Salkantay Trek & Machu Picchu

Welcome to Cusco, upon arrival at the airport you are met and transferred to your hotel in the heart of this beautiful city. The rest of the day is at leisure for you to walk the stunning cobbled streets, discover Spanish colonial churches and enjoy the vibrant nightlife. A short welcome meeting will be held with your guide today to give you a briefing on the tour.

Please note: You may wish to arrive a day or two earlier in order to adjust to the altitude. Pre tour accommodation can be booked upon request.

After breakfast, you have a free day to explore Cusco at your own pace. Cusco was once the capital of the Incan Empire and is now a top spot for archaeology in the Americas. It's also one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on the continent. You can check out local archaeological sites like Saqsaywaman, Tambomachay, and Qenqo, or perhaps take part in a Peruvian cooking class or a chocolate-making class. You get to choose how you want to spend your free day, and we're here to help you plan and suggest activities in this amazing city.

Day 3 of the tour marks the beginning of the exhilarating Salkantay Trek. We have an early start this morning for the scenic drive to the Andean village of Mollepata, which takes approximately 4 hours. Here we meet our horsemen, porters and cooks and set out on the first leg of our trek. It takes around 3 hours for us to reach Cruzpata, where we stop for lunch with stunning panoramic views of the Humantay and Salkantay mountains in the distance. After lunch the trek continues through stunning mountainous scenery until we reach our first campsite at Soraypampa. We set up camp and later have dinner, surrounded by mesmerising scenery.

We wake early for breakfast before setting out on the most challenging day of our trek, as we ascend to the highest point on the trail, at 4,650 m (15,200 ft). From here we can admire the incredible views of two huge mountains; Salkantay on the right and Tucarhuay on the left. After reaching our peak we head downhill through the dramatic landscape of the cloud forests, reaching Huayrachmachay where we stop for lunch. Our trek continues after lunch as we head towards the jungle and our campsite for the night, Colcapampa.

We rise early and have a hearty breakfast before setting out on our trek through a region of jungle known as the “Ceja de selva” , which lies between the Andes and the Amazon rainforest. Crossing the Lluskamayo River our route takes us through valleys with breathtaking waterfalls, tropical fruits and colourful birds. If we’re lucky, we might even see a cock of the rock, Peru’s national bird. We stop for lunch and then continue trekking until we reach our last campsite at the village of La Playa. Here you'll have time to relax and perhaps visit the nearby hot springs, where you can enjoy a well deserved soak after another long day of rewarding hiking.

Today marks the final day of the Salkantay Trek, another early start sees a steady climb as we make our way to Llactapata. At Llactapata we find an incredible Incan fort, whilst beautiful and enchanting in it's own right it also offers distant views across to Machu Picchu, a little teaser of what's to come. After a rest stop we continue on a two hour downhill hike which will take us past plantations growing things such as coca and bananas. Reaching the hydroelectric dam we stop for a lunch break before making our final stretch of the trek, arriving into Aguas Calientes this afternoon.

With time to explore the area you might wish to visit the hot springs located close to your hotel.

After 4 days of fulfilling trekking, we set off early this morning to the world famous Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. Arriving in time for sunrise, we then enjoy a guided tour of this incredible Citadel. Learn all about the history of this magical place and how it lay almost totally undisturbed for hundreds of years. After our guided tour you have some free time to explore this legendary area.

This afternoon we head back to Aguas Calientes to board the Expedition Train for a scenic journey to Poroy where we disembark and complete our journey back to Cusco by road. The rest of the evening is free for you to explore Cusco at your own pace.

Today marks the end of our fantastic trip through the Salkantay and Cusco region. A transfer will be provided to take you to the airport for you onward flight.