Salkantay Route – Experiences in 5 days in the Peruvian Mountains

Hello Explorers! In this article I bring you the experiences and lessons learned during my 5-day route along the Salkantay trail through the beautiful mountains of Peru. If you are more into videos, you can skip to the end of the article to check all the images there.

The Salkantay Trail

The classic Salkantay Trail is a route of more than 60 km through the mountains of Peru that can be done in 5 days of hiking. Salkantay Trekking was our guide through this place to facilitate the whole process of food, rest and support, highly recommended for the inexperienced or intermediate.

The route starts near Mollepata, goes up to Lake Humantay (4200m) and the Salkantay Pass (4620m), the highest point of the route with a frontal view of the great Apu Salkantay. From there, you walk through endless descents through the high-altitude forest to the famous city of Aguas Calientes, at the foot of Machu Picchu, from where you finally access the great sacred city of the Incas.

Below we will break down each day of the trip with their respective experiences for those who want more details. For pre-trip details like acclimatization and preparation, see our other article HERE.

Day 1 - 10 km walk

The first day of the route is quite peaceful and in a way an acclimatization for the second. We start the trail near the town of Mollepata on a gentle hike to the Soraypampa campsite, at the foot of the climb to Lake Humantay. After lunch you have a relatively steep hike to the lake to help aclimatize and get your blood pumping.

Here we got a little rain and cold winds, even in the dry season of May. It is important to wear suitable clothing (waterproof and insulated) to avoid discomfort and problems with hypothermia, especially near the Humantay.

At the end of the walk the view from Humantay is truly amazing with its pristine blue waters. Depending on the time, it is not an *empty* place of tourists and other hikers. So, be warned if you want to photograph or some tranquility.

At the end of the first day, we slept in the domes overlooking the night sky, absolutely starry. An amazing experience! It is quite cold at night, but Salkantay Trekking provided sleeping bags for freezing temperatures. Don't forget to wear your own warm clothing to insulate body heat and help with the process.

Day 2 - 23 km walk

This is the most critical day of the trip. This is where you will ascend to the Salkantay Pass with your team and guide. The beginning is a progressive and ascending walk during the morning, until the part called “Seven Snakes”. This part is a zigzag climb considered one of the most difficult points of the route.

Here it is important to work on the mental resilience.

Climb slowly and at a sustainable pace. You'll still be walking a lot for the rest of the day and saving energy is key to keeping your morale up.

There is a (paid) option here to take horses to overcome the climb to the Salkantay Pass. It wasn't our case, but here's a tip if you're feeling bad, or insecure to overcome the challenge.

Arriving at the Salkantay Pass, around lunchtime, our guide, Miguel, performed with us the coca leaf ceremony honoring the Apu Salkantay and Pachamama. This is a very interesting experience for those who honor the culture and historical aspects of the places. We had a snack (you may not feel very hungry at this point) and started to descend towards the high altitude forest.

You will still walk a LOT. There is some relief in going downhill, but wear comfortable shoes and be careful with the endless rocks on the trail so you don't twist your foot. After a very long descent you will arrive at the next domes to stay (Jungle Domes).

Day 3 and 4 - 18km and 13km walk

On the third day of trekking you will delve deeper into the high altitude forest and learn a few things about the vegetation, fauna and culture of the region. In a very refreshing stop, you will also get to know the coffee and the entire process of collecting, drying, roasting (in the Andean oven) and grinding it. It might sound a bit touristy, but after walking a lot you won't want anything else.

There are no great attractions in terms of landscapes and mountains here. Only the route towards Machu Picchu through the paths surrounded by high altitude vegetation.

On the fourth and final day of the trek there is a steep ascent and descent of the Llactapata ruins during the morning. It's not the most difficult part of the route, but we skipped that part as I hurt badly my toe and I didn't want to risk too much. A van transported us around the mountain and left us at the departure point with the group for another 13km to the city of Aguas Calientes.

The walk here is quite monotonous, close to the railway line that leads to Machu Picchu. There are also no great attractions of landscapes and mountains, but you can interact with the locals and see the commerce on the side of the tracks, which is a very interesting aspect of the culture. At the end of the fourth day, finally, the hotel room awaits for a well-deserved rest, and most importantly: a good shower!

Day 5 - No Trekking

Finally Machu Picchu. It was raining heavily that morning, which led the whole group to take the bus up to the sacred city. Unfortunately we didn't have the classic view because of the heavy fog and rain. But, little by little, the weather improved and the view to the neighboring peaks was revealed in a spectacle of images and atmosphere.

Again, watch out for the clothes. It's easy to get cold and wet (we went in May), especially in the morning. Perhaps a recommendation here to avoid the large number of tourists would be to go later (lunch or late afternoon) as most choose to make the climb in the morning, very early.

After that, the train waits for the late afternoon return to Ollantaytambo and Cusco.

Conclusions and Learnings

The route was amazing. It's not a traditional landscape photography trip. It's more than that: a way to commune with nature, meet people, cultures, and let your heart navigate the clouds, peaks and views along the way. The Salkantay Route is a search within yourself for overcoming obstacles, empathy and mental mastery.

Of course there are beautiful photographs. But other than that...enjoy the journey!