Itinerary

1. Day 1: Cusco - Salkantay Pampa

   • Depart early, around 6:00 am, from your accommodation in Cusco to Mollepata.
   • Make a short stop for breakfast and shop for any personal supplies for the trek.
   • Drive to Cruz Pata. From here, horses will be organized to carry the supplies and backpacks. 
   • Start the hike - around 3 hours of walking and then a stop for lunch at Challabamba.
   • After lunch, walk around 4 hours more before the valley broadens and flattens out, and the beautiful conical snow-capped peak of Nevado Salkantay comes into view.
   • Reach Salkantay Pampa (4000m), have dinner and camp your first night.

2. Day 2: Salkantay Pampa - Colca Pampa

   • Wake up and have early morning breakfast. Nevado Humantay (5917 m) dominates this morning’s views. Today is the most challenging day as you will be climbing up to a pass close to Nevado Salkantay – the highest part of the trek. 

   • Descend into the upper cloud forest where the climate changes towards semi-tropical and stop for lunch.

   • Arrive at your second camp in Colca Pampa (3,200m).

3. Day 3: Colca Pampa - Santa Teresa

   • After an early breakfast, start your third day of hiking.
   • Walk for around 5 hours, descending 2,000m down through the changing vegetation to the warmer camp at the village of La Playa. Much of the path follows a small river with waterfalls, and you may see parrots, hummingbirds, orchids, bamboo and much more in the tropical forest. La Playa is the biggest village on the way, where you can find some small shops to buy snacks.

   • See small plantations of coffee and bananas.

   • On arrival at La Playa, continue to Santa Teresa, where you camp overnight. 

4. Day 4: Santa Teresa - Hidroelectrica - Aguas Calientes

   • Enjoy your breakfast and hike to Hidroelectrica.

   • After arriving in Hidroelectrica, hike from Hydroelectrica to Aguas Calientes and spend the night there in a hostel.

   It is also possible to take the train from Hidroelétrica to Aguas Calientes instead of hiking, but you will have to pay extra for the cost of the train.

5. Day 5: Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - Cusco

   • Get up early at 5.00 am, to take the first bus (at 5.30 am) to Machu Picchu. 

   • Reach Machu Picchu and enjoy a guided tour of about two and a half hours of the citadel.

   • Explore the site yourself, or climb up to Wayna Picchu (you will need about one hour to climb up). You have to be back in Aguas Calientes depending on your train time back to Cusco.

   Note: Sometimes Peru Rail organises the train to be met in Ollantaytambo by buses and you have to travel from there to Cusco on the bus. Apologies for any inconvenience.

   Departs: 6:00 am from your hotel on day one.

   Returns: Around 9:00 pm on day four.