SALKANTAY TREK 4D/3N
choquequirao 5 day
Salkantay trek 4 Days is a short version of the entire trail that takes you to Machu Picchu if you do not have enough time to do the five days version the 4 days trek is perfect for you because you will enjoy the best part of the Salkantay trek. The first three days of the itinerary are the same as the 5-Day Salkantay Trekking. All the group on the third day will arrive in Santa Teresa camp around 13:00 pm to have lunch, people you have four days trek after lunch will continue by car to hydroelectric for 45 more minutes, then you hike 3 hours along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes town. Once you arrive at the town, we take you to the accommodation, and at the dinner, you will join another group who started the trek a day before then you, for supper and the tour on the next day in Machu Picchu.
Sometimes we have enough people to make groups of 4 days people only. In this case, you will travel only with people and guides who are doing just the four days program. This option is excellent for those adventurers who want to do the trek of Salkantay and Machu Picchu in 4 days. You will enjoy the mountains, lagoons, glaciers jungle are and much more the only difference that there is between the program of 5 days is that you do not have time to do the thermal baths of Santa Teresa and there is no time to do the Llactapata trek which takes you to the Inca site of Llactapata to see Machu Picchu a day before.
itinerary
First day: Cusco – Mollepata - Soraypampa
After picking up everyone from their respective places or hotel, we left Cusco around 5:45 am to the town of Mollepata by car for 2 hours. Once in Mollepata, we stop to have a delicious breakfast also You pay 10 soles of the entrance fee to the local municipality.
Then we continue by car 1 hour more to Soraypampa where we will meet with the horse guys and horse who will take all the luggage, food, and the 7 kilos of each hiker belongings.
We start the uphill hike to Humantay lake for 2 hours, When you arrive at the lagoon you will have enough time to explore, photograph the place and the guide will explain all the meaning of the Humantay lagoon.
After a couple of hours in the lake, we start going down for 2 hours to Quiswarniyoc camp which is an exclusive campsite, once you arrive in the camp you will enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by the cooks after lunch basically you have free time to explore the area to see the llamas or if you like you can go to rest.
If you are tired, you can rest in the MOUNTAIN SKY HUST which are the cabins with glass doors, inside there are pillows, sleeping pad and it has illumination for the night.
QUISWARNIYOC PRIVATE CAMP: It is an exclusive camp located at 4000 m, it is a unique camp that has places for short hiking, overlooking the mountains, and has waterfalls. You will have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful views of the mountains.
Second day: Soraypampa – High pass Salkantay - Chaullay
The second day of the trek is the most difficult because it takes you up to 4630 m and 20 km of trekking.
The cooks will wake you up around 5:00 am with a cup of hot coca tea then you have time to repack and get ready for the nutritious breakfast which serves around 5:45 am.
After is time to start hiking up to the highest point of the Salkantay trail which is 4630 m that takes from 3 to 4 hours all uphill hike at a regular and slow pace.
Once you are at the highest point, you have time to enjoy the mountains, to take pictures and the guide will teach you about the mountain gods also you will be part of the small Andean ritual for the Apus the mountain gods.
Then you start hiking down for 2 hours to the lunch place to rest and enjoy a delicious lunch.
After you continue hiking down for three more hours to the second camp which is Chaullay, where we provide you with the camping equipment tea time and dinner also if you like for ten soles you can rent a hot shower from the locals also you can buy some drinks. The camp is called Chaullay is located at 2900m right at the beginning of the Peruvian Amazon area.
Third day: Chaullay – Hidroelectrica – Aguas Calientes
On the third day, you will already be in the jungle area. We wake you up around 6:00 am with a cup of coca tea, then we provide you with a delicious breakfast.
Around 7:00 am you start the hike to la playa Sahuayaco for 5 hours approximately along the Santa Teresa Valley which is formed by the Salkantay River.
Along the valley, you have the chance to see plantations such a coffee, bananas, avocados, Coca, passion fruit, and much more.
After five hours of hiking, you will arrive at La Playa Sahuayaco, from where you will take local transportation for one hour to Santa Teresa, where you stop to have lunch then you continue by car 45 more minutes to Hydroelectric then walking 3 more hours along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes town on the flat trail.
Then we take you to the hotel for showering and relaxing, in the evening around 7:00 pm we organized a dinner in a restaurant in Aguas Calientes after we go to sleep.
Fourth day: Machupicchu - Cusco
Finally, we go to see the impressive Machu Picchu.
You’ll wake around 4:00 am to get ready for the hike to Machu Picchu main entrance. Each person will be given a packed breakfast and we will start the 30-minute walk to Puente Ruinas checkpoint where you will have to show your passport, Machu Picchu ticket, and student ID if applicable.
After passing the first checkpoint, we will climb the stairs for about one hour to reach Machu Picchu’s main gate by 6:00 am.
Once everybody meets at the gate, we enter Machu Picchu and begin our 2.5-hour guided tour in the famous Inca site, where you will learn everything about The Lost City of The Incas.
After the guided tour, you’ll have free time to explore Machu Picchu on your own.
The time that you will spend in Machu Picchu will depend on how you are going back to Cusco (train or car) and whether you want to climb the Montaña Machu Picchu or Huayna Picchu Mountain, which must be booked in advance the entrance tickets.
• If you booked the extra ticket for HUAYNAPICCHUyou will need 2.5 hours for hiking up and down.
• If you booked the extra ticket for MACHU PICCHU MONATAÑA you will need 3.5 hours for hiking up and down.
After visiting Machu Picchu and its surrounding area is time to return to Cusco.
