Salkantay Trek to Machu Pichu

Day 1

We left Cusco and took a collectivo 2 hours away to the town of Mollepata we then took a taxi another hour up the road to the town of Soraypampa. It was looking like it was going to start raining so we got some water and found a flat piece of land right in the little town next to the road to set up. There wasn’t much in this town except a couple hostels and mini markets. We walked past one and it was full of people laughing and chatting inside. 

We got set up just in time for the rain to start. It was just a trickle though and didn’t last all night. We poached the nearby hostel for their bathrooms until they were locked up for the night. 

Day 2

The next day began early, we packed up and back tracked a little bit to a Lake Humantay a famous lake nearby. I had thought it was on the trail we were taking but it was a mile off that trail and about 1000 feet up. Most of the people doing tours had done it the day before and would start the trek up Salkantay Pass that morning. There are tour guides who also offer it as a day trip from Cusco but they wouldn’t be getting there until a bit later. 

We made our way up, noticing that the trail was full of horse poop – we learned only later that we had accidentally taken the horse trail, not the people trail. It was super steep and slow going and clouds came and went. We were surprised when we got up there and a group was leaving, leaving us the only people up there. We had coffee and oatmeal at the lake then went back down. 

When we got back down we saw the herds  of people going up the people trail and realized our mistake but also were really content to have had that experience to ourselves. We then set off to climb up to Salkantay.

It was a long steep climb, climbing over 3000 feet in 6 miles. We had grey skies and the clouds mostly obscured  the views of Salkantay as we climbed up. For the first part of the trail we had once again accidentally taken the horse trail but eventually got back on the people trail. 

We climbed up for a couple hours, zig zagging up the rocky path. We didn’t have much food but we had all of our camping gear which made our packs pretty heavy. Most of the guided groups had left early in the morning so us and the two American girls we met earlier that morning were the last ones to go up that day. 

The last leg wrapped around the mountain and went steeply up. We passed some stragglers and the last of the guided groups. The views of the massive Salkantay Mountain were mostly obscured by the clouds which was a bummer. We got peaks of part of it here and there and heard a few massive avalanches but couldn’t see them. 

We didn’t stay long up there and started making our way down the other side. It started lightly raining and we stopped to put on our rain gear then it really started picking up. It got heavier as we descended down and we were now among the group of tourists. Someone said there had been 30/40 people that had gone up that morning, when in peak season there can be anywhere from 300-400. 

The trail was getting pretty slick and muddy. This section was popular for horses and mules so there was a lot of poop lining the trail. We eventually made it down into the first village and found shelter in the first building we could. There was a group of French people eating sack lunches and then a larger guided group. The building said it was a restaurant but the people were only preparing food for the large group that had already paid for it. Also there was the couple from Spain that we had shared a taxi with coming up, the girl was feeling quite sick from elevation. We made some coco tea and waited out the worst of the storm. 

After the rain had mostly stopped we continued on through the town. Nick had read that it was easy to get food all throughout the trek so he didn’t bring as much to eat. I had some snacks and spare dinners. We were disappointed that in this first little Pueblo the only available food was if you went with a guided group, some had base camps with kitchens here. Other than a couple shacks with cookies and candy bars there wasn’t much for any other tourist in this little town. We would have to walk 3/4 more hours to get to another town with food. 

We took a small break and I had some nuts and Nick ate his jar of peanut butter then we continued on. It was a long steep stretch down and we realized this trail wasn’t made for people with their own camping gear but rather catered to large guided groups. Multiple times we had to get to the side of the trail to let herds of horses and mules carrying gear stampede right by us. The trail continued to be lined with piles and piles of poop. The mountains were pretty clear next to us after the rain passed and we quickly descended from mountainous terrain into the jungle. 

It was maybe around 5 pm when we turned the corner and hit our first town. There didn’t seem to be many wild camping options so we went into the first hostel we saw that advertised camping, for 10 soles or $3. Dinner would be an additional 20 soles ($6). They told us though that if we had a cabana it was 60 soles ($18) and it would come with breakfast and dinner. We figured that was a good deal since if we paid the dinner we’d already be paying for 25 soles each so why not add on breakfast for 5 more, and get to sleep in a bed. 

Dinner was soup and then chicken and rice. It was nothing special but it was nice to sit and converse with the other guests. 

Day 3

The following day breakfast was also simple but quite yummy and I had my fill of instant coffee. We realized our mistake when I went to pay to check out and the woman told me it was 60soles/ person, not total. I hadn’t asked but just assumed because it was $10 total to set up the tent and when the other guy told me the cabana was 60 I thought he meant total. We felt dumb for making that mistake, we thought we got a really good deal when we ended up spending way more than we wanted too. We got great sleep on the bed but the dinner and breakfast weren’t worth all that. It’s only about $18 per person so nothing crazy but we definitely didn’t need the bed, especially after lugging the tent and all of our gear up and down the mountain. 

We packed up our things and headed down the dirt road, it spiraled down some switchbacks then crossed over the river and went steeply back up. There was a little fruit stand and a bench where most people were resting after the wicked steep but short climb. We too rested for a second and bought some fruit before continuing along the path. 

The path went steeply up and down, following along the river. There were a handful of stores we would pass along the way. One was crowded with all the people on the trail, some people were playing soccer and the little store sold coffee and juices and fruit. We took a small break there then continued so we would get caught in the herds of people. 

The trail continued with it steep ups and downs and I was surprised at how narrow the trail got and how steep the drop offs were. I am pretty comfortable with that stuff but still got sketched out. So many people do this trail every year I didn’t think there would be anything like that. The good thing was the road followed the other side of the river so that horses must take that because there was no more horse and donkey poop. We stopped at another little shack and made some ramen noodles before continuing on. 

We were entering the coffee region, one of the best places in the world they say for coffee beans. More and more coffee trees lined the paths and we came to our first shack of a lady selling freshly brewed coffee from the trees on her land. We bought a cup for 5 soles each or ($1.50). It was a lighter roast and we took our time drinking it and enjoying the views. 

We then went about 5/10 minutes down the path and stopped at the next store. They boasted just receiving the award for worlds best coffee. We had an espresso which was a bit too strong for me to really appreciate it but it was really good coffee.

After that we continued down the path and I spoke with Natalie in Spanish as we went. She is from Switzerland but her dad is from Chile and her mom from Spain so Spanish was her first language. We walked together all the way to Lucmabamba, where there were even more coffee plantations. She and Kira from Berlin went down the road to go to a hot springs and Nick and I boiled some eggs and made pasta then went and camped at the Lucmabamba lodge with the two girls from America we had met earlier. 

We set up our tent in the yard for 10 soles and purchase dinner for 15 soles and Breakfast for 10 soles. So camping, dinner and breakfast for about 5 USD each. We chatted with Annie Kate and Nicole from Nashville TN, they are on a two week vacation from their occupational therapy jobs there. They are doing this hike then going down to Puerto Natales to do the W trek. We will be going down there next too to do the same trek but a longer version. They’ve had a lot of complications getting out here, their original flight was cancelled because of the issues relating to the government shutdown, and all their plans after that were therefore effected as well. 

We had a nice dinner of bistec, rice and some tea and Nick and I tried to figure out our plans for the next couple days. We figured we’d walk to the next road then go into Santa Teresa, stay in a nice place there as the next day would be my birthday, then I would get a nice morning then we would walk the train tracks to Agua Calientes or the Machu Pichu Pueblo , the town right below Machu Pichu which is only accessible by train or walking. 

Day 4

The next morning we had a delicious breakfast of avocados, tortilla (thin layer of egg with spinach and other vegetables in it) some fried plantains, bread, fruit and a cup of local organic coffee from one of the near by trees. We then packed up and headed up the hill. We stopped at one more local coffee plantation and chatted with the man who has lived his whole life on that little plot of land and has dedicated his life to growing and brewing coffee. We got another wonderful cup of Joe for 5 soles each, this one might’ve been the best so far. We chatted with him a bit before continuing our journey. 

We had 6 miles to do that day and figured it would be super quick and easy. Little did we know we had an enormous climb ahead of us, going up and over a mountain. It was an original Inca trail and damn those Incans were fit because this trail might just be the steepest trail I’ve ever done. I’m not sure if it was the coffee or finally feeling aclimated but I felt quite strong going up it. Near the top we passed a 20 plus guided group, all carrying small day packs. They were stopped at a sandwhich place (yes in the middle of a giant climb in the middle of the mountains) but we pressed on to the next little tienda. We took a break and aired out our soaking wet shirts and that group soon passed us. We got going again soon and passed the stragglers at the end and finally crested the mountain. We passed the rest of that group that was waiting at the top for everyone else. 

Shortly after we popped out at an old ruined overlooking the valley and you could see machu pichu in the distance! There was another 20+ people guided group there and we took a couple photos and soaked in the views before pushing on. We had a couple more hours of descending on a very steep trail before we would reach the road that would take us to Santa Teresa. As we made our way down we got a couple more peaks at the valley and machu pichu in the distance. Our legs were so tired from the climbing but now were even more strained at the concentration required to descend such a steep trail. It got hotter and hotter as we descended and the tree coverage got lighter. 

Nearing the bottom we stopped at a couple spots and bought ice cold water then the next one a couple bananas and pushed on. Eventually we made it down to the road and got a colectivo for 8 soles each to go 20 minutes into the town of Santa Teresa. To our disappointment, when we arrived at our hotel, which we didn’t book because of some confusion on the website, they weren’t expecting any guests and were doing construction so they said they couldn’t host us. 

We went into town and got lunch thinking about what we would do next. We decided we would walk the train tracks to agua calientes that night and then we would get a place there for two nights. We got some ice cream and supplies then took a colectivo back to the hidroeléctrica where we would begin our walk. In that collective was a nice woman named Dominga who lives in Agua Calientes. She was worried about how late we were starting (3pm) and how heavy our bags were. She offered to take our bags on the train so we could walk a lot faster. After talking with her a bit more and getting a bunch of good tips on machu pichu I decided she was very trustworthy. We exchanged numbers and when we got to the train station she took our bags. Our goal would be to do the 6 miles by the time the train arrived , 5:30 so she wouldn’t have to wait too much. 

We hustled along the train tracks, walking as quickly as we could. It was a beautiful hike through the valley and we were surprised at how many restaurants were along the way of the tracks. With about 30 minutes to go the train passed us. We made it there in good time and Dominga was waiting with our bags. She showed us where the ministry was where we would buy our tickets for machu pichu, told us her recommended route and entrance times, gave us a restaurant recommendation for my birthday and then gave us some hotel recommendations too, then she was off! 

We decided we would get tickets to Machu Pichu for the next day, my birthday! But I wanted a nice slow morning to to not have to hike up so we would take the bus up and walk down, with an entrany time of 11. Late enough for the clouds to clear but early enough to beat the rain, according to Dominga. 

After we got our tickets we went to the hotel Nick had found but it wasn’t as nice as it was supposed to be and too much money for what it was so we continued our search. We eventually found a good spot and then spent way too long looking for somewhere to eat. Eventually we found a place, got some pizza and called it a night.

Day 5

The next morning was my birthday and Nick brought me coffee and a waffle in bed (after me telling him for months that was my dream and all I wanted). Then we had a second breakfast at the hotel, went to the market to get some food for Machu Pichu, bought our bus tickets then waited to go up. We ran into Natalie from the Salkantay trek in the line and rode the bus up with her. 

There are different routes in Machu Pichu you have to decide between, route 2 is the classic postcard shot of Machu Pichu but you don’t really get to explore the ruins. Dominga recommended 3 so that’s what we did. We got a great panoramic shot of Machu Pichu and we got to see a lot of the insides of the ruins. We spent a couple hours walking around and looking at everything. It was such an incredible place to be. The mountains are so steep and rugged. It looks like trees but all the surrounding mountains are granite rock that vegetation has slowly taken over. 

After we walked down on some very steep ancient Inca steps and went back to the hotel to shower. I talked with some family then went out and got a really nice and cheap massage. Then Nick and I got some cocktails and a nice dinner. I got sang a beautiful birthday song by the waiter at the restaurant who doubles as a singer in the town. He had such a deep beautiful voice and sang with such passion and power it really was quite the shock to witness but such an awesome way to end the night!