DAY 01: Cusco – KM 82 – Llacta Pata – Hatun Chaca.
We will pass by your hotel at 05:00 am, it will be a trip of approximately 2 hours until you reach the KM 82 of the railway where our Inca Trail Collection hike begins, once there and while we get ready our hiking team will prepare a delicious breakfast. After enjoying our breakfast, we will go through the control point where we must show our passports with the entrance tickets that the guide will provide at that moment. Finally, we will be starting our expedition that will be about 02 hours and a half until we reach Miskay, where we will have lunch. After a short nap we will continue our hike of 02 additional hours until we reach Hatun Chaca, place where we will camp, our walking team will have all our tents ready. At the coordinated time with the guide we will have our tea time followed by a delicious dinner.
Walking distance: 12 km (7800 miles)
Estimated walking time: 04 hours and a half
Maximum altitude : 2600 meters
Weather: warm during the day and cold at night.
DAY 02: Hatun Chaca – Warmihuañuscca – Paccay Mayu.
Our walking team will wake you up this morning with a delicious coca tea, you will have time to pack your belongings before breakfast. After our breakfast we will start our second day Inca trail collection hike with the ascent towards the warminuañusca pass, the first 20 minutes we will continue with a gradual uphill, after that there is a more vertical ascent for 30 minutes until we reach the second control point where your guide will register the group. After that we will continue our ascent of 2 and a half hours more until we reach Llullucha Pampa where we will have lunch. Upon arrival our team will have everything ready so we will only stop specifically for lunch and then continue our hike to the Dead Women Pass 4215 masl, we will have time to enjoy beautiful views on both sides of the mountain, if we are lucky we can see the wonderful Andean condor.
After a while at the top we will begin our descent to our campsite for 1 hour and a half, the downhill path is wonderful, it has beautiful views, abundant flora and fauna, upon arrival all our team will be ready, our tents set and our belongings inside. We can enjoy a delicious tea time followed by a unique dinner in the mountains prepared by our chef.
Walking distance: 10 km 7,376 miles
Estimated walking time: 7 hours
Camping elevation : 3600 meters ( 11,811 feet )
Weather: warm during the walk, cold and dry at night (it may rain)
DAY 03: Pacay Mayu – Runkuraqay Pass – Sayac Marca – Chaqui Cocha – Phuyupatamarca.
This will be one of the most beautiful days of our Inca Trail Collection Hike. Our team will wake you up with a varied option of hot teas and as the day before you will have time to pack your belongings, after that, we will enjoy our breakfast and have time to enjoy the beautiful views that surrounds us, the valleys, the waterfalls and the mountains, we will prepare ourselves to conquer the second pass of the Inca Trail. It will be a 30-minute ascent to our first stop, a small archeological site called Runkuraqay, at this point our guide will give you an explanation about the place, you will also learn why the pass is called Dead Woman. After this brief stop we will continue our ascent of 1 hour and a half doing stops for the photographs, we will pass next to a small lagoon where with luck we can see some deer, once at the top of the second pass, you will have free time to enjoy some unique views in every way. After that we will continue our walk that will be all descent until we reach the ruins of Sayacmarca where again our guide will give you an explanation about this place and we cannot fail to mention the views from this archaeological site. Just 20 minutes away is our lunch spot called Chaqui Ccocha.
After our lunch we will be ready to walk what is probably the most beautiful part of the entire Inca trail collection hike. It will be only 10 minutes of uphill and then everything is flat, a paved road with beautiful views of the valley, we will have the opportunity to observe a variety of orchids, flowers, birds, etc. It will be only 2 hours of walking to our camp in Phuyupatamarca, this place is undoubtedly unique and incomparable for the views it has, if the weather is clear we can see the majestic snow of Salkantay along, Machu Picchu Mountain, the sun gate, the Machu Picchu or Aguas Calientes town, the Vilcanota river or willcamayu deep in the valley, etc. Without a doubt this will be the best campsite of the whole hike.
Walking distance: 13 km 8,136 miles
Estimated walking time: 6 hours
Camping elevation: 3680 meters 12,033 feet
Weather: Warm during the day, cold and dry at night.
DAY 04: Phuyupatamarca – Huiñay Huayna – Sun Gate – Machu Picchu – Aguas Calientes Town.
We hope that when you open your tent you will find clear sky and beautiful views towards the valley at your feet, as always our walking team will wake you up with a varied selection of teas including coca. After packing your belongings, we will be ready to enjoy the last breakfast prepared by our chef. We will start our descent towards Huiñay Huayna, but only 10 minutes far we will reach the archaeological site of Phuyupatamarca where the guide will give us a long lesson in the history of the Incas and about the same site. Then, we continue our descent of 2 and a half hours to our lunch place, however, on the way we will make another stop to visit the ruins of Inti Pata, an agricultural center of the Incas, only 30 minutes away is one of the more beautiful archaeological sites called Huiñay Huayna that was discovered in 1940 by the Peruvian archaeologist Julio C. Tello. Once visited this place we will be ready to enjoy our last meal with our walking team, this will be the moment to say goodbye to the wonderful people who make this hike possible, our porters. We will hold a small farewell ceremony so if you have any appreciation it will be time to give them.
After our delicious lunch we will start our hike towards the Sun Gate or Inti Punku, place from where we will have the first view of Machu Picchu, it will be only 1 hour and a half until there and once in the Inti Punku we will take time to rest and enjoy this unique view that can only be seen if you do the Inca Trail, then we will begin our 1 hour descent to reach the magical sacred city of the Incas, World Wonder, Cultural and Natural Human Heritage, Machu Picchu, You will have time to take pictures, enjoy this beautiful place without people. When it is precise moment we will leave the ruins to get on the buses towards the Machu Picchu Town and direct to our hotel. The best restaurant in the village will be coordinated at dinner time.
Walking distance : 11 km 6.14 miles
Estimated walking time: 6 hours
Aguas Calientes elevation: 2,050 meters
Weather: Wet, warm
Hotel. Inti Punku 3 *** (or similar)
DAY 05: Machu Picchu (World Wonder) – Return to Cusco.
This is one of the most important days of your stay in Cusco. After a 4-day pilgrimage, we will finally visit the world wonder, the sacred city of the Incas, Unesco’s cultural and natural heritage; Machu Picchu. Our recommendation is to get up early to appreciate the sunrise in Machu Picchu (subject to weather conditions) and take the energies of this sacred place. Your guide will pass through the hotel and will go to the bus station, it will be a 25-minute trip to the entrance gate of Machu Picchu. Once there, do not forget to use the toilets for the last time since there are no toilets inside Machu Picchu. You will have a guided tour of approximately 3 hours visiting the temple of the sun, temple of the Pacha Mama, Inca house, chacana temple, the Intihuatana, the temple of the condor, etc. In our Tour to Machu Picchu, we do the most complete route so you do not miss any place, you will have time to take your pictures, enjoy beautiful views, etc.
If another extra walk is encouraged you can request the entrance to Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu, however, this will be confirmed according to the availability of space at the time of booking, this mountain is quite popular and the entrance is limited to 200 people by group, from June to September is recommended to book at least 3 months in advance. In case we get space for this extra walk, your guide will show you the way you should take to make this extra hike. However, this has an additional cost of $. 35 dollars per person.
Whatever the case may be, once you have finished your Machu Picchu Tour, you must go down to Machu Picchu Pueblo to enjoy a lunch (Not Included) before getting on your train that will leave at 14:30 pm to Ollantaytambo, once you arrive to Ollantaytambo our staff will be
We are known for providing a personalized service and a unique experience, visiting the attractions in not overcrowded hours and for using out the beaten tracks, we guarantee 100% satisfaction and we care a lot for your safety during our tours. This Salkantay trek is available from March to December, we do not operate in the months of January and February for your safety since there are lot of rains and landslides that may occur.
Group tour
$. 890 usd per person
Group tour means that your reservation is open so that other people can accompany you on your walk, however, our groups will never be larger than 14 people and with 02 guides, a guide can take a maximum of 08 people.
Private tour
Our specialty is private tours and we will provide you with the best service, the price depends on the size of your group. However, a minimum of 02 people is required to book a Private tour, unless you want to exclusively walk alone then please contact us at info@pptoursperu.com
02 people $. 1,150 usd per person
03 people $. 1,115 usd per person
04 people $. 1,075 usd per person
05 people $. 1,025 usd per person
06 people $. 985 usd per person
07 people $. 935 usd per person
08 people or more. $. 890 usd per person
Discount for students
Discount $. 35 dollars per person
The student discount applies to those who have CURRENT STUDENT CARD or are under 17 years old, whatever the case, we need that at the time of booking you send us a copy of the passport and the student card, and must bring the originals to use the ticket purchased as a student. Please send the copy to info@pptoursperu.com. If you are traveling with children under the age of 8, please contact us and send your travel document to obtain a higher discount.
Additional services
For this tour you can hire some additional services available that we detail below:
Entrance to Huayna Picchu $. $ 35 per person
Entrance to Machu Picchu Mountain $. $ 35 per person
360º train only return $. $ 65 per person
Sleeping bag $. $ 20 per person
Air mattress $. $ 20 per person
Walking steaks (a pair). $. $ 15 per person
Single room the last night $. $ 49 per person
Breafing (Previous Information)
All information sessions are held in our office at 06:00 PM the night before your trek. If you cannot assist to this talk please contact our office staff to serve you better.
Duffle Bags
You will receive your duffle bag at the information session. These bags are to put your belongings inside it, these will be carried by the porters and will be returned to you each evening at the campsite. However, beside from these bags, you should carry a small backpack where you will carry everything you need during the trek.
Each duffle bag must have a maximum weight of 7kg. 4kg will be for your clothes and other personal items, the other 3kg will be for our logistics, such as your sleeping bag and pad, if you have your own sleeping bag and mat these must be included in the 7 kilos.
Arrive in Cusco
The best way to get to Cusco is by air and there are several airline options. LATAM tends to be the most expensive, but it has more flight options. But you also have PERUVIAN, AVIANCA, STAR PERU, LC PERU to choose according to your preference. Expect flight delays or cancellations, due to the high altitude of Cusco, tends to be difficult to land so that on rainy days you can paralyze air traffic. Bus tours are always available and although the journey may be long, especially from Lima, Peru buses are well maintained and are comfortable. This option is recommended if you come from a city closer to Cusco like Puno or Arequipa. Buses from Lima will take around 20 hours to arrive to Cusco.
Pick Up from The Hotels.
We pick up all our clients from the hotel for all tours. While your hotel is in the center of the city of Cusco, we will coordinate this pick up with the guide at the information session. Pick-up times may vary between 20 and 30 minutes depending on traffic conditions and hotel locations.
Cusco is an ancient city with cobblestone streets and very narrow corridors. Very small hotels and Air BNBs are often located on streets that cars cannot pass through. They are also usually located on the side of the hill, with long and steep climbs to the property, difficult to maneuver with luggage. We recommend that you do not stay in one of these places and try to find places where there is easy access to carry your bags.
Leaving Machu Picchu requires a lot of logistics, but everything is included in your journey.
From Machu Picchu Ruins to Machu Picchu Pueblo, you will take a 25-minute bus. The buses are in order of arrival and you can take any of those in turn.
From Machu Picchu Pueblo, you will take a train to Ollantaytambo or Poroy station. Your guide will give you your train tickets. Make sure you get to the platform 30 minutes ahead of time.
- The train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo is 2 hours.
- The train from Aguas Calientes to Poroy is 3.5 hours.
Once you arrive at the train station, look for our staff with a PPT sign. He will take you to the Plaza San Francisco, Cusco.
- The trip on the van from Ollantaytambo to Plaza de San Francisco is 2 hours
- Travel by van from Poroy to San Francisco Plaza is 30 minutes
Once you arrive at the Plaza San Francisco our staff will be waiting for you to separate you and send in pre-paid taxis to your respective hotels.
Entrance fees to Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu now has two hours to visit: morning or afternoon. Your ticket will be for a single entry, in the morning, once your time is done, the guards will ask you to leave.
Morning turn: 6AM – 12PM
Afternoon turn: 12PM – 5:30 PM
NOTE: If you have tickets to climb to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, you will have additional time until 2:30 PM. And you can re-enter for a single time as long as it is within the time of re-entry (05 hours from the first entry)
If you want to spend all day at Machu Picchu, we can add a ticket for the afternoon group to your reservation for $ 50 per person.
Huayna Picchu / Machu Picchu Mountain
Machu Picchu is more beautiful when viewed from above, so it is very popular to hike one of the mountains next to the ruins after your guided tour.
Huayna Picchu is the most popular and must be booked in advance … it sells very fast. This hike takes approximately 50 minutes to the top and 40 minutes downhill to the bottom. There are 2 schedules or groups to enter this mountain. The first group is 8-p am and the second is 10 am to 11 am. Again, this refers to when you can start your hike and normally we reserve the second option so you can first enjoy your tour with your guide in Machu Picchu. This walk will be done on your own, but your guide will show you where to start.
The Machu Picchu mountain is a little longer and less popular. It takes 2 hours to reach the top and 1.5 hours to reach the bottom. There are also 2 visiting hours: from 7-8 am and from 9 am to 10 am and we usually buy for the second group.
Health Concerns
It is important that you be honest with your guide about any health problems you may suffer. Although the guides are not medical professionals, they are trained in first aid. We also work with a clinic in Cusco that can help our team.
You are responsible for evaluating if a trek is suitable for you. You should consult your doctor to confirm your physical condition to travel and participate in any planned activity. You should seek advice from your doctor about vaccinations and medical precautions. Peru Private Tours will not provide medical advice. It is your responsibility to assess the risks and requirements of each aspect of the Tour based on your own circumstances, limitations, fitness level and medical requirements.
If during the trek you get sick of extreme altitude or any other illness that not allows you to continuing with the journey, but you want to visit Machu Picchu by train, we will work with you to coordinate this trip. This will be a new trip and may involve additional costs. We will use as much of the logistics purchased from the original route to keep rates low.
If you experience problems while walking and cannot continue, a porter will escort you to the nearest road and wait while a car comes to pick you up and take you to the nearest health clinic.
Group trips
Group tours are made up of different types of people, with different walking skills and ages. By accepting a group trip, you understand that some people may be slower or faster than you. Everyone can make their own pace for the walk, the guide will work through the group to spend time with everyone. Groups can request some modifications to the tour and the guide will work with everyone to make the best decision for the group.
Strikes
Unfortunately, strikes are very common in Peru and can cause many interruptions in our Tours. Roads are often blocked, trains stopped. We will do everything possible to operate your Tour, even before the start date. Some tours may be canceled under these circumstances. Our Operations Department will coordinate with you in this situation. Your safety is always our main concern and will determine how we decide.
Lost Items
You are responsible for your personal items throughout the Tour. Be diligent about where you leave your stuff and remember to remove all items from our vans, tents, restaurant, etc. Do not leave anything involuntary while walking. Other hikers or teams can pick it up without knowing to whom it belongs.
Weather
The climate in Cusco and Machu Picchu is unpredictable. In general, the dry season in Cusco is from April to October, but this does not prevent the rain from falling in June or the sun coming out in December, just prepare for any weather condition. No matter which month you take the hike or excursion, or which tour you are on, make sure you have adequate clothing that includes a waterproof jacket, pants, poncho and waterproof gloves.
Also be prepared for four seasons in a day. Many of the excursions through the Andes involve many microclimates and you will have to be prepared for all seasons. The layers are always key because they are easy to adjust to different temperatures. And the nights will always be cold, so get ready with a warm jacket.
Altitude sickness
As soon as the people reserve the trip to Peru, specifically to Cusco, they begin to wonder about altitude sickness. High altitudes contains less oxygen than at sea level and forces your body to work harder to get the oxygen it needs. For few days at high altitude your body adjusts to the least amount of oxygen in the air.
The first symptoms of altitude sickness may be; headache, fatigue, followed by loss of appetite, nausea or vomit, dizziness, trouble sleeping, difficulty breathing during exercise. If any of these effects worsen, contact our office and we will help you get to a doctor.
For farther info about altitude sicknes CLIC HERE
Travel insurance
To protect your travel investment, we recommend buying travel insurance. Getting travel insurance before leaving home is highly recommended and very easy. There are many insurance companies depending on your country of origin and at different prices according to your time of stay, take some time to review them and hire the one that best suits you. This is an excellent way to protect yourself while visiting Peru.
Community
At Peru Private Tours (PPT) we are proud of the work we do for our community. We are working directly with the villages to help them meet the needs of their families. We support the children of the villages by giving them school supplies, books and clothes.
We buy all our food from farmers and local markets and serve the freshest ingredients. We offer constant training for all our team: guides, porters, chefs and drivers. We are a family born in the Andes and we want to work with them and for them. That is why once a year we bring our porters and their families to Machu Picchu. We want our team to know the world wonder, since they work tirelessly at the doors of this place without ever visiting it and showing them this place is our greatest honor.
Another advantage of booking with Peru Private Tours (PPT) is that we will provide you with the best camping equipment and fresh and quality food, probably one of the best you will have during your stay in Peru.
CAMPING EQUIPMENTS
We have the best camping equipment, we use 4 people tents for only between 2 people, so you will have a comfortable and spacious space to store your belongings inside the tent. Likewise, we have spacious dining tents where you can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner, we do not use pre-built places that almost all agencies use and that are very cold, we take comfortable chairs and tables for your comfort. All the equipment that you rent from our office is of the highest quality, our sleeping bags are in the shape of a mummy to make them more warm and hold temperatures of up to -10 Cº. The air matras have a thickness of 1 ½ inch and the walking sticks are light and retractable. You can review more detailed information about our camping equipment HERE
WATER
Our camping team will provide you with water every day, you will only take your own water for the first day of hiking until lunch time, from this point we filter, boil and cool water every day and We will provide according to the quantity you need. We recommend carrying a water bag or bottles of 2 to 3 liters so you have enough.
FOODS
All our walks have a professional chef included, one specialized in high mountain cuisine who prepares delicious dishes that you would have never imagined trying on an adventure route. We will provide breakfast, lunch and dinner in a family style where all meals will be in large trays in the middle and from there everyone will be served whatever they want, all will be served hot and fresh. We also offer snacks every morning after breakfast and tea time with snacks, chocolate, coffee, etc. Before each dinner. The key to enjoy a walk is to be well fed and that’s what we take care of.
We gladly cater for food restrictions, it does not matter if you are vegetarian, celiac, gluten free, it will always be a pleasure for us to serve you.
More information about our meals you can check HERE
Our porters are responsible for bringing our camping equipment, food, belongings, etc.
Our porters whom we affectionately call the super porters. They are the reason and pride of our company, without their hard work and help, it would be impossible to make the walks in different places, for us more than part of the team is our family and they are the reason for us to be different from other companies.
Our porters
The owner and founder of Peru Private Tours (PPT) was born in one of the communities where most of our porters come today from. He worked on the Inca trail as a porter from 2006 to 2008 and knows the hard work of being a porter, walking every day with a heavy load in the back and when arriving at the camp where instead of rest, we continue working to prepare everything for our visitors. Likewise, he lived in his own flesh as some companies treated and paid better to their porters than others, however, not enough was done for them and their families. We could not have a company without them and that is precisely why we want them as our family, we want to know them, listen to them, help them in everything that is within our reach to improve the quality of their lives, their children and their families in general.
All our porters range from 18 to 50 years old and come from different communities near Parobamba, where the founder of the company was born, we employ around 50 porters. Quechua is their main language and many of them do not speak Spanish, being a porter is a secondary economic activity for them because they are mainly farmers.
Inca Cancha Community 10 porters
Yuraq Turuyoc Community 15 porters
Parobamba Community 20 porters
Bombón Community 5 porters
Our commitment to our porters.
As we said at the beginning we could not exist without our porters and they have promised us that they will work hard and do everything they can to make our visitors live a wonderful and unique experience, so we too have committed ourselves to do everything necessary and everything possible to help them and improve the quality of their lives. Besides doing everything possible to make your work at less as hard as possible at once the most comfortable possible.
The communities where our porters live are 3 to 4 hours away from Cusco, what we do is provide everything they need before, during and after the treks. To enter the Inca Trail, the porters must pay an entrance of S /. 45 soles or $. 15 dollars, we pay that entrance very apart from their payment for work that we always try to be better than any other company. The payment for their job is made by the last day of the walk directly in cash avoiding that they have to make a trip to our offices, so they can leave quickly with their relatives. All of them have health insurance that covers medical care because of their hard work, unfortunately this is not common since they are free workers and they are not on the payroll, even so, we want them to be healthy and strong and we hope that other companies do the same. We provide them with all the necessary equipment so that they can carry out their job in the most optimal way possible. We visit their communities to provide them with basic needs such as toothpastes, brushes, soap and school supplies for their children.
Porters meals.
Our porters eat as much as you do on the walk, our chef is responsible for buying enough food for everyone and prepares enough food so that we are all well fed at the end of the day. When you see that we serve large quantities of food, none of this is wasted because they will share it with pleasure, in addition to the products that we bought and have not finished, the porters will distribute at the end of the walk and taken home to enjoy it with the family, we make a new purchase for each walk.
How much does a porter carry?
Today there are government regulations that protect porters and associations of porters that enforce the rules, according to the latest agreement a porter cannot carry more than 25 kilos for the agency. Our porters cannot carry more than 20 kilos in total, 15 kilos for the company and 5 kilos of their personal belongings, we consider that 25 kilos are too much weight so we have our own internal norm that we make respect through the bosses of the porter. That is why it is so important that you keep the weight of your duffle bag that you send with us below the allowed 7 kilos. You will clearly see that other porters of other companies clearly carry more weight than ours.