Salcantay 5D 4N Trekking

You will be picked up at your hotel, bright and early around 5:00 AM, for the 3 hour drive to Mollepata. You will have breakfast in a local Mollepata restaurant. Starting out at 2,800 meters above sea level, you will start your trek up to Cruzpata, which will take around 3 hours. There, you will have lunch, and then continue on for another 4 hours up steep climbs to the Soraypampa community, where you will make your first campsite and have dinner. Along the way you will enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding valleys.

After getting up early, you will have breakfast around 6:30 AM, so that at 7:30 you can start this day’s portion of the hike. On this physically taxing day, you will climb/ hike for 4 hours up to an altitude of 4,700 meters above sea level, from where you will have stunning views of the Salcantay mountain range. You will have lunch in Huayracpampa, at around 3,600 meters above sea level. After lunch you will continue on to Challway, where you will have dinner and camp for the night.

On the third day you will wake up early for breakfast and will then start the day’s relatively easy hike towards the Cloud forest. During the hike most of the walking will be downhill and you will see a wide variety of vegetation ranging from forest to fields of coca. After 3 hours of walking you will have the opportunity to take a 1 hour (each way) “side hike” to visit the hot springs. If you choose to hike to the hot springs you will have lunch there, otherwise you will have lunch in Playa. From Playa you will take a 45 minute open truck ride to Santa Teresa, where you will have dinner and camp.

On the final day of trekking, you will have a 7:00 AM breakfast, followed by a 1 hour hike to La Oroya, where you will cross the spectacular Urubamba River in a cable basket. After crossing the river, you will walk another hour to the Hydroelectric Plant where you will have lunch. You will then have your choice to hike for another 3 hours to Aguas Calientes or to take the train. Arriving in the afternoon to Aguas Calientes, you will have time to settle into your comfortable hotel, explore town, and have dinner.

You will get up and have breakfast very early, around 4 AM, to be ready for the 1 ½ hour walk up to Machu Picchu. Around 6 AM you will enter the breathtaking Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. Once inside Machu Picchu, you will have a 2 hour guided tour of the ruins. After the tour you will have free time to explore the archaeological site on your own; to walk to the Sun Gate, “Inti Punko;” or to take the 45 minute walk to “Waynapicchu,” the mountain next to Machu Picchu that offers amazing views of the ruins. In the afternoon you can walk down the mountain (or pay to take the bus) to the town of Aguas Calientes.

** Detailed Information about the Salcantay Trail

• Private transport from Cuzco to Soraypampa
• 3 nights Camping, 1 Night Hotel in Machu Picchu area based on US Standards.
• Camping equipment, cook, helpers, mules/horses for cargo of the collective equipment and meals
• Muleteers
• Professional bilingual English/Spanish guide
• Cook, helpers
• First aid kit
• Local truck transport from La Playa to "La Oroya"
• Local truck transport from "La Oroya" to Hidroeléctrica
• Local train from Hidroeléctrica to Aguas Calientes
• Local truck transport from "La Oroya" to Hidroeléctrica
• Hotel accommodations in Aguas Calientes based in twin (or double) bed rooms
• Local public bus Aguas Calientes-Machu Picchu-Aguas Calientes
• Transfer from the train station to the hotel in Cuzco