DAY 01: Cusco – Mollepata – Soraypampa and Humantay Lake
We pick you up at your hotel at 5:00 a.m. and leave Cusco very early, heading to Mollepata. We arrive around 8:30 a.m. and have breakfast there. The town has small shops and restrooms if you want to buy something or use the facilities.
You then continue by vehicle for about 40 minutes to the lodge in Soraypampa (3,900 m / 12,795 ft). After settling into your cabin, you hike about 1 hour 30 minutes up to Humantay Lake (4,200 m / 13,780 ft), at the foot of the glacier, with views of Salkantay.
You walk back down to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon you can rest and take photos of the valley and the snow-capped mountains.
Dinner and overnight in Soraypampa.
Meals: breakfast (in Mollepata, after 8:30 a.m.), lunch, and dinner
Hiking distance: 4 to 5 km (round trip to the lake)
Starting elevation: 3,900 m / 12,795 ft
Maximum elevation: 4,200 m / 13,780 ft
Accommodation: cabins in Soraypampa
Difficulty: moderate (it feels harder because of the altitude than because of the distance)
DAY 02: Soraypampa – Salkantay Pass – Chaullay – Loreta La Playa
(Domes in Loreta La Playa)
After breakfast at 5:30 a.m., the hardest day of the trek begins. You leave Soraypampa through Pampa Salkantay, with the snow-capped mountain ahead of you all morning. You climb alongside the Humantay glacier, next to Salkantay.
Around midday you reach the highest point: Salkantay Pass (4,630 m / 15,190 ft). From there you can see the glaciers. You rest for a while and have lunch in Huayracmachay.
In the afternoon you descend for about 4 hours through the cloud forest to Chaullay (2,900 m / 9,514 ft), around 4:00 p.m. There you take a vehicle to Loreta La Playa, arriving around 5:00 p.m.
Dinner and overnight in the ecological domes.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Hiking distance: 22 km / 13.7 mi
Starting elevation: 3,900 m / 12,795 ft
Maximum elevation: 4,630 m / 15,190 ft
Accommodation: domes in Loreta La Playa
Difficulty: challenging
DAY 03: La Playa – Santa Teresa – Hydroelectric Station – Aguas Calientes
After breakfast, we take a short hike down toward the lower Salkantay River to visit a coffee plantation near our ecolodge. There they explain how coffee is grown, harvested, and processed, and the visit ends with a tasting. Along the way we pass plantations of coca, coffee, tea, banana, passion fruit, avocado, and papaya.
After the visit, we return to the ecolodge around 11:00 a.m. to rest. Lunch is served in the dining room.
After lunch, we board the vehicle and drive about 90 minutes, passing through Santa Teresa, to the Hydroelectric Station (1,900 m / 6,234 ft). From there we begin an approximately 10 km hike along the railroad tracks and the Urubamba River. The route is almost flat and crosses the high jungle: dense vegetation, bridges, the sound of the river and, in season, small waterfalls. We also pass through the Mandor area, known for its forest, birds, and plants.
In the afternoon, after a 2.5- to 3-hour hike, we arrive in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo), where we spend the night in a comfortable hotel. Dinner is served at a tourist restaurant.
Overnight: hotel in Aguas Calientes.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Hiking distance: 10 km / 6.21 mi (Hydroelectric Station – Aguas Calientes)
Starting elevation: 1,900 m / 6,234 ft
Maximum elevation: 2,040 m / 6,692 ft
Accommodation: comfortable hotel in Aguas Calientes (2,040 m / 6,692 ft)
Difficulty: moderate
DAY 04: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu Tour – Cusco
After breakfast at the hotel, we go to the bus station in Aguas Calientes and board the bus up to the Machu Picchu citadel. The ride takes about 25 to 30 minutes along Hiram Bingham Road, a winding route that climbs from town (2,040 m / 6,692 ft) to the entrance of Machu Picchu (2,430 m / 7,972 ft), with views of the Urubamba River and the forest-covered mountains.
Those who wish may hike up the staircase (about 1 hour 30 minutes) or walk down after the visit. Both options are voluntary.
Once inside the citadel, the guided tour begins and lasts approximately 2 to 3 hours. The areas visited depend on the circuit assigned with your entrance ticket.
After the guided tour there is free time within the allowed schedule and circuit. Anyone who wants to hike Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain must have reserved the ticket in advance; it is a separate entrance and an additional fee.
After the visit, we return to Aguas Calientes by bus (or on foot, if you choose that option). Lunch is at the traveler’s expense at a local restaurant recommended by the guide. In the afternoon we take the train to Ollantaytambo. Upon arrival, overland transport takes us to Cusco and drops us at the hotel between about 6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
End of our services.
Meals: breakfast
Optional: hike up or down
Hiking distance: variable (Machu Picchu circuit, plus the extra walk only if you choose that option)
Elevation of Aguas Calientes: 2,040 m / 6,692 ft
Elevation of Machu Picchu: 2,430 m / 7,972 ft
Transportation: bus to Machu Picchu, train to Ollantaytambo, and private vehicle back to Cusco
Difficulty: easy (moderate only if you choose to hike up or down)