Off the Beaten Path Salkantay Trek: 5 Days to Machu Picchu

Your off-the-beaten-path Salkantay trek begins with a 3-hour drive from Cusco toward Limatambo. The road climbs over the Tika Tika Pass, where Mount Salkantay and Mount Humantay first show on the horizon, then crosses the Anta plateau, a farming region backed by snow-capped peaks.

The walk starts just beyond the village of Misquiyaco, at about 3,160 m, inside a private conservation area created in 2021. The path climbs through old-growth forest, a rare kind of inter-Andean cloud forest. Look for the tasta and the chachacomo, two trees protected by Peruvian law.

Above the tree line, the forest gives way to high grasslands, with vegetation changing at every hour of climbing. The camp is at Acopía, about 1,030 m above the trailhead. It is a high first night, so take the day slowly.

Meals included: Lunch / Dinner

This is the highest day of the trek, with the trail topping out above 4,500 m (14,760 ft). From Acopía, 5 to 6 hours of gentle uphill walking lead over the first pass at Tambomachay. Lunch is served at Uspaccasa, a sheltered spot just beyond the pass, in view of Mount Salkantay and Mount Humantay.

In the afternoon, follow the high ridge and turn right to Cruzjasa Pass. It looks onto the south face of Mount Palcay, the south face of Salkantay Mountain, and the Pampacahuana Valley below. Very few other hikers come this way.

A steep descent ends at the Mirador de Pampacahuana campsite, set among the mountains under an open night sky.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Long day and almost entirely downhill: camp is about 1,310 m lower than the previous night’s. The path follows an old Inca canal down the middle of the Pampacahuana Valley, past small farm settlements.

At Paucarcancha, a remote Inca site where the Pampacahuana and Q’esca valleys meet, visit the stone walls and the remains of houses, then stop for lunch.

Later in the afternoon, as you join the initial section of the Inca Trail in reverse, you will begin encountering hikers embarking on their journey from Km 82. After a short visit to the Patallacta ruins—once a rest stop on the way to Machu Picchu—reach the private campsite at Chamana and the first hot shower in three days.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

The last walking day of the off-the-beaten-path Salkantay trek follows the edge of the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary. Visit the secluded Inca site of Machu Q’ente with some of the finest Inca terracing in the region. If the group’s pace and the time allow, you also visit nearby Wayna Q’ente. Leave the Sanctuary through Qoriwayrachina and walk along the Vilcanota River, past several more archaeological sites.

The walking part of the trek ends at Piscacucho (Km 82), the main entrance to the Inca Trail. A vehicle takes you to Ollantaytambo for the afternoon train to Machu Picchu Village and a hotel night. Dinner is on your own this evening.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch

After an early breakfast, a half-hour bus ride takes you up to the gates of Machu Picchu for a 3-hour guided tour, allowing you to walk through the different sectors of the citadel and enter some of its houses and temples.

Lunch is in Machu Picchu Village. In the afternoon, the train runs to Ollantaytambo in about 1h45, with snacks and drinks available on board. A vehicle meets you at the station and covers the last 79 km to Cusco in about 2 hours. Dinner and overnight not included.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch