Salkantay & Inca Trail

You’ll be up nice and early today to be ready for us to pick you up around 4:00 a.m. You’ll travel in our comfy transportation with blankets to enjoy a bit more sleep on the drive. After 2 hours, we’ll enjoy a brief stop in Mollepata for an optional breakfast. We’ll then continue on to Challacancha, where we’ll start our hike.

First, you’ll meet the cooks and horsemen, as well as do a last equipment check. Then, we’ll be on our way. You’ll start with a 3-hour moderate walk to Soraypampa (3,900 m / 12,795 ft), where we’ll be spending our first night. The first section is relatively flat with a slight bit of uphill through a deep valley of glaciers. You’ll notice that a lot of the trail follows a restored Inca water channel, which local farmers still make use of today. This section is 7 km / 4.35 mi overall.

Once in Soraypampa, you’ll get settled in at our exclusive Sky Camp, where you’ll sleep this evening. You’ll have a bit of time to rest after enjoying your first lunch in the mountains. Feeling refreshed, it’ll be time to start the hike up to the incredibly beautiful Humantay Lake (4,200 m /13,780 ft).

This round trip takes about 3 hours and covers 3 km / 1.86 mi. It’s not far, but you need to take things slowly at this altitude. You’ll have some time once you get to the lake to enjoy the fantastic scenery. There aren’t many places in the Andes quite as stunning as the turquoise waters glistening against the Humantay glacier. You’ll feel like you’re in a fairy tale!

Back at camp, you’ll enjoy a delicious and well-deserved dinner with a beautiful sunset as your company. You can’t describe the energy here, but you’ll feel its peacefulness for yourself once here. Then it’ll be time to turn into your Sky Camp igloo. From the glass roof, you’ll be able to enjoy a night under the stars, constellations and comets, and wake up to see the Apu Salkantay watching over you.

In the morning, we will wake you up with a hot coca tea to give you the boost you'll need to start your day. Then, you'll savor a delicious breakfast and listen to a brief explanation from our guide about the importance of the mountains in Andean culture.

We will begin the hike heading to Salkantaypampa. This part of the trail is a bit steep and challenging due to the altitude, so it's important not to rush and stay hydrated to avoid altitude sickness. But don't worry, after the ascent, the trail becomes flat, and you'll be rewarded with the best views of the snow-capped mountains of the Andes. It's a great time to connect with nature and enjoy the surroundings.

We will continue towards Ichupata to enjoy a delicious lunch while appreciating the most wonderful views of nature. As you hike this trail, you'll be surrounded by natural landscapes and the Salkantay mountain. After lunch, we head towards Pampajaponesa, where we will spend the night.

Pampajaponesa is a great place to rest and relax after a long day of hiking. Here, you'll contemplate the best panoramic views of the Mollepata valley, the Apurimac River, and some lagoons that are on the way, making this place a great destination to take photos of the beautiful landscape. At night, you'll enjoy the exquisite food prepared by our chefs while appreciating the constellations of the Andean sky.

Today, you will start the morning with a hot coca tea and a good breakfast, as it will be the toughest day of the entire hike. We will slowly ascend to Incachiriaska Pass (5,100m / 16,732ft), the highest point of our journey, all accompanied by powerful glaciers.

Upon reaching the summit, you will be greeted with coca tea that will help you acclimatize to the altitude while admiring the beautiful scenery surrounding you, with lovely valleys scattered with crystal-clear lagoons. If you're lucky, you may see the majestic flight of the condor. There, you have the option to take a 30-minute walk to see the glaciers up close. Otherwise, we will begin our descent.

Soon, we will arrive at Yanacaca, our lunch spot, where our chefs will be waiting for us with everything ready for us to enjoy a well-deserved feast. Here, we can relax a bit before continuing with the hike.

In the afternoon, we will descend towards Pampacahuana through beautiful Andean valleys so picturesque that they will surely motivate you to have a camera in hand. This is an ideal place to rest and enjoy the views. Then, we will walk through a section of the Inca Trail that connects to different archaeological sites in the area until we reach the Inca Canal.

After learning a little more about its incredible history and the customs of the local people, we will enjoy a delicious dinner and rest at our campsite in Paucarcancha. You´ll need to recover energy to continue the exciting journey the next day.

Today, you’ll feel as though you’ve been transported back in time as you walk the paths as the traditional farmers of Peru who live in complete communion and respect with Mother Earth, or Pachamama, as so many have done since ancient times. You’ll be able to observe how they live in these remote regions and appreciate the tranquil nature of their lifestyle.

A little later on, we’ll get to the Inca archaeological site called Paucarcancha to learn a bit about its history and advanced architecture for its time. Your guide will also show you how the vegetation changes as you get closer to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The climate will get warmer and vegetation thicker.

Then, you’ll finally enter the classic Inca Trail and have your lunch. You’ll have time for a short break before we begin the ascent to our camp. Keep your camera handy to snap some wonderful photographs of the impressive mountains that welcome you as we enter the cloud forest. This evening, you’ll have a tasty dinner before heading to bed for some well-deserved rest.

Today is the most demanding part of the Inca Trail, but you’ll also enjoy the best rewards. After breakfast, we’ll begin a 4-hour ascent and observe how the landscape changes dramatically as we leave the thick vegetation behind once again and enter colder mountains. You’ll notice lots of Andean hay around, called “icchu,” which is the main diet of many animals that live in the region.

We‘ll reach 4,215 m / 13,829 ft at the Dead Woman's Pass, the highest part of the Inca Trail, where you’ll have some time to relax and enjoy the glorious views all around of glistening glaciers who refuse to disappear into the clouds due to climate change.

Afterward, we’ll descend along a cobbled path to our lunch spot. This section of the trail is dotted with exotic flowers and wild orchids. We ask you to take great care of them as they’re at risk of extinction. According to the Andean culture, if you take things slowly and connect with nature, you should be accompanied by the magical flight of hummingbirds that are a sign of good luck.

After lunch, we’ll climb for another 45 minutes until we reach the beautiful archaeological site of Runkuraqay. Despite the many theories and studies regarding the sit, most experts believe it to have been a vantage point to monitor the valley below. Use this opportunity to take some photos and spread your wings as you imagine yourself soaring high above the mountains like a condor. We’ll then continue for 45 minutes more until we reach the Runkuraqay Pass (3,950 m / 12,959 ft)

Your guide will give you a brief talk here as you rest your legs before you start a 30-minute descent to Yanacocha, where rituals were performed in honor of the water's spirit. Little by little, mist will cover the road as you enter the cloud forest and approach the Sayacmarca archaeological site. Once there, you’ll be dazzled by the fine work and mastery of Inca architecture that still remains a mystery today.

Don’t give up yet! There are still 25 more minutes of walking to reach our camp in Chaquicocha. You'll feel the warm embrace of the Amazonian spirit and the energy of life surround you in this incredible place to observe local flora and fauna's diversity. Enjoy a hearty dinner and a great night’s sleep.

After the difficult day yesterday, you’re rewarded with a much easier hike today, starting with a tasty breakfast. Before we begin our walk, ask permission from the beautiful Pumasillo glacier, and fill yourself with its energy. You’ll only walk a total of 5 hours today and see three impressive archaeological sites along the way.

First off, we’ll reach the Inca complex of Phuyupatamarca or “Town above the clouds.” The Inca nobles used this sacred place to communicate with the stars and study astronomy, which was a very important part of their culture.

After, we’ll descend for two-and-a-half hours to get to an agricultural experimentation station, Intipata (2,800 m / 9,186 ft), where you’ll find a series of platforms used to create microclimates that boost food production in the area. From there, you’ll also get a fantastic view of the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Urubamba River - a sacred body of water that runs through this territory as if it were a huge anaconda. Finally, we’ll arrive at our lunch spot and campsite in Wiñay Wayna (2,650 m / 8,694 ft).

After lunch, you’ll have the opportunity to take a shower and relax as you’ll have the afternoon free to do what you please. You can also visit the archaeological site of Wiñay Wayna. Once again, the advanced architecture of the Incas will surprise you with aqueducts and temples. Listen carefully to your knowledgeable guide, who’ll reveal the mysteries of this fascinating place to you.

Finally, enjoy your happy hour of snacks and hot drinks and your last dinner before our team of porters and cooks say their goodbyes to you. Thank them warmly for allowing you to have a fantastic adventure in comfort.

The day you’ve been waiting for since you set foot on the trail is here! You’ll feel your heart skip a beat when you visit one of the most energetic places on earth, Machu Picchu.

We’ll get up earlier than usual today while the world is still enveloped in darkness. You’ll get to have a quick breakfast before we start a 2-hour walk to the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu.

After the first hour of walking, we’ll reach the Sun Gate, and you'll see the archaeological gem that is Machu Picchu in the middle of the mountains for the first time in the distance. You'll wonder how the ancient culture was able to build this wonder on almost inaccessible land on the side of a mountain. The last stretch is approximately 1-hour downhill. The sun's spectacle at dawn illuminating this ancient site will leave you breathless and imprint an image in your mind that you’ll never forget.

Once you enter the wonder of the world, you´ll enjoy a one-and-a-half-hour guided tour to discover the hidden secrets of the citadel. You’re sure to be surprised at the amazing architecture and that some fountains and aqueducts continue to function after being built more than five centuries ago. This is also the time to hike up Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain for an incredible panoramic view of Machu Picchu if you have pre-booked tickets.

Upon exiting the complex, you can catch a bus to the small town of Aguas Calientes, where you’ll find lots of restaurants. Choose one to enjoy your lunch in, but remember to be at the train station thirty minutes before your train is scheduled to leave.

You’ll arrive in Ollantaytambo where our private transport will be waiting to take you back to Cusco to the door of your accommodation. You can finally rest those tired legs, but we can assure you that your heart will still be beating to the Andean rhythm for years to come.