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Two cards to each A4 sheet. A day too long for half a sheet gets a whole one.

Route at a glance

The Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

Duration
5 days
Distance
74 km
Ascent
3200 m
Difficulty
Hard
Day Distance Ascent
1 Mollepata to Soraypampa & Humantay Lake 13 km 900 m
2 The Salkantay Pass 22 km 800 m
3 Into the cloud forest 16 km 300 m
4 Llactapata & the first sight of Machu Picchu 19 km 800 m
5 Machu Picchu 4 km 400 m
The Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu Full guide: waymarkroutes.com/trails/salkantay-trek
Day 1

Mollepata to Soraypampa & Humantay Lake

Mollepata Soraypampa

Distance
13 km
Ascent
900 m
  1. Challakancha trailhead 7 km 400 m
  2. Soraypampa Humantay Lake (about 4,200 m) and back 6 km 500 m

Segments

  1. Challakancha to Soraypampa Challakancha trailhead Soraypampa 7 km 400 m Canal path and open Andean valley
  2. Humantay Lake detour Soraypampa Humantay Lake (about 4,200 m) and back 6 km 500 m Steep moraine switchbacks

Notes

The Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu Full guide: waymarkroutes.com/trails/salkantay-trek#day-1
Day 2

The Salkantay Pass

Soraypampa Collpapampa

Distance
22 km
Ascent
800 m
  1. Soraypampa 7 km 800 m
  2. Salkantay Pass Collpapampa 15 km 0 m

Segments

  1. Ascent to Abra Salkantay Soraypampa Salkantay Pass 7 km 800 m Rocky alpine switchbacks
  2. The long descent east Salkantay Pass Collpapampa 15 km 0 m Rough valley track, increasingly green

Notes

The Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu Full guide: waymarkroutes.com/trails/salkantay-trek#day-2
Day 3

Into the cloud forest

Collpapampa Lucmabamba

Distance
16 km
Ascent
300 m
  1. Collpapampa 11 km 200 m
  2. La Playa Lucmabamba 5 km 100 m

Segments

  1. Riverside jungle path Collpapampa La Playa 11 km 200 m Cloud forest trail
  2. Coffee country La Playa Lucmabamba 5 km 100 m Farm track through plantations

Notes

The Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu Full guide: waymarkroutes.com/trails/salkantay-trek#day-3
Day 4

Llactapata & the first sight of Machu Picchu

Lucmabamba Aguas Calientes

Distance
19 km
Ascent
800 m
  1. Lucmabamba 6 km 800 m
  2. Llactapata ruins 5 km 0 m
  3. Hidroeléctrica station Aguas Calientes 8 km 0 m

Segments

  1. Inca path to Llactapata Lucmabamba Llactapata ruins 6 km 800 m Original Inca stone path through forest
  2. Descent to Hidroeléctrica Llactapata Hidroeléctrica station 5 km 0 m Steep forest descent
  3. The railway walk Hidroeléctrica Aguas Calientes 8 km 0 m Flat railway track

Notes

The Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu Full guide: waymarkroutes.com/trails/salkantay-trek#day-4
Day 5

Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes Machu Picchu

Distance
4 km
Ascent
400 m
  1. Aguas Calientes 3 km 400 m
  2. Machu Picchu entrance Machu Picchu citadel 1 km 0 m

Segments

  1. The stairway to the citadel Aguas Calientes Machu Picchu entrance 3 km 400 m Steep stone stairway
  2. The citadel Machu Picchu entrance Machu Picchu citadel 1 km 0 m Stone paths and terraces

Notes