We booked this tour after learning that Inca trail passes were sold out for our dates. However I don't regret a bit of choosing this tour as we experienced a real beauty of Peru far from the touristy paths. Our guide Wilfredo was amazing. He shared with us a lot of interesting facts about Inca's people and their culture. The hike was quite challenging for me personally but with his help and support I got through it with the minimal discomfort. I highly recommend bringing rainproof jackets or ponchos on the trip regardless of how nice the weather seems to be. We got tricked by the sunny morning and were soaked in the afternoon. Also it gets very very cold in the mountains at night. Please layer up and have pair of gloves on you. SPF is a must thing to use even on a cloudy day. My nose got burned from the cold wind and a sun and starting peeling. Bring coca candies or leaves with you. Helps a lot with the altitude sickness.
Overall me and my friend were very happy with the trip!
Worried that you could not get the permit for the Inca Trail? We bring to you an opportunity to participate in an equally exhilarating journey through the Andes all the way down to Machu Picchu. Join us on this 4-day trek and travel through a variety of landscapes, ranging from snowcapped mountains to tropical forests and finally dense jungles, past small villages, towns and highland pastures, skirting herds of llamas en route.
Cross the Salkantay Pass (4650m). Enjoy the serene beauty of Humantay Lake (4200). And visit some of the most important Inca sites in Peru, including the majestic Machu Picchu. If you are planning for a trekking trip in Peru along with a visit to Machu Picchu and you want to travel off the beaten path while appreciating the beautiful and diverse nature of Peru, then this trek is for you.
Travel to Peru to retrace the steps of the Incas – Peru's fascinating ancient civilisation. Travel from Cusco, through the fertile heartland of the Sacred Valley and to the magnificent Ollantaytambo ruins before the ultimate destination – Machu Picchu, one of the famed Seven Wonders of the World. This week-long trip is a choose-your-own-adventure type of deal – you can hike the Inca Trail, the Quarry Trail, or take it easy in Cusco and take the train to Machu Picchu. Allowing travellers of all abilities the opportunity to see this wonder first-hand, this trip is a perfect way to see Peru’s highlights when you don’t have more than a week.
If you did not manage to reserve permits for the Inca Trail, we highly recommend the Salkantay as an alternative. Apart from the classic Inca Trail, the Salkantay Trek is without a doubt one of the most beautiful treks in the Andes. National Geographic Adventure Travel Magazine listed it as one of the 25 best treks in the world. The trek is currently open to everyone and there are no limitations on spaces and permits.
The Salkantay Trek will take you through unique and varying landscapes with the scenery nothing short of breathtaking! Photographers will experience sheer ecstasy as we walk along ancient and solitary footpaths: from picturesque grassy highlands to flourishing cloud forests, where luxuriant tropical rainforests meet colossal snow-capped mountains. The Salkantay Trek is off-the-beaten path and authentic. You will be spirited away into a world of phenomenal beauty and abundance of nature, with sacred solitude and hours of deliciously quiet contemplation.
Since the ancient Incan times, the spectacular glacier-capped peak of Mount Salkantay has been considered as sacred and the protector of the local people and their crops. The name Salkantay or Salcantay is a Quechua word meaning invincible, wild or savage. Thus, Salkantay is often called "Savage Mountain". Salkantay (Nevado Salkantay), or Sallqantay in Quechua, is the highest peak of the Cordillera Vilcabamba, which forms part of the Andes Mountain Range, rising to 6271 meters above sea level (20,574 ft). Salkantay is located less than 50 miles from the city of Cusco.
We are looking forward to taking you on a great hike.
Well prepared Salkantay trek 5d/5n zone with Saul G as a guide and Gregorio as a chef and Cesar and Walter as porters. Good food all the way and amazing places to sleep such as the hobbit houses and the star gazing houses the very first night. Bonus was the lomo saltado cooking class and the visit of a coffee farm.
Salkantay Trek is a popular alternative to the very-crowded classic Inca Trail. It offers more distance, more mountains, more scenery, and a wider variety of landscapes, but still concludes with a visit to the iconic city of Machu Picchu. As the route does not have as many regulations as the Inca Trail, this also means that it can provide a “back door” trek to Machu Picchu when Inca Trail permits are sold out. This new itinerary, Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu via Llaqtapata, includes the highlights of the other Salkantay trek, but avoids many of the areas that are becoming crowded with other trekkers.
This trip is fully-inclusive, including a guide, accommodation, meals and transportation.
Duration: 5 days/4 nights
Distance trekked: about 50km
Elevation: 1900-4600m
Difficulty: Moderate
Crowds: Moderate
An absolutely fabntastic holiday, well planned and our guide just made this so enjoyable. I've never been on a holiday where I got to see so much - I enjoyed every minute of it and would recommend it to anyone who wishes to go and explore Peru.
This 5-day 4-night Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu is an excellent substitute for the Inca Trail — considered by most to be the best alternative route, and maybe even better!
This magnificent trail is perfect for adventurers who wish to become personally integrated in changing ecosystems from one day to the next. You will walk through sweeping, magical landscapes of a snowy mountain paradise to a tropical jungle where you will find a wide range of animals, medicinal plants and flower varieties. Witness with your own eyes a living but ancient culture in remote villages hardly ever seen by foreigners. End your trek at the famed Machu Picchu for an experience of a lifetime.
Let’s start exploring the mountains!
The trek was very well organized from the beginning to end. I was quite nervous to do it but the team was very motivating and attentive, which I really appreciated. The guide was very informative and the food was great.
Thank you for an incredible trip in Peru. My son I I were lucky to be the only participants on the Inca Trail with our awesome guide Andres and our 8 porters. We felt like VIPs as we were provided 3 course meals and our tents set up for us after a long hard day of trekking. The views on the trail were amazing and the ruins were fantastic to explore and learn about. Andres' knowledge and experience is vast and he shared his country and culture with us. While the trekking was challenging, the views and landscape such as the cloud forest made it worthwhile and spectacular. Arriving at Machu Picchu was the experience of a lifetime. We were graced with fine but cold weather. World Expeditions enabled everything to work seamlessly from being met each day by someone, to the tours of the Sacred Valley. I highly recommend this trip to Peru.
