PERU

Classic Salkantay Trek & Machu Picchu

8 days: Hike the spectacular Peruvian Andes, visit Machu Picchu & discover Cusco and the Sacred Valley

Cusco, Sacred Valley, Salkantay Trek and Machu Picchu

trip overview

This itinerary has been created to quench your thirst for adventure without roughing it, introducing you to the heart of the ancient Inca Empire as you traverse from valleys to cloud forest and high altitude mountains.

Explore Cusco city via its cobblestone streets, visit its famous Plaza de Armas and enjoy the local markets. Get introduced to a local community and learn about their traditions in the Sacred Valley.

Then meet your trekking team that will make your Salkantay trekking a memory of a lifetime. This 4 days and 3 nights trekking route crosses glacial mountains, lagoons and the Amazon jungle, which makes it one of the most beautiful and interesting hikes in all of Peru.

After a few challenging, but rewarding days, visit the ancient Inca citadel – Machu Picchu.
Enjoy a very scenic train ride as you make your way back to Cusco.

8 days:
Cusco to cusco

From

US$1279

TRIP DETAILS

START:
Cusco, Peru
FINISH:
Cusco, Peru
DESTINATION:
Peru, South America
GROUP SIZE:
Min 4, max 8
TRIP STYLE:
Standard
TRIP TYPE:
Active, Trekking & Hiking, Culture
ACTIVITIES:
Trekking & Hiking, Sight-seeing, Culture, Local community visit
PHYSICAL RATING:
4 – Demanding
GUIDED ADVENTURE:
Local tour guide, Trekking guide

inclusions & ACTIVITIES

ACOMMODATION:
4 nights in Standard hotels, 3 nights full service Glamping
MEALS:
7 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners
TRANSPORT:
Walking, Private Vehicle, Hiking, Train
STANDARD INCLUSIONS:
* Complementary Arrival Transfer
* Daily Breakfast
INCLUDED ACTIVITIES:
* Pre-departure Salkantay Trek briefing
* Cusco Walking Foodie Tour
* Full day Sacred Valley Tour
* Salkantay Trek Hiking and Glamping Package (4 days / 3 nights)
* Guided tour of Machu Picchu
HIDDEN GEM INCLUSION:
Authentic Local Community visit with Demonstrations & Empanada Making
GIVING BACK INCLUSION:
Lunch at a Fully Run Community Restaurant

TRIP ITINERARY

DAY 1: CUSCO | Welcome to Cusco, The Inca Capital
Cusco city centre, Plaza View

Welcome to Peru!

Transfer from the airport to your Cusco hotel is included.

Arrive to the capital of the Inca Empire, be charmed by the cobblestone streets and friendly faces.

After settling in, join the meet & greet for some more information about your adventures. Later on opt for a group dinner at a local restaurant.

Arrival Transfer
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.
Welcome Meeting
Your opportunity to meet your guide and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Join the group for a local meal afterwards.
Accommodation:
Tierra Viva San Blas (or similar)
DAY 2: CUSCO | Exploring Cusco – A Cultural and Culinary Delight
Cusco Plaza de Armas

Take a morning stroll, this is the perfect introduction to this magical city.

Visit the local fresh market in Cusco, the famous “Mercado San Pedro”, walk around  the Plaza de Armas, learn about this important city from the insights of your local guide and taste some of the local delicacies.

Free afternoon for optional activities or to explore the city on your own.

Included activity:
Cusco Foodie Walking Tour (approx. 3 hrs)
Free time to explore

ChocoMuseo visit (1 hour): FREE
Uncover all the cocoa secrets while you taste the best artisanal chocolate made with the best organic Peruvian beans. Try the chocolate delights in the cafeteria.

Chocolate Workshop: S/99.00 pp
Take this chocolate-lovers workshop and learn how to make your very own chocolate from start to finish. Learn about the chocolate-making process with this hands-on experience beginning with the cocoa tree and finishing with your very own chocolate creations. Discover the history of cocoa in Peru and learn why it is one of the top chocolate producers in the world.

Walk around the artisan neighborhood of San Blas: FREE
San Blas neighborhood is often referred to as the cultural and artistic district characterized by narrow and steep streets, colonial houses built with walls of Incan stone, here you will find famous artisans, coffee shops and art galleries.
Accommodation:
Tierra Viva San Blas (or similar)
Meals:
Breakfast
DAY 3: SACRED VALLEY | A Journey into Inca Traditions

After breakfast at the hotel head out for a full day in the Sacred Valley of the Incas driving through beautiful mountain and valley scenery.

This is a cultural day filled with authentic community experiences, first stop at the rural village of Cuyo Chico where a group of families will host you to learn more about their ancestral traditions of making adobes, clay pottery and a special hands-on experience of making empanadas.

Later on enjoy a tasty lunch at Parwa Community Restaurant, a successful farm-to-table program, by eating here you contribute to the local economy and sustainable tourism.

In the afternoon visit the Maras Salt mines before heading back to Cusco.
Free evening

Hidden Gem Experience:
Community Visit in the Sacred Valley
Giving Back Experience:
Lunch at a Fully Run Community Restaurant
Included Activity:
Maras Salt Ponds Visit
Accommodation:
Tierra Viva San Blas (or similar)
Meals:
Breakfast | Lunch
DAY 4: SALKANTAY TREK | Cusco – Mollepata – Challacancha – Soraypampa – Humantay Lake – Soraypampa
Humantay Lake

We start this amazing adventure with the pickup from your hotel at 5am, the drive of approx 2 hours until we arrive at Mollepata community. We will have our first breakfast, then we continue to Challacancha, the starting point of the hike.
Here we meet our team – the chef and horsemen team.

We start the hike that will take about three and a half hours to our campsite, on the way you will hike the original Inca trail Canal. The experience is unique, you will be part of nature and see the breathtaking Salkantay mountain from afar.

Our team will wait for us and we will have lunch to recover some energy. A bit of free time to relax and then we head to Humantay Lake (about a 3.5 hour round-trip). You will enjoy the beauty of Humantay Lake which is located at the foot of the snow capped Humantay Mountain.

Upon return you can freshen up and have dinner, wherafter your guide will brief you about the next day.

Included Activity:
Humantay Lake Hike
  • ACTIVITY LEVEL: Moderate to Demanding
  • WALKING DISTANCE: 10 km / 6.21 mi
  • WALKING TIME: 5 to 6 hours
  • MINIMUM ELEVATION: 3,800 m / 12,467 ft
  • MAXIMUM ELEVATION: 4,200 m / 13,780 ft
  • BASECAMP ELEVATION: 3,900 m / 12,975 ft
Accommodation:
StarCamp Domes at Soraypampa Campsite
Meals:
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
DAY 5: SALKANTAY TREK | Conquering the Salkantay Pass
Salkantay Trek

Up early, ready and prepared for the beautiful experience ahead. Enjoy a delicious breakfast and start the hike up to Salkantay Pass.
Trek through the Salkantay Pampa and continue with the zig zag path to the summit, stopping along the way to take a breath, take in nature and enjoy the stunning mountain surroundings. Upon summiting, you will reach 4,630m/15,228 ft. Now you can take beautiful pictures with the snow capped Salkantay mountain.

We continue our hike to Wayracmachay all the way down as the landscape changes – you will arrive to a delicious lunch once more. As we continue down you will notice the change in temperature because of the lower that our campsite is located at, 2900m / 9514 ft. 
Reaching camp, you can relax, wait for dinner and the briefing for the next day.

  • ACTIVITY LEVEL: Demanding
  • WALKING DISTANCE: 24 km / 13.67mi
  • WALKING TIME: 11 to 12 hours
  • MINIMUM ELEVATION: 2,900m / 9,514ft
  • MAXIMUM ELEVATION: 4,600 m / 15,190 ft
  • BASECAMP ELEVATION: 3000m / 9,842 ft
Accommodation:
Trek Cabins at Chaullay Campsite
Meals:
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
DAY 6: SALKANTAY TREK | Coffee Plantations & Aguas Calientes
Cloud Forest to Macu Picchu

Today will be an easier day as we are at lower altitude, the trail is beautiful and the vegetation is very dense and we will see a variety of orchids and impressive waterfalls approximately 80 meters high. We hike down through the Santa Teresa Valley to Lucmabamba for our lunch stop and board the transportation to Hifroelectrica. 

In the afternoon, we continue walking towards Aguas Calientes for 2 hours (12 kilometers) where we will spend the night in a nice hotel.

Have a lovely dinner in town and learn about tomorrow’s activity  – a guided tour of Machu Picchu.

  • ACTIVITY LEVEL: Demanding
  • WALKING TIME: 4 to 5 hours
  • MINIMUM ELEVATION: 2000m / 6,560 ft
  • MAXIMUM ELEVATION: 3,000m / 9,842 ft
  • AGUAS CALIENTES ELEVATION: 3,000m / 9,842 ft
Accommodation:
Standard hotel in Aguas Calientes
Meals:
Breakfast | Lunch
DAY 7: MACHU PICCHU | Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco
Machu Picchu guided tour

What an exciting day as we head to Machu Picchu. Opt to hike up to the entrance or take the bus.

Enjoy a 2 hour guided tour of this world wonder and archeological site.

Head back to Aguas Calientes town where you can grab a lunch or explore, in the afternoon we will take the train to Ollantaytambo and bus that will take you back to Cusco.

Arrive at your hotel, check-in and enjoy a free evening.

Included Activity:
Guided Tour of Machu Picchu
Accommodation:
Tierra Viva San Blas (or similar)
Meals:
Breakfast
DAY 8: DEPARTURE DAY | Farewell to Peru
Thank you Peru

There are no activities planned today. The trip ends after breakfast.

This is not goodbye, but see you later.

Complement your adventure with an extension to the Peruvian Amazon Jungle.

Meals:
Breakfast

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