5 Days Salkantay Trek and Machu Picchu

The legendary Salkantay Trek: everyone we meet in Cusco, whether locals or other travelers, loves it! It is one of the most popular and beautiful hikes in the world, as it offers everything from snow-capped peaks, barren rocky deserts, steep mountains, turquoise lakes, and tropical forests! And of course, we can't forget the grand finale at Machu Picchu!

So, the expectations and respect are high as we attend the briefing of our tour guide Willy from KB Adventures (highly recommended!) on the evening before our 75km trek. Our "family" for the next 5 days is expanded with Anja (Germany), Holly (England), Lexi (USA), and Vitali (Ukraine), who initially shock us with the news that there was a big fire on the first day's section yesterday and we may not be able to start... Our guide reassures us and says that the fire caused by farmers is somewhat under control.

Then we have to pack our bags, which, apart from our daypacks, will be carried by mules.

Day 1:

How we love getting up early... We are picked up from the hotel at 4:30 am. In the minivan, we still expect Marius (Romania), Enrique (Mexico), Daryl and Brody (Australia) to complete our family. The first stop, around 7 am, is of course a breakfast place. Then we continue a bit further up the mountain to our starting point. There is still a lot of smoke in the air from the fire of the past few days, but nothing can stop our Salkantay Trek, and we are the "No-Fire-Team", the "Superhikers", and the "We-Booked-the-Sunny-Tour" team and anything else we want to call ourselves.

So, let's start by going up the mountain a little bit, along watercourses, surrounded by cows, foxes, and yes, actually, condors! We wanted to see them for a long time, and suddenly they are just circling lazily above our heads... The first day is still relatively easy, and it takes 2 hours and 7km to reach our basecamp in Soray at around 3850m; a cute little collection of huts with half a glass roof, so we can see the stars at night.

After a delicious lunch prepared by our traveling chefs and a short nap, we set off to the nearby Humantay Lake (about 1 hour up and 1 hour down). Some of us are already reaching our limits because the lake is at an altitude of 4200m. But the path is just a tiny preview of tomorrow... Arriving at the clear blue Humantay, we can relax for a bit, take photos, and climb a few hills.

We discover a "Viscacha," which is related to chinchillas, hidden among the red-brown-gray stones. Then we go back down to the basecamp for the daily popcorn happy hour (yes!) and dinner afterward.

After the 11km of the day, we fall blissfully asleep in our cozy sleeping bags in the cold night under the stars.

Day 2:

We are awakened with hot coca tea (against possible altitude sickness) at 5 am. Get dressed, pack, breakfast, let's go!

We set off shortly after 6 am because we have a tough day ahead with 22km and several meters of elevation (about 750m up, about 2150m down!). Our guide, Willy, tells us a lot about Peru, its people, food, culture, history, the Incas, and Quechua. Quechua is his mother tongue, and there are fewer and fewer people who still speak this language of the ancient people. He also knows how to motivate us and pays attention to everyone in the group, no matter what pace we set.

We continue to climb up the mountain, surrounded by great peaks, always keeping our goal, the Salkantay Pass, in sight. Time passes quickly, also because we get along so well with the people in our group and spend the whole time chatting (albeit half out of breath). On the last section, we face a challenge; the "Gringo-Killer" awaits us. There are some from other groups who give up and let mules transport them to the pass, but that is out of the question for us! Surprisingly well and without further problems, we finally reach 4600m.

After a short break, we perform a touching ceremony in Quechua with Willy, where we ask the mountain gods for permission for a safe onward journey and good weather. We also mentally tie three coca leaves to get rid of anything bad and to wish good things for ourselves and our loved ones, and we offer them to the mountain with gratitude. Then the leaves are buried under a pile of stones, which we collected at the basecamp and carried up here as a gift to the mountain. Everyone embraces at the end, which brings our group even closer together and allows us to continue our way downhill fresh and cheerful.

We finally reach the valley, where our lunch is already waiting. After a short break, during which we stretch our tired muscles a bit, we continue because there are still 10km to be done... The further down we go, the more the vegetation changes to subtropical plants and unfortunately also to thousands of mosquitoes waiting for us. The scenic diversity of today is truly impressive! Below us in the valley, a mountain stream rushes along and we gradually make our way toward today's camp.

Everyone is relieved when we reach the accommodation, and there are even hot showers! Afterward, our physiotherapeutic skills are in demand, as Daryl twisted his ankle and Anja and Lexi need a massage.

Proud of what we have accomplished and seen today, we fall into bed.

Day 3:

After yesterday's exhausting day, we have a more relaxed hike today. We only hike uphill in the morning and then downhill again. Always along the river, crossing several bridges, accompanied by chirping birds, until we reach passion fruit plantations. However, countless mosquitoes attack us there, and we try to walk as fast as possible. Just before the end, we can't stand it anymore and beg Willy to let us put our feet in the crystal-clear river. He agrees to a 10-minute stop, which we all enjoy very much. Refreshed, we walk the last kilometers and arrive at our camp just in time for lunch.

The 12km felt like not much today, but we are still glad to take a nap in the shade after lunch. We say goodbye to Marius and Enrique, who are taking a shortcut on the Salkantay and will already go to Machu Picchu tomorrow. They still have 3 more hours of hiking today, while we have the opportunity to go to hot springs in the afternoon to relax in the warm water. The outdoor thermal baths are almost empty, and we have the pools almost to ourselves.

We spend the time until dinner playing cards and of course, enjoying the popcorn happy hour.

Day 4:

Today is the last day of our hike before finally going to Machu Picchu. But the way will be tough! Especially for Tina, who wakes up with a sore throat, cough, and runny nose. We only find out that we still have to walk 25km when we ask because everyone wonders why we are hiking steeply uphill just behind the camp. The path leads through numerous blooming coffee plantations, and we steadily climb higher up the mountain. Today, we have to cross a pass from 1900m to 2800m, which is quite exhausting with the humid and warm air and already having 3 days of hiking in our legs...

After about 3 hours, we reach the pass, and a little further down, from a small Inca ruin, we catch the first glimpse of Machu Picchu through the haze. The goal is getting closer, and we realize how far we have already walked in the past few days (but also how incredibly far we still have to go today). But now we have to go down the mountain again to the river, which seems to take an eternity for all of us. That damn bridge over the river just doesn't seem to get any closer... When it finally appears, no one has much energy left, joints ache, and the heat is unbearable. We cover the last 30 minutes to lunch silently and are overjoyed when we finally arrive at the restaurant in Hidroelectrica, take off our hiking boots, and plop down into a hammock. We also meet the rest of our group for dinner: the Australians, who had to rely on minibusses for transport two days ago due to health issues and will continue by train from here, as well as Marius and Enrique, who are returning from Machu Picchu.

In the hammock, Tina takes a quick nap to gather strength for the last 10km, but when she wakes up, she definitely has a fever. Not a good condition. Nevertheless, she doesn't want to give up and walks the last 10km, which fortunately run relatively flat along the train tracks to the Machu Picchu village Aguas Calientes. On the way, we have no choice but to keep walking because the mosquitoes don't give us a break.

Arriving in Aguas Calientes, we check into our hotel rooms and are glad to be back in civilization. There are hot showers, clean beds, Wi-Fi, mobile reception, and a restaurant with hot food - everything we currently wish for! We quickly book bus tickets for tomorrow to go from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu and then sleep.

Day 5:

The alarm clock rings again at 4:30 am because we have to leave for the bus at 5 am. Our tickets for Machu Picchu (Circuit 3 with Machu Picchu Mountain) are booked for 6 am. Once again, we gather all our strength for the highlight and reward for the previous four exhausting days. Together with Willy, we take the bus up the switchbacks. Once at the top, we wait briefly and then go straight in, to the best-known of the 7 new wonders of the world. Everything is still misty, and the extent of the Inca ruins can only be guessed. The surrounding steep mountains are also not yet visible. So, Willy first tells us everything about the origin and rediscovery (1911) of the sacred Inca site.

By the way, our old acquaintances, the Viscachas, also live here and look with astonishment from the old walls.

Slowly, the view clears, and the fog clouds move mystically along the mountains. It is an impressive natural spectacle, where we don't know what impresses us more: the ingenious construction of the Inca city up here on the mountain or the fantastic panorama around it. Probably it's the combination of both that makes this place so unique and special.

After Willy's tour, we try to climb Machu Picchu Mountain, but with Tina's health condition, it just doesn't make sense. However, this way we somehow get into the other circuits as well and can admire the entire extent of the site. The Incas used different terraces to cultivate different kinds of vegetables and they found out which crop flourished better at which altitude. They also learned how to build with the mountain and created walls in a trapezoidal shape, so they could withstand earthquakes without the need for cement or similar. About 30% of Machu Picchu is still hidden beneath dense vegetation, which covered the entire site when it was rediscovered.

At noon, we return to Aguas Calientes and have a coffee or two until our train departs. Unfortunately, it is significantly delayed, and the bus is also stuck in traffic, so it gets pretty late until we finally arrive at the hotel in Cusco. Once there, it's time to rest for a few days.

We can definitely talk about this very special hike, the fantastic people, and the magic of Machu Picchu for a long time! Put it on your bucket list! 🫵📝♥️

PS: It's a good thing we booked the sunny tour because even though the rainy season is supposed to start, we didn't get wet once! Thank you, weather god! ;)