Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu: Tours, Route and Difficulty

The Salkantay trek is a high Andean hike from the Mollepata area, about 3 hours by road from Cusco, over the Salkantay pass at 4,650 m (15,256 ft) and down through cloud forest to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu. The classic route covers about 70 km (43 mi) in 4 or 5 days, and our shortest version is a 2-day loop to the pass and Humantay Lake. It needs no Inca Trail permit, and our group tours start at US$310 per person.

• 4,650 m(15,256 ft) at the Salkantay pass, between the Salkantay (6,271 m / 20,574 ft) and Tucarhuay peaks.
• 15, 19, 16 km(9, 12 and 10 mi) on the first three days of our 4- and 5-day treks; day 2 is the longest, 8–9 hours.
• No permitbeyond the Machu Picchu ticket, which is included on our 3-, 4- and 5-day treks.

Salkantay trek tours compared

All five are group departures with a bilingual guide, hotel pickup in Cusco and the community entrance fee for Humantay Lake and the Salkantay trail.

Prices are per person in a group for the 2026–2027 season; departures need at least 2 people. On the 4-day hut trek, ask us for the train fare on your date. The 3-, 4- and 5-day treks include the Machu Picchu ticket, the bus up and a guided tour of 2–2.5 hours. Short on time? The Humantay Lake full-day tour visits the lake without the pass.

Salkantay trek map: the route stop by stop

The route climbs past the glacier, drops through cloud forest and joins the railway to Aguas Calientes. The stops in order:

1. Cusco to Mollepata and Challacancha: pickup at 4:30 a.m. (3:00 a.m. on the 3-day trek) and about 3 hours by road. Most tours drive on to Challacancha, the trailhead, which skips the dusty road from Mollepata; the 3-day trek starts higher, at Soraypampa.
2. Soraypampa: the first camp, at about 3,800 m (12,467 ft), close to the Salkantay glacier. On the 2-day, 4-day dome and 5-day treks you hike up to Humantay Lake in the afternoon of day 1.
3. Salkantay pass: about 4 hours uphill from Soraypampa, starting around 5:30 a.m. on day 2. Snow is possible at the top.
4. Huayracmachay to Chaullay or Collpapampa: a long descent to the edge of the jungle. Second night at about 2,750 m (9,022 ft).
5. La Playa (Sahuayaco) and Lucmabamba: about 6 hours along the Lluskamayo River, past waterfalls and fruit farms, down to about 1,600 m (5,249 ft).
6. Llactapata: a climb on an original Inca path to a site with a distant view of Machu Picchu, on our 4-day dome and 5-day treks.
7. Hidroeléctrica to Aguas Calientes: 2 to 2.5 hours on foot along the railway. Aguas Calientes sits at 2,040 m (6,693 ft).
8. Machu Picchu: the first bus at 5:30 a.m. (25 minutes) or about 1 hour 30 minutes on foot, a guided tour of 2–2.5 hours, then the train to Ollantaytambo and the road to Cusco.

Altitude profile

Why the pass figure varies: Peruvian press and trail sites publish 4,600, 4,630 and 4,650 m, and GPS tracks give up to 4,655 m; we use 4,650 m. Every stop is compared in our Machu Picchu elevation guide.

Salkantay trek distance: how many km?

Websites quote anything from 55 to 79 km (34–49 mi) for the same trek. The gap comes from three choices: whether you start walking in Mollepata or drive on to Challacancha, whether a vehicle covers part of the low section near La Playa and Hidroeléctrica, and whether the route adds the climb to Llactapata. Peruvian sources put the classic route at about 70 km in 4 days.

Our walking distances, from each itinerary:

• 4-day treks (huts or domes): 15 km, 19 km and 16 km on days 1–3, about 50 km (31 mi) on foot, plus the optional walk up to Machu Picchu on day 4. On the hut trek, a local car takes you from La Playa to Hidroeléctrica.
• 5-day dome trek: 15, 19, 16, 12 and 4 km, about 66 km (41 mi), including Llactapata.
• 2-day trek: 15 km on day 1 with Humantay Lake and 11 km to the pass and back on day 2, about 26 km (16 mi).

Salkantay trek difficulty

We rate every Salkantay tour as challenging, and altitude is the main reason. You sleep the first night at about 3,800 m and cross 4,650 m the next morning, higher than any point on the Inca Trail. Day 2 is the hardest: 19 km and 8–9 hours, with the first 4 hours uphill. The 3-day trek packs the pass into day 1, and the 2-day trek climbs to the pass and returns the same way (11 km, 5–6 hours).

• Acclimatize first: spend 2–3 days in Cusco before the trek. If you feel unwell on the trail, rest, drink plenty of fluids and tell your guide; going down is the best remedy. Our 2- and 3-day treks carry emergency oxygen, and every tour has a first-aid kit. Read altitude sickness: where you sleep, what the CDC says and a 3-day plan.
• Good for: regular hikers who are comfortable with several long days, want big mountain scenery and could not get an Inca Trail permit. Mules carry the camp and up to 6 kg of your things on the 4- and 5-day treks, so you walk with a daypack.
• Think twice if: you arrive in Cusco the day before, have never hiked a full day, or want Inca ruins along the way. The Humantay Lake day trip or the Inca Trail may suit you better.

Camping, Andean huts or sky domes?

The route and the effort are the same; comfort and price change.

• Camping (3 days, US$390): one night at the Chaullay campsite after crossing the pass, then a hotel in Aguas Calientes. It is the fastest way to Machu Picchu over Salkantay.
• Andean huts (4 days, US$440): two nights in huts at Soraypampa and Chaullay, with a dining tent, tables, chairs and a cook. A sleeping bag is not included; you can rent one from us for US$20.
• Sky domes (2, 4 or 5 days, from US$310): geodesic domes with beds, at Soraypampa and, on the longer treks, Chaullay and La Playa. On the 4-day dome trek each dome takes 2–3 people, the camp has hot showers and private toilets, and meals are served in a dining dome. The 4- and 5-day dome treks also add the Llactapata viewpoint.

Every Machu Picchu trek ends with a hotel night in Aguas Calientes: on the 5-day trek a twin room with private bathroom, on the 4-day dome trek a private room with Wi-Fi.

Best time for the Salkantay trek

Unlike the Inca Trail, the Salkantay route does not close in February; for rainy-season dates, ask us about departures. April to November is our recommended window. Rain falls from November to April, heaviest from January to March, when the trail gets muddy. In the dry season the nights at Soraypampa drop below freezing (0 °C / 32 °F), and it can snow at the pass, so pack warm layers whatever your date. Month by month: best time to visit Machu Picchu and the rainy season, month by month.

Permits, tickets and fees

No Inca Trail permit is needed, so Salkantay can usually be booked at shorter notice. What you do need:

• Machu Picchu ticket: included on our 3-, 4- and 5-day treks. It is sold for a set circuit and entry time, and Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain are separate tickets (US$80 each, subject to availability). See Machu Picchu circuits and Machu Picchu tickets 2027.
• Your original passport: bring it on the trek for the Machu Picchu entrance.
• Community entrance fee: charged by the local communities for Humantay Lake and the Salkantay trail, and included on all five tours.

Salkantay or the Inca Trail?

Choose Salkantay for high mountains, glacier views and easier dates: no permit, departures in February and a pass at 4,650 m. Choose the Inca Trail for history, with original Inca paving, ruins along the way and the arrival through the Sun Gate; its highest point is 4,215 m (13,828 ft), but permits are limited and sell out months ahead. Compare them in Inca Trail vs Salkantay Trek or see our Inca Trail tours.

Related guide: Inca Trail sold out? 2027 alternatives ranked by how close they feel

What to bring and how to prepare

Pack your passport, worn-in waterproof boots, a rain jacket or poncho, warm layers and thermals for the nights, a headlamp, sun hat, sunscreen, insect repellent for the cloud forest, cash in soles and a reusable water bottle (plastic bottles are not allowed in Machu Picchu). Trekking poles need rubber tips, and a swimsuit is useful if you plan to visit the hot springs in Aguas Calientes (S/15). On most tours we give a briefing the day before, and on the 5-day trek you get a duffel bag for the 6 kg the mules carry. Use our packing list with a printable checklist and the 12-week training plan: the Salkantay pass is higher than anything on the Inca Trail, so add longer uphill sessions.

Related guide: Getting back from Machu Picchu: bus, train and Cusco

Frequently asked questions