Peru · 5 days · Challenging
5-Day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu
The alternative to the Inca Trail, and in several ways the better walk: higher, emptier, and it crosses from glacier to cloud forest in three days. It is genuinely hard — day two is 22 km over a 4,650 m pass — and you sleep in glass domes rather than a tent for most of it.
Highlights
- The Humantay lagoon at 4,220 m, glacial meltwater under the peak
- The Salkantay pass at 4,650 m, with the snow line on four mountains around you
- Sleeping in glass sky domes at 4,000 m and jungle domes in the cloud forest
- Llactapata, where you see Machu Picchu across the valley before you reach it
How this trip moves
4 nights, 3 places to unpack
The thing most itineraries hide is how much of your holiday is spent getting somewhere. Here it is up front.
Where you sleep
- Mountain Sky Hut 2 nights
- Jungle domes 1 night
- Aguas Calientes hotel 1 night
The shape of it
- Flight
- Boat
- Road
- Train
Day by day
- Day 1
Cusco → Soraypampa → Humantay lagoon
Pick-up at 4:30 a.m. and three hours to Mollepata for breakfast, then an hour more to the trailhead at Challacancha (3,380 m). Three hours to camp at Soraypampa (3,900 m), lunch, and then the 1.5-hour climb to the Humantay lagoon at 4,220 m. Around 10 km. Night in a glass sky hut.
Overnight: Mountain Sky Hut
- Day 2
The Salkantay pass — the hard day
Breakfast at 5. Three hours of ascent to the Abra Salkantay at 4,650 m, with Salkantay, Humantay, Tucarhuay and Pumasillo around you. Then down — three hours to Huarachmachhay for lunch and three more to Colpapampa at 2,900 m. About 22 km and nine to ten hours. This is the day the trek is judged on.
Overnight: Mountain Sky Hut
- Day 3
Into the cloud forest
Five and a half hours through coffee plantations, orchids and medicinal plants as the vegetation thickens and the temperature climbs. 16 km, and easy after yesterday. The Cocalmayo hot springs at Santa Teresa are an optional add-on.
Overnight: Jungle domes
- Day 4
Llactapata and Aguas Calientes
Up to the Llactapata ruins for the view across the valley to Machu Picchu from behind — most visitors never see this angle — then down to the river and on to Aguas Calientes and a hotel bed.
Overnight: Aguas Calientes hotel
- Day 5
Machu Picchu and back to Cusco
Early bus up for the guided circuit of the site, then the train and transfer back to Cusco.
What is included
- Salkantay and Machu Picchu entrance tickets
- Pre-departure briefing with the guides in Cusco
- Certified English/Spanish-speaking guide and a cook with full cooking equipment
- Two nights at the Mountain Sky View glass domes, one night in a jungle dome, one hotel night in Aguas Calientes
- Meals: 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners
- Transport to the trailhead and from La Playa to Santa Teresa
- Sleeping pad (double foam)
- Guided tour of Machu Picchu
What is not included
- Sleeping bag (rentable)
- Cocalmayo hot springs
- Train upgrade options
- Travel insurance
- Tips
Per person in double occupancy. Final price depends on your dates, party size and hotel category — high season and single occupancy carry supplements. Full breakdown →
When to do this trip
May to September is the dry season and the right window. The route is at its worst January–March.
Questions about this itinerary
How long is the 5-Day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu?
5 days and 4 nights, starting in Cusco and ending in Cusco.
How difficult is it?
Challenging. Group size: Small groups.
When is the best time to do this trip?
May to September is the dry season and the right window. The route is at its worst January–March.
What extra costs should I budget for?
Per person in double occupancy. Final price depends on your dates, party size and hotel category — high season and single occupancy carry supplements.