Our 4-day trip is an experience that goes beyond an incredible hike through the Andes. Each lodge and family home have an incredible history or experience to share with you and make you feel at one with the community.

The first night, you will stay in Salkantay Lodges with some privileged views of the majestic Salkantay glacier, the second night, you will stay in a local house, full of culture and tradition, not to mention, hospitality, the third night you will sleep in a hotel in Aguas Calientes.

Includes mules and horsemen to carry your personal items for the whole trekking rule until we reach Hydroelectric

Every day you will enjoy a delicious, hot lunch along the trek, and at the end of the day‘s trekking a delicious dinner, a private room with a private bathroom, and a hot shower to relax after a long day trekking.

We provide a complete service from start to finish.

What is not included are the first breakfast and the last dinner.

DAY 1: CUSCO – CHALLACANCHA- SORAYPAMPA (HUMANTAY LAKE)

Your Guide will pass by your hotel between 5am and 5:30am in our private car that will take you to the community of Mollepata, approximately 2.5 hrs traveling time.

In Mollepata, my family will be waiting for you in the restaurant “La Casona” where you will meet the founder of “Refugios Salkantay”- Mercedes Sotelo, and where you will have the option to have some breakfast if your hotel didn’t provide you breakfast in Cusco. (Optional). After breakfast, we will take you in our van to Challacancha, which is approximately 1 hour away.

Start of the hike:

A member of the Refugios Salkantay family will show you to the trailhead from Challacancha to Soraypampa (7 km - 4,35 miles.)

We will start the hike to our first lodge in Soraypampa which is approximately 2 hours away. The first section of the hike will take us through deep valleys and around the base of the mountain.

On the way, we will see an ancient aqueduct that still provides water to the lower valleys and agricultural areas (7 kilometers - 4,35 miles).

On arrival there will be a hot coca tea waiting for you and you will be shown to your private room, with a private bathroom.

Once you have settled in, we will prepare a delicious and nutritious local dish for lunch. Anyone who has any special dietary requirements or preferences will be catered for, After a hearty lunch, we will have a brief acclimatization hike to the spectacular Tukarhuay lagoon.

With an impressive backdrop of the Tukarhuay glacier, more commonly known as the Humantay glacier. From here we will also have amazing views of the Salkantay glacier, one of the most sacred mountains in Inca mythology. (The “Apu” Salkantay) reaching a massive height of 6200 meters / 20.341 feet). This excursion will take approximately 3 hours and will help you acclimatize for the rest of the hike. When we return to the lodge, there will be an aperitif waiting for us, followed by a delicious dinner.

• Total walking distance: 12km / 7.45 miles.

• Starting elevation: 3,380 metres / 11,089 feet.

• Highest elevation (humantay lake ): 4,300 metres /14,107 feet.

• OVERNIGHT: Refugios Salkantay: 3,850 metres /12,631 feet.

• Approximate night-time (outside) temperature at the lodge: 0 - 5°C.

• Difficulty level: Moderate

• Approximately 5 hours

DAY 2: SORAYPAMPA - SALKANTAY PASS – LUCMABAMBA (FAMILY HOME).

5:00 am will be your wake-up call and we will bring you a coca tea. At 5:30 am a delicious breakfast will be waiting for you in our dining room

(Your main backpacks will be transported by mules and a family member, for all of the treks). At 6:00 am we will start our day’s hike by climbing the highest part of the trail, the Salkantay Pass (4650 m /15255 Ft). The distance is 7 km (4,34 miles) on a steep ascent and will take approximately 3 hours from the base of the rocky valley to the magnificent Salkantay Mountain. (6271 m /20574 Ft). When we reach the top of the pass, we will be able to gather our breath and take in the impressive views of the surrounding valleys and the imposing snow peaks that surround us, of the Salkantay, Humantay, and Tucarhuay mountains. The Salkantay mountain is the 2nd highest mountain in the Cusco region.

If you are tired or suffering from any altitude symptoms, please do not worry, there will always be a muleteer close by who carries a first aid kit and has an emergency horse that you can ride if need be.

Once we have reached the highest point on the trek, we will descend for approximately 2 hours until we reach the village of Huayracmachay, all downhill. You will reach a point when the trail becomes flat and you will see a small house selling water and bathroom facilities, continue past this house for 10 minutes more and you will reach a white house on the left-hand side of the trail with a large” Refugios Salkantay” sign. This is where you will have lunch. If it rained while you hiked the pass or if it’s cold, we have heating where you can warm up and dry your clothes if necessary :)

In the afternoon you will continue hiking with the pack mules, carrying your backpacks and we will reach the high jungle area of Amazonas also known as the cloud forest. This is approximately a 10 km, downhill walk. (6.2 miles) and will take about 3 hours. This is a wide trail passing through a highly vegetative area with lots of tree cover. This is an incredibly beautiful part of the trail with lots of flora and fauna and with panoramic views, extensive wildlife, with native plants and flowers. These forests for most of the year are quite warm and tropical which high temperatures at certain times of the year. We will then arrive at the village of CHALWAY (2,900 meters / 9,514 ft. elevation).

On arrival, our private car will be waiting to take us to Lucmabamba, about a 1 hour’s drive. Here we will now have dropped in elevation and be in the jungle region and we will head to our lodge for the night and meet our local family. You will have a private room with a private bathroom, with hot and cold showers. There will now be the option of an interactive, cultural experience with the native people of the area, including meeting the coffee farmers, who grow their organic coffee, still using traditional methods to toast and grind the coffee beans. We will then continue through the banana, granadilla, yucca, and avocado plantations. You will then enjoy a traditional dinner before resting for the evening. If for any reason you don’t have time to visit the farms (due to time restrictions or tiredness) there will be another opportunity to visit the following morning, before breakfast.

• Total walking distance: 22km /13.67 miles.

• Starting elevation: 3850m /12631 feet.

• Max elevation: 4660m / 15,288 feet.

• OVERNIGHT: Lucmabamba Lodge: 2400 metres / 7874 feet.

• We include an emergency horse if altitude sickness affects you or if you are very tired, during the most difficult section (soraypampa - Salkantay Pass)

• Approximately 8-9 hours

• Difficulty: Challenging

• Weather: Cold

DAY 3: LUCMABAMBA (FAMILY HOME) – LLACTAPATA – HYDROELECTRIC PLANT – AGUAS CALIENTES.

Our local family will wake you up bright and early with a cup of hot coffee, in a bed  A delicious breakfast will be waiting for you and after breakfast, we will continue to hike very early, along an original Inca trail.

After a 2 – 3 hour climb, with spectacular views over the Santa Teresa valley, you will arrive at the Llactapata pass, at the top of the pass we will see a small house belonging to the Sra. Susana, who will provide us with a refreshing drink, will continue with our guide, on our descent, arriving at the Inca site of Llactapata… just in front of Machu Picchu.

This will be the first archaeological site on the way to the mysterious lost city of the Incas!

After the visit to the Llactapata ruins, we will continue our hike on a descent of about 2 hours. On this part of the descent, we will have a continuous view of Machu Picchu until we reach the Hydroelectric train station, where we will have lunch.

One of the most impressive sights in the area is the natural waterfall, which generates electricity for the whole of the Cusco region! Here we will cross the river on an impressive hanging bridge.

After lunch, we will head towards the “Intiwatana” or sundial, a famous, ancient rock that was used as a clock during Inca times. According to history, this “Intiwatana” worked in conjunction with the famous sundial inside the site of Machu Picchu.

The people used these 2 stones to estimate the times of the Winter solstice, which is when the new agricultural cycle began, a very important time of the year for the Incas. After we have visited this Inca site, we will arrive at the train tracks that head to the town of Aguas Calientes.

Here we will have 2 options:

1) If you are tired, you may take the train to Aguas Calientes ($ 31.00 USD extra).

2) If you are still raring to go and ready to hike, we can walk along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes, which will take about 3 hours. Once we arrive in Aguas Calientes,

you can go to your hotel to enjoy a refreshing hot shower.

• Walking Distance – 18 km / 11.2 miles

• Starting Elevation – 2450 m / 8038 feet

• Aguas Calientes Elevation – 2000 m / 6561 feet

• Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging

DAY 4: MACHU PICCHU – RETURN TO CUSCO

The best day yet! The entrance time for Machu Picchu is 6 a.m. until 5p.m.

We will have an early breakfast, to make the most of the day.

Your guide will come to your hotel to take the shuttle bus up to Machu Picchu, which takes about 30 minutes. Once you enter Machu Picchu, you may visit the principal viewpoint. Here you may take your idyllic, postcard photos of Machu Picchu.

After seeing the sunrise (weather permitting), we will start our guided tour which will take about 2.5 hours. You will visit the most important sites and temples inside the archaeological site, and during your tour, you will learn more about the history and culture of the Incas and the Inca empire.

At the end of the tour, you will have some time to take photos, or if you have reserved the permit to climb Huayna Picchu/Machu Picchu

mountain, to climb your respective mountain. These permits need to be reserved ahead of time.

reserved a mountain climb, you can hike to the Sun gate (1.5 hours approximately) or even to the Inca Bridge (45mins).

We suggest that you return to Aguas Calientes 2 hours before your trains departure time. The train is approximately a 2-hour journey, to arrive at Ollantaytambo.

Here, our car will be waiting at the exit of the train station. The journey back to Cusco takes approximately 2 hours, depending on traffic and we will drop you off at your hotel.

The citadel of Machu Picchu has many steps and uphill climbs.

• Approximately 4 hours.

• Machu Picchu: Easy to moderate.

Please note: Huayna Picchu tickets are subject to availability. Please ask your Refugios Salkantay specialist for details upon booking.

Machu Picchu Mountain may be hiked as well, instead of Huayna Picchu Mountain. This hike is more challenging and takes four hours minimum, round-trip (at an extra cost of USD $70 per person).

INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE:

1. Entrance fee to Salkantay Trail

2. Pre-trek briefing: You will meet with the guide for your trek and the rest of the group in our office for an orientation meeting. You will also be given duffle bags, 1 Duffle bag: to carry your personal items ( up to 7 kilos / 15 pounds) which will be carried by horses on the trek. We will meet at 7:00 pm the night before the trek.

3. Transport from your hotel in Cusco to challacancha on day 1 and from Ollantaytambo to your hotel in Cusco at the end of the trek on day 4.

4. A bi-lingual guide (Spanish and English), From day 1 to day 4.

5. Rooms in private cabins: Soraypampa, Lucmabamba, Aguas Calientes.

   We have double rooms, twin rooms, and triple rooms.

6. The last night you will stay in Aguas Calientes in a 3-star hotel.

7. Wake up with tea!: Each morning at the lodge we will awake you with a hot cup of coca tea which our staff will bring to your room.

8. Transport of your personal items, by pack horse/mules or porters for all of the trek.

9. Guided tour of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary including entrance fee.

10. Afternoon Tea Happy Hour: Each afternoon, 1 hour before our dinner, your hosts and families will serve popcorn, cookies, coffee, hot chocolate, and some different types of tea, hot water, etc. This is because, after a hard day hiking, you will arrive quite hungry and tired.

11. Daily snacks - Days 1, 2 y 3. Our snacks consist of local fruits, cookies, chocolate, sweets, etc. We will give you these snacks the at the start of each trekking day and should last most of the day (Vegetarian, vegan, or special menus are available at no extra cost)

12. All meals except breakfast on day 1 and dinner on day 4.

13. Hygenic Products: All of our lodges have fresh towels for hands and face and body.

14. Hot water in all of our lodges

15. First Aid kit: Our crew always carries an extensive first Aid kit including an oxygen tank in case of any emergencies.

16. Train tickets : From Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo (tren expeditions)

17. We also provide a natural walking stick for the hike at no extra cost- one stick per person.

18. Satellite Phones: Every guide will have a fully charged phone that can be used anywhere on the mountain to connect us anywhere in the world. our guides are trained for most of the issues clients have on the mountain, being a phone call away from any doctor, hospital, or friend.

19. Coffee tour

NOT INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE:

1. Last Day: Dinner in Aguas Calientes.

2. Personal clothing and gear

3. Travel Insurance

4. Alcoholic drinks and energy drinks are NOT included.

2 OPTIONS TO RETURN TO CUSCO FROM AGUAS CALIENTES

1. Train: (AGUAS CALIENTES – OLLANTAYTAMBO) There are many different train times for trains back to Cusco. Then from Ollantaytambo – Cusco, Buses all day until 8pm approx, which will leave you in the Plaza San Francisco -2 blocks from the Plaza de Armas.

2. Bus. A 3-hour walk along the train tracks (Aguas Calientes - Hydroelectric) then a public bus /minibus - 6 hours Approx. (hydroelectric - Cusco)

Any additional information on how to book your entrance to Machu Picchu, hotel in Aguas Calientes, or options on how to return to Cusco (by train - by bus) we are very happy to help you.

WHAT TO BRING:

1. A change of clothes for each day – please be prepared for every type of weather from cold and hot, to wet and dry.

2. Rain gear (waterproof jacket and trousers) or a rain poncho. You can buy a rain poncho almost everywhere but best to do so in Mollepata for around $1.50 USD.

3. Good walking boots, preferably with ankle support and waterproof. Spare, dry socks are a necessity.

4. Sandals to allow your feet to rest.

5. Headlamp and batteries (Very Important) Extra spare batteries – *PLEASE DISPOSE OF IN SPECIAL RECYCLING FACILITIES

6. HATS! A hat to protect you from the cold, protect against the sun, and the rain.

7. Sunblock.

8. After sun /hydration creams.

9. Insect Repellent – minimum recommended 20% DEET – although there is no recorded malaria in the area, bites can be itchy.

10. Snacks: cookies, energy bars, chocolate, dry fruits, trail mix, etc.

11. We recommend bringing water sterilization tablets if you want to drink water, which you can collect along the way. Your own basic medical kit /first aid kit, which you may need along the route – with any prescription medication, plasters/band-aids, painkillers, anti-diarrhea tablets, etc.

12. Swimsuit (if you want to enjoy the thermal springs).

13. Cash! – Enough for snacks, tips, souvenirs, - bring in small denominations - no large notes.

14. Original Passport and student cards.

15. Please bear in mind that knives or anything with a sharp metal point will be confiscated in Machu Picchu.

OPTIONAL EXTRAS:

• A horse for riding in case of emergencies (Soraypampa – abra Salkantay),$ 20 U.S.A. per person if you need to hire a horse.

GROUP TOUR:

$595 per person

A group tour means that it is open for other trekkers to join you. This means that your group will have varying hiking and fitness abilities. All our guides are experts on how to keep the trek moving and happy no matter how fast you hike.

If you are alone, don't worry, check our availability and our dates to be able to join one of our already confirmed groups.

PRIVATE TOUR:

Private tours are available and priced by party size.

2 Trekkers: $830 per person

3 Trekkers: $780 per person

4 Trekkers: $720 per person

5 Trekkers: $670 per person

6 Trekkers: $630 per person

7 or more Trekkers: $595 per person

* All our tours are priced in US dollars.

STUDENT DISCOUNT:

$25 off per person

Student discounts apply to anyone who has a valid UNIVERSITY STUDENT CARD at the time of the trek or who is 17-years-old or younger. For those using a university student card to receive the discount, we need to see a copy of the card at the booking. For those booking children 17-years-old or younger, we need a copy of their passport at booking time. Please send all to info@refugiossalkantay.com

ADDITIONAL ITEMS:

There are several optional upgrades you can include on this trip. Below is a quick list of prices, but check our Overview section for more details.

Huayna Picchu: $70 per person.

Montaña Machu Picchu: $70 per person.

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