SALKANTAY TREK 5D/4N

DAY 1: CUSCO - CHACLLACANCHA - SORAYPAMPA (L-D):
Begins bright and early, with a private bus pick-up from your hotel at 4:30am. The bus is comfortable, and most passengers continue to rest until 7:30am, when we arrive in Mollepata for a country-style breakfast (not included). After passing the park checkpoint, we drive another hour to begin our hike at Challacancha, in the dry foothills of the Andes. Here, we’ll spend a bit of time getting to know each other and loading the pack horses with our food and personal gear while the guide tells us about the upcoming day.
Our morning walk is a leisurely three hours, mostly following an aqueduct along a flat path on the side of the hills. We’ll arrive at our first camp around 1:30pm, a set of glass-roofed cabins with views of both Humantay and Salkantay glaciers and the immense Inkan stars a bit later in the night. Here, we’ll have a short rest and lunch of soup, mains, salads, and tea.
In the afternoon, we’ll walk directly uphill from camp for about an hour and a half to Humantay Lake. The incline is steep, but traverses past local houses and many views that encourage rest stops along the way. At the top, the magnificent Humantay lake sits below Humantay glacier, reflecting it back upon itself. Panoramic views of glaciers, high peaks, and valleys more than rewards the climb.
In the evening, the guide will give us a briefing of the next day over another homemade, three-course meal. After meeting the chefs, hikers often spend the evening playing cards, chatting, or watching the stars.
 

Distance: 12 km / 7.5 miles
Walking time: 5-6 hours, depending on your pace and stops
Starting elevation: 3,600 m / 11,811 feet
Highest elevation: 4,200 m / 12,795 ft
Camping altitude: 3,850 m / 12,834ft
 

DAY 2: SORAYPAMPA - SALKANTAY PASS - COLLPAPAMPA (B-L-D):
It's another early 4:50am start; but this time, your guide will wake you with hot coca tea at your cabin door. Breakfast is hearty and waiting for you in the dining room, and the horses are loaded while you eat. At 5:45, we’ll start walking; with the moon setting over the glacier behind us, and the sun rising on the glacier in front.
It’s a steady three-hour ascent to the highest point of our hike: Abra Salkantay. You’ll pass over flats with shallow rivers and home-made wooden bridges, boulders, traditional stone fences, and various types of alpine grasses. At the pass, we’ll take a rest stop and bask in the magnificent views of the four surrounding glacial mountains. Your guide will take this opportunity to provide some history – both geographical and cultural – of the area.
The walk continues downhill by a gully to reach a small homestead, where our chefs are waiting with lunch ready. After six hours walking, this rest is well-deserved, and the three-course meal appreciated. This is our last meal in the high, dry alpine landscape before descending into the High Amazon.
The afternoon walk is wetter, warmer, and greener. For hikers who’ve come from Cuzco, entering this dense, viney landscape is a welcome change. Your guide will find and explain the uses of many of the plants we’ll begin to pass by, which range from poisonous, to edible, to bug-repelling, to hallucinogenic to medicinal.
After three hours, we’ll arrive at a green flat with glamping tents set in a semi-circle above a gorge. Dinner features local vegetables, allowing jungle (rather than Andean) cuisine. Again, we’ll hear about the plan for the following day, and campers often socialize a bit longer with a beer form the small adjoining shop.
 

DAY 3: COLLPAPAMPA - PLAYA SAHUAYACO (B-L-D):
A later start, you’ll be brought coca tea at 6am. We’ll begin hiking at 7am, following the valley down past a now-roaring Ollantaytambo river. We’ll spot natural hot springs dotted along the cliffside above the river and see local farmers and communities carrying out their daily life. We’ll stop for a snack at a granadilla farm. Big swings and a rustic pulley & suspension bridge provides opportunities to see the river from above for the brave hearted.
We’ll follow this jungle-path – rife with wild strawberries, granadillas, and orchids – until we reach a farm cottage where a driver awaits us with a minivan. A short drive takes us into coffee-country, and we’ll arrive at our accommodation around 1pm. After another large lunch, this time with avocados from the trees at the property, we’ll get changed and head to the local hot springs.
The natural hot springs are a perfect remedy for our tired bodies: with three different warm pools, and a cold river diverted to free-flowing showers for the hot-cold experience. We’ll spend up to 2 hours here, and end with Cañazo shots – a Peruvian sugar spirit. Feeling relaxed in body and mind, we’ll return to our waiting dinner at our accommodation.