Salkantay Trek 5 days

The Salkantay Trek is not only famous for its beautiful landscapes, also It is famous for having a magical connection with nature and the Inca religion. For the Incas, the snowy Salkantay was an APU (a protector god). Salkantay is a Quechua name that means wild mountain.

The snowy Salkantay is located in the Cordillera de Vilcanota (Peruvian Andes) and is located at 6,271 meters above sea level. The trek route that goes to Machu Picchu has its highest point in the ‘Abra Salkantay’, at 4,650 meters above sea level. From there you can see the snow mountain in  natural splendor.

The snowy has a freezing climate, and even the Humantay Lagoon (tourist attraction) is frigid. However, the Salkantay trek 5 days has a varied climate throughout its days.

The Salkantay trek takes 5 days, although there is also a 4-day Salkantay Trek. On this trek, you will go through the trails of local cattlemen and you will pass through small local towns with their own fauna (alpaca, vizcacha, condor, spectacled bear and cock of the rocks) and flora (orchids, ichu and other plants).

The Salkantay Trek is 70 kilometers long.

Due to the difficulty of the tour throughout the 5 days, tourists always book this tour with a travel agency of Cusco-Peru, it must be legal (recognized by the Peruvian authorities), that way they travel safely in the Salkantay.

Now, I describe how the Salkantay Trek is:

Day 1 Salkantay Trek (16 kilometers): The tour begins Cusco (city). We go by bus to the town of Mollepata. Then we will go up for 7 hours (approx.) To the Soraypampa camp. There we will eat and sleep here. This day we will pass through the Huamantay lagoon, so you can take many photos for your social network.

Day 2 Salkantay Trek (22 kilometers): This is the most difficult day. Today we will have breakfast early and we will go to the ‘Abra Salkantay’. The road continues to the town of Chaullay.

Day 3 (16 kilometers): The trek that day is easy. We will walk to the famous ‘Playa Sahuayaco’. Today we will enjoy the Thermal Baths of Cocalmayo. There we will spend the night in camp.

Day 4 (16 kilometers): Today we will walk from the Cocalmayo baths, we will pass through the town of Santa Teresa and we will continue walking to the “Hidroeléctrica” station. After lunch, we will walk to the town of Aguas Calientes, this is a cosmopolitan town and it is probably the most visited town in Peru. Tonight we will sleep in a luxurious hotel with all the comforts you want.

Day 5: On the last day of the Salkantay Trek, We will visit the archaeological center of Machupicchu. We will go by bus, from Aguas Calientes to the entrance door to Machu Picchu, we will have a tour with our tour guide and we will stay in Machu Picchu for 3 hours (approx.). After that, We will start the trip back to the city of Cusco.

NOTICE: The Salkantay trek is one of the 25 best excursions in the world, according to the National Geographic Adventure Travel Magazine.