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Nevado Salkantay above the valley at Soraypampa, the evening of Day 1.
Nevado Salkantay above the valley at Soraypampa, the evening of Day 1.

South America · Peru

Salkantay Trek

Cusco region, Peru

Distance
35.5 mi57.2 km
Days
4 days
Elevation gain
8,898 ft2,712 m
High point
15,210 ft4,636 m
Season
The dry season, April to October
Lodging
Huts
Plan this hike

Hikes / South America / Salkantay Trek

In May 2022 I flew to Cusco and hiked the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu: four days and about 42 miles on foot, from the end of the road at Challacancha over the Salkantay Pass, down into the cloud forest and the coffee farms, over Llactapata to Aguas Calientes, and up to Machu Picchu. It's the trip from my film Hiking 40 miles on the Salkantay Trek in Peru.

Kraig Adams

Effort at this pace: Hard · about 9 mi (14 km) and 2,224 ft (678 m) of climbing a day over 4 days, up to 15,210 ft (4,636 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.

Where these numbers come from

From Kraig Adams's GPS recording and guide.

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Plan: dates, gear, deadlines and stays in a private link. Save: keeps it on your account.

From Kraig Adams's GPS

The route, day by day

Relief map of the Salkantay Trek route: 4 days drawn in red with numbered day starts, labelled Challacancha, Machu Picchu, Nevado Salkantay and Chaullay.

Elevation5,860–15,203 ft42.0 mi

From Kraig Adams's GPS. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED) on AWS · Glaciers, rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors

Tap a day for his map of it

Download GPX1.2 MB · free
Each day and variant (5 files)

The film

Watch it first

Hiking 40 miles on the Salkantay Trek in Peru

Kraig Adams · May 5–8, 2022 · Solo

Nevado Salkantay above the valley at Soraypampa, the evening of Day 1.
Nevado Salkantay above the valley at Soraypampa, the evening of Day 1.
Humantay Lake and the Humantay glaciers, the afternoon of Day 1.
Humantay Lake and the Humantay glaciers, the afternoon of Day 1.
Nevado Salkantay's ice from the Salkantay Pass, Day 2.
Nevado Salkantay's ice from the Salkantay Pass, Day 2.
A suspension bridge on the way down from Llactapata, Day 3.
A suspension bridge on the way down from Llactapata, Day 3.
Machu Picchu in cloud, the morning of Day 4.
Machu Picchu in cloud, the morning of Day 4.

Before you go

The basics

Start
Challacancha, at the end of the road above Mollepata, 12,100 ft (3,689 m)
Finish
Machu Picchu, from Aguas Calientes, then the train to Cusco
Usual difficulty
A clear, busy path. One big pass near 15,200 ft, then long descents
Best time
The dry season, April to October. I walked May 5 to 8, 2022
Permits
No permit for the route over the Salkantay Pass (September 2026): it isn't an Inca Trail route. SERNANP says Machu Picchu sanctuary visitors must go with an authorized operator, and Machu Picchu needs a timed ticket bought ahead
Getting there
What I did. I flew from New York to Lima and on to Cusco on May 3, 2022. The day after, I did a day hike straight out of Cusco (see Altitude). On May 5 I woke up at 5 a.m. A private shuttle took me from Cusco along winding roads to Mollepata, where I had breakfast, then up even more winding roads to Challacancha. There was no check-in station. They basically dropped me off on the side of the road and said go that way.
Lodging
Huts

From Kraig Adams's guide

Costs and gear

What it cost

Machu Picchu: S/152 for most routes, S/200 with a mountain, plus the…

His costs, line by line

What Kraig carried

a hooded sun shirt, a cap and sunglasses · a rain jacket · warm layers for the lodge · an iPhone 12 Pro Max · PATH Projects Pyrenees T19 Hoodie · PATH Projects Muir Cap 2.0 · Goodr OG Sunglasses · Arc’teryx Beta AR Jacket and 13 more.

The full gear list

Bookings and permits

When bookings open, from the sources named under each. Dates move: confirm on the official site.

Machu Picchu tickets for the year (Tu Boleto calendar)

A year's tickets go on sale only when the Ministry of Culture opens that year's calendar on Tu Boleto: the 2026 one opened from November 2025 into January 2026. Watch the site.

Next: about Nov 1, 2027 (a typical date: confirm on the official site)

Book on tuboleto.cultura.pe.

Source: Kraig Adams's Salkantay Trek guide: Machu Picchu tickets and rules (Sept 2026). Checked September 2026.

Alert me when bookings open

We'll email you when bookings open: just that, nothing else. Your email is never shown or shared, and every alert has a delete link. Emails start once sign-ups open; nothing is sent yet.

From Kraig Adams's guide

Safety

Rescue numbers

  • Emergency numbers (2026). Police 105, fire service 116. The SAMU ambulance number 106 isn't listed for Cusco. iPerú, the government's tourist information service, answers on WhatsApp at 944 492 314; it isn't an emergency line. Don't count on phone signal on the trail; a satellite messenger is the real backup.

Phone signal

  • Don't count on it on the trail.
  • Download everything in Cusco.

Insurance

  • Get travel insurance that covers trekking at this height, rescue and medical evacuation.

Bail-out points

  • Day 1, Challacancha to Soraypampa and Humantay Lake. Go back down the path to Challacancha and the road to Mollepata. On this day that's also going lower, the best thing for altitude sickness.
  • Day 2, Soraypampa over the Salkantay Pass to Chaullay. Before the pass, go back down to Soraypampa and Challacancha. After the pass, keep going down to Chaullay, where there's a road. If you feel really unwell with the altitude, go down, whichever side is closer.
  • Day 3, Lucmabamba over Llactapata to Aguas Calientes. Before Llactapata, go back down to Lucmabamba and the road. After it, keep going down to Hidroeléctrica: it has a road to Santa Teresa and a train to Aguas Calientes.
  • Day 4, Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu and back. The buses between the entrance and Aguas Calientes are the quick way down. In 2026 two companies ran them, about US$12 each way. Or go back down the stairway to Puente Ruinas and walk the road to town.

From Kraig Adams's guide. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.

Their films and versions

Creators who've done it

1 creator so far: Kraig, 4 days, huts.

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Your time

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Typical: 4 days (the hike's facts).

Ask this hike

Planning questions about Salkantay Trek, answered only from this page's facts, the creators' versions and hikers' public tracks, with where each answer comes from. When the data doesn't say, the answer says "not given".

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    Answered from the data

    Questions people ask

    How many days do you need for Salkantay Trek?

    I did it in 4 days in May 2022: Challacancha to Soraypampa and Humantay Lake, over the Salkantay Pass to Chaullay, Lucmabamba over Llactapata to Aguas Calientes, and Machu Picchu on the last morning. That's 42 miles on foot on my GPS, with a car ride on the road from Chaullay to Lucmabamba. Many companies also sell 5 days. Add two days in Cusco first to acclimatize.

    From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.

    How much does Salkantay Trek cost?

    Machu Picchu: S/152 for most routes, S/200 with a mountain (foreign adult), plus the S/11 conservation fee from May 2026. The bus up about US$12 each way. Trains back to Cusco or Ollantaytambo: check fares when you book; they change by date and hour. Small cash fees on the road to Soraypampa and at Humantay Lake. Companies sell the whole trip as a package with lodges, meals, transfers, the ticket and the train; compare what each one includes.

    From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.

    When is the best time to hike Salkantay Trek?

    The dry season: the Machu Picchu sanctuary recommends April to October, and November to March is the rainy season, when landslides close parts of the route. I went May 5 to 8, 2022.

    From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.

    How high is the Salkantay Pass?

    My GPS read 4,636 m (15,211 ft) at the pass. Humantay Lake is about 4,266 m on my GPS, my first night at Soraypampa was at 3,860 m (12,660 ft), and Cusco is about 3,400 m (11,150 ft).

    From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.

    Do you need a guide for the Salkantay Trek?

    In September 2026 no permit is needed for the route over the Salkantay Pass, which isn't an Inca Trail route. But the park service's page for the Machu Picchu sanctuary says visitors must use an authorized operator, and the Ministry of Culture checks visitors at Lucmabamba on the Llactapata path and has said it will step up checks on people without guides. I went with a company for lodges, meals and transfers and walked alone.

    From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.

    How do you get Machu Picchu tickets for the Salkantay Trek?

    In 2026 you buy a timed ticket for a day, hour and route on the Ministry of Culture's site, tuboleto.cultura.pe, and pay at once; it carries your passport number and can't be changed or refunded. A foreign adult pays S/152 for most routes and S/200 with Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, plus a S/11 conservation fee from May 2026.

    From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.

    Do you have to walk the road on the Salkantay Trek?

    No. From Chaullay I took a car for an hour to the coffee farm at Lucmabamba. People walk that section, but it's a road with cars, and I don't recommend it.

    From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.

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