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Arrival to Cusco with a transfer to your hotel; a welcome meeting will be organized by your guide for a quick briefing of the tour. The rest of the day can be spent exploring Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, set in the Andes Mountains. Discover Spanish churches and mansions that sit alongside Inca remains, visit the local market of San Pedro and their array of products from handicrafts to vegetable products, fresh juices and items for traditional Andean ceremonies. ...
After breakfast, enjoy a free day to explore Cusco at your ease. The capital city of the Inca Empire is now the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, as well as the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city. You may visit the local archaeological sites of Saqsaywaman, Tambomachay and Qenqo or you can take part in a Peruvian cooking class or chocolate making class, depending on how you want to spend your free day. We can help arrange and suggest all activities available in this incredible imperial City.
Our Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu begins when we pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at around 5 a.m. We’ll then travel in our private bus to Mollepata, which takes about four hours. It’s a lengthy trip, but it’s needed to get out to this relatively remote region. On the way, you’ll be able to enjoy the wonderful scenery, including views of the Izcuchaca and Limatambo mountain ranges.
Eventually we’ll arrive at the colorful Andean village ...
We will wake early and have breakfast around 5:30 a.m. We have a long day of trekking ahead of us, through some of the most incredible scenery in Peru. This will be our most challenging day, as we ascend to the highest point on the trail.
We first make the climb to a mountain pass at 4,650 m (15,200 ft) – the highest location on the trek. From here, we’ll have sublime views of two huge snow-capped mountains: Salkantay on the right and Tucarhuay on the left. A...
Waking at 6: 30 a.m., we’ll have a hearty breakfast before setting off. Today, much of our trekking takes us through a region of jungle known as the “ceja de selva” or eyebrow of the jungle: the swathe of jungle that lies between the Andes and the Amazon rainforest. We’ll cross the Lluskamayo River and find ourselves in a world of waterfalls, tropical fruits and colorful birds. If we’re lucky, we might even see a cock of the rock, Peru’s national bi...
On our final day of trekking, we’ll have breakfast at 6:30 a.m. before setting off towards Llactapata. It will be a steady three-hour climb, and as we ascend we’ll have wonderful views of the Santa Teresa Valley below us. Eventually we’ll reach Llactapata, an impressive Inca ruin that may have served as an important resting place and roadside shrine on the journey to Machu Picchu, which it is connected to, via the Inca Trail. From here we get our very first glimpse o...
To best appreciated Machu Picchu, we’ll wake up early in the morning so we can get to the citadel in good time. You’ll have time for breakfast first, and then your guide will pick you up from the hotel at around 5:40 a.m. We’ll then walk to the bus departure point for the short but zigzagging ascent up the road to Machu Picchu. We’ll then pass through the gates into the Machu Picchu archaeological site. Here you’ll begin your guided walking tour with an e...
After breakfast, enjoy your last day at leisure before your transfer to the airport for your return flight home, via Lima.
DEPARTURE | RETURN | TWIN ROOM | SOLO UPGRADE | |
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For the first night, which is a cold one, we need good warm gear, for the morning on day two we will need warm equipment as well, but after that, the weather warms up during the day so light clothes, T-shirt, bathing suit is recommended.
You can read a complete packing list recommendation for your trek to Salkantay here: Packing List For Trekking in Peru (valenciatravelcusco.com)
You can rent the items/services, for example, Walking sticks, a sleeping bag, an extra porter, an inflatable mattress, and buy additional tours upon arrival, for instance, Cusco City tour, Sacred Valley, Rainbow Mountain, etc.
As part of the Packing List, waterproof items are strongly suggested, preferably when the trip takes place during the rainy season.
If the trip is going to take place during the dry season, but in the mornings and the afternoons it is pretty cold, it is necessary to suggest a down jacket of 500 to 800 Gr.
Valencia Travel recommends all guests bring travel insurance for treks to protect their integrity and belongings, such as luggage.
Yes, you may have only one day of acclimatization, but it is recommended that you have at least two days of acclimatization before your trip.
It is suggested that you have at least two days of acclimatization to avoid any eventuality with the passenger. You may suffer from altitude sickness; food might taste bad, etc. Etc.
Money for unforeseen matters: We suggest bringing 300 to 400 Peruvian soles per hiker for any situation along the Inca trail.
We suggest that guests have a backpack of 45 liters maximum. More than that is not recommended because of the physical effort required to meet the day's objective.
It is more challenging than the Inca trail regarding altitude and distances. Day 2 is much longer than the Inca trail, and most guests consider it a brutal descent!
Every trek we operate has an evacuation plan. If the event occurs before the pass, the evacuation is by horse to the closest road and then by car to the nearest health center in Mollepata. If the event occurs after the pass, the evacuation is by horse to Chaullay and then by car to the nearest health center in Santa Teresa.
Boiled water is provided three times a day.
The extra cost will be a train ticket to Aguas Calientes if guests are too tired to keep hiking after the Llactapata trek to Aguas Calientes.
Guests can visit coffee plantations where the experience is shared, and customers can enjoy coffee and contribute to the local economy.
The visit to the thermal baths of Cocalmayo in Santa Teresa is optional; if you wish to go, there are extra costs for transportation, and you will also have to pay entrance fees to the thermal baths.
Most clients ask about tipping at the end of their trek with Valencia. Tipping is 100% voluntary and should only be done if you feel your guide porters and chefs have done a fantastic job. We hope every trip is a lifetime experience.
Generally, groups give pooled tips shared between the cook and all porters, including the head porter, and are usually given on the last night of the trek. If the group pools money together and each porter receives 60 soles at the end, and your cook receives double that, 120 soles, they will end with a great tip! Often, the tip for your guide is done personally and is generally 50 soles per traveler.
Valencia Travel Cusco tries to distinguish itself from other companies by treating our porters well. We believe they are the hardest workers on our treks and ensure they are equipped with proper hiking equipment and clothing. If you have any equipment you bought for your trip that you don't believe will ever use again. You can donate it to a porter, and he will be unbelievably grateful! Headlamps, sleeping bags, and even warm socks are great things to be presented to your porters.
Remember that tipping is discretionary. If you don't think tipping is necessary for a particular circumstance, please don't tip. These recommendations guide people planning to tip and who want to know the customary amount.
The company supplies toilet paper, but a limited amount per day. If there are 16 passengers, a minimum of 10 rolls of paper are taken and placed in the portable toilet, but if the client requires more, they should take additional rolls for personal use.
Every day when guests wake up, the team gives guests tea, coffee, and hot water so they can clean up.
Guests are given hot water in the morning for personal hygiene and also at night for that purpose.
For Trekking and Hiking, we suggest waterproof shoes. If guests don’t bring waterproof shoes, we recommend bringing another pair of shoes. If clothes get wet, they might dry in the kitchen, but it is not usual, and the guide has to approve this. Waterproof articles and suitable objects to carry out the adventure.
Our chefs are the best, and they are happy to cook special dietary requests! Vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, vegetarian, flexitarians. Comment your nutritional recommendations to your sales representative upon booking.
Valencia Travel suggests that customers only carry essential things during their expedition. For example, a camera, a bottle of water, a small day pack in which you can take your snack, items you will use during the walk, for example, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc. Sometimes some medicine. Hence, it depends on someone, etc.
Other things you want to take: we suggest hiring an extra Porter so that you are not carrying out an expedition with enough weight; it is about the client enjoying the route taking pictures, talking with colleagues, and with the guide. It should be an enjoyable experience.
The temperature may drop to 23F.
The sleeping bag specifically recommended is -20 ° below zero; that is the type of sleeping bag that Valencia Travel also rents and is more than enough to rest and keep warm at night.
The bathrooms are implemented from noon at lunchtime. At the entry point, there is a bathroom, so it is not necessary to install it. (generally, the bathroom is installed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day after the start of the adventure)
During the Inca Trail, if you cross rivers, you will see waterfalls and a small lagoon, you will be walking within flora and fauna, and if you are lucky, you will be able to see different species such as foxes, deers, etc.
The procedure is simple. The client has to return in the event of an upset stomach, altitude sickness, or any discomfort that they present, but that allows them to walk with a Porter to the starting point in the case of the Inca Trail. (Up to km82)
If you have any physical injury, four porters accompanied by a park ranger will evacuate to the closest point where there is First Aid and vehicular access. They would have to return from Day 2 to kilometer 82.
From the third day, the injured guest must be evacuated to kilometer 108 via Wiñayhuayna.
You can cancel your trip anytime 7 days before your arrival, with a 100% money-back guarantee on tours and transfers. Also, if you don't enjoy your experience with us, we will refund you money back 100%.
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Every last Tuesday of the month, at 10 am PST, we host a free webinar to answer all the possible doubts you may have about the Salkantay Trek program. Spaces are limited, so click here to book your slot!