Come to Cusco and visit the “navel of the world“, its archeological jewels and the ones of the Sacred valley. Then enjoy one of the most famous treks in the world and the best alternative trek to Machu Picchu through LLACTAPATA. During this unique trek you will have amazing views of snow-capped Mountains valleys, the cloud forest, Inca remains, the Sacred Valley, the unique vestiges of Moray and friendly Quechua villages. You will end at the most important sacred place in South America, one of the new seven Wonders of the world: Machu Picchu.
Live the Salkantay Trek Adventure in vidéo !
GROUP SIZE: Small Groups from 2 – 8 people (could be 2, 4, 5…), a small group will make your experience different with a personalized attention from the whole team, where you can also enjoy the route according to its rate hike.
Private transport Cusco-Soraypampa, bilingual guide, cook, mule drivers, mules and support saddle horses, camping equipment (double-, dining-, kitchen- and toilet tents, mats, etc.), meals, 1 night’s hotel in Aguas Calientes, bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu, entrance fee to Machu Picchu , train Aguas Calientes-Ollantaytambo and transfer to Cusco.
Sleeping bag, meals not mentioned in itinerary, extra services such as tips and entrance fees to Wayna Picchu and hot springs in Aguas Calientes – Optional upgrades
Upon your arrival at Cusco you will be greeted by our representative and transferred to your hotel where you will receive a short briefing with the rest of the morning being at leisure to rest and acclimatize to the altitude. In the afternoon, we will pick you up at your hotel and we will start visitingt the Imperial Cusco City, a living example of the mix of andean and spanish cultures. We then continue our tour by the Santo Domingo Convent built over the Koricancha, as well as the ancient Inca Palace and the main worship center of the Sun God. You will have time to enjoy these beautiful sights. After that we proceed by visiting the archaeological site of Sacsayhuaman which dominates the city. Finally we go round the remains of Qenqo,Pucapucara and Tambomachay, located in the north east of the city before returning to your hotel in Cusco in early evening.
We will pick you up at your hotel and then we will drive in our private transport towards the Sacred Valley of the Incas, taking the direct route to Pisac. We will stop on the way to have a classic view of the Urubamba valley with crops dressing the mountains like carpets. We will arrive to the colourful market of Pisac, where we will have free time to interact with the local craftsmen or to purchase their hand-made souvenirs. Afterwards we will drive to the archaeological site of Pisac, where we enjoy the great and unique ancient tombs, terraces, watch towers and the religious area. Then we proceed towards the village of Urubamba for lunch. In the afternoon we will go to the archaeological site of Moray also known as “The Greenhouses of the Incas” which is unique and fascinating. Different levels of terraces are carved into a huge bowl, part of which was further excavated by the Incas. The terraces have varied microclimates depending on how deep into the bowl they are, and so they were thought to have been used by the Incas to discover the optimal conditions for their crops. We continue with our journey to the colonial town of Maras where we start a little hike downhill to the pre-Inca salt mine. Thousands of salt pans have been used for salt extraction since before Inca times. A hot spring at the top of the valley discharges a small stream of heavily salt laden water, which is diverted into salt pans and evaporated to produce a salt that is used for cattle licks. Finally we drive back to Cusco where we spend the night.
At 4:30 am we will pick you up at your hotel and drive for 3 hours to Mollepata village, situated in the Apurimac river valley and over 9000ft. Here we will have breakfast and meet our horsemen to pack our equipment onto the horses: ready to start our adventure! Then we start our trek heading to Sayallapata (11,000ft); it will take approximately 4 hours to arrive at this andean community where we will have a typical lunch! After that, we continue our trek to Soraypampa for about 2 hours where we will camp and have dinner.
After having breakfast, we start our second day of adventure toward the Salkantay Mountain Pass (15,257 ft/4,650mt) for about 2 hours; from there we will enjoy the most amazing views of the snow-capped Salkantay Mountain, then we will start descending towards our second campsite at Qollpapampa (9482ft)
Today, we will have an unforgettable day along the Santa Teresa River, enjoying beautiful scenery through the tropical forest, passing a beautiful waterfall, observing banana trees and coffee plantations. After a stop to have lunch and rest, we will pass by the passion fruit fields. In the afternoon we arrive at our next campsite located at LLACTAPATA . From there we get a beautiful and unusual perspective of Machu Picchu.
After having breakfast and enjoying the sunrise over Machu Picchu, we descend to the hydroelectric plant for lunch. Afterwards we walk to Aguas Calientes through the National Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu. Finally we will arrive to your hotel.
We wake up very early to take a short bus journey to Machu Picchu and enjoy the sunrise over Machu Picchu. In many ways today is the climax of your holidays. You will have a guided tour of the most amazing & mysterious of all Inca Sites. You will learn about the history of this site, who lived there, how it was discovered in modern times and why the Spaniards never found it. You will get some insight of the various features of the city and after that you will have some free time to enjoy more by yourself this unique place. This is an unforgettable experience that you will keep with you forever. Afterwards we will head back to Aguas Calientes and in the afternoon you will return by train to Ollantaytambo or Poroy and be transferred by van to Cuzco, arriving in the evening.
After having breakfast at the hotel, enjoy your remaining time in Cusco city then in the afternoon we will drop off at the airport to take your plane back to Lima.
Personal porter included!
******This price includes the extra porter who will carry your thing up to 7 kilos, for that we will provide you a duffle bag, in which you may put your things.
ADDED VALUES for FREE:
Inflatable mattress for every single hiker, pair of walking sticks, small pillow, transfer Airport to Hotel only), duffle bags, trash plastic bags are included in the trekking price!
EXTRA PORTER is included in the price, we mean, the porter will carry your things up to 7 kl / 14p like sleeping bag, mattress, clothes and others
HOT SHOWER Its included at last campsite (Wiñaywayna)
BOILET WATER is included along the Inca Trail
SAM Travel Peru is 1000% Cusquenian Company & Direct Local Tour Operator
It is a family owned travel agency and direct local tour operator based in Cusco, we do not used “1000% cusquenian Company” only for marketing… SAM travel Peru is a real cusquenian Company without any shareholder or office in and outside Peru.
All our tours & treks are only and strictly operated by SAM Travel Peru with our professional staff. We have a high quality service and good reputation ensuring that only our staff operates these unique treks and tours.
We are a very RESPONSIBLE & SUSTAINABLE tour operator caring about our TEAM (family), given the best salaries to them and treating them like part of my family. I am proud of my team because, thanks to them, we are growing in a responsible way, making sure that our clients have the best lifetime experience.
I am very proud of my guides! Highly professional, speaking a fluent English and very knowledgeable, passionate for the Inca heritage/ history, dedicated to a steady personal development and learning to ensure that you receive accurate and recognized theories about the Inca Andean culture. Fun loving, great sportsmen and well educated crew, some of them are great entertainers and the best “Salsa Dancers” on this side of Machu Picchu as well as having a degree in Archaeology, Botany, History or Anthropology.
We provide the following items to our porters and cooks for free: Jacket, sun hat, warm hat, t-shirt, pants, hiking boots, confortable duffle bags, canteen and girdle for protecting their spine, sleeping bags, mattress and insurance.
Hiking with SAM Travel Peru is a life changing experience, fully portered trek where your comfort and enjoyment are our first responsibility. We make sure that you get the best experience of your holidays in Peru while you interact with locals, explore fantastic sites and re-discover remote ancient Inca towns and buildings, speaking some Quechua words and learning the fascinating Inka history. Immerse yourself in the stunning landscape and simply feel the magic of Mother Nature (Pachamama) and the Andes, while we carry your gear, prepare your meals, set up your tents avoiding crowded campsites and taking care of all your requirements and details.
Fabulous Cooks… The food on the trek has been highlighted by all our clients and they said that it was better than in the restaurants. Delicious and abundant Buffet style meals, peruvian and international Cuisine are prepared by our professional and dedicated cooks from a mixture of local and exotic products. If you are vegetarian or have food allergies of any kind, please do not worry because we will comply with your requests.
The toilets which are provided by the Government along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu are totally DIRTY and CONTAMINATED because 500 people per day are using the few toilets that there are in each camp site. This is when our biochemical seated CAMPING TOILETS become very important for all our Inca Trail hikers. Of course it has been highlighted by them also because our toilets are located close to our camp site. These toilets are used only by our clients.
We are very proud to be such an innovative company, providing all the facilities for our demanding clients…SAM Travel Peru as a RESPONSIBLE & SUSTAINABLE tour operator, provides the right gear like: gloves and mask for the person who has the responsibility for cleaning the toilets.