Introduction

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"The famous Salkantay Trek (or Salcantay Trek), named among the 25 best Treks in the World, by National Geographic Adventure Travel Magazine, is a trek open to everybody, with no limitation on spaces or permits (at least for now). Connecting the city of Mollepata, Cusco with Machu Picchu, the Salkantay Trek is an ancient and remote footpath located in the same region as the Inca Trail where massive snowcapped mountains collide with lush tropical rain forests."

- www.salkantay.org


About Us
We decided to create this page after discovering a lack of detailed account of the Salkantay Trek on the web. The experience of hiking this trail is so amazing that it is difficult not to get lost in the beautiful scenery and all of the overwhelming feelings as you follow the path of the Incas into the clouds. We put in our best effort to stay grounded as we wrote this blog keeping a detailed record of the logistics and planning.

Our goal is to serve the independent traveler taking on the Salkantay Trek with only a backpack on their back (and maybe a camera across the shoulder).

We started our Salkantay adventure on June 25, 2010

Trail
The Salkantay Trail is very easy to follow most of the time. We made it with only having one - "andreantravelweb.com" map (available on the Map page); waiting for passer by's to ask for directions when needed worked pretty well. In this blog I gave detailed descriptions of several places where the trek direction is not obvious.
The trail is hard ground with gravel, larger rocks in some places. Good ankle support is essential.

Water
Majority of the hike is along a waterway. Therefore, access to water is mostly easy; make sure to have a filter and/or iodine tablets handy. In addition, you will run across at least one kiosk per day, usually at campsites, where you can purchase bottled water.


Food
The hike will be in mostly remote rural areas for the first three days, until you get to La Playa. Therefore, if you are following close to our 4-day trek you will need to carry about 2.5 days worth of food. Pack light. Instant soups do wonders. However, you don't really need to carry even that much. Again, at least once a day you will run across a camp site (or you will camp at one) where there will be a kiosk with some food and snacks; and you can always purchase a hot delicious meal prepared for you by the local hosts, or possibly make a deal with one of the tour groups.
WARNING! Always be ready for the unexpected in the mountains. You may get caught by rain or illness (both of these happened to us), etc and food may not be easily accessible. In the moment when you may need it most there will not be any passer-by locals or tour groups to give you a hand. Be a responsible backpacker and count on yourself - pack one or two emergency meals.

Food Prep
You need liquid fuel for high altitude. Vovachka please fill in this section with your wonderful MSR product!


Clothing
It will be below freezing on the first night in the mountains. The frigid conditions are also exaggerated by high humidity. You must have winter clothing and a warm sleeping bag. My 0°F down Big Agnes was very comfortable. Bring chemical foot warmers or boil some water for a hot water bottle or regular bottle to keep your feet warm at the bottom of the sleeping bag.
It will get very hot during the day, especially at lower altitudes. Synthetic (non-cotton) light clothing is essential.
Good hiking boots are a must. You will be carrying a lot of weight uphill for 1 day and downhill for 3 days. You shoes must be able to protect your feet; but athletic tape is always a good backup.

Other Supplies
Sunglasses and SPF - you need good SPF protection at high altitudes. The sun is very strong.
Bug spray - at the end of day 2 you will reach a tropical climate and bugs will be abundant.
Medication - as a responsible backpacker you must have a complete first aid kit including (but not limited to) bandaids, disinfectant, and basic medicines; prescription altitude sickness medication is highly recommended. Remember that there are no cell phones, no rangers, no rescue helicopters, and no hospitals.

Dealing With Altitude (Sickness)
The highest point along the trek is at 4,600-4,800m / 15,100-15,700ft. Everyone is different but most people do feel 15,000ft in one way or another; generally, around 10,000-11,000ft you start sensing the elevation effects beyond the basic breathing difficulties. Vova and I have both had bad altitude sickness experiences in the past right around 15,000ft, with nausea, lightheadedness, etc, and were prepared for the worst on the trek.
The key to dealing with altitude sickness is acclimatization. Your body *will* get used to the height and lack of oxygen if you give it enough time. At the very least, spend 2-3 days in Cuzco, which is located at 3,360m / 11,000ft. If you have the time, do your best to plan the order of your Peru itinerary to gain elevation gradually, ie:
      - Arequipa: 2,500m / 8,200ft
      - Ollantaytambo: 2,850m / 9,350ft
      - Pisac: 2,960m / 9,700ft
      - Cuzco: 3,360m / 11,000ft
      - Puno: 3,830m / 12,600ft
This will save you a lot of headache (literally) and you will be well prepared for the hike.

Mild altitude sickness symptoms include headache, possibly increasing to slight dizziness or light-headedness. Moderate symptoms elevate to nausea and loss of appetite. A good comprehensive description is here: http://www.traveldoctor.co.uk/altitude.htm

Coca leaves, widely used throughout Peru to cure practically everything, are known to provide significant relief of the altitude sickness symptoms by improving oxygen absorption, reducing fatigue, and providing many vitamins and minerals. We chewed the leaves on our hike up and it sure seemed to help! Coca leaves can be purchased at any Peruvian market. (Note that "it takes 5,000 Coca leaves to make 1g of cocaine"). More info on Coca leaves here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca_tea


Money and Fees
Some websites state that you have to pay a fee for hiking the Salkantay Trek with the fee station located in Soraypampa. We did not pay anything for the hike or for campgrounds in either Collpapampa or Santa Theresa (and were not asked to do so at any point). You may want to have some cash to purchase snacks, dinner, or other items at the kiosks and campgrounds.

Safety
There are some comments on blogs regarding the dangers of being robbed while hiking the Inca Trail or Salkantay Trek; and often one of the marketed "advantages" of going with a guide is that you will be protected from such attacks. No guarantees of course, but in our personal experience - at no point did I feel in danger of being robbed or attacked during our trip. Be smart, like you should be traveling anywhere in Peru - don't carry loads of cash with you, but be prepared to part with anything valuable that you do choose to carry. In my opinion - my most valuable possession are my photos, so take a few memory cards with you and switch them out throughout the trip - if your camera gets stolen you might be out a few / many hundreds of $$, but at least you will keep your memories :)


18 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi - thanks for the information, it is really helpful! My boyfriend and I are thinking about hiking the trail in May. Was there a place in Cuzco for you to leave/lock up extra items that you didn't want to carry on the trek?
What was your itinerary leading up to the trek (did you follow your suggested elevation increases)??

Thanks for your help!

Katie

January 7, 2011 at 6:19 AM
Unknown said...

Whow - this is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks a lot!!!
We are planning Salkantay track in may.

Were you only group of 2 people? Any other comments on safety?

Thanks for your help!


Martin

March 11, 2011 at 12:04 AM
David said...

Hi there,

thanks for this amazing page. We just came back from the trek. We printed to whole page including one map and we did not have any problems along the way. We just want to point out the following:

1. It's a great idea to skip the first day by taking a taxi. It is also possible to hire a taxi in Mollepata. We took the minibus from Cusco to Mollepata (15 soles pp). In Mollepata we hired a taxi for the next day, it costs 80 soles to go to Soraypampa from Mollepata. Therefore we paid a total of 110 soles for 2 persons. You can do it even cheaper if you take the local bus at 4.30am from Cusco to Mollepata (~8 soles pp).
2. The funny gondola ride seems to be replaced by a new(?) bridge. But your drawing is excellent and helped a lot :) We also walked on the right side of the river towards 'La Playa'. I think the left side is a bit nicer but certainly takes longer. Please find a picture of the bridge here: http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/imgServer.do?id=604444
3. There are still no fees to pay, we walked along the 'official' way, there are no tollgates or similar.
4. If you want to walk along the rail road from Hydroelectrica to Aguas Calientes, you can not walk by yourself anymore starting from the 1st of June 2011. You have to hire a guide for 60 soles (also valid for the next day for Machu Picchu). That's what they told us at the checkpoint in Hydroelectrica where you have to register. A picture of the notice can be found here: http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/imgServer.do?id=604443
5. I published a GPS track of the whole trek in cluding all important waypoints, you can find it here: http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=1726915

Just in case you want to update the page with this information.

Thanks
David

May 27, 2011 at 7:33 PM
Matt said...

great blog! i'm looking for the same information as katie and martin.
also, how difficult was "difficult"?
thanks!
amanda

June 13, 2011 at 1:02 PM
V said...

Thank you very much for the detailed information, great blog! :)

August 2, 2011 at 3:43 AM
nathN said...

hi i'm nathaN and i hiked the salkantay trek about three weeks about and wanted to thank you both for putting this blog together. AMAZING! the blog with all the details really encouraged me to just go for it. it is the rainy season (and the worst part of it too) so all odds were against me. i do not recommend the trek during the month of February although if you are fit, enjoy roughing it(water will find its way into your tent, your boots will eventually get wet, nobody around to offer any help/assistance, you will get), and are not scared of landslides it is possible to trek most of it however be prepared to have to turn back due to rive swelling and/or bad land slides. At one point toward the end I was forced to turn back because crossing one water system was just simply too dangerous. In an attempt to cross one of the cascade rivers (both my map and compass was snatched out of my grip by the water). Regardless it is an AMAZING hike. With good weather the landscapes are magical as they are beautiful.

much respect to the both of you for taking the time and dedication to encapsulate your salkantay journey into a blog and sharing it with the world. i am just another person that was able to benefit from your beautiful efforts. Salkantay Feb 20 - Feb 26 2012; Muchas Gracias.

nathaN

March 21, 2012 at 7:23 PM
Radek Dostál said...

Hi Guys,

Thank you very much for creating this page. My girlfriend and I hiked the Salkantay Trek in September 2013 and here is our update:

1) Using a taxi and a horse for our bag we managed the first two days in almost one. The taxi was 80 soles for Mollepata->Soraypampa and it was 40 soles per bag for horse from Soraypampa to the pass.

2) There was no fee to be paid not even at hydroelectrica as mentioned above. Camping seems to be free, they just charge for additional services such as hot shower (10 soles), cookies, happy hour, ...

3) At Mollepata we stayed at a hostel in the upper right corner of the square. It was quite good, but it lacks a Hospedaje sign and hot water (20 soles per person)

4) http://www.openstreetmap.org has quite a good coverage of the area and http://www.wikivoyage.org has some tips for the Trek itself and Mollepata.

5) For more details about our hike see our blogpost: http://radekandlaura.blogspot.com/2013/09/salkantay-trek-september-1st-4th-2013.html

Thanks,
Radek & Laura

September 15, 2013 at 4:35 PM
ShewchukTrekker said...

This has been so helpful! Thanks so much for putting this together. We are hoping to do the trek this upcoming April, 2016. Do you happen to have any updates or insight into what the trek conditions / fees / etc are like now? A point in the right direction would be much appreciated!

January 4, 2016 at 12:51 AM
Bashu Thapaliya said...

Trekking in Nepal is still the most favorite adventure holiday activity in the country. The two classic trekking routes either to Everest base camp or the Annapurna circuit are not easy and the challenge you'll face on either route will have a lasting effect. The Manaslu route trek around the world's eighth largest mountain is more remote but no less beautiful passing through stunning bamboo forests, villages filled with prayer flags and culminating with spectacular views from Larkya La. Mustang is an easier cultural trek, suitable for those with good general fitness but not necessarily any previous trekking experience. The language, culture and tradition of the Mustang region are still mostly Tibetan making this one of the most culturally interesting treks. There are shorter treks up the Langtang Valley and Helambu which are still hard work but also deeply rewarding. They generally begin in Kathmandu, leading through large grazing areas covered in flowers, dotted with stone huts used for butter making, Sherpa, Tamang villages and the homes of yak herders, right up to the Tibetan border.

August 31, 2016 at 12:18 AM
ITEP Travel said...

I really like the Inca trail, but if there are no spaces we have to choose between alternative ways, and the best of them is Salkantay trek, this route is especially good to see the Peruvian Andes.

September 6, 2016 at 2:40 PM
Will said...

The Inca Jungle Trail to Machu Picchu is one of the most popular alternative trek to Machu Picchu, because this trek is full of adrenaline and adventure, and combines adventure sports such as hiking, mountain biking, zip lining, and rafting in one of the most important rivers of the Incas.

September 10, 2016 at 11:08 AM
Machupicchu Kingdom said...

Excellent information.
Wow! I am fully impressed with this blog. The content of this post is very good.
Thanks for sharing this post.
Rainbow mountain & short inca trail trek

April 24, 2017 at 9:51 PM
vicunaadventuresperu said...

Good post.
This blog is very cool and interested. Great information is here. I want to see another valuable post. Thanks for sharing. 

Salkantay trek machu picchu tours

October 24, 2017 at 10:57 PM
Unknown said...

Great post! I wrote up a detailed report describing my experience backpacking along the Salkantay Trek. I included a bunch of pictures, maps, and other logistical info, which I think some readers may find useful! Here is the link: https://backpackersreview.wordpress.com/trip-reports/machu-picchu-salkantay-trek/

February 22, 2018 at 10:58 AM
Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
August 17, 2018 at 11:20 AM
Unknown said...

Salkantay Trek
This trek called Salkantay Trek is an alternative route to the classic Inca Trail, considered among the 25 best in the world according to the National Geographic magazine.

With a large mountain covered with snow, lush rainforests and a variety of flora and fauna, a walk that offers a perfect combination of hiking, culture and nature.

August 17, 2018 at 11:23 AM
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