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Embark on a life-changing 10-day hiking tour of Salkantay & the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, exploring the Andean Heights.
Spend the first few days acclimatizing to the altitude in the Sacred Valley, while taking in the sites and enjoying some hands-on activities.
Then, set off on an unforgettable multi-day trek across soaring peaks. You’ll reach new heights as you hike around Cusco’s second-highest peak, Salkantay mountain, before connecting with the classic Inca Trail to take you all the way to Machu Picchu.
Cap things off with a tour of Machu Picchu itself, one of the 7 New Wonders of the World!
This is an unparalleled adventure through changing scenery and terrain, a chance to connect a rugged trekking challenging with one of the most famous treks in the world, and bucket list achievement for many.
Upon arrival in Cusco, we head straight to the Sacred Valley to help your body acclimatize to the altitude before embarking on a challenging high-altitude trek – Salkantay & the Inca Trail.
We’ll explore fascinating ruins, colourful markets and even immerse ourselves in local culture with some exciting hands-on activities.
We make our way back to Cusco for a night before heading out to Soraypampa – the start of the Salkantay trek for us.
Then, we embark on a challenging but rewarding 6 day trek connecting the stunning Andean heights of Salkantay, Cusco’s second-highest mountain, with the classic Inca Trail.
The changing landscapes will take your breath away as you hike from Salkantay to the Inca Trail, gradually losing elevation.
Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu itself, you’ll pass a series of fascinating Incan ruins along the way, before reaching Inti Punku, the Sun Gate.
After marvelling at the majesty of Machu Picchu on your guided tour of the ruins, we head back to Cusco after lunch, arriving between 7 and 8 pm.
The next day, after checking out of your hotel, we transfer you to the airport for your outbound flight from Cusco.
High quality personalized experience
Unique, off-the-beaten track routes
Experienced staff
Verified sustainability practices
$20 of every trek donated to Threads of Peru
Meals
Accommodation
Transportation
Entry Fees
Additional
We offer you the opportunity to personalize your trek and make your experience more comfortable through our Optional Extras and Upgrades. All options are available during the reservation process; please ask your sales consultant for more information.
Get ready for warm days, cold nights, and plenty of adventure! We will provide a comprehensive packing after booking, but here are some essentials to keep in mind:
With these essentials, you will be set for an unforgettable Andean Heights tour!
For more info on packing for Peru, check out our blog: Packing for Your Trek.
Want to join a trek? Ready to confirm a departure date of your own, but interested in having others join you? Then Trekkers Wanted is for you! Our innovative Trekkers Wanted system matches people up who are interested in hiking the same trek, bringing costs down and multiplying the fun for everyone!
Read More about Trekkers Wanted, post your trek or search for confirmed departures!
Upon your arrival to Cusco, we will meet you at the airport and start our journey towards the Sacred Valley.
As we head out of Cusco, we will enjoy a picturesque drive through the mountains to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, which held great significance in Inca culture. The Sacred Valley has a milder climate than Cusco and we will see a succession of quaint villages, agricultural terraces, and many archaeological sites.
Depending on your arrival time, we can make a brief stop at Awanacancha. Here we can see llamas, alpacas and vicuñas, all camelid species endemic to the Andes and culturally significant through the centuries as pack animals and for their fleece. We will also have a chance to learn a bit about traditional weaving, a practice that dates back nearly 5000 years.
After this stop, we continue on to Pisac, where we can make a brief stop to check out its famous artisan market, grab a coffee or a bite to eat (not included).
We then continue our picturesque drive through the Sacred Valley until we reach our hotel, nestled in the beautiful landscape alongside the Urubamba river. Enjoy a tranquil evening relaxing in your room or strolling the gorgeous grounds, and enjoying a delicious dinner at the hotel’s on-site restaurant (not included).
Meals: None
Overnight: Tierra Viva Valle, or similar (Yanahuara)
This morning, we travel back through the Sacred Valley for about 40 minutes until we reach the hamlet of Huaran, where we will be greeted by the Munay Urpi weaving association.
They will demonstrate spinning, warping and weaving, as well as dyeing yarn with natural plant dyes. Most of these plant dyes are collected locally, and you might even have the chance to help!
The weavers will dye a small amount of yarn in 2-3 different natural shades. Depending on your interest and available time, join the weavers on a short excursion to look at or collect dye plants as they are found in nature.
After this Andean weaving demonstration, the group will serve a delicious home-cooked meal for lunch.
After lunch, we head back to your hotel, where you will have the rest of the afternoon to free.
This is an excellent opportunity to explore the culture, food and traditions of everyday rural Peruvian life. The Chichubamba hands-on tour includes a series of workshops presented by community members who have received training in presentations and are experts in their field.
By participating in this hands-on community tourism project, you are helping families improve their quality of life, preserve nature and foster self esteem and respect for their cultural heritage.
From your hotel, we travel back towards Urubamba and just beyond until we reach the community of Chichubamba, aiming to arrive around 10AM. We will spend the morning getting our hands dirty partaking in three 1-hour hands-on workshops.
After this, we will enjoy a home-cooked meal with one of the families at the Chichubamba Agritourism project.
We will leave Urubamba at around 2:30 to head back to your hotel, where you will have the rest of the day free.
Available workshops (choose 3):
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Tierra Viva Valle, or similar (Yanahuara)
We will enjoy this scenic hour and a half drive back to Cusco, making a couple of stops along the way.
Reaching the Maras salineras, or Cusco salt flats, we have about 40 minutes to spend taking in this fascinating sight from the lookout point.
The Maras salt flats are a collection of watered terraces that take salt from an underground salty stream. Locals collect the salt through a fascinating process of evaporation. The pools and salt embankments are an incredible sight against the stunning mountain backdrop. Warning: it can get really hot in the salineras on a sunny day!
The next stop will be the archaeological site at Moray, one of the most unusual and interesting in the area. A pre-Incan site believed to have been used by the Incas, Moray is a series of circular agricultural terraces which are believed to be an experimental agricultural station for different crop strains.
Either before or after we visit Moray, we will head to the nearby Misminay community. Here, the traditionally-dressed community members will welcome you with song and dance. We will enjoy a healthy and delicious meal featuring traditional Andean fare, including potatoes, corn and sweet potatoes.
Leaving Moray behind, we continue on towards Cusco, stopping first in Chinchero. Here, you can visit the famous market, the Colonial Church and Incan ruins, as well as have a quick stop at an awana wasi, a weaving house.
Reaching Cusco in the early evening, you will be transferred to your hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Tierra Viva San Blas, or similar (Cusco)
After an early breakfast in your hotel, we will pick you up to start our 2.5h journey to Mollepata, the traditional starting point for Salkantay trek. Here we’ll have a chance to pick up some last minute supplies or have a quick bite if you missed breakfast, and then we’ll continue another 1.5h by car to Soraypampa (3800m / 12,464 ft).
At Soraypampa we’ll have lunch while marvelling at Humantay’s impressive snowy peaks (5917m / 19,413 ft). After lunch, we’ll hike for about 2.5h to our campsite at Ichupata. This is an especially cold and high altitude campsite, so make sure you’re well acclimatized and that you have enough warm layers to bundle up in!
Note: Depending on the group’s fitness, we may camp at Pampa Japonesa (4750m / 15,584 ft) instead of Ichupata.
Meals: Breakfast at hotel; all meals on the trail
Included: Private transportation, private English-speaking guide, muleteers, trail chef, camping equipment, all entry fees & permits
Accommodations: Camping
After a cold night, we continue our hike past Pampa Japonesa to start the 3-4 hour steep climb toward the Incachiriasca Pass (4965m / 16,289 ft). This is the highest pass on this route and offers stunning views of Salkantay’s snowy peak.
After a celebratory rest at the pass, we begin our descent toward our lunch spot at Sisaypampa (4100m / 13,451 ft), a flat area where we can observe the surrounding valleys of Salkantay. If we’re lucky, we may even spot condors!
If we camp at Sisaypampa, we can take a short detour to the Palqay Pass (4500m / 14,764 ft), which offers a different view of Salkantay mountain.
Note: Depending on Inca Trail permits and campsite availability, we may continue to Pampacahuana (3300m / 10,827 ft) instead.
Meals: All meals
Included: Camping equipment & field team as described on Day 1 of trek
Accommodations: Camping
Today marks the half-way point along our Salkantay-Inca Trail combo trek; you’ll no doubt feel a sense of accomplishment about how far we’ve already come!
If we camped at Sisaypampa the night before, then this morning we begin with a 3.5 hour descent to Pampacahuana (3300m / 10,827 ft), a community located next to an original Inca canal.
From Pampacahuana, it’s a 1-2 hour hike down the steep valley to the Inca fortress of Inkaracay (also known as Paucarcancha). This is a little-known site that few visitors to Peru ever get to explore, so enjoy this special treat!
From here, we continue for another thirty minutes to an hour to the small village of Huayllabamba (also spelled Wayllabamba), where we officially join the Classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Since mules are not allowed on the Inca Trail, we say goodbye to our mules and muleteers here and welcome our porters who will accompany us for the next few days.
In the afternoon, we begin the tough, 9km steep ascent to Warmihuañusca Pass (Dead Woman’s Pass). We will only climb partway today, stopping at Ayapata (also known as Yuncachimpa, 3300m / 10,827 ft), where we will camp for the night.
Note: Depending on Inca Trail permits and the campsites that we are allocated, we may need to hike to Llulluchapampa (3800m / 12,467 ft) which is 2 hours further up the Inca Trail from Ayapata. If this occurs it’s likely that we would change our campsite for Night 2 to Pampacahuana.
Meals: All meals
Included: Camping equipment & field team as described on Day 1 of trek
Accommodations: Camping
This is one of the toughest and most rewarding days of the trek. We start early and climb for about 2 hours to reach Dead Woman’s Pass (known in Quechua as Warmihuañusca, 4200m / 13,779 ft), the highest point on the Classic Inca Trail, but not the highest point on this trek for us.
After a well-deserved break, we descend into the Pacaymayo Valley (3600m / 11,811 ft) for lunch. In the afternoon, we tackle another challenging climb to the Runkurakay Pass (3970m / 13,022 ft).
Before we reach the Pass, we will stop about halfway to explore the Incan ruins of the same name. This site, located at 3800m (12,464 ft), consists of a small oval structure that is believed to have served the purpose of a watchtower.
After going over the pass, we descend towards Yanacocha (Black Lake) and enter the cloud forest to finally arrive at Sayacmarca (3624m / 11,887 ft). This is a beautiful complex made up of a semicircular construction.
Only 20 minutes away is Chaquicocha (3600m / 11,811 ft), which means “dry lake” in Quechua. This will be our campsite for the night.
Meals: All meals
Included: Camping equipment & field team as described on Day 1 of trek
Accommodations: Camping
After breakfast we have an easy climb up to the third pass, the Abra de Phuyupatamarca (3700m / 12,136 ft).
The aptly named Phuyupatamarca – which means “town above the clouds” – is one of the most complete and best-preserved archaeological complexes along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. It is located on the highest point of a mountain, giving the impression that you are actually sitting above the clouds when looking out at the impressive views of the Urubamba River valley below.
We descend by stone steps to Wiñay Wayna (2650m / 8692 ft), where we will spend the night. The campsite has the same name as the complex located only five minutes away from the lodge.
Wiñay Wayna is an impressive complex made up of an agricultural center with numerous terraces, a religious sector and an urban sector – even if you are tired, don’t miss the chance to visit this archaeological complex!
Meals: All meals
Included: Camping equipment & field team as described on Day 1 of trek
Accommodations: Camping
Our final morning will be an early one as we rise around 4 am in order to leave Wiñay Wayna by between 5 and 5:30 am and make our way to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate (2730m / 8792 ft). This will take 1.5 to 2 hours of hiking along a trail of flat stones on the edges of cliffs in highland jungle.
At Inti Punku, we’ll enjoy a brief rest as we take in our first views of Machu Picchu unfolding below us. It’s truly an unforgettable moment!
From Inti Punku we descend into Machu Picchu and 45 minutes to an hour later we enter this famous city. We’ll take a moment at the Caretaker’s Hut (also known as the Watchman’s Tower) to take some of those classic shots of the famous Incan city.
Then, we descend to the control point where we register ourselves and leave our backpacks. We will then re-enter the site for our 2-hour guided tour of Machu Picchu with our guide.
After our tour, we exit the site and head back down to Aguas Calientes on the bus (you can choose to walk down, but the bus ticket is included in the price of your trek). There, we’ll enjoy a delicious lunch before catching our train
We will travel on the Expedition train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo where our driver will meet us and transfer you directly back to your hotel in Cusco. Total travel time is about 4 hours from Aguas Calientes to Cusco.
You may have heard about the Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain hikes, both amazing challenges and extra things to do at Machu Picchu. We do not recommend tackling either of these hikes after the 4-day version of the Inca trail.
If you really have your heart set on doing one of these hikes, we recommend adding an extra day. Ask your Travel Consultant for more information and to discuss the available options.
Meals: All meals
Included: Private English-speaking guide, entry ticket to Machu Picchu, bus from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes, Expedition train to Ollantaytambo, private transport to Cusco.
Accommodations: Tierra Viva San Blas, or similar (Cusco)
Sadly, it’s just about time to say goodbye on our Andean Heights tour!
Depending on your flight departure time, you might have time for some last-minute souvenir shopping or a stroll around Cusco’s atmospheric streets before getting ready for the journey home.
After checking out of your hotel, we transfer you to the Cusco airport in time to catch your outbound flight.
Keep in mind: it is recommended to be at the airport at least 1.5 hours prior to domestic flights, and 3 hours prior to international flight departures. If you are flying to Lima and have an international connection, please make sure you allow enough time between flights in Lima.
Meals: Breakfast
Included: Airport transfer
