The Journey Begins
SALKANTAY MACHU PICCHU TREK | Sumac Coca Travel
The Cordillera Vilcanota is an impressive range of mountains which include the massive Salkantay snowcapped mountain (6,264 meters) and three others over 6000 meters that you will appreciate while on the Salkantay tour. Salkantay is an outstanding snow peak, located less than fifty miles northwest of the city of Cusco in south central Peru. It is the highest mountain of the Cordillera Vilcabamba. Because of its proximity to the city, it is easily accessible and is climbed frequently. Join us on this incredible Salkantay Trekking Tour to Machupicchu.
Itinerary
DAY 1 CUSCO – MOLLEPATA – SORAYPAMPA – HUMANTAY LAGOON
Today, your trekking adventure to Machu Picchu finally starts! Our guide will pick you up at your hotel in Cusco at 4:30 am. We will drive together with the group to Mollepata (approx. 3 hours), where we will have a nutritious breakfast. We will then drive one more hour to Challacancha (3,380 meters/ 11,090 feet), the starting point of our hike, passing the view point of Hornada Pata where the valley splits into two (Valley of Mollepata and Challacancha). The beginning of the trail will take us through some beautiful valleys. After a three hour hike, we arrive at our campsite in Soraypampa (3,900 meters/12,800 feet) at approximately 13:30 pm. We will have time to relax and enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by our cook.
Later, we will finally visit the famous Humantay Lagoon! After 1.5 hours of hiking, we will arrive at the lagoon (4,220 meters/ 13,850 feet) with incredibly blue-green water and the snowy Humantay Mountain peak behind it, making it one of the most impressive places in the Andes Mountains. We will take some time to admire the breathtaking views and then descent to our campsite in Soraypampa. Arriving at approximately 6:00 pm, we will have tea and dinner, and spend the night in our beautiful glass cabanas.
Hiking Distance: 12 km/7.4 miles
Walking distance approximately 10 Km.
DAY 2 SORAYMAPA – SALKANTAY PASS – COLLPAPAMPA
At 5:00 am we will enjoy a large breakfast so that we have a lot of energy for our hike today. Starting our trek from Soraypampa, we will ascent for 3 hours to the highest point of Abra Salkantay, where we enjoy breathtaking views of the snow capped high Andes Mountains of Salkantay, Humantay, Tucarhuay, and Pumasillo (4,650 meters / 15,250 feet). Passing through Salkantaypampa and Soyrococha, we will discover a beautiful small lake and then begin our descent towards Huarachmachhay for 3 hours (3,800 meters / 12,470 feet). There, we will have lunch and then continue our descent for 3 more hours until we reach our campsite in Collpapampa. We will have tea and a delicious dinner prepared by our cook. Tonight we will sleep in our comfortable domes at the campsite.
Hiking Distance: 22 km/13.47 miles
DAY 3 COLLPAPAMPA – LUCMABAMBA
After a rejuvenating night’s sleep, we start day 3 of our Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu with a delicious breakfast. We begin our 5 ½ hours hike through the Peruvian jungle, passing over many ascents and descents. This part of the trek marks the cloud forest, where we will discover several coffee plantations, orchids and many natural plants used for medicines. We will arrive at our lunch point to rest a little. Here you have the option to visit the thermal baths located in Cocalmayo, Santa Teresa (not included). We will return to our campsite at 6.00 pm for tea and a freshly prepared dinner.
Hiking Distance: 14 km/8.7 miles
DAY 4 LUCMABAMBA – LLACTAPATA – HIDROELÉCTRICA – AGUAS CALIENTES
Today, we will enjoy the sunrise in a lush landscape of rivers, waterfalls, orchids, and many plantations, including banana, avocado, and coffee. We will have a nutricious breakfast and get ready for the next part of our trekking adventure: we will finally hike along a part of the original Inca Trail! We will walk up along the Inca Trail, enjoying the beautiful views of the Santa Teresa Valley. After a 2.5 ascent, we will arrive at the Inca archaelogical site of Llactapata. Our local guide will share his knowledge about the history of this place. Besides, we will get the chance to get our first glimpse of Machu Picchu Mountain and Huayna Picchu Mountain. We will go downhill for lunch and then continue our hike to Hidroeléctrica. You can choose to walk to Aguas Calientes for around 3 hours, or opt to board a train for $32.00 extra. Upon arrival in Aguas Calientes, we will enjoy a delicious dinner at a local restaurant in the village on the bottom of the magnificent Wonder of the World. Tonight, we will be staying at a hotel overnight.
Hiking Distance: 18 km/13.7 miles
DAY 5 AGUAS CALIENTES – MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO
The grand finale! We will wake up very early this morning for our visit to famous Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. This complex is considered a jewel of the Inca architecture. It is a complete town with different quarters, squares, alleys, buildings, astronomical observatories and terraces. The city was rediscovered on July 24, 1911 by the US researcher Hiram Bingham. We will have a guided tour to see and learn about the Machu Picchu site, a Wonder of the World. After the guided tour, you will have free time to take photos and discover this magical place by yourself.
For those who have previously selected to climb Huayna Picchu Mountain or Machu Picchu Mountain, you will do so at your designated time (1st group: 6am to 8am, 2nd group: 9am to 11am).
In the afternoon, we will return to Aguas Calientes. We will have some time for lunch (not included), which is the perfect opportunity to explore the local restaurants. We then take the train to Ollantaytambo, leaving at 14:55 pm. On the way back, we can enjoy the incredible landscape of the Sacred Valley. Upon arrival at the train station, we will be picked up by our transfer staff and dropped off at Plaza Regocijo in Cusco.
IMPORTANT
Also this tour is possible to organize in 4 days.
Inclusions
Included
ACCOMMODATION
Instead of sleeping in small tents, we set up our spectacular and comfortable campsites just for you. On night 1 (Soraypampa), you stay in our amazing 2 people glass cabins, and on night 2 & 3 (Colpapampa and Playa Sahuayaco) in private 2 people sleeping domes.
Last night accommodation in Aguas Calientes in a Standard Hotel. This will be a nice, clean and safe hotel with Wi-Fi, take-away breakfast, and a private bathroom with hot water included. You can also upgrade to a higher quality hotel.
MEALS
- Meals as indicated in the itinerary (4x Breakfast, 4x Lunch, 4x Dinner).
- Professional cook and cooking equipment. Dining tent and kitchen tent for the cook to freshly prepare your meals.
- Our meals can be accommodated for any dietary requirements such as vegetarian or vegan. Please let us know in advance if you have certain preferences, so we can plan ahead.
- A hot cup of Coca Tea every morning.
- Boiled water provided for coffee and tea to accompany your meals at the campsites.
TRANSPORTATION
- Private transportation from your hotel in Cusco to the starting point of your trek.
- Train ticket from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo.
- Private transportation from Ollantaytambo to Plaza Regocijo in Cusco.
LOCAL GUIDES & TEAM
- English/Spanish speaking professional guide, plus an assistant guide for groups over 12.
- Horses and horsemen, who carry camping equipment, food and kitchen utensils.
- All our trekking guides have a minimum of 3 years of guiding experience and are certified. They carry a first aid kit with them, as well as an extra oxygen bottle in case of emergencies.
- We provide duffel bags at your briefing for your personal items (up to 5kg per person).
ADDITIONAL
- Briefing: You will have a meeting with your guide in our office to go over all the details regarding your tour. The orientation will be between 5:00-7:30 pm at our office in Cusco the day before departure.
- Entrance tickets to Machu Picchu included.
Not Included
DOES NOT INCLUDE IN THE SERVICE.
- MEALS
- 1ST breakfast, Dinner on the last day.
- No water for treks included. Please carry enough water with you. Along the trekking road, you can buy more water bottles.
EQUIPMENT
- Sleeping bags. Available for rent if you don’t have one with you ($15.00 per person).
- Trekking poles. Available for rent for $20.00 per person.
- Additional horses to carry luggage exceeding the allowed 5kg per person.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
- Entrance to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain. You can choose to add one of them to your trekking itinerary for $60.00 per person. Please let us know in advance, so we can check the availability.
- Entrance to hot springs.
- Shuttle bus between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu.
OTHER
- Tips for your guide, cook and the staff.
- National or international flights.
- Travel Insurance.
- Other activities not mentioned in this itinerary.
