Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu

We were thinking about doing one of the treks leading to Machu Picchu - specifically either the Inca trail or the Salkantay trek as the cheaper alternative - for a while before going to Cusco. However, when our favorite Germans told us they are doing the Salkantay trek and asked us if we’d like to join in, we did not have to think twice: Salkantay it is, then! Different than the original Inca Trail (which costs around 700 - 900 $ per person by the way), the Salkantay trek comes with basic but comfortable accomodations (no tents to pack!) and does not end in Machu Picchu, but in the tiny tourist-village of Aguas Calientes located on the foot of the Machu Picchu hill. This also means that you have to go through the totally overcomplicated, very confusing and slightly peculiar process of acquiring your Machu Picchu tickets by yourself in the official Machu Picchu office - a fun though nerve-wracking experience which will very much add to your excitement to finally get to see the old ruins and should definitely be followed by some well-deserved Pisco Sours to celebrate 😂
The Salkantay trek covers a distance of 72 km (or ~60 km on our case 😬) which is done in 5 days and 4 nights, with the highest point being 4650 m (more infos on the itinary below). We were trekking with two “families” - as the Salkantay trekking groups are called- and we were delighted to find all of our “family members” to be super nice and interesting people! ❤️ And this was, in all honesty, also the very best part of the Salkantay trek: Amazing people and a very lovely guide. We decided on the very fitting family name “Churros”, which we learned is not only the name of the delicious fried sweets that are sold everywhere in south america, but is in certain countries also used as a compliment meaning ‘very good looking’ - as I said, super well fitting 💁🏻‍♀️ 😉. So we spent our days walking, talking, enjoying the surprisingly delicious meals prepped by our personal family cooks and being very excited to get to Machu Picchu. Even though we do not think of the landscapes to be the most spectacular we’ve seen or the treks being the hardest we’ve done so far (call us spoiled and well-trained), we really enjoyed the experience on the Salkantay trek.

ITINERARY
Day 1: Challacancha (3380 m) - Valley of Mollepata - Soraypampa (3900m, campsite) - excursion to Humantay Lagoon (4220 m, with live avalanche 😲)
Hiking distance: 12km

Day 2: Soraypampa - Salkantay pass (4650 m) - Huarachmachhay (3800 m, lunch break) - Collapampa (campsite)
Hiking distance: 22 km

Day 3: Collapampa - Lucmabamba ( campsite) - Cocalmayo hot springs (and maybe some beers after 🥴)
Hiking distance: 14 km

Day 4 (for part of the family who wanted to get to Aguas Calientes in the morning so we can get tickets for Machu Picchu for early next morning): Bus from Lucmabamba to Hydroelectrica - Aguas Calientes for getting the tickets (and the Pisco Sours 😉)
Hiking distance: 10 km (instead of 18)

Day 5: MACHU PICCHU! 🥳 new footprint, of course!Read more