Get ready for this once in a lifetime trip! We joined Salkantay Trekking for a 4-day hike along the 51 km / 31 miles of the Camino de Salkantay: a perfect trekking for those who aren’t afraid to push their limits a little, enjoy gorgeous mountain and tropical landscapes and love chewing coca leaves :).
The Salkantay trek used to be an Incan trade route for coca and potatoes. Nowadays it still leads around the Salkantay (obviously the trek’s namesake); at 6,271 m / 20,574 feet the highest peak of the Willkapampa Mountain Range. The Inca thought that the Salkantay was a deity and that it controlled the weather and thus the fertility of the grounds in the region west of Cusco. The name comes from the Quechua word sallqa, which means as much as ‘savage’ or ‘wild’. Therefore the mountain is translated as ‘savage mountain’.
And savage the trekking is. The path leads along an old waterway system, a gorgeous waterfall, the epic Humantay Lake, through the snow-capped mountain Salkantay pass, along the edge of the cloud forest, includes a visit to a coffee plantation, a stop near some lovely hot springs, goes into an abundant tropical forest starring the lesser-known Llactapata Inca ruins, before finally finishing with a sunrise on the 5th morning at the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.
Day one: first views on the surroundings as seen from the trail
Bulls the caught in a fight on the way to lake Humantay
Look at how gorgeous this road is! With an ancient waterway to guide us towards the Salkantay pass
First view on pristine Lake Humantay
Why not rather hike the Inca trail?
Well… there’s a simple reason to it. The Inca Trail only allows 500 people per day and is already fully booked more of less half a year in advance. As we only knew a couple of weeks in advance that we wanted to go to Cusco and Machu Picchu, hiking it just wasn’t possible anymore.
But… there’s a but! Although the Inca trekking is without a doubt the most iconic pass you can hike to get to Machu Picchu, it also means that it’s a very busy one. The Salkantay trekking is said to be more exclusive and less touristy. I haven’t done both, so I can’t compare myself. But I can show and tell you how stunning our trip was.
The mountains on the other side as seen from the rim of Lake Humantay
Sky Lodge - our accommodation for the first night
Day two: our guide Marco! With the donkeys in the back carrying our food and clothes on day 2 - the Salkantay pass
The Salkantay pass
As you can see in this article, the diversity of climates and landscapes that the trail has to offer in one trip is immense. Perhaps this is the reason that the trek was named “one of the 25 best treks in the world” by National Geographic Adventure Travel Magazine. Perhaps a second reason to chose this pass over the Inca trail.
No matter the pretty views, the climbs and descents can be quite steep and long. Especially the second day – along the Salkantay pass – can be a bit of a shock to your system if you’re not used (enough) to the altitude. Because of that, make sure you have a decent organisation to go with, one that looks after you. We opted for Salkantay Trekking and we absolutely didn’t regret that decision.
Entering the cloud forest
Day three: that long and flat walk along the river
What sets aside this organisation in the Cusco myriad of tour operators is the unique accommodation that they offer. The Sky Lodge, Andean Hut and Tent Dome are as luxury and fabulous as it can get during this trekking.
Moreover Salkantay Trekking had the highest score on Tripadvisor. But apart from all that, it’s really the guide that can make or break your adventure. We were lucky with Marco, as he was highly experienced, very friendly and personable, treated the group as his family and was passionate about learning everyone and involving everyone to pachamama (mother earth) and the Quechua culture.
Lukas found an injured hummingbird on the way
Day four: very suddenly we entered a pretty wild rainforest
From up far, but a clear view on the area of Machu Picchu, straight ahead of us
Though the tour was with $420,- USD a tad more expensive than regular organizations would offer (once in Cusco, it’s possible to find tours for the incredibly low price of $200,- USD), but while booking I remembered the words of a friend who did the hike a couple of years earlier: it’s a tough trip, so you better just make sure everything else is damn right! And I agree. If you go, don’t save on the experience, but make it worthwhile.
See in here what we encountered, chronologically ordered, during the 4-day hike and hold on for part two for more pictures and for my visual diary of the trekking!
The long and steep hike down
The last hours on day four: hiking along the Urubamba river
Although you could also take the train
And finally: Machu Picchu around the corner!
Also interested to see what we encountered on the fifth day? Check out the magic of Machu Picchu in here!
