How many days is the Salkantay Trek?

I did it in 4 days in May 2022: Challacancha to Soraypampa and Humantay Lake, over the Salkantay Pass to Chaullay, Lucmabamba over Llactapata to Aguas Calientes, and Machu Picchu on the last morning. That's 42 miles on foot on my GPS, with a car ride on the road from Chaullay to Lucmabamba. Many companies also sell 5 days. Add two days in Cusco first to acclimatize.

How high is the Salkantay Pass?

My GPS read 4,636 m (15,211 ft) at the pass. Humantay Lake is about 4,266 m on my GPS, my first night at Soraypampa was at 3,860 m (12,660 ft), and Cusco is about 3,400 m (11,150 ft).

Do you need a guide for the Salkantay Trek?

In September 2026 no permit is needed for the route over the Salkantay Pass, which isn't an Inca Trail route. But the park service's page for the Machu Picchu sanctuary says visitors must use an authorized operator, and the Ministry of Culture checks visitors at Lucmabamba on the Llactapata path and has said it will step up checks on people without guides. I went with a company for lodges, meals and transfers and walked alone.

How do you get Machu Picchu tickets for the Salkantay Trek?

In 2026 you buy a timed ticket for a day, hour and route on the Ministry of Culture's site, tuboleto.cultura.pe, and pay at once; it carries your passport number and can't be changed or refunded. A foreign adult pays S/152 for most routes and S/200 with Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, plus a S/11 conservation fee from May 2026.

Do you have to walk the road on the Salkantay Trek?

No. From Chaullay I took a car for an hour to the coffee farm at Lucmabamba. People walk that section, but it's a road with cars, and I don't recommend it.

When is the best time to hike the Salkantay Trek?

The dry season: the Machu Picchu sanctuary recommends April to October, and November to March is the rainy season, when landslides close parts of the route. I went May 5 to 8, 2022.

The Salkantay Trek film: Cusco region, Peru

Cusco region, Peru · 4 days · 42 miles

Salkantay Trek Hiking Guide

4 days over the Salkantay Pass to Machu Picchu.

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Real pages from the guide. Tap one to see it big.

A day page
A day map and elevation profile
At a glance
Machu Picchu: tickets and rules

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The route

My GPS recording of 4 days on a relief map. The numbers are where each day starts; the red dot is the finish. The full GPX files and the day maps come with the guide.

Relief map of the Salkantay Trek route: 4 days drawn in red with numbered day starts, labelled Challacancha, Machu Picchu, Nevado Salkantay and Chaullay. — Map data: Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED) on AWS · Glaciers, rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors

At a glance

Days: 4 days
Distance: 42 miles
Climbing: About 11,330 ft (3,450 m) up
Season: The dry season, April to October
Route: Challacancha to Machu Picchu

What's inside

All four days. Stats, the time I took, my notes, the trail, where to get off, a map with an elevation profile, and links to that day in my film.
My GPX files. My own recordings for each day, Humantay Lake, Machu Picchu and my Cusco acclimatization hike, with waypoints for the places in the guide, ready for AllTrails, Gaia GPS, Garmin or Organic Maps.
Machu Picchu. How the 2026 tickets, circuits, entry times and rules work, and walking up from Aguas Calientes or taking the bus.
With a company or on your own. What my 4-day package included, what's allowed in 2026 without a guide, and the local fees.
Altitude. Every sleeping height from my GPS, how the trek compares with the CDC's rules of thumb, and my day hike out of Cusco to almost 14,000 ft.
Getting there and back. Cusco to Mollepata and the trailhead, the road I skipped, the railway from Hidroeléctrica, and the trains back to Cusco.
Before you go and a trip sheet. One page of year-to-year checks and a printable one-page summary of the whole trek.

About this trip

In May 2022 I hiked the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu: from Challacancha above Mollepata to the lodges at Soraypampa and Humantay Lake, over the Salkantay Pass, down into the cloud forest and the coffee farms, over Llactapata to Aguas Calientes, and up to Machu Picchu. 42 miles on foot in four days. It's the trip from my film Hiking 40 miles on the Salkantay Trek in Peru. This guide has my GPS files, maps and notes for every day, how Machu Picchu tickets and circuits work in 2026, going with a company or on your own, my acclimatization hike from Cusco, and the trains back.

Watch the film on YouTube (366K views).

Gear for this route

Paid links: I earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The company's lodges and cooks meant I didn't carry a tent, a stove or food for the trail in 2022, and I left a duffel at my hotel in Cusco. Here's what I had, what I'd take now, and what I filmed with.

What I carried in 2022

From the film and my photos. No brands, so no links.

Sun shirta hooded sun shirt, a cap and sunglasses
Rain jacketa rain jacketI had rain and mist on Day 3 and at Machu Picchu.
Layerswarm layers for the lodge
Phonean iPhone 12 Pro MaxAllTrails each day, a podcast for the railway.

What I'd take now

What I'd bring for this trek from my current kit.

Sun hoodiePATH Projects Pyrenees T19 Hoodie PATH ProjectsThe sun is strong up high.
CapPATH Projects Muir Cap 2.0 PATH Projects
SunglassesGoodr OG Sunglasses Amazon
Rain shellArc’teryx Beta AR Jacket Arc’teryxRain and mist on Day 3 and at Machu Picchu.
PuffyArc’teryx Cerium Hoody Arc’teryxFor Soraypampa and the pass.
Small packArc’teryx Aerios 15 (now the Aerios 18) Arc’teryxBig bags aren't allowed in Machu Picchu.
WaterKatadyn BeFree AC · 1L AmazonFilter or treat anything from a stream.
PolesBlack Diamond Alpine Carbon Z Poles AmazonFor the pass, not for Machu Picchu.
NavigationAllTrails+ AllTrails · 30% offLoad my GPX files and download offline maps in Cusco. Offline maps need the paid plan.
Phone dataAiralo eSIM Airalo · $3 offData in Lima and Cusco.

Filming kit

What I filmed this trip with in 2022. My setup is smaller now (below). Drones aren't allowed at Machu Picchu: see Machu Picchu: tickets and rules.

Cameraa camera with a wide-angle lens
Tripoda tripod
DroneDJI Air 2S Amazon now the Air 3S

What I film with now

Since September 2026 I film with a smaller setup: the Pocket 4 and the Mic 3 on the trail, and the Mini 5 Pro in the air.

CameraDJI Osmo Pocket 4 Amazon
MicDJI Mic 3 · 1 TX + 1 RX AmazonIt pairs with the Pocket 4.
DroneDJI Mini 5 Pro Amazon
TripodSmallRig Carbon Fiber Tripod Amazon

Everything I carry now: my gear page.

The Day 2, Soraypampa over the Salkantay Pass to Chaullay page from the Salkantay Trek Hiking Guide

Free sample + packing list

Try Day 2 free, plus my packing list

Soraypampa over the Salkantay Pass to Chaullay

The whole day page from the guide as a PDF, plus my hut-to-hut packing list: the 35 things I carry, with a note on each. The PDF opens right away and both come by email. You'll also get my emails about new guides and trips, a few a year.

The details

Format: A 56-page PDF sized for a phone (A5, prints fine too) and a folder of GPX files, in one zip download.
Edition: 2027 season edition, updated September 2026.
Delivery: Instant. After you pay you get a private download link. Bookmark it to download again on any device.
Payment: Secure checkout through Stripe, in your own currency. Tax is included in the price, except in the US and Canada, where any sales tax is added at checkout.
Refunds: Not useful? Email me within 30 days for a refund: kraig@kraigadams.com.
Questions: Email kraig@kraigadams.com.

Questions

How many days is the Salkantay Trek?: I did it in 4 days in May 2022: Challacancha to Soraypampa and Humantay Lake, over the Salkantay Pass to Chaullay, Lucmabamba over Llactapata to Aguas Calientes, and Machu Picchu on the last morning. That's 42 miles on foot on my GPS, with a car ride on the road from Chaullay to Lucmabamba. Many companies also sell 5 days. Add two days in Cusco first to acclimatize.
How high is the Salkantay Pass?: My GPS read 4,636 m (15,211 ft) at the pass. Humantay Lake is about 4,266 m on my GPS, my first night at Soraypampa was at 3,860 m (12,660 ft), and Cusco is about 3,400 m (11,150 ft).
Do you need a guide for the Salkantay Trek?: In September 2026 no permit is needed for the route over the Salkantay Pass, which isn't an Inca Trail route. But the park service's page for the Machu Picchu sanctuary says visitors must use an authorized operator, and the Ministry of Culture checks visitors at Lucmabamba on the Llactapata path and has said it will step up checks on people without guides. I went with a company for lodges, meals and transfers and walked alone.
How do you get Machu Picchu tickets for the Salkantay Trek?: In 2026 you buy a timed ticket for a day, hour and route on the Ministry of Culture's site, tuboleto.cultura.pe, and pay at once; it carries your passport number and can't be changed or refunded. A foreign adult pays S/152 for most routes and S/200 with Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, plus a S/11 conservation fee from May 2026.
Do you have to walk the road on the Salkantay Trek?: No. From Chaullay I took a car for an hour to the coffee farm at Lucmabamba. People walk that section, but it's a road with cars, and I don't recommend it.
When is the best time to hike the Salkantay Trek?: The dry season: the Machu Picchu sanctuary recommends April to October, and November to March is the rainy season, when landslides close parts of the route. I went May 5 to 8, 2022.

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