Peru Walking Holiday: Salkantay Lodge Trek
16 days from £6,550 pp
Our Peru walking holiday is built around one of South America’s great treks: the Salkantay lodge-to-lodge trek to Machu Picchu. Over seven days and around 63 km, you walk through the Vilcabamba mountains, beneath the glaciers of Salkantay and down into cloud forest, and each night you stay in a cosy mountain lodge with hot showers, an outdoor hot tub and excellent food. Before the trek, find your feet on guided walks in the Sacred Valley; afterwards, finish with a hike to the striped slopes of Palccoyo. Prices start from £6,550 per person for 16 days, including the guided trek, private guides and transfers, and four-star hotels in Lima, the Sacred Valley and Cusco. It’s the most comfortable way we know to walk to Machu Picchu, and one of our favourite tailor-made Peru holidays.
Trip Highlights
- Walk the Salkantay trail to Machu Picchu, staying in mountain lodges with hot tubs and hot showers
- Cross the Salkantay Pass, at over 4,600 metres, beneath its glaciers
- Hike from the Moray terraces to the Maras salt pans in the Sacred Valley
- See the striped slopes of Palccoyo, a quieter alternative to Rainbow Mountain
Our Expert Tip
”Give yourself time to adjust to the altitude before the trek. That’s why this trip starts with three nights in the Sacred Valley, which sits lower than Cusco, with gentle hikes to get your legs going. By the time you reach the Salkantay Pass, you’ll be glad you did”
Sinead, Peru Expert
Peru Walking Holiday Itinerary: Day by Day
Day 1-2: Lima
Arrive in Lima and transfer to Villa Barranco, a boutique hotel in a restored mansion in the bohemian Barranco district, for two nights.
Next day, spend a few hours eating your way around Barranco with a local host: around 15 tastes, from zingy ceviche to Peruvian coffee, a pisco cocktail and single-origin chocolate, each with a story behind it. It’s a delicious way to start, and the walking is gentle. Read more about our best foodie experiences in Peru.
Day 3-5: Sacred Valley
Fly to Cusco and drive down into the Sacred Valley for three nights at Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba or similar, looking out over the valley. Starting here, lower than Cusco, gives you time to acclimatise before the trek.
Your first walk is a full day of around 13 km. Start at Moray, where the Incas carved giant circular terraces into the hillside, then follow the trail across the high plateau, with the snowy Vilcanota range on the horizon, to the village of Maras. From there, walk down past nearly 3,000 salt pools, still worked by local families as they were in Inca times, and on to Pichingoto, with a picnic lunch along the way.
The next day, explore the fortress of Ollantaytambo and the town below it, still laid out on its original Inca street plan. Then learn how chicha, the Andes’ traditional corn beer, is made at a local chichería, and finish at the Casa Museo ALQA, a celebration of Andean art (closed on Sundays and Mondays, so we plan around it). For more ideas, read our guide to hiking in Peru.
Day 6: Cusco
Transfer to Cusco and Palacio Manco Cápac or similar. In the afternoon, a private guide shows you the city largely on foot: start at San Pedro market, then visit Koricancha and the fortress of Sacsayhuamán above the city, before walking back down past the Sapantiana colonial aqueduct and through the artists’ lanes of San Blas to the cathedral on the Plaza de Armas.
Day 7: Salkantay Trek, to Salkantay Lodge
Your trek begins. Our specialist trek guide collects you in Cusco, and after a stop at the Inca site of Quillarumiyoc, you start walking towards Soraypampa and Salkantay Lodge (3,869 m), your base for the next two nights, with the glaciers of Salkantay and Humantay towering above.
Day 8: Salkantay Trek, Humantay Lake
An acclimatisation day. Hike up to Humantay Lake, a startlingly turquoise glacial lake at the foot of Humantay mountain, then return to Salkantay Lodge for a hot tub, a massage if you’d like one, and dinner.
Day 9: Salkantay Trek, the Salkantay Pass
The big day. Climb steadily to the Salkantay Pass, at over 4,600 metres, right beneath the mountain’s hanging glaciers, before descending to Wayra Lodge (around 3,900 m), whose name means “where the wind lives”.
Day 10: Salkantay Trek, into the Cloud Forest
A shorter, mostly downhill day as the landscape changes completely: from high grassland into cloud forest, following the Salkantay River to Colpa Lodge (2,870 m), set on a promontory where three rivers meet.
Day 11: Salkantay Trek, Lucma Lodge
Follow the Santa Teresa valley past small farms growing coffee, avocados and passion fruit to Lucma Lodge, surrounded by a working coffee plantation.
Day 12: Salkantay Trek, Llactapata and Machu Picchu Pueblo
Climb an old Inca trail to the ruins of Llactapata, where you get your first view of Machu Picchu across the valley, then descend to the river and continue to Aguas Calientes for the night.
Day 13: Machu Picchu
Explore Machu Picchu with your guide, then take the train back towards Cusco for two nights at Palacio Manco Cápac. Prefer camping and the classic Inca Trail? See our Peru Active Adventure.
Day 14: Cusco
A well-earned free day in Cusco. Rest your legs, browse the workshops of San Blas, or find a café on a sunny balcony above the Plaza de Armas.
Day 15: Palccoyo
One last walk, and a spectacular one. Drive south to Combapata, then hike for about an hour and a half to Palccoyo, three mountains striped red, green, blue and white by their layers of minerals, and much quieter than the famous Rainbow Mountain. Wander through a forest of stone pinnacles and climb to a viewpoint facing Ausangate, the highest snow-capped peak in the Cusco region, for a snack with a view.
Day 16: Depart
Transfer to the airport for your flight home, via Lima. Want to see more of Peru at a slower pace? See our Slow Travel Peru holiday.
When to Go
Best time for a Peru walking holiday
The best time to walk the Salkantay trail is May to September, Peru’s dry season, with clear skies and the best mountain views. April, October and November are good shoulder months, with greener landscapes and fewer walkers. The lodge trek usually doesn’t run in the wettest months, January and February. Nights at the higher lodges are cold, but the rooms are heated.
Includes
- All accommodation
- Excursions
- Transport
- Private guides
Excludes
- International flights
- Travel insurance
- Visa cost
- Tips
Why Book With Travel Differently
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- Each member of the team has over a decade of experience in the industry
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Tailor-made and Personal
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Need More Inspiration?
Want to combine multi-countries, take less flights, or include a hike in Patagonia? Thinking of a longer sabbatical holiday, or staying in some luxury yurts? It’s all possible; all our holidays are tailor-made with a focus on responsible travel. Take a look at more ideas below, and contact our experts.
