Hiking the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu: A daily recounting of the breathtaking experience

If you’re looking for a physically taxing, mentally challenging and awe-inspiringly scenic way to get to Machu Picchu, let me introduce you to the Salkantay Trek.

I was brand new to hiking when I naively signed up for the Salkantay Trek with Alpaca Expeditions. Having just finished it, I can share how incredible it was. Unlike the more popular Inca Trail, the Salkantay Trek offers a completely different experience every day throughout the five-day-five-night hike. The almost 75 km trek brings you up high into snowy mountains, across deserted landscapes and down into lush jungles.

You don’t have to look further than Salkantay’s name to understand what you’re signing up for. Salkantay comes from the word “sallqa,” Quechua for “wild, uncivilized or savage” — which is why the name Salkantay is translated to “Savage Mountain.”

I don’t want to scare you away from this trek, just the opposite. I loved my experience. And the more time that passes, as my muscles recover and mosquito bites itch less, the more I remember the beauty of the trail and less about the challenges. I hiked with 11 other tourists and two guides from Alpaca Expeditions. We all found it challenging, even someone who finished an IronMan a few months prior, but it was doable — very much thanks to Alpaca Expeditions.

Alpaca Expeditions was founded and is run by Raul Ccolque, a local Peruvian born in a small village near Sacred Valley. Ccolque started his trekking days as a porter for the Inca Trail. Porters are in charge of carrying hikers’ bags and as of the 1990s, are legally required to participate in the Salkantay and Inca treks. Porters work extremely hard, doing the same trek as the tourists but with much heavier backpacks. 

I was thankful for the porters’ expertise and Alpaca Expeditions’ organization. As a first-time hiker, I didn’t know what to expect. The Alpaca team guides you throughout the entire experience, from what to pack before departure to dropping you off at your accommodations when you return to Cusco (where the tour starts too) — and all the sweat, tears and “Are we there yet?” pleas in between.

The easiest way to share the experience is going through the tour day by day — then you can get a taste of the trek and discover if it’s something you’re interested in. The packing, checking-in and other pre-hike days are just as important as trek days, to ensure you’re set up for success, however, they are way less exciting. So, I kept the “housekeeping information” at the end of the article to get right to those five days and nights that I will always remember as an exceptional experience. I’ve also taken the liberty of naming each day — so don’t blame Alpaca Expeditions if you think there are incongruities — but I think they do a fair job of summarizing each day in a few words. 

Before the hike begins, you’re transported from Cusco to Soraypampa. The Alpaca tour van takes you on a 3.5-hour drive across charming small towns, beautiful landscapes and unnerving mountainsides.

I sat on the right side of the van and got to enjoy steep cliff-side views. This “don’t look down” experience was good foreshadowing.

That night is spent at Glass Cabañas — cute rooms with glass ceilings. With only mild hyperbole, I’d fly from Toronto to Lima to Cusco and drive 3.5 hours any time to get that view of the night sky without any light pollution. A fellow hiker brought a tripod for her iPhone and captured this photo — which serves as the perfect reminder to look up (and bring a tripod).

This was my first hike, and I booked it a few days before departure and didn’t look at the itinerary. So I was very confused with how this day started. Still living in ignorant bliss, I got ready for the day, taking essentials in my hiking bag and packing the rest for the porters, and took an “I’m going on a hike” picture.

We started the day by hiking up a mountain for a couple of hours to get to Humantay Lake, reaching what I thought was my maximum physical exertion. It’s a stunning turquoise lake — much love and appreciation for nature’s creations. But then we hiked back down to that morning’s starting point to actually start the day’s hike. It was just a hike to see the lake. In total that day, we walked for 12 hours.

This day is the most physically challenging as it’s long and mostly uphill. But the scenery is stunning. While hiking, one of the Alpaca guides leads the hike and the other stays at the back. Hikers are encouraged to go at their own pace. Throughout the entire journey, I hiked partially alone and partially with others on my tour.

By the time I reached the campsite, I was drained. I plopped down in front of the tents in a state of exhaustion, shock and awe — barely having any thoughts left. In a moment when I didn’t know what I needed, I got what I needed — a puppy. I scooped up that puppy and snuggled up enough energy to eat dinner and crawl into my tent (the Alpaca team sets up the tents).

To quote video blogging me, “Day two is a lot greener, and a lot on the side of a mountain-er.” Day one was chilly and snowy; day two was warm and lush.

Tip: Wear many technical layers to accommodate drastic weather changes. I wore a sweat-wicking t-shirt and long sleeve half zip, a fleece pullover and a rain jacket each day and took layers on and off as required.

I still don’t know if I prefer hiking uphill or downhill. With uphill, I feel like I’m only moving an inch with each arduous step. With downhill, I feel like I need to calculate every movement to avoid plummeting down anything. This day starts with four hours of downhill climbing — sometimes, on extremely narrow cliff-side paths.

Remember when we drove from Cusco to the glass cabanas on the side of a mountain and it was terrifying? More of that, just on foot. Everything was fine, my heart rate just enjoyed another day of being elevated. The day continues through stunning scenery including winding waterfalls, colourful flora and cultivated crops.

This night is spent in “Hobbit Houses,” which are charming accommodations with circle doors on the side of a hill in the middle of a jungle. 

The day starts with a few hours of hiking to get to a coffee farm. Compared to the previous days, it’s an easy-breezy morning (idiomatically, it’s warm). The coffee farm is interesting. It’s a family-owned establishment. You get to experience the entire process of making coffee, from picking the berries to roasting the beans and percolating the brew. I love coffee and appreciated the hands-on experience. Also, there were cute little kittens on the farm.

I felt so calm and collected. It was a fun morning. All hopped up on caffeine, lunch and kitten snuggles, I was full of false hope. Don’t let this morning’s chill vibes get you, the afternoon is all uphill. I guess in the recounting, I don’t prefer uphill.

It’s hard to get mad at hours of exhaustion when the surroundings are stunning. The afternoon is tough but the destination is worth it. I don’t like sleeping in tents. I don’t like camping. I loved this night in my tent camping in a mountain range with speechless views.

Each day, I clocked around 20,000 to 35,000 steps. This day starts with a two-hour downhill walk and then a bunch of hours on flat surfaces. I thought to myself, “I walk a lot at home and have just done a lot of uphill, this will be a cinch” — not a cinch. It was a very different type of day. The route was a bit busier, as at this time the Salkantay Trek meets up with the Inca trail. There were fun stops along the way, including a rickety suspension bridge, a rejuvenating river and ice cream stands. A lot of the walking is done next to a train track, giving me major Stand By Me vibes.

Though the day is a lot of straightforward walking, fueled by overall fatigue and anticipation of reaching our destination, most of us were asking “How much longer?” In no time at all — joking, we felt every minute — we reached Aguas Calientes (which translates to hot springs), the town where we spent the night before heading up to Machu Picchu. The town kind of feels like a punchline to a five-day joke, as it’s on a hill, and our hotels were at the top. But adrenaline and hot showers energized us so we could explore the area and head to a group dinner.

The day starts with irony. After a hardcore five-day trek we take a bus up to Machu Picchu. Hikers on the Inca Trail camp out the night before and walk up to Machu Picchu, but people on the Salkantay Trek sleep in a hotel and take a bus up in the morning. It felt strange but also great because I was exhausted and deeply enjoyed the hot shower.

Machu Picchu does not disappoint. Our Alpaca Expeditions guides took us through the grounds sharing the history and stories about the site — and the perfect vantage points for photos. I felt extremely thankful for this moment and our guides who led us through the experience. Aside from this final day, the experience is not a walk in the park nor anything I’m used to, but the guides are confident, calm, experienced, knowledgeable, friendly and local — the perfect traits for a successful hike across the stunning Peruvian Andes.

I’d recommend Alpaca Expeditions if you’re looking to book a Peruvian tour. They offer other experiences like the Inca Trail, Rainbow Mountain and Sacred Valley (which I went on and loved). I appreciate that Alpaca is owned and operated by a local team. It also offers unique experiences like a women-only hike led by female guides and porters. I met Ccolque at the Alpaca offices before heading on the trek. He was knowledgeable, passionate and personable — qualities that emanate through Alpaca Expeditions and the team.

As soon as you book an Alpaca Expeditions tour, you receive detailed instructions on what to expect, what to bring and how to check in — if you read the emails. I didn’t but still feel like it was very organized. You meet at the Alpaca Expeditions offices in Cusco the night before your departure day. At that time, you’ll meet your fellow hikers and your guides. You’ll also be given your duffle bags and instructions on what to do with the luggage you’re bringing with and leaving behind. It’s all very organized and all your questions will be answered.

After your day at Machu Picchu, you head back to Cusco in Alpaca vans. Once you reach Cusco, the Alpaca team ensures you’re dropped off at your accommodations.  

There’s a packing list on the Alpaca Expeditions website — bring everything that is recommended. I rented a sleeping bag, sleeping pad and hiking poles from Alpaca and was happy with the equipment. I also brought the following and was pleased that I did: