Hiking the Salkantay Trail: A Day-by-Day Snapshot

Hiking the Salkantay Trail Reading Time: 27 minutes

If you’re planning on hiking the Salkantay Trail, you’ve come to the right place. Maybe you’re trying to figure out which hike is right for you, or you’ve decided on hiking the Salkantay Trail and you want to know what to expect on each day of the trip. In this post, I will talk about my experience and what happened on each of the 5 days during the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu.

I walked the Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu in early May 2022 with my good friend Art, from Gringo Nation. We did an organized tour where all the logistics, meals, permits, etc. were arranged for us. We had hoped to go with a bigger group to make friends, but in the end, it was just the two of us and our tour guide. This day by day snapshot of the Salkantay Trail reflects our experience of going with a tour company and a guide.

Being from Colorado, I am an experienced hiker. But my buddy is from Sao Paolo and he is more of the indoorsy type. I’ll discuss how the trip was for both of us so that you can know exactly what to expect wherever you are on the hiker spectrum.

Read more: Everything you Need to Know about Hiking the Salkantay Trail

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The Day Before the Salkantay Trek Began

The day before the journey began, the guide came over to our Airbnb around 7 pm. He gave us our duffle bags for the trip, explained some of the logistics, and how everything would work. This is an opportunity to ask questions and have the guide check any gear or clothing you might be worried about. We found this very helpful, and allowed us to ditch a few things we realized would be superfluous.

Read more: Complete Packing List for the Salkantay Trail

Salkantay Trail Day 1: Cusco – Mollepata – Humantay Lake

Early Morning

Day 1 of hiking the Salkantay Trail began very early. We woke up at 4:15 am. The guide was back at our Airbnb by 4:45 am to pick us up. We then drove to the main office of the tour company to pay our remaining balance, get a couple of water bottles, get the company’s bright yellow T-shirt, and then we were back on the road. We had paid a 40% deposit online when booking and needed to pay the other 60% in cash – USD or soles- the morning we started the Salktantay Trek.

Permits and Breakfast

Then we drove two hours to Mollepata, where we made a quick pitstop for our guide to get us registered with local authorities and pay some entrance fees. We then drove into the center of town to have breakfast (this first breakfast is not included in the price). The breakfast was s/15 and consisted of juice, coffee, tea, bread, and a choice of a cheese, egg, or ham sandwich. Once breakfast concluded, we drove on to the town of Soraypampa, where our journey officially began.

Meeting the Crew

We met Daniel, our porter/horseman, and Mario, the chef. We were expected to tip our driver from Cusco to Soraypampa at this point before he drove away, never to be seen again. Daniel and Mario packed our duffle bags onto the horses, we put on our day packs and started up the hill.

Humantay Lake

The first stop was Humantay Lake, which sits at an altitude of 4200m. It took about 2 hours to hike up to the lake from the parking lot. I fortunately didn’t struggle with the altitude and found this a rather easy hike. I could have done it much faster. However, my friend, Art, had been struggling with the altitude and needed a few breaks along the way. He also wore New Balance tennis shoes, which made the terrain more difficult for him.

The base of the lake was as packed as a summer day along the Amalfi Coast. Some people do just a one-day trip to Humantay Lake, and it shows. Rather than stick around the surface level of the lake, like a lot of people, we continued hiking up to the left for about 15 minutes. There we were rewarded with postcard-like photographic views. Sights indescribable. The water was so blue, with a snowcapped peak in the background. It’s impossible to take a bad photo here. We were lucky enough to have the place to ourselves for about 30 minutes until others started to join and crowd the space. That was our cue to leave. We headed back down the mountain, the descent taking only 30 minutes.

Lunch Time

Once we hiked back down the mountain, we made our way to our lunch spot, which was not far from the parking lot where we started. There was a local wedding in the hills, and the flute music showered us with its echo throughout the valley while we ate. So peaceful and beautiful.

Mario had prepared us an appetizer of fresh, homemade tortilla chips and guacamole. Then arrived the rice, veggies, and trout. After finishing up lunch, we relaxed for a bit, shoes off, eyes closed, supine position, face to the sky, paired with a cocoa leaf tea. Once the sun disappeared and the first raindrops started falling, we packed up our bags and headed off for the second half of the day.

Walking to the Campsite

The second half of the day of hiking the Salkantay Trail consisted of light to moderate rain, slight wind, and an obvious temperature drop. We walked another couple of hours through a flowery, green valley, surrounded by massive mountain walls on all sides. We finally arrived at our night 1 campsite after 3 hours. Our tent was set up already, thanks to Daniel and Mario. We quickly got in our tent, added a few layers of clothing, and waited for ‘happy hour.’ Before the official dinner was served, there was always a light snack of popcorn, crackers, and hot chocolate.

First Night’s Sleep

We shivered in the food tent while we waited for our meal and sipped on our hot chocolate. The cold made us nervous for the coming days. But what we didn’t yet know, was this was the coldest it would get on the trip. We just had to get through the night.

It was a long, cold, restless night. We tried to cuddle and get as close to each other as we could to stay warm, but because the sleeping bags didn’t unzip very far, it was an unsuccessful venture. I woke up a dozen times, checking my phone, and hoping for the morning to arrive as soon as possible to get moving again.

Salkantay Trail Day 2: The Salkantay Pass

Waking Up in the Valley

Finally, 5:30 am arrived and we were greeted at the tent door with ‘Buenos dias,’ and a hot cup of cocoa leaf tea. Thank you, Mario! We then braved the cold morning and went to the bathroom in a small wooden shack, brushed our teeth by the river, packed up our bags, and had breakfast in the food tent. We were ready to get moving!

The Hike Continues

While cold, the landscape was incredible. We continued hiking the Salkantay Trail through a wide valley and eventually began climbing up the side of the mountain wall which rewarded us with more amazing views as we looked at where we had come from. At this point, the sun started to come out and we shed a few layers. Our hats changed from warm winter beanies to sun caps.

Reaching the Salkantay Mountain Pass

Slowly the landscape began to change, and we continued up the side of Salkantay Mountain. We could see the snowy peak of the mountain in front of us all day as we got closer and closer. We reached the Salkantay pass of 4600m around 11 am. The last 30 minutes to reach the top of the pass was the hardest part of the day and the entire trek. Again though, my friend Art struggled quite a bit more than me, due to altitude, bad shoes, and fitness level (sorry Art)! I had climbed Volcano Misti, near Arequipa, just two weeks earlier, so climbing to the Salkantay Pass felt so much easier in comparison.

At the top of the pass, we met up with Mario, who of course had cocoa tea ready for us. We enjoyed the incredible scenery, had a small stone stacking ceremony for Pachamama, and then continued down the other side of the pass.

Descending the Salkantay Pass

Just as we began to descend, the weather began to change again. Coats on. Rain covers on. Winter hats on. Down we went. The landscape changed from mountainous boulders to large red rocks rising through fog. We crossed rivers and continued to what felt like a path through Mars. The terrain was rocky and there was so much fog we could barely see in front of us.

Rainy Lunch and Rainforests

We reached the lunch spot mid-day just as the rain started to pour down, and we were glad for shelter and a temporary respite from the wetness. After another amazing lunch and a bathroom break, we continued hiking along the Salkantay Trail. Down we went. As the hours passed, the landscape slowly changed again, this time to jungle views, with weather to match. It got hot and it smelled like a rainforest. It looked like a rainforest and sounded like a rainforest. Technically it was a cloud forest.

Day 2 Campsite

After another few hours, we arrived at our campsite for day 2. This time it was not a cold and primitive site in the middle of a valley. It was on the balcony of a private home under a roof. They had small showers for s/10 with hot water, as well as running water to brush our teeth. There was also a laundry line to hang our sweaty clothes and a small shop for a well-deserved evening beer for us, a Gatorade for our guide.

Salkantay Trail Day 3: On the Way to Santa Teresa

Waking Up to Cocoa Leaf Tea

Another early morning started with cocoa leaf tea at the tent door. We had breakfast and said goodbye to our porter, Daniel, who had to take the horses back. We tipped Daniel since we wouldn’t see him again. The last night’s sleep was better as the temperature was much warmer.

Read more: Salktantay Trail Logistics, including prices, tours, and how much to tip

On day 3 of hiking the Salkantay Trail, we passed through valleys, walked along ridges, crossed rivers, and saw waterfalls. Everything was green green green and warm warm warm. We were down to just T-shirts on this day. If I had them, I would have worn shorts.

The Lunch Party

We arrived at our lunch spot around 1 pm, which felt like a party. Several other groups were sitting in circles in the grass, drinking beer, and laughing. The place was full of merriment. After lunch, our group decided to take a taxi to Santa Teresa. The other option was to walk there, for another 3 hours, after already having walked about 8. We were ready to be done for the day. Besides, we had thermal baths we wanted to get to.

Arriving to the Campsite

About thirty taxi minutes later, we arrived at our night 3 campsite, which was more of a motel with a garden and an outdoor cooking space. We were once again grateful for the running water and toilets, even if they didn’t have toilet seats. And again, like the night before, we set up our tents on the balcony with a roof over our heads. We found this to be the best option, as it was flat, whereas the earth had more of a tilt, and allowed us to sleep most comfortably.

Thermal Baths

Once we set up the tents and got changed, we headed to the town center where we found a moto-taxi and zoomed out of town to the thermal baths. We arrived just after 4 pm, and the baths closed at 5:30, but it was just enough time to get in, get warm and relax. The thermal baths were surrounded by green mountains, and full of other foreigners on the same journey as we were.

Dinner and Sleep

After the baths, we headed back to the campsite via moto-taxi, had another amazing dinner, and headed to the tents for an early night. Thankfully this night was so warm, we even took off layers as the night went on. Being able to keep our arms outside of the sleeping bag was a real win for us. This was the complete opposite experience from night 1.

Salkantay Trail Day 4: Santa Teresa to Aguas Calientes

Aguas Calientes is Machu Picchu Town. Machu Picchu Town is Aguas Calientes. You’ll hear both names. They are the same place.

Late Start to the Morning

This was the most relaxed and slow-moving morning of the trip along the Salkantay Trail. The reason was that we started the journey in a taxi rather than on foot. The first stretch of day 4 had recently been converted into a giant, dusty construction site, and the road to pass through didn’t open until 9 am. Therefore, we spent the morning eating breakfast, playing with street dogs, and throwing small rocks into the mouth of a frog on a table (a Peruvian game we’ve seen all over the country).

Taking a Taxi

Once the time arrived, we said goodbye to our chef Mario (who was heading back to Cusco), and caught our taxi to the next point. We gave our tip to Mario on this day. Then we made a couple of stops along the dusty road to allow for passing trucks, but eventually, we arrived at our destination at Hydroelectrica.

Hydroelectrica

Now that we had lost both our chef and our porter, we carried our yellow duffle bags with us (see photo above). Hydroelectrica is the last stop on the train path to Aguas Calientes. We passed our duffle bags to another porter who would then safely put them on the train that was to arrive later that afternoon in Aguas Calientes. Then, with 10km until Aguas Calientes, we set off.

The Last Walk

We followed the train tracks the entire 10km until we reached Machu Picchu town, making just a few stops to eat lunch and talk about the various types of plants growing around. Entering what felt like a real town with real infrastructure for the first time in 4 days felt good. We had that hotel bed on our minds.

Machu Picchu Town

Our hotel was located on the edge of town near the market and train station. We had a couple of hours to kill before we had to meet up with our tour guide again. He stayed at a hostel for the night, and we felt relieved to have a bit of space away from him.

At 6:30 pm, he met us back at the hotel after having picked up our duffle bags at the train station. We threw our bags in the room and went to have our last dinner with the guide. That night we took showers in a gloriously hot shower, watched Netflix, and deeply appreciated clean hotel sheets.

As much as we loved hiking the Salkantay Trail, we also loved sleeping in a hotel bed after it was done.

Read more: Everything you Need to Know about Hiking the Salkantay Trail

Day 5: Machu Picchu

The Last Early Morning

The alarm was set for 5:30 am. We both showered again, just because we could, and went off to the hotel breakfast, which surpassed our expectations. Warm eggs, sausage, cheese, fresh juice and coffee. We met our guide in the hotel lobby at 6:30 am and headed to the Machu Picchu bus line in the center of town. We waited in line until the next bus arrived. Then we all piled on the bus and drove the 30 minutes up the mountain to the entrance of Machu Picchu.

Entering Machu Picchu

Our entrance tickets were for the 7 am-8 am grouping. We entered Machu Picchu with what felt like hundreds of other tourists coming for the same thing. There isn’t much I can say about Machu Picchu that you don’t already know. It’s exactly what you imagine, only more people. The fog rolls in low adding to the magic of the place. There is the standard photo spot. You know the one- you’ve seen it in several people’s Tinder photos.

The Machu Picchu Experience

The direction of traffic in Machu Picchu goes just one way. You must follow it, and you must not stop too many times to take photos as the security guards will yell at you about blocking the traffic. We spent about 3 hours at this Modern Wonder of the World, strolling through structures of stones that are hundreds of years old.

It’s amazing, and fantastic, that the Spanish colonizers were not able to find Machu Picchu, and it was therefore left untouched for hundreds of years until an American professor finally arrived in the early 1900s. He was led here by locals when they heard he was researching the history of the area, looking for Incan sites. Now, just over one hundred years later, the site is visited by thousands of tourists each day.

The Last Lunch

Three hours later, we made our way to the exit and took the bus back down to town. We said goodbye to our guide, gave him a tip, and went our separate ways. Our way led us to a restaurant along the river with craft beer where we hung out until it was time to go back to the hotel, pick up our bags, and head to the train station.

Taking the Train Back

You should arrive at least 45 minutes before the train departs as the lines are long. The train to Ollantaytambo took about 1 hour and 45 minutes through beautiful greenery, passing by rivers and through valleys. Once in Ollantaytambo, we were met by a taxi driver holding up a sign with our names on it.

The Taxi Ride

We then drove towards Cusco and arrived about 2 hours later in heavy traffic. We were relieved to be arriving back in Cusco, ready to shower and sleep in ‘our own beds’ (as opposed to tents). The taxi driver gave us each a plastic bag to do a clothing swap, so he could take the duffle bags back to the company. We were grateful for the experience, but also glad to be back ‘home.’

Read more: What to Pack for the Salkantay Trail

Salkantay Trail Companies

If you’re a last-minute planner, you can organize your hike along the Salkantay Trai with one of the many companies in Cusco. If you like to plan, check out one of these organized trips below.

5 Day/4 Night Salkantay Treks

There are several tours available online with GetYourGuide and Viator if you want to book your Salkantay Trail in advance. There are several companies in Cusco that you can book with last-minute. But if you feel more comfortable having more of a solid plan, then I suggest booking in advance. I booked about 6 weeks in advance. There are several options available. Take your time and look over all the details to determine which company is right for you. These are two trips that are similar to what I did:

One-Day Trip to Humantay Lake

If you don’t have time to walk the entire Salkantay Trail, you can still see parts of it. This one-day tour brings you to Humantay Lake, which is absolutely stunning. This is where all the 5-day hikes begin, so you’ll have a chance to get a taste of the Salkantay Trail. The tour is 12 hours long and includes hotel pickup, downtown drop-off, transportation, bilingual tour guide, breakfast and buffet lunch (vegetarian option), first aid kit, oxygen bottle (for emergencies), and 1 Wood stick (optional).

Salkantay Trail Final Thoughts

Hiking the Salkantay Trail was certainly a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience. While I did have some conflict with our tour guide (making sexual comments to me), the experience overall was positive. I’m really happy to finally be able to say that I have been to Machu Picchu. But I solemnly swear I will never use one of those photos in my Tinder bio.

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