Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu 5 Days - Private Service

It's the Salkantay Trek in five days for your party alone, 2 to 10 travelers, with your own bilingual guide, cooks and muleteers. You'll hike to Humantay Lake on Day 1, cross Salkantay Pass on Day 2, walk through cloud forest on Day 3, visit Llactapata and reach Aguas Calientes on Day 4 and tour Machu Picchu on Day 5, with three nights camping and one in a hotel.

On a private trek, your guide, cooks and muleteers work only for your party, so you set the pace, the stops and the time at each viewpoint, and travel by private van. Our 5-day group Salkantay Trek follows the same route with up to 10 travelers sharing the services. Private rates depend on the size of your party.

Both end at Machu Picchu, but they're different journeys. The Salkantay Trek is about mountain scenery: a turquoise lake, a 15,190 ft (4,630 m) pass beneath a glacier and a long descent into cloud forest. The private Inca Trail is about history: original Inca paths, a string of Inca sites and arrival through the Sun Gate, with a limited permit that's booked months ahead.

This five-day trek includes Humantay Lake, Llactapata and a hotel night before your Machu Picchu tour. Our 4-day Salkantay Trek is a shared group departure that goes straight to a high camp under Salkantay, without Humantay Lake or Llactapata, and finishes a day earlier.

It's a challenging trek: four walking days of about six to nine hours, steep climbs, long descents and altitude up to 15,190 ft (4,630 m). Day 2, over Salkantay Pass, is the hardest. With a private guide, the pace follows your party. Train for a few weeks with uphill walks and stairs, wearing your boots and daypack, spend two or three days in Cusco to acclimatize, and talk to your doctor if you have a health or mobility concern.

Salkantay Pass, at 15,190 ft (4,630 m), is the highest point, and you cross it on Day 2. On Day 1 you'll reach Humantay Lake at 13,780 ft (4,200 m), and your first camp at Soraypampa sits at 12,795 ft (3,900 m). The pass is crossed on foot; the summit of Salkantay is a mountaineering climb.

You'll hike about 42.9 mi (69 km) over four walking days, plus the guided tour of Machu Picchu on Day 5:

• Day 1: 7.5 mi (12 km), about 6 hours, including Humantay Lake.
• Day 2: 13.7 mi (22 km), about 9 hours, over Salkantay Pass.
• Day 3: 11.2 mi (18 km), about 6 hours, through the cloud forest.
• Day 4: 10.6 mi (17 km), about 7 hours, via Llactapata to Aguas Calientes.

The first two nights are the coldest, often at or below freezing, at Soraypampa and near the pass; wind and rain can make it feel colder. From Day 3 the trail is lower and warmer, but often humid. May to September is usually the driest period, October is a transition month, and November to March brings more rain, especially in the cloud forest. Pack warm and waterproof layers whatever the month.

The hike starts at Challacancha (12,467 ft / 3,800 m), after your private van brings you from Cusco with a breakfast stop in Mollepata. You walk into Aguas Calientes on Day 4 and tour Machu Picchu on Day 5, then return by train to Ollantaytambo and by private van to your hotel, if it's in Cusco's historic center.

You'll camp three nights, at Soraypampa, Chaullay and Lucmabamba, in EUREKA or DOITE tents with inflatable sleeping mats, an equipped dining tent and a portable toilet. Soraypampa and Chaullay have cold-water showers, and Lucmabamba has a hot shower at no extra cost. The fourth night is in a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes, usually Golden Sunrise Machu Picchu or similar, with a hot shower before your Machu Picchu tour.

Yes. Your price includes the Machu Picchu ticket for your private guided tour on Day 5, and Salkantay doesn't need an Inca Trail permit. Machu Picchu is visited on set circuits, each with its own route through the citadel. We try to book Circuit 2 whenever it's available for your date, and we'll confirm your circuit before the trek.

Yes, with a separate ticket at US$85.00 per person for either mountain. Tickets are limited and come with a set entry time, which has to fit around your guided tour and train, so ask us to check before you book.

Keep it light: a small daypack with water, a rain layer, sun protection and your passport is all you need. Large backpacks go in the storage area at the entrance, food isn't eaten inside the citadel, and trekking poles are allowed only when you really need them, with rubber tips. Each ticket allows one entry, so use the restrooms at the entrance before you go in.

Your road transfers are by private van: Cusco to Challacancha at the start and Ollantaytambo back to Cusco at the end. We also include the Machu Picchu buses both ways and the return train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo (PeruRail or Inca Rail). On Day 4 you walk from Hidroeléctrica to Aguas Calientes along the railway, one of the classic stretches of the route.

Your cooks prepare four breakfasts, four lunches and four dinners, plus an afternoon "happy hour". Happy hour is tea time, not a drinks party: when you reach camp, the cooks serve hot drinks such as coca tea, herbal teas, coffee or hot chocolate with snacks like popcorn, biscuits or cheese wontons, a chance to warm up and rest before dinner.

Drinking water is provided from lunch on Day 1, so bring enough for the first morning; small shops along the way, such as at Wayraqmachay, sell snacks. Breakfast on Day 1 (in Mollepata) and lunch and dinner on Day 5 are on your own.

Yes, tell us before booking about any dietary needs or allergies, how severe they are and any emergency medication you carry, so our cooks can plan your meals. For your safety, we can't take travelers with life-threatening food allergies on this trek, because a remote camp kitchen can't guarantee an allergen-free environment.

Mules carry the camping gear and the duffel bag we provide, with up to 15.4 lb (7 kg) of your belongings, between campsites, so you only carry a 25–35 L daypack with water, snacks, rain gear, a warm layer, sun protection and medication. Most Cusco hotels will store the luggage you don't need on the trek.

You can bring your own or rent them from us: a sleeping bag costs US$25 and trekking poles US$15 (see Extra Services). Choose a warm sleeping bag, since the first two nights can drop below freezing; poles help a lot on the long descents.

Pack layers for both extremes: a warm insulated jacket, gloves and a wool hat for the cold nights, and breathable clothes, sun protection and insect repellent for the cloud forest. Add a waterproof jacket, broken-in hiking boots with good grip and a headlamp. The Packing List tab has the full list.

We set up a portable toilet at every camp, and there are basic restrooms at some campsites and villages; carry toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Phone signal comes and goes in the mountains and improves near villages and in Aguas Calientes, and charging points are limited until the hotel, so bring a charged power bank and download your tickets before you leave Cusco.

Tell your guide right away if you have a headache, nausea, dizziness, unusual tiredness or shortness of breath. Your guide carries a first-aid kit and emergency oxygen, though these are not a substitute for medical care, and worsening symptoms mean heading down. Acclimatize in Cusco before the trek, keep a steady pace and make sure your travel insurance covers high-altitude trekking.

A private departure is for your own party of 2 to 10 travelers, with an assistant guide when there are more than nine. Rates per person depend on the size of your party; for 9 or 10 travelers, contact us for a quote.

You'll find the current rates per person in the Prices tab: the larger your party, the lower the price per person, with discounts for children under 16 and university students. To book, use the booking button or contact us with your date and party size; we'll confirm availability, your total and the payment and cancellation conditions. About three months ahead is a good rule for popular dates.

Yes, bring some Peruvian soles in small notes for breakfast on Day 1, lunch and dinner on Day 5, snacks, drinks and souvenirs, since card payments and ATMs are rare in the mountains. Tips are optional: if you'd like to thank your guide, cooks and muleteers, choose an amount that reflects your experience and budget.

Cancellation charges depend on when we receive written notice. We show the applicable charges for the periods below; please ask us for the complete terms, including cancellations more than 60 days before departure, before completing your booking.