Salkantay Trek, Inca Trail & Wayna Picchu in 7 Days / 6 Nights - luxury service

CUSCO – CHONTA (CONDORS) – HACIENDA SONDOR

Your guide will pick you up at 8:00 am to continue our journey to the Kuillarumiyoc and Tarahuasi Archaeological Park, which literally means "lunar stone" in Spanish. This park was built to worship one of the most important deities, "Mama Quilla" or Mother Moon (in Spanish), where there is a platform with carved stone walls, a stone altar known as "Usnu," and various agricultural platforms.

Next, we head to our lunch spot at the only Hacienda House in Peru dating back to 1579, belonging to the Golden Age, preserving original exhibits and antiques from that period. After lunch, we continue our journey to the town of Chonta. From this point, we will start the approximately one and a half-hour hike on a wide and semi-flat trail to the viewpoint of the Andean Condor Canyon, located at 3,350 meters above sea level.

Once there, we will settle in while observing the breathtaking natural beauty of the Apurímac River Canyon. We will await the arrival of the Andean Condors after their daily activities. The wait will be rewarded with stunning views of the Andean Condors in full flight. We'll spend around 2 hours taking photographs and appreciating the Andean Condors along with nature. Afterward, we will embark on our journey back.

Upon our arrival, Hacienda Sondors will welcome us with a magnificent dinner composed of fresh, locally sourced food.

LIMATAMBO - CHALLACANCHA – SORAYPAMPA (HUMANTAY LAKE)

After a journey of approximately 45 minutes, you will arrive at the Mollepata community, where our first family will welcome you at the "La Casona" restaurant. There, the founder of "Refugios Salkantay," Mercedes Sotelo, will serve you a delicious breakfast with her personal touch.

After breakfast, we head to the area known as Challacancha, where we will start our exciting hike to our first refuge in Soraypampa, which will take approximately 2 hours. During the first section of the hike, your guide will accompany you to explain the mountains surrounding the trail and show you an ancient aqueduct that still supplies water to the nearby valleys and agricultural areas (7 kilometers - 4.35 miles).

Upon arriving at the refuge, you will be greeted with a hot coca tea and taken to your private room with a private bathroom. After settling in, you will enjoy an authentic Inca culinary experience using ancestral cooking techniques with hot stones, where delicious and nutritious meats and vegetables are cooked (we cater to all dietary needs and preferences).

After a hearty lunch, we will take a short acclimatization hike to the spectacular Tukarhuay Lagoon, which will take approximately 3 hours. You will enjoy stunning views of the Tukarhuay Glacier, also known as the Humantay Glacier, with the majestic Salkantay Glacier as a backdrop, one of the most sacred mountains in Inca mythology (the "Apu" Salkantay), reaching a height of 6200 meters / 20,341 feet. After returning to the refuge, we will have a snack and a delicious dinner. This exciting journey will allow you to acclimatize for the rest of the trek! Rest and prepare for what lies ahead the next day.

SORAYPAMPA - SALKANTAY PASS - LUCMABAMBA (ROOM IN FAMILY HOUSE)

We will wake you up at 5:00 am with a coca tea, followed by a delicious breakfast waiting for you in our dining area at 5:30 am. We will start our hike at 6:00 am, ascending to the highest point of the trail, the Salkantay Pass (4650 m/15255 feet). It is a steep climb of 7 km (4.34 miles) that will take approximately 3 hours from the base of the rocky valley to the magnificent Salkantay Mountain (6271 m / 20574 feet). You only need to carry a small backpack, as the Refugios families will take care of the rest of the luggage. If you feel the effects of altitude or fatigue during the ascent, don't worry, we will provide you with a riding horse at no additional cost. (The horse comes with a complete first aid kit and an oxygen tank).

Your guide will also have a satellite radio for any necessary emergency communication. Once we reach the summit, we can catch our breath and enjoy the stunning views of the surrounding valleys and the imposing snow-capped peaks of Salkantay, Humantay, and Tucarhuay. Salkantay Mountain is the second-highest peak in the Cusco region.

After reaching the highest point of the trek, we will descend for approximately 2 hours to the village of Huayracmachay, where we will have a delicious lunch and a short break. In the afternoon, we will continue walking with our guide into the high Amazon cloud forest. It is a downhill hike of approximately 10 km (6.2 miles) that will take about 3 hours. It is a wide trail that runs through an area of dense vegetation with abundant tree cover. This is an incredibly beautiful part of the hike, with diverse flora and fauna, panoramic views, and native plants and flowers. The forests are usually warm and tropical throughout the year, with high temperatures at certain times. We will reach the village of Chalway (2900 meters / 9514 feet).

Upon arriving in Chalway, our private vehicle will be waiting to take us to the Lucmabamba Refuge, approximately a 1-hour drive. The local family will give us a warm welcome and show us our rooms before enjoying a family dinner with local ingredients.

LUCMABAMBA - INCA TRAIL - LLAQTAPATA

We start the day with a traditional breakfast accompanied by a local family, followed by an interactive cultural experience where you will have the opportunity to process your own organic coffee and taste one of the best coffees in the world. The families will teach you the traditional methods of roasting and grinding coffee beans.

We will then continue through plantations of banana, passion fruit, yucca, and avocado before boarding our private transport for a half-hour journey through local coffee and fruit plantations to reach the best hot springs in the Cusco region (Cocalmayo), where we will relax for a couple of hours before returning to the Lucmabamba family's house for a delicious lunch.

After lunch, we will continue for 2 to 3 hours along the original Inca Trail to Llactapata, until we reach the Llactapata lodge, located in a magical place amidst a lush forest with a breathtaking view of Machu Picchu. A local family will give you a warm welcome and show you their cabins that have a view of the impressive Machu Picchu and its surroundings. The cabins have glass roofs, allowing you to see the sunset and sunrise over Machu Picchu from the comfort of your bed.

LLAQTAPATA - HYDROELECTRIC - MACHU PICCHU TOWN

After a delightful breakfast, we will continue our descent with our guide, reaching the Inca site of Llactapata, located 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 visiting the ruins of Llactapata, we will continue our hike with a descent of approximately 2 hours, where 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 views in the area is the natural waterfall that generates electricity for the entire Cusco region. Here, we will cross the river on an impressive hanging bridge.

After lunch, we will head towards the "Intiwatana," a famous and ancient rock. According to history, this "Intiwatana" worked in conjunction with the famous sundial within the Machu Picchu site. The people used these two stones to estimate the times of the winter solstice, which marked the beginning of the new agricultural cycle, a very important time of the year for the Incas. After visiting this Inca site, we will arrive at Hydroelectric, where we will have lunch.

After lunch, we will embark on a 3-hour hike to Machu Picchu Pueblo, also known as Aguas Calientes, where our designated hotel awaits with our luggage and where we can enjoy a hot shower. Our guide will provide all the details for our hike the next day.

MACHU PICCHU TOWN - KM. 104 (CHACHABAMBA) – WIÑAYHUAYNA – SUN GATE - MACHU PICCHU TOWN

Our hike begins very early, after breakfast at 4:00 am in our hotel. We will start the hike towards Km. 104 for approximately 2 hours until we reach the control point, where we will present the annex, permits, and corresponding documents.

The first point we reach is Chachabamba. During the journey, we will pass by the impressive Phuyuwachi waterfall, a natural water formation that comes from the heights of Phuyupatamarka. Here, we will observe a variety of wild flora and native birds of the region. After a hike of approximately 4 hours, we will reach Wiñayhuayna, an impressive archaeological site with Inca terraces or platforms.

We will continue our hike until we reach Intipunku (Sun Gate). From this point, we will have a beautiful view of Machu Picchu. Then, we will begin the descent to the llaqta to take the classic photo and observe this marvel of world attraction. After completing our Inca Trail, we will take the bus that transfers us to Aguas Calientes, where we will move to the hotel to settle in and spend the night.

This route is an attractive place in the world, with surprising geography that includes different archaeological attractions, landscapes, and climates that have given rise over time to the evolution of a diversity of plants, animals, and insects, populating our mountains and jungle.

MACHU PICCHU – MACHU PICCHU MOUNTAIN OR WAYNA PICCHU – CUSCO

Early in the morning, we will have breakfast at the hotel and take the bus that will transport us to the Machu Picchu Llaqta, in a 25-minute journey to the control point.

We begin the guided tour of one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World. Its design includes areas such as agricultural terraces or platforms, held in place by stone retaining walls, and the hydraulic system that includes channels and aqueducts for water transport.

After a guided tour of this place, we head, accompanied by our guide, to the main control of Machu Picchu Mountain or Wayna Picchu. The average ascent takes between 2 to 3 hours for the round trip, depending on the chosen mountain.

In the afternoon, between 2 and 3 pm, we will board the return train from the Machu Picchu Pueblo train station to Poroy, where we will be waiting for you with our private transportation to transfer you to your hotel in Cusco.