurely half-day tour of this amazing place as you acclimate to the high altitude (3,400 m – 11,155 ft).

Cusco has a long history and is the oldest continuously inhabited city in all the Americas! Since about 1,000 B.C., people have lived in Cusco and regarded it as a center of the surrounding culture (then called Qosqo). It has been an important part of every civilization that has lived in the area throughout history, starting with the native people of Peru long before the famous Inca people.

On the arrival of the Inca Empire to Peru and beyond, Cusco became the navel of their far-reaching and powerful empire. Of course, the Incas were then conquered by Spaniards, who also used Cusco as a colonial, regal capital for the area.

The attractions visited on this tour include:

• Cathedral of Cusco

  Located in Cusco’s Main Square, the cathedral is a colonial monument of great artistic value. It was built on top of the Wiracocha Inca Palace and houses works of carved wood such as the choir, pulpit, and altars, beautiful paintings from the Cusquenian School of Art (including a Last Supper painting in which Christ and His disciples eat cuy – guinea pig!) and works of embossed silver. This cathedral flanks the grandiose Plaza de Armas – Cusco's historical and cultural heart.

• Qoricancha Temple and Santo Domingo Convent

  This religious center was built to worship the Sun, the most revered deity during the Inca Empire. Inside the temple, you will find smaller temples dedicated to the sun, moon, stars, etc. Outside are beautiful, regal gardens and fountains on the grounds of the monumental temple. Here, the combination of the extraordinary Inca and Spanish colonial architecture stands out the most. Besides, the Cusquenian School of Art’s gallery allows you to appreciate some of their colonial art pieces.

• Sacsayhuaman

  Located 2 km from Cusco City, this monument was built using massive carved rocks joined with compelling precision. It comprises three overlapping platforms with an average length of 360 meters. In its construction, you can see stones as big as 9 meters tall! From here, you can enjoy a spectacular view of Cusco city and the beautiful landscape the surrounding mountains form.

• Q’enqo

  Located 1.4 km from Sacsayhuaman, this complex was an Inca ceremonial cult center. The most prominent feature of this complex is an open space called the amphitheater. Back in its day, you would have found Inca mummies in the 19 trapezoidal niches found here. Today, the amphitheater is half of its original height.

• Puka Pukara

  This complex is known as the “red fort” due to its reddish tints resulting from the vast amounts of iron in its rocks. It is thought that this fortress was perhaps an old Tambo (storage area) that served as a resting and guarding spot to protect Tambomachay. Here you can see attractive architecture, fountains, aqueducts, and several Incan enclosures.

• Tambomachay

  This complex is made up of a combination of finely carved stones, waterfalls, and aqueducts to carry water from the nearby springs and hot springs. For this reason, Tambomachay is associated with the water cult. In front of this construction is a tower that is said to have served as a guarding post and communication tower.

Today, you will have the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful and historically rich towns of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We begin the day by picking you up from your hotel in Cusco at 8:30 a.m. and heading toward the town of Pisac. Before reaching Pisac, we will stop at the Qorao and Taray lookouts, so you can admire the Sacred Valley’s beauty from afar and take pictures.

Once in Pisac, we will visit the archaeological site and its famous traditional market. Then, we will drive to the town of Urubamba for lunch, where you will enjoy a delicious buffet lunch of traditional Peruvian dishes.

Continuing, we will drive to the classic Inca town of Ollantaytambo and visit its unique archaeological site with its royal sources of water, high terraces, temples, etc., surrounded by towering mountain peaks and colorful valleys plus the view of the faraway Veronica glacier.

Ollantaytambo is the most well-preserved layout of a typical, Inca-built city with its narrow, cobbled streets and stone walls. Its conservation allows for the enduring legacy of the Incan people to live on for us today.

To finish our day, we will visit Chinchero and meet some of the town’s talented women in a textile-making presentation. The Cusco region is known for its superb, colorful textiles, and here you will learn how each color of wool is naturally dyed, how the intricate cloths are woven, and the symbolism held by the traditional designs you find in their beautiful creations. Here, you will also visit an archeological site and a colonial church.

After your tour, you will be brought back to Cusco and dropped off at your hotel at 6:45 pm to rest up for tomorrow’s exciting activities!

We start the day with a pickup at your hotel around 04:00 a.m. We will drive for around 3 hours, crossing Mollepata and ending at Challancha. Through the bus windows, you can clearly see the white, snow-capped mountains of Salkantay and Humantay: two colossal gods of the Incas (Apus). You will also see the spectacular scenery of high peaks and low valleys in a colorful and contrasting panorama filling every direction you turn your eyes!

After the first 2:15 hours of driving from Cusco, we will stop in Mollepata to use the toilet facilities and souvenir shops and have an optional breakfast. We will then continue to Challacancha, the starting point for the trek. There, we will meet our support staff, who will organize all the equipment and cargo mules.

At around 09:30 a.m., we will begin trekking to Soraypampa (3,900 m / 12,795 ft), the first campsite on our journey. This section of the path takes us over a few deep valleys along the side of a mountain. Along the trail, we’ll follow an ancient Inca canal that still supplies water to farmers in the following valleys. We will hike 7 km (4.35 mi) for 3 hours to Soraypampa, where lunch awaits at our famous Sky Camp.

After lunch and a short rest, we will climb the unforgettable Humantay Lake (4,200 m / 13,780 ft). This is a 3 km (1.86 mi) round-trip hike, which will take around 2:30 hours. Humantay Lake is one of the most beautiful locations in the Andes, with unbelievably blue-green water reflecting the mountain glacier of Apu Humantay. It’s truly like something out of a fairy tale! Later, we’ll enjoy tea time and then dinner at our campsite. The valley’s background at sunset creates the most peaceful scene with an energy that can only be felt and not described.

Because Soraypampa is far from the hustle and bustle of any city lights, the pitch-black sky lights up with thousands of stars and constellations at night. Be overcome by feelings of peace and tranquility while you lay gazing at the expanse unfolding before you.

After an early wake-up with the first daylight and an energizing breakfast, we will start trekking up to the highest point of the trail, the Salkantay Pass (4,630 m / 15,190 ft). A 7 km (4.34 mi) difficult ascent awaits us for 4 hours between the rocky valley base and the magnificent Salkantay Mountain (6,271 m / 20,574 ft).

When we reach the top of the pass, we will appreciate the spectacular views of the surrounding valleys and the imposing snowy peaks of the Salkantay, Humantay, Tucarhuay, and Pumasillo mountains. Salkantay is the second-highest mountain in the Cusco region and one of the Inca gods called “Apu.”

After the climax of today’s trek, there is a 7 km (4.35 mi) downhill walk on a serpent-shaped, rocky gravel path that leads to our lunch spot in Huayracmachay (3,850 m / 12,631 ft). There is a stunning valley outlook to rest on the way down!

After our meal, we will enter the upper part of the Amazon jungle, also called “the cloud forest.” This is an 9.5 km / 5.9 mi hike completed in three and a half hours. During this part of the trek, you will notice a dramatic change in landscape and the earth’s energy as we move from the Andes to Amazon. This hike is wonderful; the hills are decorated with colorful scenery, unique wildlife, and native plants. The forests remain green most of the year, with temperate climates.

At the end of this hike, we arrive at the small village of Collpapampa (2,950 m / 9,678 ft) for a well-deserved rest from our long day of trekking. The Mountain Sky View are our camp for the night, surrounded by valleys, rushing rivers, and lots of vegetation.

At 06:00 a.m., we will start our trek to the small town of La Playa through the Santa Teresa Valley. You will be able to soak up this new, lush landscape during our 5 hours of hiking today. We will see rivers, wild orchids, and coffee, banana, and avocado plantations during the hike. You’ll also be able to taste the famous passion fruit and granadilla fruit along the way.

We will pass through the village of Collpampa, then head to the bottom of the mountains to pass to the left side of the valley. Waterfalls, birds, fruit-bearing trees, flora, and fauna will be our mates on this tropical journey. Once in La Playa, we’ll have a long time to rest. Later, thirty more minutes of walking await us to Lucmabamba (2,000 m /6,562 ft), our lunch place and campsite.

We will explore the tropical forest briefly and visit an organic coffee farm. If you are a coffee lover, this will be especially heavenly for you – you can taste coffee freshly prepared by the locals! If not, you can still enjoy the aroma of freshly roasted and ground coffee wafting through the air.

Coffee is the main farming industry here in the jungle, and they farm many acres of coffee to export to the USA, Asia, and Europe. Coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia, and it wasn’t until the Spanish invaded Cusco that it was brought to this region. You’ll also get the opportunity to explore orange and avocado plantations this afternoon before enjoying dinner and an excellent night’s rest with the sounds of nature to send you off to sleep.

Like previous mornings, the trek’s guide will wake you early with a hot cup of coca tea in your dome. You will get ready for today’s activities while enjoying your last breakfast prepared by the talented chef. We will begin the hike early, with the chance to enjoy a small part of the famous and highly-acclaimed Inca trail.

We’ll climb for about 3 hours to the Llactapata Inca site (2,700 m / 8,858 ft), admiring the views of the Santa Teresa Valley. Llactapata is located right in front of Machu Picchu, so it’s the perfect place to learn more about the Inca's roots and the history of those who used and worshiped this land. From this spot, you can see not only the Inca City of Machu Picchu but also the famous Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu mountains. Of course, you will have plenty of time to capture amazing memories in photos.

After that, we will continue our trek for 1:30 hours downhill until our lunch place in Aobamba and then to the Hidroelectrica train station (1,800 m / 5,906 ft). If you feel exhausted, you have the option to take a train to Aguas Calientes (not included - US$37.00) or continue the scenic walk to Aguas Calientes for about 3 hours.

One of the most impressive sites on this hike is the 250-meter-tall artificial waterfall, which generates electricity for the entire Cusco. Next to the railroad is a nice path through the warm paradise of the cloud forest. This is the same trail used by the American professor Hiram Bingham who rediscovered Machu Picchu after centuries of being lost to the outside world.

After 3 hours of walking, we’ll arrive at Aguas Calientes. You’ll check in at your hotel and have a private bathroom, hot shower, wifi, breakfast, and luggage storage while you visit Machu Picchu. You can also rest a bit before dinner or walk around this enchanting place. There are no cars in Aguas Calientes, so it is an especially peaceful place to be.

At around 7:00 p.m., we´ll have dinner at a local restaurant and organize to be ready for the icing on our last adventure day: Machu Picchu!

Note: During the rainy season, and for safety reasons, the hike up the Llactapata Trail is not 100% guaranteed. When heavy rains are frequent, this trail becomes very dangerous.

Today we arrive at our trek’s long-awaited finale, one of the 7 Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site - Machu Picchu! We will wake up early after a refreshing night at our hotel to beat the crowds to the top of Machu Picchu and enjoy its serenity in the soft morning light. The Machu Picchu entrance checkpoint will be from 6:00 a.m.

We´ll board the morning bus to Machu Picchu and be one of the first to enter the royal city of the Incas. Here, you´ll have a guided tour of about two hours through this ancient site, including a visit to its temples, terraces, palaces, priests' houses, and cultivated fields, among others. From the observatories, you’ll also be able to snap some of the most memorable photos of your trip.

You’ll be amazed by the engineering talent of the Incas, so advanced for their time and that today is part of the mystery. The Incas who built the citadel were geniuses in organizing this community sustainably and beautifully on the slope of a mountain. Furthermore, they worked without modern tools such as steel and iron, even carrying water through canals and aqueducts along their streets for people to use.

If you book your tickets in advance, you can climb Huayna Picchu Mountain (2,720 m / 8,924 ft) or Machu Picchu Mountain (3,000 m / 9,843 ft); these tours will take you two and three hours between ascent and descent, respectively.

After the excursions, we´ll return to Aguas Calientes for leisure time before taking the train to Ollantaytambo. Once here, our private transportation will take you back to your hotel in Cusco. Rest your feet and body now; we assure you your heart will still soar for weeks and years!

Today, you’ll wake up, have breakfast, and pack your bags, as it’s time to say goodbye to the imperial city of Cusco for now. We’ll organize a time to collect you and take you to the airport or bus station to continue your vacation or return home.

This isn’t a forever farewell, and we’re sure you’ll be longing to come back to relive all the special moments, learn more about the ancient city and cultures, and try out more of the excellent restaurants and their delicious cuisine. So, it’s not goodbye, but rather see you soon!