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Salkantay Trek: a still from my film

Cusco region, Peru · May 2022 · Solo

Salkantay Trek

67.6 KM · 4 DAYS · 3,450 M

4 days over the Salkantay Pass to Machu Picchu.

Watch the film 40:53 · 366K views

At a glance

Where
Cusco region, Peru
Distance
67.6 km (42.0 miles)
Days
4 walking days, 3 nights (a lodge, a coffee farm, a hotel), plus a day in Cusco before
Climbing
About 11,330 ft (3,450 m) up and 13,970 ft (4,260 m) down, with Machu Picchu
Season
The dry season, April to October. I walked May 5 to 8, 2022
Difficulty
A clear, busy path. One big pass near 15,200 ft, then long descents
Route
Challacancha to Machu Picchu
When I went
May 2022
Relief map of the Salkantay Trek route: 4 days drawn in red with numbered day starts, labelled Challacancha, Machu Picchu, Nevado Salkantay and Chaullay.
Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Highest 15,210 ft (4,636 m)

Elevation, start to finish: highest 15,210 ft (4,636 m), lowest 5,860 ft (1,785 m).

My GPS recording on a relief map. The numbers are where each day starts. The GPX files come with the guide.

Everything I made about it

The film

Photos

  • Humantay Lake and the Humantay glaciers, the afternoon of Day 1.
    Humantay Lake and the Humantay glaciers, the afternoon of Day 1.
  • Nevado Salkantay's ice from the Salkantay Pass, Day 2.
    Nevado Salkantay's ice from the Salkantay Pass, Day 2.
  • A suspension bridge on the way down from Llactapata, Day 3.
    A suspension bridge on the way down from Llactapata, Day 3.
  • Machu Picchu in cloud, the morning of Day 4.
    Machu Picchu in cloud, the morning of Day 4.
Nevado Salkantay above the valley at Soraypampa, the evening of Day 1.
Nevado Salkantay above the valley at Soraypampa, the evening of Day 1.

The guide · 56-page PDF + GPX files · 2027 season edition

Do it yourself

4 days over the Salkantay Pass to Machu Picchu.

  • All four days
  • My GPX files
  • Machu Picchu
  • With a company or on your own
  • Altitude

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Look inside the guide

Free sample

Try Day 2 free

The whole Day 2, Soraypampa over the Salkantay Pass to Chaullay page from the guide as a PDF, plus my hut-to-hut packing list: the 35 things I carry, with a note on each. Both come by email. You'll also get my emails about new guides and trips, a few a year.

Gear on this trip

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What I carried in 2022

  • 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.

Filming kit

  • Cameraa camera with a wide-angle lens
  • Tripoda tripod
  • DroneDJI Air 2S

What I'd take now

My current kit

Everything I use, in Tools

The Americas and New Zealand bundle

This guide is in The Americas and New Zealand Hiking Guide Pack: 36 guides for $39. Or all 62 guides for $59.

Short answers

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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