- Duration
-
4 days / 3 nights
- Tour type
-
High-mountain trek to Machu Picchu. It's an alternative route that doesn't require an Inca Trail permit.
- Distance
-
About 41 km of hiking on Days 1 to 3, plus the Machu Picchu visit on Day 4
- Hiking hours per day
-
- Day 1: about 5 h, including the Humantay Lake visit
- Day 2: about 8 h
- Day 3: about 6 h
- Day 4: guided tour of about 2 h in Machu Picchu
- Difficulty
-
Challenging
- Altitudes
-
- Soraypampa: 3,800 m a.s.l.
- Humantay Lake: 4,200 m a.s.l.
- Highest point: Salkantay Pass, 4,600 m a.s.l.
- Chaullay / Collpapampa: 2,750 m a.s.l.
- Aguas Calientes: 1,600 m a.s.l.
- Machu Picchu: 2,400 m a.s.l.
- Accommodation
-
- 2 nights in campsites or Andean cabins, at Soraypampa and Chaullay / Collpapampa
- 1 night in a hotel in Aguas Calientes
- Group size
-
Minimum 2 and maximum 8 people per group
- Minimum age
-
8 years
- Season
-
The best time is April to October (dry season). From November to March it rains and there's a risk of landslides, and there are no departures in February. In the dry season, nights can drop below 0 °C and it may snow at the pass.
Day 01
Day 1: Cusco – Mollepata – Soraypampa – Humantay Lake
The day before departure you'll have a briefing with your Flamenco Travel guide. We'll go over the route and the gear you need, and give you the duffel bag for your belongings.
Very early, the Flamenco Travel team will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco. We'll drive about 3 hours through the town of Mollepata, with views of the Salkantay and Humantay peaks, to Challacancha / Soraypampa. There our team of muleteers and our cook will be waiting to organize the mules and equipment.
Then we'll start the hike up to Humantay Lake (4,200 m a.s.l.), a turquoise lake at the foot of the glacier of the same name. We'll have time to enjoy it before returning to Soraypampa (3,800 m a.s.l.) for lunch. In the afternoon we'll rest to acclimatize. It's the highest and coldest night of the trip, and on clear nights the starry sky is spectacular.
Day 02
Day 2: Soraypampa – Salkantay Pass – Huayracmachay – Chaullay / Collpapampa
This is the longest and most demanding day. We'll wake up with coca tea and, after breakfast, start climbing through a rocky valley to Salkantay Pass (4,600 m a.s.l.). The pass lies between the towering Salkantay peak (6,271 m), the sacred "Apu" of the Incas, and Tucarhuay peak. The views are worth the effort, and it may snow up here.
After a break we'll descend along a gravel and stone trail to Huayracmachay for lunch. In the afternoon we'll enter the cloud forest, with orchids and native vegetation, and the weather will turn warmer as we reach our second campsite, Chaullay / Collpapampa (2,750 m a.s.l.).
Day 03
Day 3: Chaullay – La Playa – Lucmabamba – Hidroeléctrica – Aguas Calientes
After breakfast we'll hike through the high jungle along the river, past waterfalls, streams, and farms growing bananas, avocados, passion fruit, and coffee. With luck we'll spot the Andean cock-of-the-rock, Peru's national bird.
We'll reach La Playa and Lucmabamba (about 2,000 m a.s.l.), where we'll have lunch and enjoy an organic coffee experience with a local family, from harvest to roasting and tasting. Here we say goodbye to our muleteers.
In the afternoon we'll take a vehicle to Santa Teresa and Hidroeléctrica, and from there the train to Aguas Calientes. We'll stay at a hotel selected by Flamenco Travel to rest before the big day.
Day 04
Day 4: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Ollantaytambo – Cusco
After an early breakfast we'll take the bus up to Machu Picchu, a ride of about 25 to 30 minutes. At the entrance checkpoint you'll show your original passport.
We'll take a guided tour of about 2 hours along Circuit 2. It's a broad route that includes the classic view from the upper area and the main temples and sectors of the citadel. Afterward you'll have free time, or you can climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain if you booked it.
Then we'll take the bus down to Aguas Calientes, where you'll have lunch on your own. In the afternoon we'll board the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo, and from there Flamenco Travel's transport will take you to your hotel in Cusco. You'll arrive in the evening.
Mules or horses: they carry the shared equipment, the food, and up to 5 kg of your personal belongings in a duffel bag that Flamenco Travel gives you at the briefing. You'll only have access to that bag when you reach each campsite.
Daypack: you carry it yourself, with water, snacks, rain gear, a warm layer, sunscreen, and your passport.
Extra horse: if you want to carry more weight or prefer to ride over the pass, you can request one in advance. The price is coordinated with the reservations team once your booking is confirmed.
Sleeping bag: bring one rated for below-freezing temperatures (about -5 °C) or rent one from Flamenco Travel.
Train: the carry-on luggage limit is about 5 kg per person.
Large luggage: leave it at your hotel in Cusco or at the Flamenco Travel office.
Only small backpacks are allowed in Machu Picchu.
Safety: the guide carries a first aid kit and an oxygen tank and is trained in first aid.
Safety: the guide sets the pace, organizes breaks, and watches for altitude sickness symptoms, especially on the climb to Salkantay Pass.
Safety: if someone can't continue, the team arranges the necessary help and evacuation.
Safety: there's no cell signal on Day 2. The emergency communication the guide carries is coordinated with the reservations team once your booking is confirmed.
