Salkantay Trek: The 15 Best Routes to Machu Picchu

1.Salkantay Trek Challenge – 3 Days / 2 Nights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 101 reviews · 3 days (approx.) · from $680Our pick

Leave Cusco before dawn for a hard but rewarding three-day route over the 4,630-meter Salkantay Pass, through coffee country and along the Urubamba River to Machu Picchu. Guides such as Marco, Guido, and Cesar Quispe have led this trip, which includes meals, a 5-kilogram duffel allowance, lodging, and train travel.

“I just completed the Salkantay 3 day Challenge with Salkantay Trekking and had an AMAZING time! My guide, Marco, was incredibly helpful and organized and made sure we all had an amazing time.”

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2.Small Group 5 Days Salkantay and Machu Picchu by Llactapata Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 88 reviews · 5 days (approx.) · from $593

Trek from Cusco over the 4,600-meter Salkantay Pass, visit Humantay Lake and Llactapata, learn coffee-making in Lucmabamba, and finish at Machu Picchu. Groups max out at nine. Guides such as Jainor, Carlos, Dario, Henry, and Rolando have earned praise for clear explanations and warm support.

“Jainor was a gem of a tour guide. He is clearly passionate about Incan history and culture, and he conveys this well to the group. He also transitioned extremely smoothly between Spanish and English when explaining things in amazing detail and depth. He was never rushed, always taking the time to answer everyone’s questions. Lastly, he dealt well with the varying physical conditions of the group, with age ranges from 21 to 67.”

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3.5-Day Salkantay Trek with Panoramic Train

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 79 reviews · 5 days · from $655

Hike from Cusco to Machu Picchu through high mountain passes, cloud forest, coffee country, and Inca ruins. You will camp at Llactapata with views of the citadel, enjoy a Pachamanca feast, and return by Vistadome or 360° train. Small groups, expert guides, meals, and transport are included.

“I just finished the 5-day Salkantay Trek with TreXperience and couldn’t be happier! Everything was well organized… logistics, meals, and cultural experiences. TreXperience made the trek easier without compromising authenticity. Highlights included Humantay Lake, Salkantay Glacier, Inca Trail segments, rich Amazon botany, local communities, making coffee, and the delicious Pachamanca. Machu Picchu was the perfect finale. Our guide Gilbert was amazing… knowledgeable, motivating, funny, and deeply caring. He adapted to all levels and even arranged alternatives for a non-walker. Our cook Esmael made incredible meals, and Wilbert was a helpful, cheerful presence. If I could suggest one change: hi...”

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4.Salkantay Trek 4 Days to Machu Picchu by Glamping Sky Lodge Dome

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 68 reviews · 4 days (approx.) · from $761

Trek from Mollepata across the 4,650-meter Salkantay Pass to Machu Picchu, sleeping in Sky Lodge domes and an Aguas Calientes hotel. Guides such as Fernando and Nildo lead small groups, with meals, horses, a duffel service, entrance fees, and return train included.

“I had such a great time on the Salkantay trek, and a big part of that was thanks to our guide, Fernando. He was so nice and incredibly helpful throughout the whole journey, always making sure we were comfortable and enjoying ourselves. He also had a great sense of humour it was fun to have a joke and a laugh with him along the way. One of the highlights was when he even played football with us during the trek, which made the experience feel extra special. Overall, it was unforgettable, and I’m really glad Fernando was our guide.”

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5.Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu in 4 days

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 50 reviews · from $590

You hike from Cusco through Humantay Lake, the 4,630-meter Salkantay Pass, cloud forest, coffee country, and the Urubamba Valley before reaching Machu Picchu. English-speaking guides such as Gilber and Rene lead small groups of up to 10, with meals, lodging, horses, trains, and buses included.

“The activity is interesting and impactful. The activity is quite challenging and physically demanding but the very acknowledgeable guide named Rene made the activity possible to accomplished by all the participants.”

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6.Salkantay Trek Standard 5D/4N

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · 5 days (approx.)

Trek from Cusco through Humantay Lake, the 4,600-meter Salkantay Pass, cloud forest, Lucmabamba, and Llactapata before reaching Machu Picchu. You get a bilingual guide, cook, camping gear support, meals, three camping nights, one Aguas Calientes hostel night, and return transport.

“Senhores nao tempo p trabalhar p os senhores. Pais em situacao atipica. Greves de transportes com alguns eventos violencia. Como eu poderia ficar preso em Machu Pichu, fiz minha desistencia. A quadrilha empresarial negou-se a me reembolsar. Opiniao: o contrato é invalidado quando o pais nao oferece as condicoes de seguranca...... Fui roubado em 3.200 R.”

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7.Salkantay Trek To Machu Picchu 5 Days And 4 Nights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 44 reviews · from $690

You’ll hike the Salkantay route in a group of up to 16, from Humantay Lake and the 15,252-foot Salkantay Pass to coffee farms, Llactapata, and Machu Picchu. Guides such as Christian, Eddie, and Hipo lead different departures, with meals, camp gear, horses, and hotel night included.

“This was an amazing trip with excellent guides, well organised iternary, great group of people and wildly amazing views! It offers the right amount of challenge and a great time!”

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8.5-Day: Salkantay Trek to Machupicchu and Humantay Lake

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 42 reviews · 5 days (approx.) · from $360

You’ll hike from Humantay Lake over the 4,600-meter Salkantay Pass, descend through cloud forest, soak at Cocalmayo, and reach Machu Picchu on foot for an early visit. Roger is praised as a friendly, helpful guide. Camping, meals, porters, and return transport are included.

“The Salkantay 5 day trek to Machu Picchu was a wonderful experience. Being in a small group made it more exceptional and personal. Our guide, Roger, was super, very helpful, and friendly! I would do it again”

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9.Salkantay 5-Day Trek To Machu Picchu

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 39 reviews · from $797

Hike from Cusco through the Salkantay Pass at 15,200 feet, visit Humantay Lake and Santa Teresa, camp three nights, then reach Machu Picchu by train and bus. A bilingual local guide leads the trek, with mules carrying up to 7 kilos of gear per person.

“Such a fun and challenging experience. I had no issues completing the trek, you want to make sure you are in good shape before arriving as it can be difficult if you are not prepared for log days and sometimes tough terrain. Beautiful views good food and excellent tour guides! Highly recommend to all!”

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10.4-Day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 36 reviews · 4 days (approx.) · from $810

You’ll hike from 2,900 to 4,650 meters, visit Humantay Lake, cross the Salkantay Pass, and reach Machu Picchu on day four. A bilingual local guide, cook, mules, tents, a hotel night in Aguas Calientes, meals, buses, and trains are included. Expect demanding days and major temperature changes.

“We did the trip just my friend and I, along with our guide, chef and guy to carry the bags with horses.”

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11.Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu 5D/4N or 4D/3N by glamping

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 35 reviews · 5 days · from $35Best value

Join a small group of up to 15 for a five-day Salkantay Trek with English or Spanish guides, fresh mountain-cooked meals, glass-roof cabins, sky huts, jungle domes, and one hotel night in Aguas Calientes. Guides may include Ruben, Roger, Reynaldo, Tupac, or Nidia.

“Roger and Reynaldo were the best guides. If there was a problem they were there for you to help. Would recommend!”

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12.Salkantay Trek: 5 Days to Machu Picchu

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 33 reviews · from $909

You’ll cross the 4,650-meter Salkantay Pass, camp three nights, walk through coffee country and reach Machu Picchu with a bilingual guide. Tierras Vivas provides meals, horses for gear, camping equipment, a hotel night, train and transfers. Small groups max out at 12.

“The tour was incredibly beautiful. We learned so much, and had the opportunity to see incredible natural beauty too! Food was amazing and staff was great!”

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13.5 Day – Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu – Group Service

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 27 reviews · from $650

You’ll hike from Mollepata across the 4,650-meter Salkantay Pass, through cloud forest and jungle, then reach Machu Picchu for sunrise. Valencia Travel includes guides, meals, camping gear, porters, hotel pickup, one Aguas Calientes night, entrance fees, and the return train.

“We had a great guide in Aldo who allowed us to customize parts of the 5 day trip to suit our group’s liking. The guide, cooks and porters were timely and ensured we never went hungry. I’d recommend Valencia Travel and highly recommend Aldo as a guide due to his experience and knowledge of the local culture/ mountains”

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14.4-Day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, Panoramic Train

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 17 reviews · 4 days · from $552

You’ll hike from Humantay Lake over the 4,630-meter Salkantay Pass to Machu Picchu, with glamping, Andean huts, a Pachamanca barbecue, coffee-making, and a 3-star hotel. Guides such as Alex, José, and Filio have been praised for careful pacing, history, and strong group support.

“Thank you so much for this truly unique experience! Our guide, Filio, was incredible; he took care of us with such patience, professionalism, kindness, and was clearly passionate about his job and providing us with cultural and historical information. I really appreciated the attention to detail and warmth Filio and the team provided during our trek. Our chef, Dionissios, was very good and made sure all our needs were taken care of, serving us delicious hearty meals and surprise treats! Another team member that was always ready to help and always with a smile was Alberto- thank you as well! I would highly recommend Filio as a guide and Trexperience…”

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15.5-Day Salkantay Trek to Machupicchu Sky Lodge Dome

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 6 reviews · 5 days · from $700

Trek from Challacancha over the 4,650-meter Salkantay Pass to Machu Picchu, sleeping in private domes and an Aguas Calientes hotel. You will visit Humantay Lagoon, work with coffee in La Playa, and travel in a group of up to 10 with guides such as Roberto or Abel.

“Hee goed verzorgd! Goed eten en fijne bedden, laatste hotel was ‘oke’. De domes waren top! Alleen nacht 1 zeer koud maar ik Geloof dat dit bij alle domes van alle organisaties wel zo was! Eigen douche en toilet, top! Hike zelf prachtig!”

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