THE CLASSIC ANCASCOCHA TREK 5 DAYS

What Is Included?

Permits & Entrance Tickets

Machu Picchu Circuit 2 offers the most complete and popular route through the citadel, making it the most requested. Although included in this experience, availability is limited, so we strongly recommend booking at least three months in advance.

If Circuit 2 is unavailable, we will arrange Circuit 3-B, which explores the lower area of the citadel, including the urban sector and key ceremonial sites. If this is also sold out, Circuit 1-B will be arranged, covering mainly the upper panoramic area with the iconic postcard viewpoint.

High Quality Service & Safety

Pre-departure Briefing

You’ll meet your trekking guide and group in our office for an orientation before your trek. There, we’ll provide you with the duffle bags, which our horses will carry. The meeting will be at 5:00 pm the evening before the trip begins.

Experienced Tour Guide

English and spanish speaking official tour guide. All our guides are graduates of the professional career of Tourism of the National University San Antonio Abad of Cusco. We choose them for their professionalism, experience, responsibility, seriousness, unbridled passion for exploring, and sincere desire to proudly share in our culture and history. He or she will keep you safe, sound, and comfortable on your trek so that you can enjoy your time worry-free!

Private Camping Equipment

You’ll have spacious dining and kitchen tents where you can enjoy your food without problems. In addition, tables, chairs, and cooking equipment (all carried by our horses).

Portable Travel Toilet

One Duffle Bag

On the trek, you can carry your personal belongings up to a maximum weight of 7 kg / 15.4 lb (this weight includes your sleeping bag).

Medical Kit or First AID Kit

All Salkantay Trekking guides have received specialized training in first aid. We hold mandatory training sessions with our guides every February. Your guide will always carry a first aid kit to face basic emergencies (altitude sickness, travelers’ diarrhea, cuts, scrapes, etc.) as well as oxygen. If necessary, we’ll evacuate you from the path as quickly as possible and ensure that you arrive at a clinic for treatment.

Extras Included in our Service

We believe that attention to small details is what sets us apart from other local companies. You’ll receive a small sleeping pillow, a foam mattress, a cover to protect your backpack on the road.

24/7 Customer Service

We have telephone service available 24 hours/day for ease of communication with Salkantay Trekking leading up to your trek.

Satellite Phone

Our main priority will always be the tranquillity of our clients. All of our guides are prepared for emergencies in the mountains; however, being a phone call away from any doctor, hospital, or friend helps you feel more secure. For this reason, each Salkantay Trekking guide has a satellite phone that can be used anywhere on the mountain to call anywhere in the world in case of an emergency.

Accommodation

Lodging in Campsites

We have a series of campsites that offer you true comfort. Besides that, just like our ancestors, we have a profound link of affection and respect for our Mother Earth. Because of this, we are insistent that our campsites don’t generate any negative environmental impact. Remember that the accommodations are double and shared.

Best Camping Tents

Salkantay Trekking uses the best equipment to ensure your safety and comfort. Every 2 people will share Eureka Timberline or Mountain Hard Wear tents with a capacity for 4 people.

Comfortable Hotel in Aguas Calientes

The last night of this trek is spent in a hotel in Aguas Calientes with a double or triple room, private bathroom, hot shower, wifi, breakfast, and luggage storage while you visit Machu Picchu.

Meals

5 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, and 4 Dinners

Our chef prepares the best dishes in the middle of the mountain. Our passengers love our food! We respect all diets (vegetarian, vegan, or special menus are available at no extra cost), so let us know if you have any particular allergies or restrictions on your reservation form and remind your guide during the briefing. You’ll enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in addition to hot drinks and snacks.

Water on the trail

We’ll provide you boiled, filtered, and cooled water during your hike, from your first lunch to your last lunch with your hiking team in Piscacucho (KM 82). For this, you need to bring a camel bag or an empty bottle (we recommend a capacity of 2 liters).

Wake up tea

Every morning at the campsite, you’ll be woken up with a cup of hot coca tea. Our staff will bring the tea to your tent so that you will be warmed from inside out before you start your day.

Tea Time or Happy Hour

Every afternoon before dinner, the cooks will provide you popcorn, biscuits/cookies, coffee, hot chocolate, teas, hot water, etc. After a long day of hiking, you won’t have to wait until dinner to relax, warm-up, and enjoy a bite to eat!

Snacks on the trail daily

Before starting your trekking, your tour guide will provide you a cloth bag with local fruits, cookies, chocolate, caramels, etc. Every morning, we’ll refill it so that you can enjoy your snacks during the walk.

One cloth snack bag per person

To avoid the usage of plastic bags that contaminate our environment, we’ll give you a cloth bag for your snacks.

Hygiene Products

You’ll be provided with a small towel and soap before each meal to clean your hands.

Transportation

Transport

• Day 1: You’ll be picked up from your hotel in the morning and will travel in our private transportation to Soqma, the trek’s starting point.
• Day 3: Transport from Piscacucho (KM 82) to Ollantaytambo.
• Day 5: Transport from Ollantaytambo train station to your hotel in Cusco.

Train Tickets

Day 4: From Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes.

Day 5: From Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo.

One-Way Consettur Bus Ticket from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu (Day 5)

Personal Belongings Transportation

On days 1,2, 3, and 4, cargo mules will carry all the camping equipment and your baggage allowance (7 kg / 15.4 lb). Muleteers will be responsible for your duffle bag and personal items.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED?

Extras and important equipment

All our travelers need a sleeping bag to camp. Inflatable mattresses and walking sticks (with rubber tips) are optional but highly recommended. If you do not have them, don’t worry, you can rent them with Salkantay Trekking.

• Sleeping bag: US$ 25.00
• Inflatable mattress: US$ 25.00
• Walking poles (pair): US$ 25.00

Huayna Picchu Mountain

You can climb the famous mountain you always see in the photos behind the archaeological site of Machu Picchu. It’s 45 minutes uphill, and coming back down can be scary if you fear heights. You can take this excursion once your guided tour to Machu Picchu ends. The permit must be issued at least one month in advance due to high demand. Consider that there could be changes to protect your integrity, mainly due to weather conditions.

• The ticket for Huayna Picchu Mountain has an extra cost of US$ 60.00 per person.

Machu Picchu Mountain

Machu Picchu Mountain is another of the mountains that surround the archaeological site of Machu Picchu. It offers less steep, wider, and visually less frightening trails than Huayna Picchu, and it takes 1.5 hours to reach the top. This walk requires an entrance ticket which we can secure for you if we have time in advance.

• The ticket for Machu Picchu Mountain has an extra cost of US$ 60.00 per person.

Lunch in Aguas Calientes and Dinner in Cusco (Day 5)

Personal Hiking Clothing and Gear

Travel Insurance

Tips for our staff

Tipping is the norm on any excursion to Machu Picchu. Although we pay good salaries to our entire team, something extra is always welcome, especially considering the hard work they do. Typically, group participants collect their tips to hand out to the horsemen and chefs together.

Additional costs or delays beyond our control

Landslides, bad weather conditions, itinerary modifications due to a safety concern, illness, pandemia, government policy changes, political instability, strikes, act of God, etc. 

We want to make your trip to Peru as memorable and as carefree as possible. In this section, you’ll find the answers to all the questions you have about traveling with Salkantay Trekking in one place. Please read the following information carefully – it will help you with any questions about our services. Have another question that we haven’t answered here? Drop us a line and we will get back to you asap!

How many days do I need to acclimate in Cusco before the Trek?

It’s very important to be well acclimated to the altitude before exerting yourself on a trek. We recommend that you arrive in Cusco at least 2 or 3 days before the trek starts to help you adjust and avoid possible problems with altitude sickness while on the trek.

You might have already been in another area of Peru at a high altitude before arriving in Cusco. In that case, we still recommend you have a whole day in Cusco to rest, recover from your travel, and enjoy the sights and sounds of Cusco before departing for the trek.

Here some suggestions for activities to do in the Cusco vicinity before starting your adventure trek:

• City Tour
• Sacred Valley
• Maras Moray

Briefing or Informative Meeting

All information meetings and briefings are held in our main office in Cusco (or your hotel) at 5:00 pm, one night before the tour begins. These meetings last approximately 30 to 45 minutes. If you’re unable to attend, you must coordinate another time by email, by phone or at the Salkantay Trekking office.

Trek Balance Payment (in Cusco)

If you still have a pending balance, you must pay it 2 days before your hike/tour. Otherwise, your trip reservation will not be confirmed.

If possible, it would be greatly appreciated if you could settle the remaining balance for the trek/tour in cash, either in US dollars or the local currency, at our office in Cusco. You can withdraw funds from various ATMs located along Avenida Sol, offering both US dollars and Peruvian Soles. Alternatively, you have the option to pay using a credit/debit card or PAYPAL, either online or in person, but please note that a 5% service charge will be applied by our payment gateway (Niubiz) and PAYPAL. We regret to inform you that we are unable to accept bank checks or traveler’s checks as forms of payment for the balance.

Duffel Bag or Canvas Case

You’ll receive a canvas case or duffel bag during your briefing. Our horses will carry them, and the horsemen will hand them to you when you get to each camp. They measure 60 x 24 x 22 cm (23.6 x 9.45 x 8.66 in).

A maximum of 7 kg / 15.4 lb is allowed for each duffel bag, including the weight of your sleeping bag, sleeping mat, clothes, and other personal items.

Can I store my luggage at your office?

Of course! During the trip, your main luggage can be stored at our office (you can organize it with us on the briefing day or by email) or at your hotel, both free of charge.

Any equipment that you won’t need on the trek can be stored safely in your hotel. Nearly every hotel will provide this service. Don’t leave items of value with your bags; put them in the hotel safe and obtain an itemized receipt (in the unlikely case of theft, many insurance companies require that you have a copy of the receipt itemizing everything). It’s best to put items such as credit cards inside a sealed, signed envelope for extra peace of mind.

Pick up of guests

Salkantay Trekking can pick you up from your hotel, as long as it’s in the Historical Center of Cusco. Your guide will coordinate the pickup time in the briefing session, but please keep in mind that the time may vary between 30 and 45 minutes due to traffic.

Cusco is an old city, meaning it has many narrow cobbled streets. Some hotels and Airbnbs may be located on streets without access to cars or on long, steep slopes, making it difficult to transport luggage. We strongly recommend that you book accommodation with good access.

Return to Cusco Returning from Machu Picchu requires quite a bit of logistics, but don’t worry. Everything is included in your tour!

• In Machu Picchu, you’ll board a bus that’ll take you for 25 minutes to the small city of Aguas Calientes. The buses are boarded according to arrival.
• In Aguas Calientes, you’ll board a train to Ollantaytambo. Your guide will give you the train tickets where the boarding time will be shown. Make sure you’re on the platform 30 minutes early. The train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo takes 1:45 hours.
• Once you arrive at the station, our representative, identified with the Salkantay Trekking clothing, will be waiting to transfer you to Cusco or directly to your hotel. The trip from Ollantaytambo to Cusco takes 1:30 hours.
• In Cusco, depending on your hotel’s location, we’ll take you to a smaller car from our company (Hyundai H1) to transfer you faster to your hotel.

Note: Your tour includes a One-Way Consettur Bus Ticket Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu, so you can choose to use it from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu or from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes. If you want a round-trip bus ticket, you’ll need to pay an extra of US$ 12.00.

Group Tours

Group tours are made up of different types of people, then physical conditions and ages can vary. By agreeing to be part of a group tour, you also accept that some people may be faster or slower than you. Therefore, each person can go at their own pace on the route.

It may be the case that a group wishes to modify the tour; however, the guide will be the one who decides, after consulting with all the participants, if such modifications are possible.

Strikes and demonstrations

Strikes and demonstrations are common in Peru, and this may interrupt some of our tours. Roads can be blocked, and train tracks can be taken over. However, we will try to keep your trip as originally planned, even if it means leaving the night before the scheduled date.

Under these circumstances, tours may also be canceled. In case of changes or cancellations, everything will be coordinated with you by our operations department. Your safety is our highest priority, and our decisions will be made to protect it.

Lost objects

Please pay attention to where you leave your things and remember to take everything once you leave our transport, tents or restaurants. You’re the only one responsible for your objects during the tour.

• Valid Passport
• Extra money (recommended soles)
• Personal medication
• Water bottle or CamelBak – (optional water purifying pills)aa
• Sunblock: factor 70 or more
• Personal Care Products
• Hiking boots or shoes (preferably waterproof)
• Light footwear or sandals
• Trekking pants (*)
• Trekking socks
• Pair of thermal pants
• Warm jacket
• Waterproof jacket
• Raincoat or rain poncho
• Waterproof or wool gloves
• Sun hat to protect neck and face
• Wool hat for the cold
• Neck gaiter or buff
• Sunglasses with UV protection
• Sleeping bag (-15°C)
• Trekking poles
• Medium trekking backpack (15 - 25 liter)
• Camera and charger
• Power bank
• Snacks: Energy bars, chocolate, candies, dried fruits, etc.
• Bathing suit
• Towel
• Flashlight