We just got home from completing the Salkantay Trek in Peru with Salkantay Trekking. In this blog post we will be diving into everything you need to know before hiking the Salktantay Trek. Including what we wish we knew before we started, what to pack for the trek and tips we learned along the way to get the most out of the hike!
What is the Salkantay Trek?
The Salkantay Trek is multi-day hike that takes you through the incredibly scenic Andes Mountains and ends at Machu Picchu. This trek is an alternative route to the traditional Inca Trail and is for the most adventurous hikers. The 5 day hike covers roughly 75km and reaches a maximum elevation of 4600m or 15,000 ft.
We did The Premium Salkantay Trek – Is It Worth It?
We chose to upgrade our trek to the Premium version. You can find our exact itinerary here. There were a few factors that led us to this decision:
Accommodations -The premium accommodations included different accommodations for Sky Camp and the Jungle Domes, as well as a nicer hotel in Aguas Calientes
Transportation – The premium trek includes the panoramic train back from Machu Picchu in a first class car with bar access as well as round trip bus ticket to Machu Picchu. The premium trek also includes train tickets from Hydraelectrica to Aguas Calientes if your group does not want to walk the train tracks.
Extra Special Things- The hot spring entrance and round trip transportation were included for the premium group. Towels were provided at the base camps for showers.
Trekking Extras – All of our trekking gear was included like sleeping bags, liners and trekking poles. You also got more weight allowance for packing, 10kg for premium vs 5kg for the regular group. 1 horse is available for free for the premium group to Salkantay Pass in case anyone needs it.
You can read more about the Premium Trek here!
How To Prepare for the Salkantay Trek
Here is everything you need to know as you prepare for the Salkantay Trek.
Take Time To Acclimate To the Altitude
The biggest struggle for most people during the Salkantay Trek is the altitude. It is highly recommended to spend a few days in Cusco prior to the beginning of the hike. We recommend at least 3 days. Cusco sits at 3390m or 11,150 ft making it the perfect place to acclimate. We highly recommend taking it easy and walking around Cusco the first day you arrive, then planning to visit Sacred Valley, or Maras the following day.
TIP 1: Speak to your health care professional about Altitude Sickness Medication you can take prior to and during your trip. TIP 2: While in Cusco, try some in Muña tea, to assist with digestion and Coca Tea to help with altitude sickness.
Packing Limits for the Trek
Salkantay Trekking provides you with a small duffel bag for all of your essentials for the trip. The premium group gets a maximum weight of 10kg per person. This is for all of your clothing during the hike and any other essentials you will not need with you during the day. This bag will be carried by the porter and horses and will meet you at base camp in the evening each day.
You also need to bring a day backpack with you to carry personal belongings like medications, rain gear, warm clothes, sunscreen, snacks and water. A 30-40L backpack is perfect for this. Salkantay Trekking also provides you with a rain cover for your backpack.
This backpack from Amazon was $40 and worked perfectly as a day pack!
Luggage Storage
The luggage you bring on the trip can either store it with the hotel you are staying at before and after the hike (most hotels do this for no additional charge) OR with Salkantay Trekking in their office.
The team at Salkantay Trekking will provide you with bag tags during your briefing the night before your trek if you decide to store it with them.
We personally opted to store our luggage at our hotel. We stayed at Novotel Cusco before and after the trek (highly recommend this hotel) and they stored our luggage for no extra charge during the 5 days we were gone.
Weather During the Salkantay Trek
Best Weather – May to September provides the best window of weather for the Trek. These months are the dry season, but also coincide with high season for tourists.
Shoulder Season – April and October provide great weather (the beginning and end of the rain season) and often see less tourists than peak season. We did our hike in late April and had great weather.
June – Many travellers want to plan around Cusco’s cultural events. June has traditional celebrations such as Inti Raymi which is the “Festival of the Sun”. During this time Cusco will be busier meaning you will need to book hotel and tours early to avoid it selling out!
Rain Season – January and February are the rainiest months. If you are traveling during the rain season it is important to be prepared with rain gear like water proof jacket and hiking boots. Just because it is rainy season doesn’t mean it will rain everyday!
Coldest Months – June and July are the coldest months and temperatures can drop below 0 celsius or 32 fahrenheit. It is important to pack warm layers for the evenings and overnight. The premium trek has a warm sleeping bag and liner included in their price.
What To Pack For the Salkantay Trek
Don’t let packing for the Salkantay Trek become overwhelming. It is really important to streamline your packing given the bag and weight restrictions we mentioned above! You will be traveling through a few different climates as well so it is important to have versatile clothing with you.
Here are all of our essential packing items you need to bring on the Salkantay Trek.
Clothing
Our guide told us during our meeting that the general rule is 1 shirt per day because you will be sweating. We also recommend bringing pants exclusively as the bugs can be pretty bad once you begin hiking into the jungle.
- 5 Base Layer Shirts
- 5 Pairs of Pants
- 1 Pair Water Resistant Pants for rain cover
- 1 Waterproof Jacket
- 1 Thin Down Jacket for Warmth
- Merino Wool Hiking Socks
- Swimsuit for the hot springs
Hiking Gear
We highly recommend bringing well worn hiking shoes as you will be covering a lot of distance during this trek. Also a pair of sandals to wear around base camp and for the hot springs. If you are part of the premium trekking group, towels will be provided for you at every basecamp for your showers. You can rent a towel at the hot springs for 5 soles per person.
- Hiking Boots (well worn, bonus if they are waterproof)
- Sandals (we recommend Slides or Tevas so you can wear them with socks)
- Water Bladder (2-3L is a great size – this is what we have)
- Hiking Day Pack (we recommend this one)
- Headlamp (we have this one)
- Hat for sun coverage
- Warm Beanie and Gloves for hiking
- Suncreen and Bug Spray
- Quick Dry Towel (not necessary if you are part of the premium group – we have this one)
- Rain Poncho
- Sunglasses
Miscellaneous Items
- Camera Gear
- Chargers (Peru is 220 Volts and most campsites have North American Plugs)
- Small First Aid Kit
- Necessary Medications
- Soles (most stands along the hike to buy water or snacks exclusively took cash)
- Personal Care products (all of our premium basecamps had shampoo and conditioner)
- Snacks (we picked up Candy, Energy Bars and a Nut Mix at a store in Cusco before our hike)
Kaylee’s Hiking Gear Favourites Here
If you want to take a look at all my hiking gear that I brought with me you can find it here!
Sneak peak of some of my favs here:
Final Thoughts
The Salkantay Trek is a rewarding hike to Machu Picchu that requires proper planning. We highly recommend traveling with a reputable tour company, we went with Salkantay Trekking and had the most amazing time.
As always, happy adventures and if you have any questions comment below or DM us on socials 🙂
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