7 days (4 on trek) as part of a tailor-made holiday in PeruThis luxury trek is as beautiful as the Classic Inca Trail, with more variety; from glaciers to tropical forest. You'll see vestiges of Inca culture and life as it is lived now in the mountains on farmsteads and in hamlets.
If you don’t fancy camping, this is a much more comfortable alternative. Local company Mountain Lodges of Peru have set up a series of lodges along the route where you'll spend the night and eat in relative luxury.
Every evening, take a hot shower, relax with a cold beer in the Jacuzzi or beside a wood-burning stove, with towering mountain views. Innovative 3 course meals are served and a selection of wines is available.
If you prefer to travel between the lodges on horseback rather than on foot, this option is also available.
Prefer to camp? A budget option is available (see more images here too): Salkantay Trek Suggested Holiday ItineraryDay 1: drive from Cusco to Salkantay Lodge and Resort. Relax or take a short trek. Overnight.
Day 2: At leisure to rest, take an acclimatisation hike or activities. Overnight.
Day 3: Hike up the Rio Blanco valley, the highest point on the trek is a pass at 4,600 m. At the pass, n views of snow-capped peaks of the Vilcabamba Range. Overnight at Wayra Lodge.
Day 4: Hike downhill above the Salkantay River, through increasingly verdant scenery. Overnight at Collpa Lodge.
Day 5: Head down the Santa Teresa River Valley, through more populated rural areas with coffee plantations and fruit groves. Overnight at Lucma Lodge, at 2,100m.
Day 6: Head uphill to Llactapata Ruins and finally a distant but spectacular view of Machu Picchu. Train (30 mins) to Machu Picchu village (Aguas Calientes) and Machu Picchu. Overnight at Hotel Inkaterra Machu Picchu. Guided tour of the ruins.
Day 7: return to Cusco. View detailed itinerary >> Our comment
We cannot rate this marvellous experience too highly. Some of the high-altitude trekking is quite hard-going – although rewarded with intimate-mountain views - but the prospect of an evening of comfort and good food is a great incentive. The lodges are well-run and service is eager to please.
As a bonus, the trail leads to Machu Picchu through the 'back door': your first views of the site, from a little visited Inca ruin, are uncompromised with evidence of 21st century Man (roads, hotel, power lines etc): it looks as it would have done to a weary traveller in the era of the Incas.
Read more about this trip in my article for our online Papagaio magazine
Machu Picchu through the back door
Claire Milner, Client Information Manager You might also like
Treks around Cusco
| 
 Mountain Lodges of Peru
View more images      |