Day 3: Salkantay Trek

Itinerary: Inca Trail to Llactapata, Machu Picchu Viewpoint, Aguas Calientes

Today is the last hiking day before arriving to Aguas Calientes, the town from where you can visit Machu Picchu. The day began again early at around 5am. We hiked up 3h from the Lucmabamba campsite to the archaeological site of Llactapata, along an original and well-maintained Inca trail.

From Llactapata, we gained a first view of majestic Machu Picchu, Waynapicchu, and the surrounding mountains.  After this viewpoint, it was time to start the steep 2h descent towards Hidroeléctrica. After lunch at a local restaurant, we continued towards the town of Aguas Calientes.

The last part of the day involved a 3-hour walk along the railway from the Hydroelectric station to Aguas Calientes, the base town for Machu Picchu. This part was the most tiring and dragging one as thw 3 hours aling the railway felt like an eternity. However, we were quite lucky with the weather as it only started raining for the final bit. As a reward, a veautiful rainbow awaites us at Aguas Calientes. We made it!Read more