Salkantay Trek 7 Days Plus Inca Trail To Machu Picchu

We’ll wake you up with a hot coca-leaf tea that will help you start the day in the best way. Then you can savor our delicious breakfast. Before leaving, we’ll have a short chat with our guide who’ll explain these immense mountains’ meaning for the Andean culture. With the permission of the sacred glaciers, you’ll start a 2-hour walk to a real turquoise gem of the mountains, the famous Humantay Lake born from the glacier’s snows of the same name that will appear in front of you closer than ever. Let yourself be enveloped by the brightness of the waters and the tranquillity of the place where ritual ceremonies are still performed in honor of nature.You’ll return to the main path, and then we’ll ascend slightly to Salkantay Pampa, where you will enjoy lunch at approximately 1:00 p.m. If you think the beauty of the Humantay Mountain is impressive, get ready to see the face of Apu Salkantay, a huge glacier that’s considered one of the main deities in the entire region. After lunch, we’ll ascend for 2 hours to Ichupata or Japanese Pampa (4,200 masl / 13,779 fasl). The cold will start to worsen due to the altitude, so don’t forget to take warm clothes and gloves with you. As always, we’ll welcome you with a cup of hot drink, and then you’ll enjoy dinner. Since the camp is in Salkantay Mountain’s vicinity, you may hear the thunder of avalanches, but there’s nothing to worry about, as these occur in another area. Don’t forget that this camp is the highest and that at night the temperature can reach close to 0 C.

You’ll welcome the day with a hot cup of coca tea and prepare to face the most challenging day on the route. You’ll slowly ascend to the Inca Chiriasca pass (5,000 masl / 16,404 fasl) while enjoying the company of the powerful glaciers. Once you reach the top of the open, we will bring you coca tea again to help you withstand the altitude while you contemplate the valleys dotted with crystalline lakes. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to appreciate the flight of the huge condor. From this point you can start the descent or take an optional 30-minute walk to see the glaciers up close. Once you arrive at the place where we’ll have lunch, we will be waiting for you with everything ready. After a short rest, we will continue the descent through beautiful Andean valleys until we reach our camp located in a community made up of just 10 families.

Today you will have the feeling of having traveled back in time as you share the path of the traditional farmers of Peru who live in complete communion and respect with Mother Earth, or Pachamama, as it has been done since ancient times. Observe their lifestyle and appreciate their tranquillity. Later you’ll arrive at an Inca archaeological site to learn a little about its history and advanced architecture. Your guide will also show you how the vegetation changes as you get closer to the Amazon jungle.Finally, you’ll enter the classic Inca Trail, where you’ll have lunch. After a short break, you’ll ascend to our camp. Make sure you have your camera ready because you don’t want to miss the opportunity to photograph the impressive mountains and waterfalls that welcome you when entering the cloud forest.

Today is the most demanding day, but also one of the most amazing. We’ll visit archaeological sites and enter the mysterious cloud forest. After breakfast, we’ll ascend for 2 hours while seeing how the landscape begins to change dramatically. The vegetation will decrease as we reach a higher altitude, and Andean straw or ‘ichhu’ will begin to appear, which is the main food for the beautiful auquenids that graze peacefully in this area. We will reach 4,200 masl / 13,779 fasl at the Dead Woman’s Pass, where you’ll have time to rest while you contemplate the glaciers whose perpetual snows resist disappearing due to climate change. Later we’ll descend through a cobbled path to the point where we’ll have lunch. This part of the trail will be dotted with exotic flowers and orchids. We ask you to help us take care of them, please, as they are in danger of extinction.If your walk is calm and you manage to connect with nature, you should be accompanied by the magical flight of hummingbirds that are a sign of good luck, according to the Andean culture. After lunch, we’ll climb again for 2 hours until we reach a new pass. A little further on, you’ll discover the beautiful archaeological site of Runcuraccay.

Although there are many theories and studies about the place, Runcuraccay is said to have been a strategic vantage point to monitor the valley. Take the opportunity to take pictures and feel like you’re a bird that can take off from there to surrender to the air currents and fly beside the mountains. After a brief rest and the explanation from our guide, we’ll begin to descend for an hour to the place called Yanacocha, where rituals were performed in honor of water’s spirit. Little by little, the mist will cover the road as you enter the cloud forest and approach the Sayacmarca archaeological site. There you will be dazzled by the fine work and mastery of Inca architecture. Keep going! There are still 30 more minutes of walking to our camp located in Chaquicocha. You’ll feel the embrace of the Amazonian spirit and the energy of life that will surround you in an incredible place to observe local flora and fauna’s diversity.

The effort you made yesterday will be rewarded with the most relaxed day on the route today. Before starting the trek, ask permission from the beautiful Pumasillo glacier and fill yourself with its energy. It will only be 5 hours of walking where you will see three impressive archaeological sites before arriving at our next camp. You’ll get to know the Inca complex of Phuyupatamarca or Pueblo Sobre las Nubes. The Inca nobles used this sacred place to communicate with the stars and study astronomy. Later, you’ll see an agricultural experimentation station where you’ll find a series of platforms used to create microclimates and thus boost the production of food in the area.Finally, you’ll arrive at our last camp located in Wiñay Wayna (2,600 masl / 8,530 fasl), where you can leave your backpacks and walk for 5 minutes to see the most important archaeological site on the route, not counting Machu Picchu, of course. Again the advanced architecture of the Incas will surprise you with its aqueducts and temples. Listen carefully to our guide, who’ll reveal the mysteries of this fascinating place to you

After lunch, you’ll have the opportunity to take a hot shower, and then you need to relax as you’ll have the afternoon free. Enjoy your happy hour and your last dinner before our team of porters says goodbye to you. Thank them warmly for allowing you to have a fantastic adventure comfortably.

The day has arrived. As soon as you wake up, you’ll feel the deep beating of your heart that will be anxious for your visit to one of the most memorable and energetic places in the world: Machu Picchu. We’ll wake up much earlier than usual, as darkness is still enveloping everything, and we’ll quickly have our breakfast and start a 2-hour walk to the historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu. As soon as you arrive at Puerta del Sol, you’ll see this archaeological gem in the middle of the mountains for the first time in the distance. You’ll wonder how the ancient Peruvians were able to build this wonder on almost inaccessible land. The last stretch is approximately 45 minutes. The sun’s spectacle at dawn illuminating this ancient site will leave you breathless and shake your soul. You’ll have a 2-hour guided tour where you’ll gradually discover the secrets of the Inca citadel. Then take advantage of your free time to explore the corners of this energy centre on your own. You’ll surely be surprised by how the Inca architects built these immense stone walls in perfect harmony with nature. You’ll also notice that some fountains and aqueducts still continue to function after being built more than five centuries ago.At the exit of the complex, you’ll find buses that regularly leave for Aguas Calientes, a hectic miniature metropolis where you’ll find many restaurants. Choose the one you want to enjoy your lunch in (food not included in the tour). Remember that you must be at the train station 30 minutes before your departure. The station is usually full of people which can slow you down a lot.