



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
inclusions & ACTIVITIES
TRIP ITINERARY
DAY 1: CUSCO | Welcome to Cusco, The Inca Capital

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.
DAY 2: CUSCO | Exploring Cusco – A Cultural and Culinary Delight

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.
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
DAY 4: SALKANTAY TREK | Cusco – Mollepata – Challacancha – Soraypampa – Humantay Lake – Soraypampa

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.
- 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
DAY 5: SALKANTAY TREK | Conquering the Salkantay Pass

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
DAY 6: SALKANTAY TREK | Coffee Plantations & Aguas Calientes

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
DAY 7: MACHU PICCHU | Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco

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.
DAY 8: DEPARTURE DAY | Farewell to 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.
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