The Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu

Day 1 starts before sunrise from Cusco, with breakfast in Mollepata and a drive to Challacancha, then about 4.5 miles (7 km) on foot to the Soraypampa camp beneath the glaciers. The climb to Humantay Lake is the optional side trip from camp.

Day 2 is the big one: the climb to the Salkantay pass at about 15,190 ft (4,630 m), then a long descent into the warmer valleys on the far side.

Day 3 follows the river down through cloud forest toward Santa Teresa, where the hot springs at Collcapampa are the usual reward. Day 4 reaches the Hidroelectrica station and the trail or train into Machu Picchu Town, with the citadel visit the next morning. Five-day versions spread the same ground over an extra day.

The Inca Trail network is regulated as six named routes, each with a daily cap and a permit bought only by a licensed operator. The classic Salkantay route through Santa Teresa and Hidroelectrica is not among them, which is why it has no permit quota and why it stays bookable when Inca Trail dates are gone.

One Salkantay variant is inside that system: route 3 of the network starts at Soraypampa, crosses toward Paucarcancha and joins the classic Inca Trail at Wayllabamba, ending at the Sun Gate. That trek is booked like any Inca Trail permit. Since Ministerial Resolution 333-2026-MC, network places are sold only by direct sale on the official platform, paid in full at purchase and issued in each hiker's name.

Either way, the citadel at the end is a separate, dated entry: a ticket for one circuit, one route and one entry time, arranged as part of the trip.

April to November is the drier window and the usual trekking season. December to March is the rainy season, when the trail is muddier and the pass can be in cloud.

Rain also closes the approach. From February 2026 the Mollepata district suspended visits to Humantay Lake and the Salkantay area after landslides on the access road, and we have not found an official reopening notice. That was not a scheduled closure like the Inca Trail's February maintenance, and access conditions are confirmed with the local operator for each departure.

Salkantay is a high, long trek rather than a technical one: no climbing, but a pass near 15,190 ft and walking days of up to about 10 miles (16 km). The altitude is the hard part. Acute mountain sickness is a risk for anyone sleeping above about 8,000 ft (2,450 m) without acclimatizing, and above about 9,800 ft (3,000 m) the CDC advises raising sleeping altitude by no more than about 1,650 ft (500 m) a night.

That is why the trip begins in Cusco, at 11,150 ft, and in the Sacred Valley before the trailhead, so the first night at camp is not the first night at altitude.