In a nutshell
- The Salkantay Trek is a hiking trail that takes you all the way to Machu Picchu and covers a total of 74 kilometers. Most people plan 5 days for the entire trek, including a visit to Machu Picchu.
- Along the way, you pass one natural highlight after another: the turquoise Laguna Humantay, the 4,600-meter-high Salkantay Pass, and a breathtaking canyon are just three of many.
- If you’re healthy and fit, the hike is definitely doable — but it’s still tough! The biggest challenge is the altitude.
- We did the Salkantay Trek ourselves on our trip to Peru and can only tell you: if you’re thinking about doing it, then YES! Absolutely do it.
- Want to know more about our experience on the Salkantay Trek? Keep reading — we cover everything day by day.
Salkantay Trek: With or without a tour?
Once you’ve decided to hike the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, the next step is figuring out how you want to do it. You have two options: tackling the Salkantay Trek with or without a guided tour.
We did it without a tour and would do it the same way every time.
Pros and cons of the Salkantay Trek without a tour
- More affordable option
- You can plan the hike flexibly on your own terms
- You’ll have the trail entirely to yourself at times
- Staying with locals and always sleeping in a real bed
- More preparation and planning required
- No guide available to answer questions
- You have to carry your own gear the entire time
In some situations, though, it does make sense to do the trail with a guided tour — for example, if you’re traveling solo, don’t want to deal with accommodation yourself, or don’t speak Spanish.
Pros and cons of the Salkantay Trek with a tour
- You have a guide available the entire time
- You don’t have to carry your own luggage
- Accommodation and meals are included
- You get to meet new people
- More expensive option
- You’re tied to the tour’s schedule
- You’ll spend some nights sleeping in a tent
- You won’t get to meet any locals
Booking a guided tour for the Salkantay Trek
Tour prices vary widely. Some include everything, while others don’t include the Machu Picchu ticket, for example. The type of accommodation also varies depending on the tour. So take a close look at what’s included and what isn’t:
Budget option for the Salkantay Trek
Luxury option for the Salkantay Trek
If you book the tour at a travel agency in Cusco, the Salkantay Trek will be cheaper than booking it online.
On the other hand, when you book online you can choose from several options, whereas in person you’re usually only offered one. Plus, you can lock in the trail in advance before your South America trip.
Preparing for the Salkantay Trek
Before you set off on the hike to Machu Picchu, a little preparation goes a long way — whether you’re going with or without a tour. Here’s our checklist of everything you should organize in advance.
#1 Acclimatize properly
We recommend spending at least five nights in Cusco before the trek. Tour operators will often tell you that two to three days is enough — but in our opinion, that’s cutting it too close, especially if you’re not used to altitude. The risk of altitude sickness is simply too high.
Also read our travel tips for Peru
#2 Buy Machu Picchu tickets
On the last day of the Salkantay Trail, you’ll visit Machu Picchu. The entrance ticket isn’t included in some tours, so you’ll usually need to sort it out yourself.
Buy your ticket in advance online at tuboleta.culutura.pe, because tickets sometimes sell out and there’s nothing left on the day. Make sure your time slot is in the morning — at least if you want to return to Cusco the same day. Buses and trains back to Cusco don’t run in the afternoon.
On tours, the return journey is always included in the price. So check with your tour operator when you’ll be heading back, and book your Machu Picchu ticket accordingly.
Read all our tips on buying Machu Picchu tickets
#3 Book accommodations
You don’t necessarily have to book accommodations for the Salkantay in advance, but it’s usually a smart move. This is especially true if you’re hiking during peak season from July through October, or if you simply want the peace of mind of knowing where you’ll sleep each night.
Here are our recommendations for accommodations you can book ahead of time
- Night 1: Refugio Nacho
- Night 2: Salkantay Hostel
- Night 3: Lia B&B
- Night 4: Machu Picchu Land
You can also save these hotel recommendations and simply knock on doors when you’re there to ask if a room is available — that’s actually very common on the Salkantay Trek.
In our day-by-day trip report further below, we go into more detail about suitable accommodations along the trail.
#4 Think about how you’ll handle the return journey
If you’re doing the Salkantay without a tour, you’ll need to arrange your own way back to Cusco. We cover all your options at the very end of this article in the Day 5 section.
On guided tours, the return journey is included. Most operators give you the choice of traveling by car or by train. The train is more expensive but faster.
#5 Arrange accommodation in Cusco and store your luggage
You’ll likely spend four nights on the Salkantay Trek and then return to Cusco afterward. So book your place to stay for after the trail in advance.
Make sure to confirm that you can store your luggage at your hotel while you’re away, because you definitely shouldn’t take all your belongings on the hike.
Pretty much every hotel offers this service free of charge — just make sure your luggage is stored in a secure, locked location. This is especially important if you’re leaving valuables like a laptop behind.
#6 Download Maps Me and take screenshots
If you want to set out on your own, take a screenshot of our Salkantay trip report the evening before you leave. That way you’ll have all the information about accommodations and logistics available offline on your phone — because you’ll rarely have internet access on the trail.
Also download the app Maps Me. It works like Google Maps but functions offline too. After downloading it, grab the map for the Cusco region, and you’ll have a reliable offline map of the Salkantay Trek right on your phone.
#7 Pack smart
This is really, really important. You’ll be lugging your backpack around for five days, but you also need to have everything you need with you. There are no stores along the way.
Our packing tips for the Salkantay Trek
Stick to the motto: Pack only the essentials! We met plenty of people on the trek who deeply regretted bringing too much.
On guided tours you do have the option of having your backpack carried by mules, but honestly, we felt pretty bad for the animals at 13,000 feet.
What to wear on Day 1
- Long hiking pants
- Long-sleeved hiking shirt
- Warm jacket
- Waterproof hiking boots
What to pack in your backpack
- Hiking clothes
- Comfortable clothes for the evening
- Rain poncho
- Flip-flops
- Only the most essential toiletries
- Sunscreen, sun hat, sunglasses
- Bug spray and lip balm
- 800 soles in cash (just under $200)
- Card game
- Earplugs (if you’re traveling with snorers)
- 3 liters of water (don’t skimp on weight here!)
- Small snacks (e.g. nuts or crackers)
- Documents (passport, etc.)
- Phone and charging cable, headphones
- One roll of toilet paper (important!)
- Coca leaves (for altitude sickness)
- Trekking poles (in our opinion you can manage without them)
Our Salkantay Trek trip report
We hiked the Salkantay Trek without a tour and without a tent. So our personal experiences and tips are based on doing the trail independently.
If you’re doing the Salkantay Trek with a tour, you won’t need the accommodation and transportation tips, since your guide will handle all of that. But everything else is still useful for you!
We completed the Salkantay trail in 5 days, which is the recommended duration. That said, you also have the option of doing it in 4 or 6 days.
Day 1: Cusco - Laguna Humantay - Soraypampa
On Day 1 we took the bus from Cusco to Mollepata at around 5:00 in the morning. If you search “Bus to Mollepata” on Google Maps, you’ll find the departure point. There’s no official bus stop — it’s a 15-minute walk from the Plaza de Armas.
Buses run every morning at regular intervals, going by the rule: when the bus is full, we leave. You won’t miss them — the driver will come up to you on their own. We paid 15 soles per person (about $3) for the ride. Feel free to negotiate the price a little with the driver.
The bus ride takes about 2.5 to 3 hours. Once you arrive in Mollepata, you need to register for the trail and pay a 20-sole fee. This is where the official Salkantay Trek begins. You can also grab breakfast here.
In Mollepata you have two options:
- You walk on foot from Mollepata to Soraypampa. The route is about 17 kilometers long. You probably won’t have enough energy left afterward to also hike up to Laguna Humantay.
- You take a taxi either to Soraypampa or to Kallacancha. This costs about 100 soles (around $25) for four people.
By the way, guided tours start their hikes in Kallacancha. From there it’s a 6-kilometer walk to Soraypampa.
If you’re ever unsure which way to go, just check Maps Me. The Salkantay Trek routes are mapped very reliably on there.
Accommodation in Soraypampa
We recommend staying at Refugio Nacho (Google Maps). They also serve breakfast and dinner. You can call ahead or message via WhatsApp to reserve your spot.
Laguna Humantay
You’ll arrive in Soraypampa around midday and will still have plenty of time to hike to Laguna Humantay, which is about 1.5 hours away. It’s not on the main trail, but it’s absolutely worth the detour. For us, it’s one of the most beautiful sights in Peru.
The hike to the lake is seriously strenuous — it’s 6 kilometers with about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, and at roughly 13,000 feet above sea level, that’s no joke.
But it’s totally worth it! The view of the mountain lake is phenomenal. If you arrive at Laguna Humantay between 1 and 3 p.m., you’ll practically have it to yourself — guided tours come in the morning or afternoon, so only independent hikers are up there at midday.
After hiking back down from the lake, you’ll have Day 1 wrapped up. There’s not much to do in Soraypampa in the evening, so you’ll be really glad you packed a card game.
Day 2: Soraypampa - Collpapampa
It’s best to start Day 2 very early in the morning. Most accommodations serve breakfast at 5 a.m., which is why guided tours also set off around 5:30 a.m.
On Day 2 you’ll get both very warm and very cold on the hike, so make sure to dress for both. Be sure to bring snacks, as there are hardly any food options along the way.
The first stretch is extremely strenuous — you’ll climb about 2,600 feet of elevation. You’ll work up quite a sweat. After 6 kilometers you’ll reach the top of the Salkantay Pass — you made it!
From there it’s downhill all the way. Around kilometer 11 you’ll spot a few houses. Guided tours stop here for lunch. As an independent hiker, you can also ask if you can get something to eat.
After that, the trail is mostly flat. The vegetation changes suddenly here, and you’ll have your first encounters with mosquitoes. Keep your long pants on from this point forward!
Your destination on Day 2 is the villages of Chaullay or Collpapampa, which essentially blend into one another. Chaullay is the first of the two.
Accommodation in Chaullay or Collpapampa
It doesn’t really matter which of the two villages you stay in. Most guided tours spend the night in Chaullay. There’s also a nice hostel there for independent hikers.
If you walk another 20 minutes, you’ll reach Collpapampa. Many locals here rent out private rooms and also offer breakfast and dinner.
Day 3: Collpapampa - Lucmamamba
Day 3 is the most relaxed of all. Feel free to sleep in a little and set off later than usual. We started walking at 8 a.m.
The trail follows a canyon the entire way. There are only short ascents and descents throughout the day — mostly it’s flat going.
In some spots the trail on Day 3 is a bit narrow. If you suffer from a fear of heights, you might have some minor trouble here. The paths are always wide enough that you never need to hold on to anything, though.
You’ll probably arrive in Lucmamamba around midday or early afternoon.
For the afternoon you have several options:
- Travel to Santa Teresa and relax in the hot springs there.
- Take a tour of a coffee plantation in Lucmamamba and sample freshly brewed coffee.
- Continue a few kilometers up the Salkantay Trek and spend the night on the mountain with a fantastic view.
Sounds great, right? Most tours go with option number 1. To do that, you take a taxi to the Cocalmayo hot springs and back. Entry costs 10 soles (about $2.50).
We went with option 2, since we’re big coffee fans and a coffee plantation tour was included in our accommodation — the coffee was delicious!
Option 3 is the least common and is a real under-the-radar pick. The views from accommodations up on the mountain, like the Machu Picchu Eco Lodge, are simply breathtaking.
Accommodation in Lucmamamba
In Lucmamamba, we highly recommend the Lia B&B. You’ll pay 70 soles (about $17) per person for a private room, dinner, breakfast, WiFi, a hot shower, and a coffee plantation tour — seriously great value.
Day 4: Lucmamba - Aguas Calientes
On Day 4 we set off again very early, around 6 a.m. First you’ll climb about 5 kilometers uphill. Since you only reach about 8,900 feet here, the ascent isn’t quite as grueling as on Day 2.
The village at the top is called Llactapata. Here you’ll come to a fork in the trail. Take the path that veers slightly to the left first — after 5 minutes you’ll reach a viewpoint. Take a moment here and soak in the incredible panorama of Machu Picchu.
Then head back and take the other path. Shortly after, you’ll pass a small Inca ruin. From there it’s a long, steep descent — this was the most tedious section for us, as it’s hard on the knees.
Once you’re at the bottom, there’s a short flat stretch to Hidroelétrica. After that you’ve got 10 kilometers to go. Alternatively, you can take a train from Hidroelétrica to Aguas Calientes.
As a hiker, you can easily walk the last stretch of the Salkantay Trek on foot — just follow the railroad tracks the whole way. Don’t worry! Guided tours do this too, and it’s perfectly normal in Peru.
Just before the end of the route, the trains pass through a tunnel. Don’t walk through the tunnel — instead, take a small path to the right that goes downhill just before it. From there it’s only about two kilometers along a road into Aguas Calientes.
Accommodation in Aguas Calientes
In Aguas Calientes you have far more lodging options than anywhere else along the Salkantay Trek, and you can find some surprisingly nice places at good prices.
MAPILAND Hotel Boutique
Machu Picchu Land
Day 5: Machu Picchu and the return journey
If you want to return to Cusco on Day 5, you should have your Machu Picchu time slot at 6, 7, or 8 a.m. — which means another very early start.
You can get to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes by bus or on foot. As a Salkantay hiker, you can easily manage it on foot. Bring all your luggage with you if you plan to take the bus back to Cusco from Hidroeléctrica.
You’ll retrace the same route you took the day before until you reach a bridge. Here you need to register and can leave your luggage at the checkpoint below.
After the bridge, it feels like there are endless stairs going uphill. In total you’ll climb about 1,300 feet of elevation, which takes about an hour.
Read our tips for Machu Picchu too:
Return journey from Aguas Calientes to Cusco on Day 5
After Machu Picchu, it’s time to head back to Cusco. We mentioned above that it’s worth thinking about this ahead of time. You essentially have two options:
- Walk (or take the train) back to Hidroelétrica and take the bus from there to Cusco (cheap but takes forever).
- Walk or travel back to Aguas Calientes and take a train from there (much more comfortable but also significantly more expensive).
If you go with option 1, keep in mind that the last bus leaves at 2:00 or 2:30 p.m. from Hidroelétrica. Leave Machu Picchu by 11:30 a.m. at the latest to catch it.
The bus ride costs 50 soles (about $13) and takes seven hours! You can buy the ticket in Hidroeléctrica. The bus stops along the way at a small kiosk where you can buy food and use the restroom.
Warning: The bus ride goes over bumpy roads (if you can even call them roads) and through narrow switchbacks. We took the bus and are genuinely not exaggerating when we say we had some mild panic attacks along the way.
The train is by far the more comfortable option, but it comes at a price. You won’t get away with less than about $80 (240 soles). That said, we’d definitely invest in it next time.
Salkantay Trek total costs
Here’s an overview of what costs to expect for the Salkantay Trek. For tour prices, we’re going by the standard tour as offered by most agencies in Cusco:
| Cost Factor | Salkantay without Tour | Salkantay Tour | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tour price (4 nights, 5 days) | - | 700 Soles | ||
| Accommodations (4 nights) | 120 Soles | - | ||
| Meals, water, and snacks (5 days) | 220 Soles | 50 Soles | ||
| Machu Picchu + Salkantay entrance fee | 172 Soles | 172 Soles | ||
| Transportation (to and from) | 80 Soles | - | ||
| Total costs | 600 Soles | 941 Soles |
The prices are just a rough guide and will likely vary somewhat, as they’re based on our personal experience.
FAQ: Frequently asked questions about the Salkantay Trek
There are some questions that pretty much everyone has when they’re thinking about hiking the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu. We answer the most common ones here.
#1 When is the best time to do the Salkantay Trek?
The best time is during the dry season from April to October. This is when you have the highest chance of consistently good weather. That said, you can also hike the trail during the rainy season in November, December, and March — there will likely be some showers here and there, but prolonged rain is fairly rare.
The only months you should avoid are January and February. Heavy rainfall can cause landslides during this time, and conditions can become genuinely dangerous.
Read our tips on the best time to visit Peru
#2 Can I withdraw money on the Salkantay Trek?
ATMs on the Salkantay Trek are only available from Day 4 in Aguas Calientes. It’s important to bring enough cash beforehand. You’ll rarely be able to pay by card at accommodations or small convenience stores along the way.
#3 Shorts or long pants?
Always wear long pants. Starting on Day 2 of the Salkantay Trek, there are a lot of mosquitoes. You’ll regret wearing shorts for days after the hike. You may sweat in some spots, but in our opinion, that’s the lesser of two evils.
#4 Are there mosquitoes on the Salkantay Trek?
Yesss, quite a lot actually. That’s why you absolutely need a very strong mosquito repellent — and even that won’t protect you completely. We don’t even want to think about what we would have looked like without bug protection.
#5 Why bring toilet paper?
You’ll almost always find toilets on the Salkantay Trek and at accommodations. However, toilet paper is barely available anywhere along the way. Make sure to pack a roll.
#6 Why is lip balm so important?
Almost all hikers end up with very chapped lips on the Salkantay Trek — so a good lip balm is really important. Don’t leave home without it.
#7 What to do in the evenings on the trek?
You’ll often find yourself with time to kill in the evenings. Card games are perfect for that — they’re a great way to pass the time, and they weigh almost nothing compared to, say, a book.
#8 What documents do you need?
Your Salkantay entry ticket should be with you at all times. Also bring your passport.
We never actually had to show either one, but you may need them on the trail or at Machu Picchu.
You’ll definitely need them to purchase a Machu Picchu ticket in Aguas Calientes.
#9 What to do about altitude sickness?
If you have trouble with altitude sickness, coca leaves are an effective remedy. Chew intensively on the leaves and then spit them out.
If it gets really bad, you can always ride a mule until you’re back at a lower elevation — the risk of altitude sickness is highest on Day 1 and Day 2.
#10 What to do in case of injuries?
If you fall during the hike, get injured, or have health problems, you can be transported by taxi from any village, as all villages are connected to civilization by roads.
If you’re in the middle of the trail and can’t continue walking, your best bet is to reach out to a guide from a guided tour — mules can then bring you to the next village.
#11 Can you buy water along the way?
Yes! In the towns where you’re staying overnight, you can always buy water. We recommend setting out each morning with at least 2 liters.
Along the way, you’ll also regularly pass through villages, small kiosks, or roadside vendors where you can stock up. Only on Day 2 is the supply situation along the trail rather sparse.
