This route is designed to get the experience of walking and camping at high altitude through the snow-capped mountains of Salkantay. Our campsites are set up to enjoy the magical views of the mountains during sunrise and sunset, perfect for relaxing at the end of the journey. We then travel in comfort by train and stay overnight in a hotel before visiting Machu Picchu, the magical city of the Incas.
We leave the hotel in Cusco after breakfast and drive for two hours along the Cusco-Lima highway to the town of Limatambo. Here we visit the Inca archaeological complex of Tarawasi which shows impressive walls constructed with fine architecture. From here we continue along an unpaved road driving uphill towards Soraypampa (12606 ft / 3820 m), the starting point of our hike.
In the afternoon we walk for an hour and a half uphill along a path with spectacular views of the snowcapped mountains Humantay (19477 ft / 5902 m) and Salkantay (20700 ft / 6271 m) to Salkantaypampa (14256 ft / 3900 m) which is our camp.
We start hiking early in the morning along a fairly steep path for four hours to the mountain pass of Incachiriasca (16500 ft / 5000 m) which is the highest mountain pass along the route. From the pass we will appreciate the immensity of Salkantay and understand why The Incas worshiped and offered gifts to the impressive mountain. From there the path descends for two and a half hours to our campsite in Sisaypampa (13530 ft / 4100 m) camp from which you will get magnificent views of the Salkantay.
Today we walk downhill for five hours along the streams created by the melting of the Salkantay glacier. On the way we may see wild birds, herds of llamas, alpacas and sheep. We will also walk through small farming communities stopping en route in one of the houses to learn about the lifestyle of the farmers. In Pampacahuana (12540 ft / 3800 m) we will find an original Inca canal running through the valley about three hundred meters long. After lunch we descend further until we reach Paucarcancha (10395 ft / 3150 m), a small but impressive Inca complex which is the starting point of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Our campsite is close to the archaeological site so we can spend part of the afternoon exploring the Inca ruins.
We walk for three hours along a path full of vegetation down to Km88 of the rail road tracks that travel from Cusco to Machupicchu. We will start the downhill hike along the left flank of the Cusichaca river valley to the community of Wayllabamba (9900 ft / 3000 m) which is located along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. We continue along the right flank of the river down to the Inca city of Patallacta the largest in the area where we will have time to visit this impressive Inca site. Next we continue on to Km88 (8910 ft / 2700 m) to catch the train that will take us to the town of Aguas Calientes where we spend the night in a hotel.
We take the earliest bus to enjoy the sunrise over Machu Picchu. After sunrise our guide will give us a complete tour visiting the nicest parts of the City. You will then have some free time to visit Machu Picchu on your own before we take the bus back to Aguas Calientes and then catch our train to Ollantaytambo town located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, where a bus will be waiting to transport us to Cusco.