Simple stays with essential amenities. Typically guesthouses, hostels or hotels rated below 3 stars — clean, no-frills, and great for value-conscious travelers.
Comfortable and reliable 3-star stays. Expect private rooms, en-suite bathrooms, and solid amenities — a great balance between comfort and cost.
For those craving a less-trodden route to Machu Picchu, the Salkantay Trek delivers with five days of expansive scenery, challenging mountain passes, and Andean culture. Unlike the crowded Inca Trail, this alternative trek offers more solitude and variety, traversing altitudes from 1,900m up to a breathtaking 4,600m and covering approximately 50km on foot.
Your journey winds through lush valleys, soaring peaks, and diverse landscapes before culminating at the iconic Machu Picchu. The route incorporates the less-visited Llaqtapata, sidestepping the busier sections and ensuring a more intimate experience with nature and history alike.
All logistics—guides, meals, accommodation, and transportation—are included, freeing you to focus on the adventure. With moderate physical demands, this fully-inclusive tour appeals to hikers seeking both challenge and comfort. Its standout feature? Access to Machu Picchu via a scenic and uncrowded path, offering a fresh perspective on Peru’s most legendary site.
Trekking and HikingMountains
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
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.
Trekking and HikingMountains
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Hotel, Tent, Hostel
Age Range
5-79 yrs
Operated in
english, peruvian
Destinations
Salkantay, Cusco, Machu Picchu
Salkantay, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Colcapampa, La Playa, Aguas Calientes