The Salkantay Trek is considered one of the top 25 treks in the world by National Geographic Adventure Travel Magazine. Imagine completing it with a visit to Machu Picchu.
During four days, you will cross mountain passes with a spectacular view of the Salkantay and hike through arid highlands and cloud forests.
You will access coffee fields among other plantations of tropical crops and finally explore the most important religious, political, and cultural center of the Empire.
This hike starts in the community of Soraypampa. To get there, you pass through Izcuchaca and Limatambo villages on a route that will take you along the banks of the Apurimac River.
The first view of the spectacular Salkantay welcomes you. You will continue through a wide high Andean valley located at the foot of the snow-capped Humantay until you reach Salkantaypampa, where you will camp at the base of the mountain.
Today you will hike around the base of Salkantay.
You will ascend to the first pass of this hike, the Salkantaycasa Pass, and enjoy a spectacular view of the snow-capped peak of Sacsarayoq.
Then you will descend along a trail to Wayracmachay where the view of the Salkantay and Humantay snow-capped peaks will continue to accompany you. This will be a day amongst the most impressive snow-capped peaks of the Andes.
You will camp overlooking in the distance the cloud forest of the Salkantay River Valley.
Along with a path parallel to the Salkantay River, you will descend until you leave behind the arid highlands to enter a cloud forest with abundant vegetation. You will learn more about the native flora and fauna of this mountain range.
You will continue descending to the village of Colpapampa to enjoy the delightful hot springs of Colpachaca. You will have a well-deserved rest before continuing to the pampa of Wiñaypoko, where you will spend the night enjoying the magic and immensity of these mountains.
Today, this hike invites you to walk through tropical forests. You will descend to the village of Sahuayaco and pass through banana, passion fruit, coffee, and avocado plantations. With luck, you will see flocks of red-headed parrots, among other endemic birds.
At this point, we will transfer you in a vehicle to the Hydroelectric station to board the train to Machu Picchu town (Aguas Calientes).
You will explore Machu Picchu in depth. Discover the Inca’s history as you walk through squares, temples, fountains, monuments, and houses of what used to be the most important religious, political, and cultural center of the Empire.
Optionally, you can climb to the summit of Huayna Picchu, a natural viewpoint that allows you to appreciate the citadel from a different angle, with a breathtaking panorama of the surrounding mountains and the Urubamba Canyon.
In the afternoon, you will board the train that will take you back to the city of Cusco or to the Sacred Valley.
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To ensure the well-being and safety of our travelers and staff throughout our operational chain, Terra Explorer will comply with the health and safety measures and protocols established by the Peruvian Association of Adventure Tourism and Ecotourism (APTAE), and implement the Covid-19 health and safety guidelines for adventure tourism developed by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA).
Our experiences are designed considering the least possible exposure, where the final destinations are usually remote places. By their very nature, our adventure activities are considered to be low risk, mainly because they are performed outdoors where ventilation is constant and making it easy to achieve social distancing.
During these times we are working together with a small staff of honorable people who have been part of the Terra Explorer family for many years. They and their families are aligned with the established health and safety measures. Employing these staff members also seeks to reactivate the local economy.
We guarantee a safe, soul-fulfilling trip to all our travelers for whom we make these adventures possible.
Terra Explorer will strictly comply with the safety, cleaning, and hygiene protocols during our internal processes, third parties, and throughout your trip. This involves:
Follow the instructions related to health and safety given by the Terra Explorer team and your guide, before and during your trip.
Stay home if:
With the intention of delivering the most flexibility at the time of confirming your trip, we will determine the amount of the initial deposit individually and according to your itinerary characteristics.
Secure your trip with a deposit and pay the rest in one or more payments, at a time that suits you best. Please make sure you adhere to our policy and pay in full at least 31 days prior to your trip date.
If you need to cancel your trip, we will apply the following flexible policies.
For more detailed information on our terms and conditions and Covid-19 policies, please contact us at [email protected]
