Classic Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

Reserve your spot today! In the Trip Dates & Booking section of this page, the green and red dates are bookable online by simply clicking on the date, and blue dates must be booked through our customer service team for a variety of possible reasons. To email our customer service team, you can click here to get the ball rolling. Our adventure consultants will confirm availability, and if you’re ready to register we’ll email you a link to a registration profile. You’ll have 72 hours to complete your profile (and that of any dependents) and pay the deposit.

Feel free to call us for more info – we’re here 7 days a week!

Pre-Trip Orientation: At 5:00 pm the evening before your trip starts, please meet us at Tierra Viva Cusco Centro for an important orientation meeting. This meeting will include introductions, issuing gear, and answer any last-minute questions you may have.

Day 1: We will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at 6 am and drive about 3.5 hours to our trailhead at Soraypampa

Our pre-trip support team will be in contact approximately 45 days before your trip to coordinate your rendezvous and answer any last-minute questions you have.

Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed information about flights, shuttles, recommended lodging and more.

Trip Start & End: Cusco, Peru

Closest Airport: Alejandro Velasco Astete Cusco International Airport, CUZ. Transporation to/from Cusco is the guest’s responsibility.

Required Acclimatization Days: For guest safety, due to the high elevations of this trek (15,255 ft.), it is required that you acclimatize, at 10,000 feet or greater, for a minimum of 2 nights prior to the trip start date. This can be accomplished simply by arriving in Cusco (11,200 ft.) 2 days prior. Acclimatizing, being well rested, staying hydrated, and eating well are important steps to helping your body adjust to the higher elevations of this trip. This will give you the best opportunity to have a safe and enjoyable trek.

We secure limited amounts of pre and post trip lodging in Cusco, Peru as an optional add-on for guests of this trip. This lodging is on request, and is available on a first come, first serve basis. If interested, please reach out directly to our team to check availability.

Your safety is our top priority. Our hiking tours are led by professional hiking guides, all of whom are wilderness-certified first responders or EMT’s, each with years of guiding and wilderness experience. Guides adhere to standardized risk management protocols in case of any potential or actual incident, and all tours carry an emergency communication device and comprehensive first-aid kit. Additionally we have a “24/7” system through which guides or guests can reach Wildland support personnel at any time.

In the interest of your safety, it’s important to refer to the Center for Disease Control website for up-to-date recommendations on immunizations before your trip.

Essential Eligibility Criteria (“EEC”) have been specifically identified to help you understand the skills and abilities necessary to participate on each Wildland trip, and they apply uniformly to all potential trip participants, irrespective of the presence or absence of any disability.

Once you identify a trip in which you may be interested, please carefully review the EEC and itinerary details. If after reviewing the EEC that apply to your desired trip, you determine you need an accommodation in order to meet the EEC, please contact us prior to registering to discuss your requested accommodation.

The EEC exist for your own safety and the safety and enjoyment of all participants. If you are unable to meet the EEC for the trip, with or without an accommodation, you are not eligible for that trip. If you register and arrive for a trip for which you do not meet the EEC, you will be disqualified from participation on the trip and will be dismissed or evacuated from the trip without a refund.

Our approach to international travel is to combine the best of two worlds: the dialed-in details, professionalism and consistency Wildland trips are known for; and the cultural immersion and intimate regional knowledge that only locals can provide. To excel with this approach, we vet and hire the best local guides, welcome them into the Wildland family and train them to meet our standard of excellence with every aspect of a trip. But along with managing logistics and safety, your guides will teach you about the area’s history and culture, and provide a level of familiarity and intimate detail only locals can.

Check out our Meet Our Team page for staff bios.

Where are our Porters from?

Wildland works with a team of 15-25 porters, mainly from two different villages: Willoq and Cuyo Grande, both located in the Sacred Valley of Peru. The ages of our porter team ranges from 20 to 55 years old. Our porter team is made up of farmers, meaning their main job is farming and the porter work is to supplement income. They grow crops such as potatoes, lima beans, peas, corn and also raise livestock such as cows, sheep, llamas, and alpacas.

Why do they choose to be Porters?

Being a farmer in the mountains is difficult work, especially in the Cusco region. Each of the members of our porter team own a small plot of land that they use for farming. This work is physical, hard and in the end is often not enough to support their families, especially if they want their children to go to school.

Porters try to work 2-3 treks per month. Each trip lasts for 4 days, so they are away from their families and farm duties between 8 and 12 days each month. They prefer to visit with their families, rest, and catch up on farm duties between treks, usually for 4-5 days. They choose when they want to be available for any given trek or set of dates.

What do we provide Porter staff?

We believe that the main ingredient for any successful trip is keeping not only our guests safe and happy, but also our staff. Without one it is impossible for us to have the other. With that said, we have created a set of standards to ensure the safety and happiness of our porter team.

• All porters are provided health insurance. It is purchased through a private company to ensure they are covered for any health-related issues while working for us. During a trek our lead guides are in close contact with all our staff to ensure safety and wellness of the entire team. Any illness or injury to our staff is treated equal to and as importantly as any illness or injury to our guests. All lead guides are trained in wilderness first aid and can properly assist any staff or guest in emergencies or in the case of illness or injury. First aid kits are carried and readily available for staff, the same as they are for guests.
• We provide staff all the gear needed to keep them warm and safe during treks. This includes sleeping bags, sleeping pads, shelter/tent, warm fleece jackets, hiking pants, hiking shoes, hats, backpacks and a brace used for extra back support.
• We understand that the quality work and effort provided by our porters during treks deserves to be matched by the quality of food we provide to them during treks. Porters are provided 3 warm meals a day on treks and the food is planned for them specifically. They are not fed guest leftovers; their food is planned, purchased, and cooked by our chef during a trek. Meals are always planned with physical and nutritional needs in mind.
• Tipping rates are included in our rates to guests and the amounts given to porters are set, fair, and predictable each trip. Of course, our guests can give more if they wish, but tips are already included in their rates and we ensure our team is tipped fairly, in addition to their normal salary.
• Also, we follow strict weight limits to not overburden our Porters. The maximum weight they can carry is 20 kilos/44 lbs.

School Project

Five years ago, Jose Condor, our partner and Peru Program Manager, started a small project called “Improving Education in the Mountains.”

This project was set up to support the schools and children in the villages around the region where our porters come from.  These small communities and villages have schools, but they are basic, and often do not have sufficient supplies.  Every year, we provide supplies for the schools to use for the school year.  We also supply some hygiene items and other gifts.  A portion of each reservation in Peru goes towards this project. The supplies are utilized by hundreds of children between the ages of 3 and 11.

Age restrictions on this trip are as follows:

• 12 and older to join scheduled or private trips

Field evacuation, repatriation, and medical insurance is highly recommended on all Peru trips (field evacuation and repatriation minimum coverage is a combined $200,000 USD).

We recommend IMG/iTravelinsured and their Travel LX product for this trip. They are one of the world’s leading providers of travel insurance.

For information on the recommended IMG/iTravelinsured policies please click here.

If you already have insurance or wish to purchase from anyone other than IMG/iTravelinsured, we recommend careful consultation with the provider to ensure appropriate coverage. This is because many providers have a number of policy exclusions.

Peru is home to part of the Amazon Rainforest as well as the towering Andes Mountains. Machu Picchu is at an elevation of 7,972 ft. (2,430 m.), but most of our hikes reach elevations well above 10,000 ft., some reaching nearly 17,000 ft. Because of the significant elevation changes and alpine hiking, the temperatures and weather can also vary widely. At elevations above 10,000 feet you can expect cold temperatures.

The average temperatures and precipitation in the Machu Picchu region are: