If you want to trek the Salkantay on a serious budget without missing out on any of the fun, check out how to do it below.
First Things First...
The first thing to note is that we did this hike WITHOUT A GUIDE. There is no need to pay for a guide as this route is not on protected land (unlike the Inca Trail). We also brought our own food for the first day to save costs as dinner wasn’t included.
We brought food for our lunches for each day and just carried this food but you can get food at some different places along the way. You are able to buy snacks in the different villages along the way also.
It's useful to have a trail on Wikiloc, AllTrails or MapsMe to follow. The trail is very clear for most of the hike but it’s handy to have to refer to on day 3 and at times on day 4.
All-in-all our hike cost us about €160 per person. That included transport to the start of the hike, food and accommodation along the way and our Machu Picchu entrance ticket too.
We did our trek in 6 days but can be done shorter:
Option 1:
Day 1: Cusco to Soraypampa (with day hike to Humantay Lake)
Day 2: Soraypampa to Chuallay
Day 3: Chuallay to Lucmabamba
Day 4: Lucmabamba to Llactapata Lodge
Day 5: Llactapata Lodge to Aguas Calientes
Day 6: Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu to Cusco
Option 2:
Day 1: Cusco to Soraypampa
Day 2: Soraypampa to Chuallay or Collpapampa
Day 3: Chuallay/Collpapampa to Llactapata
Day 4: Llactapata to Aguas Calientes
Option 3:
Day 1: Cusco to Soraypampa
Day 2: Soraypampa to Chuallay or Collpapampa
Day 3: Chuallay/Collpapampa to Lucmabamba
Day 4: Lucmabamba to Aguas Calientes and pass through Llactapata without staying there.
Useful blog:
Day 1: Cusco To Mollepata -> Soraypampa (with day hike to/from Humantay Lake)
Accommodation: There are lots of accommodation options but we stayed in Soraypampa Hostel. It's about 80 soles for a dorm bed or about 100 for a little cabin. We cooked our own food for the first day but had breakfast included. We booked before we went but you can probably arrive also without booking. They offer dinner for extra.
Humantay Lake: A well marked trail and easy to follow. This can be done as a day trip so it can be busy doing during the morning until lunch time. We did the hike after lunch and it was much quieter as all the tours were on the way down or finished. It's better to do hike early morning or after lunch. You can drop your bags at the accommodation and then do the hike up with just a small bag.
Getting to Soraypampa: Go to Terminal Cusco-Mollepata near to where Av. Apurimac and Av. Abancay join. Note it doesn’t actually look like a terminal at all (yet that is it’s name on Google Maps). It is more so a few colectivos and mini vans along the road and in a small carpark. You can see the location on the map below:
There are a few options for getting to Soraypampa from Cusco:
1. Get a collectivo from Cusco -> Mollepata + get a taxi from Mollepata to Soraypampa (the option that we went with !). A popular option is to start the hike directly at Soraypampa, you can get a collectivo to Mollepata (15 soles) and then get a taxi directly to Soraypampa.
The taxi cost 80 soles (20 soles each as we found a French couple to split the cost with). Finding others to share the cost with definitely helps. We got to Terminal Cusco- Mollepata at 8am (we had aimed to be there before that but we were a bit slow to get going in the morning). It’s less of a bus terminal and more of a collection of colectivos and mini-vans along the roadside and in a small carpark. A collectivo just left when we arrived at 8am so we probably could have gotten that one had we arrived a bit earlier. You wait until the collectivo is full. Our collectivo left at 09:15 (a wait of an hour and a half) with 10 people, plenty of backpacks, shopping bags and lots of toilet paper (?).
The collectivo from Cusco to Mollepata should cost around 15 soles (haggle slightly as initially asking us to pay 20 soles). It is around a 2 hour drive to the town of Mollepata (2,900m). The journey to Soraypampa took about 1.5 hours. We stopped at a checkpoint where we had to pay 20 soles entry per person to access the Salkantay Trek. You should get dropped off in a carpark outside Refugio de Nacho and that’s where the trail starts !
2. Arrange a private taxi from Cusco to Soraypampa (most expensive option).
3. There is a direct van/collectivo from Cusco to Soraypampa which leaves at 4am. It is probably possible to buy tickets before the morning of the journey but we are not sure. The tickets were being sold at a shop on Av. Arcopata between Terminal Cusco-Mollepata and Terminal Curahuasi. There was a sign outside the shop advertising tickets. We didn’t take this option as we wanted to get on the road a bit later to avoid the really early start. This is a popular choice for people who don’t have accommodation booked as it allows them to get to Soraypampa early. Unsure how much this costs.
4. Get a collectivo from Cusco -> Mollepata + hike from Mollepata to Soraypampa. While you can start the trek in Mollepata most don’t do this as it adds an additional few hours onto the first day. The start of this trail is also supposedly along a road that is not supposed to be that scenic or nice. So this seems not to be a common an option.
Day 2: Soraypampa -> Chaullay or Collpapampa
Accommodation: We stayed in Samana Wasi Hostel (Chaullay) (+51 958 163 200). We loved it! 60 soles per person for accommodation, dinner, breakfast. They also had hot showers and Wi-Fi if you want it. You can also continue on to Collpapampa which is another village an extra 10 minute walk from Chaullay and also has different accommodation options.
The Trek: This about 22km in total and can take a minimum of 7 hours. Get going after about 6am and you will be ahead of most your groups which is great. It's about 2-3 hours of ascent to get to Salkantay Pass and then the remainder of the hike is a relatively relentless downhill until Chaullay.
Note that there is a shortcut that you can take at the base of the 7 culebras (or 7 snakes) which are the zig-zagging switchbacks near the final ascent to Salkantay Pass. Take the path on the right of the little stream (the original trail should be directly to your left as you look towards Salkantay Mountain). This took about 30/40 minutes off our journey, as we took this path the same time others went the original way. When the paths re-joined we were well ahead of them! You cover the incline a little quicker but we found it absolutely fine.
Day 3: Chuallay/Collpapampa -> Lucmabamba (can also continue straight on to Llactapata on Day 3)
Accommodation: There are lots of accommodation options in Lucmabamba so you could definitely find something there without booking it. We stayed in Lucmabamba Lodge and loved it (+51 957 505 578). 60 soles for a double room, private bathroom, hot shower, Wi-Fi, dinner and breakfast. The meals were big here! It was on a little coffee farm also which was lovely and were hosted by a really nice family. They offer lunch for extra too if you want it.
The Trek: ~18km from Chuallay to Lucmabamba. Make sure to take a left turn off the road and onto the trail when you come to a bridge over the river after passing through Collpapampa or else you will be walking on the road for the day (you will find this little bridge in the first 10/15 minutes of your journey). You can continue onto Llactapata and make this a longer day but we chose to break it up and chill out.
Day 4: Lucmabamba to Llactapata
Accommodation: We stayed at Llactapata Lodge and booked it through Booking.com as we really wanted to stay there. I can’t find a number for it but it’s probably much cheaper to book directly with them. This was our most expensive accommodation but it was fantastic for what we got. The views were incredible, they let us check in at 10am, the dinner was massive and breakfast was great too. We paid €20 each for the night but again it’s likely cheaper not through the app. Definitely recommend staying here. The view is overlooking Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains. It was insanely beautiful. They also do a really big lunch for 20 soles too.
The Trek: It was about a 2-3hr ascent from Lucmabamba to Llactapata. It’s a short day of hiking but it’s all uphill and it meant that we had the full day to relax and take in the incredible views.
Day 5: Llactapata to Hidroeléctrica and on to Aguas Calientes
Accommodation: If planning on walking up to Machu Picchu and NOT taking the bus, there is accommodation at the bottom of the trail/steps (Sendero a Putukusi, 08680, Peru) https://maps.app.goo.gl/eMebni5Rqqca1qMMA?g_st=ic (I think this is it). We didn’t stay here but know a couple who did and they recommended it for ease of accessing the trail. Unsure if offer dorms/rooms but the couple we know didn’t have a tent so I assume it is more than just a campsite.
It is located along the train track that you walk from Hidroeléctrica to Aguas Calientes. You will pass it on the walk, it is around 2km from Aguas Calientes. Staying here would mean that you avoid walking further to Aguas Calientes and having to re-trace your steps to start the trail to Machu Picchu. This seems like a handy option particularly if hoping to hike up to Machu Picchu early in the morning (Although we didn’t do this and stayed in Aguas Calientes).
The Trek: Downhill for about 1.5-2 hours and then flat along the railroad from Hidroeléctrica to Aguas Calientes. It’s not a hugely exciting day along the railroad. Also if you have already seen Machu Picchu and Aguas Calientes you could just get a colectivo directly back to Cusco from Hidroeléctrica as this is this is the main way to get back to Cusco anyway after the hike.
Picture of outside the campsite:
If you go to Aguas Calientes there’s only 2 main options for getting back to Cusco:
1. Walk the 10km back from Aguas Calientes to hidroeléctrica and get a colectivo from there. Colectivo costs around 40 soles.
2. Train to Ollantaytambo from Aguas Calientes and colectivo or shared taxi back to Cusco.
