About this trip
Five days on foot from the high Andes down into cloud forest, following the Salkantay route to Machu Picchu rather than the more crowded Inca Trail.
You cross a high mountain pass beneath snow and ice, drop through changing scenery as the air warms and the forest thickens, and camp out under clear night skies along the way.
It's a proper physical trek with a big pay-off at the end — walking in to Machu Picchu having earned the view.
What you'll do
- Cross the Salkantay Pass beneath the snow-capped Salkantay peak
- Camp under starlit skies in the mountains
- Walk through changing landscapes from high alpine terrain to cloud forest
- Pass through small Andean communities along the trail
- Visit Inca ruins en route
- Arrive at Machu Picchu
- This is a physically demanding trek with a high mountain pass, so some fitness and acclimatisation matter
- Partially guided and run as a private trip, so check what's included on travel days versus on the trail
Worth it if you're fit, prepared for serious hardship, and value authentic wilderness over comfort. Think twice if you need reliable logistics, decent accommodation, or hate early starts.
- Accommodation is genuinely rough: metal-spring mattresses, outdoor bathroom access across courtyards, no hot water for hours.
- Logistical chaos at Machu Picchu: wrong ticket date, luggage not carried as promised, 10am checkout before 2:55pm train created rushed day.
- Guide quality is exceptional when good: experienced, bilingual, attentive to safety and personal needs throughout challenging days.
- Very early 4:30am starts and long daily distances; genuinely tests fitness. Not a casual walk; bring serious endurance.
Distilled from real traveller reviews on TourRadar — we don't edit out the bad bits.
The same-vibe trips, side by side — price, value per day, and how each is moving. Only we can lay two operators' trips out honestly.
Sorted by fit — never by who paid. Price moves and fill fill in from our own tracking as it builds.
Getting there
Opens Trip.com, pre-filled — one-way so you can book your return whenever. Prices & booking shown there.
Where to stay
A night before your tour in Cusco · 20 Jul – 21 Jul
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