8-day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu with the Sacred Valley

Upon landing at Cusco airport, a driver will greet you and transfer you directly to your hotel in the historic center (approx. 25 minutes). Located roughly four blocks from the Plaza de Armas, the hotel offers easy access to nearby landmarks such as Plaza San Pedro and the local San Pedro Market.

The first hours at 3,400 m are very important for the next few days. Walk slowly, drink plenty of water or coca tea, eat light, and skip alcohol and hard exercise. If you feel well, an easy evening stroll to the Plaza de Armas or the artisan streets of San Blas is the right dose.

Meals included: None

A full-day group Sacred Valley tour takes you into the valley of the Urubamba River below Cusco. The first stop is Moray, where the Incas cut terraces in concentric circles. Each ring has its own microclimate, leading researchers to view the location as an Inca agricultural testing ground for crops.

Continuing a short distance ahead, the hillside transforms into a tapestry of hundreds of pink and white terraced pans at the Maras salt mines. Established even prior to the Inca civilization, these ancient salt pans remain actively harvested by local families to this day. Together, Moray and Maras show two sides of Inca farming and trade in one morning.

In the afternoon, explore Ollantaytambo, a town still laid out on its Inca plan, with narrow streets, stone water channels, terraces farmed by local families, and a fortress and temple above the houses. Be back in Cusco around 5 PM, after a second day that helps your body adjust before the trek.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch

The team collects you at your Cusco hotel around 6 AM. The road climbs through the highlands to Mollepata, where you can stop for breakfast at your own cost, then on to the trailhead at Challacancha.

From there, a gradual 1h30 walk on a clear dirt and stone path leads to Soraypampa, a wide valley at 3,900 m (12,795 ft) at the foot of the glaciers. After settling in, climb for an hour to Humantay Lake. The path is steep but short, and the turquoise water sits right under the Humantay glacier.

Walk back down to camp for lunch and rest. The night is spent in a thatched mountain cabana with proper beds, with Humantay and Salkantay in view. This is the coldest night of the trip, usually below 0°C.

Meals included: Lunch / Dinner

Coca tea is served before a 5 AM start, which gives you clearer views and cooler air on the climb. About four hours of steady ascent bring you to the Salkantay Pass, with the Salkantay glacier rising above and Mount Humantay across the valley.

The descent is long and continuous. Alpine ground gives way to rocky slopes, then high meadows, and finally the first cloud forest, with birdsong and streams. Stop for lunch at Huayracmachay before the last stretch to the mountain hut near Chaullay, in the Colpapampa area. At 22 km and 9 to 10 hours, this is the hardest day of the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

The trail drops from 2,950 m to 2,050 m into warmer, humid country along the Santa Teresa River. Waterfalls run down the cliffs, orchids grow along the path, and the slopes fill with coffee, banana, passion fruit, and avocado plantations.

After lunch in Lucmabamba, local farmers walk you through their coffee groves. You pick ripe red cherries, learn how the beans are processed and dried, roast them over a fire, and brew your own cup.

The night is spent in a wooden geodesic dome in the forest, with a queen-size bed, a private hot shower, towels, and Wi-Fi. If time allows, you can visit the Santa Teresa hot springs nearby (paid locally).

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

After an early breakfast and a short transfer to the trailhead, climb for about 3h30 on an original section of the Inca Trail through the forest. This stretch ends at the Inca site of Llactapata, at 2,800 m (9,186 ft).

Your guide shows you the site, and across the valley you get your first view of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu. A descent of about 2h30 leads to lunch near the Hidroeléctrica station, where you board the train to Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of the citadel, at around 2:50 PM.

Check in at Hatun Inti Classic or a similar hotel, a short walk from the station, with free time for the town’s hot springs or the market. The day ends with a celebration dinner at a restaurant in town.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Board an early bus up the winding switchbacks to Machu Picchu, arriving at the citadel in the soft morning light before the busiest hours. Your guide will lead you through its sacred temples, bustling plazas, agricultural terraces, and ancient stone houses, sharing the history of how the Incas designed and inhabited this extraordinary site. Visits follow a set circuit inside the site and last about 2.5 hours.

If you booked a Huayna Picchu permit in advance, you can climb the steep peak above the citadel for the view over the whole site. Afterwards, take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes, with time for lunch at your own cost.

The Expedition-class train follows the Urubamba River to Ollantaytambo, where a private vehicle takes you back to your hotel in Cusco, arriving around 8 PM. That closes the loop from Salkantay to Machu Picchu and back to Cusco.

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast at the hotel, a private transfer takes you to Cusco Airport. The timing follows your schedule, so you can also stay on in Cusco at your own cost.

Meals included: Breakfast