Salkantay Challenge Trek, is astounding short hike to Machupicchu that satisfy the ambitious trekker intent on crossing high passes. You’ll cross the Salkantay Pass at 4,600m / 15091ft. The Trek begins in the zone of Soraypampa at 3:30 hours from the city of Cusco; from where we gain further outstanding views of Salkantay and Umantay peaks. This trek traverses the entire Machu Picchu national park and provides all the highlights you would expect with a mixture of local villages and remarkable culture. Our nights are spent in a combination of camps and hotels of 3-stars category. If you are highly motivated and want to experience the absolute best of what the Salkantay region has to offer, then this is the trek for you. The Salkantay Challenge Trek is popular because it allows trekkers to pass through diverse terrain. From jungle to high alpine, and reaches to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu; a XV century Inca build The Region of Salkantay is one of Peru’s top trekking destinations since the trek takes you to Machu Picchu, the new wonder of the world; the 3-day Salkantay Challenge Trek is a ultimate trekking adventure, crossing one pass over 4,600m / 15091ft, offering amazing scenery and views. The trip is a package for customers with a well experience in trekking; this amazing trek runs beneath the magnificent Salkantay Mountain (6.271 m / 20,574 ft); one of the highest and most stunning mountain in the Peruvian Andes.
The trekking has been opened to everybody in its different modalities of 3 days , 4 days 5 days and more; “Salkantay Trek” a trekking specialist travel company, offers to its customers a 3-day Salkantay Challenge Trek for well-trained trekkers. The trekking is the most popular alternative Trek to Machu Picchu since the trail runs through different ecological zones. For Salkantay Challenge Trek is very important to be well prepared since the trail is considered very challenging, in this trek is included two days of trekking for 8 -9 hours per day and one day exploring Machu Picchu.
As soon as we are at Soraypampa, our chef and the horseman will pack all the camping equipment and cooking stuff and we’ll start the hike. The first 4 hours will be uphill to get to the Highest Point which is at 4,600 m / 15091ft (the highest of the trek) then the trail, we’ll continue down to Huayracmachay where we will have lunch with panoramic views of beautiful snow-capped mountains (Humantay; 4,120 masl/13,500 ft) and down the beginning of the cloud forest.
After lunch you’ll have time to rest and refill your water bottle; then the trail continues down for about 2 hours to the camp of Qollpa; which is a small community where we’ll see farms.
Hiking distance: 13 km / 8.1 miles
Estimated walking time: 6½ to 7 hour approximately.
Climate: hot in the day and warm in the night.
Acomodation: Camping.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Plus snacks and afternoon tea time)
Maximum Altitude: 4200 Masl / 13779 ft.
Minimum Altitude: 2954 masl / 9694 ft.
After a hearty lunch at La Playa, we will take local transportation to the Hidroelectrica train station.
Here you will have two options:
1) If you are exhausted, you may take the train to Aguas Calientes ($31.00 extra).
2) If you are still eager to hike, you may walk from Hidroelectrica to Aguas Calientes for about 3 hours along the train track. There is a nice path next to the tracks through the warm paradise of the cloud forest. This is the same trail used by the American professor Hiram Bingham who rediscovered Machu Picchu after centuries of it being lost to the outside world!
Once in Aguas Calientes, you can rest a bit before dinner or walk around this alluring place that has the feel of a California Gold Rush town. There are no cars in Aguas Calientes, so it is an especially peaceful place to be. At 7:00 PM, we will have dinner at a local restaurant. All the expenses in Aguas Calientes are covered by the company, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the overnight stay at our hostel. In your luxury room, you will have a private bathroom, hot shower, wifi, breakfast in the morning, and luggage storage while you visit Machu Picchu.
Hiking distance: 18 km / 11.2 miles
Hiking time: 7 hour approximately.
Climate: hot in the day and warm in the night.
Acomodation: Camping.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Plus snacks and afternoon tea time)
Maximum Altitude: 2650 masl / 8700 ft.
Minimum Altitude: 2400 masl ASL / 7874 ft.
After this tour, you are free to climb up to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (Be sure to book in advance to get tickets for these!). Each mountain takes approximately 3 hours to hike up and down. Another lower-impact option for which you do not need an extra ticket is to trek to the Sun Gate, the main entrance from the Inca Trail (this takes about 2 or 2.5 hours round-trip). Another option is walking to see the Incan Bridge. You will be able to stay and enjoy this magical city for more than 7 hours before hiking back down to Aguas Calientes for the train ride at 18:20 hrs (subject to availability) to Ollantaytambo. A private bus will pick up our group and drop you off at your hotel in Cusco at about 21:30 hrs. Rest your feet and your body now, but we can assure you your heart will still be soaring for weeks and years to come!
Distance Travelled: 6 Km. / 3.7 mile
Hiking time: 3 to 4 hours approximately.
Machu Picchu guided tour: 2½ hour.
Climate: tropical warm.
Shuttle to Cusco:3 hours by train and bus from Aguas Calientes to Cusco.
Meals: Breakfast.
Maximum Altitude: 2429 masl / 7972 ft.
Minimum Altitude: 2040 masl / 6692 ft.
Verified
Daniela Alexand... D2024-06-22A super experience! Excellent experience, A1 service, the best guides. Definitely the best service. Thank you very much Adventure Cusco.Verified
Maria Andrea C2024-06-01The best experience in Cusco Excellent service. Well organized, with very good explanations of the activities and the history of the tours. All the staff were very friendly and attentive to anything we needed.Verified
Anaylet C2024-05-30Amazing everything Amazing! Everything was spectacular from the attention via WhatsApp, the compliance with the schedules, the super organized tours, the super explanatory guides. I totally recommend itVerified
Christian F2024-05-10Great experience. We spent six days in Cuzco and we used their services for five days. We had a very good experience from day one. The service is affordable and reliable. We were taken care of.Verified
Rajat B2024-04-22Best curated tour of Machu Picchu and Sacred Valley - at an extremely competitive price. Elizabeth at Adventure Cusco curated a beautiful trip of Cusco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu for us. The team ant Adventure Cusco arranged the best travel options and tour guides, for an extremely competitive price. I would highly recommend Adventure Cusco. Their service providers are extremely helpful, reliant and accommodating of all needs. We had the best time at Machu Picchu, all because of a private tour arranged by the team. Their tour guide Edwin at Machu Picchu is extremely knowledgeable, funny and patient. He knows the best spots for Instagram and literally takes the best pictures. The ATV tour at Sacred Valley was organised so well. I would do the entire trip again because it was organised so well and was so much fun. Go with these guys. I can vouch for them. I have spoken to some 7-8 friends who have visited Machu Picchu and Sacred Valley. None of them were able to do it in such an affordable price, especially with high quality travel options and tour guides.Verified
Claudia B2024-04-21Machu Picchu, Valle Sagrado VIP We had an amazing experience with Adventure Cusco. They were in charge of our entire itinerary from airport transfers to each tour. They adjust to perfection to our needs and interest and exceed our expectations. We visit Machu Picchu by the Vistadome Observatory train and the views were breathtaking. Our tour guide Alex was just perfect. He knew the site to perfection and it seems we had Machu Picchu to ourselves. On top of that he took the most beautiful pictures and knows the best spots for the best pictures. I can’t recommend this company enough. We just relaxed and enjoyed while Elizabeth was in charge of each detail. Make sure to contact them if you are planning your trip to Cusco Peru.Verified
helena2024-04-11Trip to Machu Pichu All the attention from the pick-up at the hotel to the arrival at our destination has been impeccable. Assistants, guides, hotel, everything perfect and exceptional attention, 100% recommendedVerified
Cynthia d2024-04-01It is famous and personalized attention. Very friendly and made us make the most of our time. The guides took great photos of us and explained excellent photos to us and were super attentive to us at all times. RecommendedVerified
Joao Rodriguez2024-04-01Excellent experience and attention An incredible experience, Elizabeth was a great organizer of our trip, we spent 6 days in Cusco and she was attentive to us the entire time, answering our questions and accompanying us at the beginning of each Tour. A very serious and responsible agency.Verified
Nuri A2024-03-25excellent agency We were very happy and satisfied with the organization and the excellent and professional guide Aleks. The agency is highly recommended to make the experience unforgettable.
