Get the best of both worlds with this Salkantay Inca Trail trek – the stunning, high mountain trekking experience of the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu and the impressive ancient Inca ruins and mystique of the famous Classic Inca Trail.
Temperatures will vary widely on this trek, from below-freezing to semi-tropical, so make sure you are well prepared!
Looking for another alternative? Consider the Luxury 5-day Inca Trail!
>> See more photos & information about Salkantay and the Inca Trail
High quality personalized experience
Unique, off-the-beaten track routes
Experienced staff
Verified sustainability practices
$20 of every trek donated to Threads of Peru
We rate the 6 day Inca Trail and Salkantay Trek as challenging. (See how we rate all of our treks in the Cusco region!)
The 6 day Salkantay Inca Trail trek itinerary combines two popular Machu Picchu treks for a unique, if strenuous, Peru hiking experience.
For full details on what to expect in terms of difficulty, check out these blogs:
The trek begins with two days hiking in the Salkantay region (though not the classic Salkantay trek) before joining up with the Classic Inca Trail on Day 3. Day 2 is one of the hardest as you climb up to the highest point on the trail – Incachiriasca – coming in at a whopping 4965m (16289 ft)! Hiking to such a high altitude so quickly requires sufficient acclimatization and also the physical and mental endurance to complete it.
Day 2 also has the possibility of being even more strenuous. Depending on the campsites allocated to us by the government for the Inca Trail portion, it may be necessary to hike a bit further, making it an 11+ hour day of hiking. That’s a lot! (This is another reason why you should book early: so we can get our preferred Inca trail permits!)
The 4th day on the trail is another tough day as you hike to the second highest point on the trek: Dead Woman’s Pass (Warmihuañusca), 4200m / 13779ft.
In fact, you could describe the 6 day Inca Trail Salkantay trek as “undulating” – climbing up one steep ascent only to descend and then climb another steep ascent:
Don’t forget: All treks in the Cusco region are challenging for most people due to the high altitude and steep mountains. The Incachiriasca pass is considered one of the most difficult in the whole area.
This trek will be challenging for most people. If you are young, of average fitness, someone who works out several times a week, you will find this trek difficult. Those who are older or less fit should make sure they embark on a good fitness training program prior to departing. Training for a trek of this nature should be done in consultation with a medical or fitness professional, and be tailored to your specific needs, abilities and goals.
No matter what – make sure acclimatization is part of your training schedule!
See our Tip #3 for how to get ready for your trek.
It’s easy to prepare for the high altitudes you’ll experience on the Salkantay Inca Trail trek: plan your trip to allow at least 3 days in a high-altitude place (like Cusco) before starting your trek. Three days is even better; you don’t want to be sick on the Salkantay trail!
Truly, the more time you can spend at altitude before trekking, the better. Spending two or even three days at altitude will give your body time to adapt and allow you time enough to recover if you experience altitude sickness symptoms.
In addition, you should eat healthy food, stay away from alcohol, drink plenty of fluids and make sure you get enough rest. Being kind to your body helps it deal with the extra pressures that altitude creates.
Read more about Altitude and How to Acclimatize before starting your trek.
The best months of the year to plan your Inca Trail & Salkantay trekking trip are the dry winter months from May to August. This is peak tourist season in Cusco, so you can guarantee the trails will be busy and crowded, but the lack of rain makes it the ideal time for hiking.
Dry season is also the coldest time of year in the Andes, so be prepared for some very cold temperatures, especially at night (even below freezing!)
The rainy season in the Andes is December through March and is not a good time for this trek. In fact, we typically will not offer any Salkantay treks during this period for safety reasons. The trail can be slippery and there is a risk of rockslides that can wipe the trail out altogether. Additionally, the pass and higher areas can be covered in snow, which makes trekking difficult if you are not properly equipped.
Another date to watch out for is February: the Inca Trail is closed every February for regular maintenance, making it impossible to hike this Salkantay Inca Trail combo trek at that time.
The shoulder season (April, September, October) is an unpredictable time, weather-wise. Usually there is less rain and the temperatures can be warmer, making them ideal times for hiking (you can also expect fewer people on the trails!). But it all depends on the actual conditions at the time, and if you book a trek during this time, we reserve the right to cancel or modify it if conditions make the trail unsafe.
Read more about the best time to hike and take note of our wet season trekking policy.
The average daily hike on the Inca Trail Salkantay trek is about 7 to 8 hours per day.
Days 1 and 6 are the shortest, with about 4h total hiking time each day. Days 2-5 average about 7 to 8 hours each, though, depending on how campsites are allocated, it’s possible for Day 2 to be very long (11+ hours) and Day 3 a bit shorter (5h).
These are only average hiking times, and the time it takes you depends on the relative fitness and speed of everyone in your group.
See the day-by-day itinerary for exact hiking times per day.
Yes! Our guides take solar-powered chargers with them during the Inca Trail Salkantay Trek so that you can charge your phone or other device along the way.
he 6 day Salkantay and Inca Trail hike includes 5 nights of camping, including two nights at very high altitude (over 4000m).
We use 4 season North Face tents on all of our treks which are set up for you by our team of hardworking staff. You will be well taken care of overnight, no matter what conditions present themselves on the Salkantay Inca Trail. This is particularly important for high altitude camping when temperatures can be very low.
Go luxe! You can also choose our Comfort Camping option for a full-on luxury camping experience.
You will also be accompanied by a personal chef who prepares delicious meals during your trek. Our chefs receive annual training in order to offer you some really stunning culinary creations on the trail! This is not basic trail food, but fully catered for trekking.
We have a lot of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free travellers and our cooks are well-prepared to meet their needs. We can cater for or all other types of dietary requests with adequate preparation and clear communication.
Read more about What to Expect on the Trail, including more about meals and equipment.
The Salkantay portion of this combo trek does not require any permits, but the Inca Trail does! This permit is included in the price of your trek. We purchase your Inca Trail permit immediately after you book. In order to do so, we will ask you for some additional information (such as a scan of your passport) at the time of booking.
Permits for the Inca Trail can sell out very quickly, especially for peak dates (May through July). You should ALWAYS book as early as you can, but know that dates for these peak months will sell out 6 to 8 months in advance. Permits usually go on sale in October for the peak dates, so booking on or before October 1st is your best bet to secure dates during that time period.
The Inca Trail permit includes your visit to Machu Picchu. If you wish to climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, this requires an extra permit not included in the price of your trek.
Huayna Picchu is the conical shaped mountain that appears in all the classic pictures of Machu Picchu. The climb is very steep and not for the faint-hearted, but is very rewarding for those who can stomach it!
Permits for Huayna Picchu can also sell out in advance, so let us know at the time of booking if you would like to hike Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain.
Read more about Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain in our post on hikes at Machu Picchu.
Yes! We also have an itinerary for a Salkantay Inca Trail 7 day hiking tour, if you have a little more time on your hands, and really love trekking! Get in touch with one of our Trek Experts to see if this Salkantay Inca Trail 7 day itinerary is a better fit for you.
Other ways you can customize your trek:
All YOU need to carry with you on 6 days Salkantay Inca Trail hike is a light day pack. In your day pack, you should carry things like your water bottle, extra layers, gloves, camera, sun hat, beanie, sunscreen and insect repellent.
Water is very important while hiking. You should start each day with 2 litres. On the way to the trailhead, we will have filtered water which you can use to fill up your water bottles, as well as boiled water for tea. During the trek, we provide boiled water at meal times. You will have a chance to refill at lunchtime and again in the evening.
We also provide an ample range of snacks which will fill up the average person – if you have hollow legs, you might need to bring some extra snacks of your own!
The rest of your belongings – up to 8kg (17 lbs) – are carried in a duffel bag (which we provide during your Pre Trek Briefing) by mules (on the Salkantay portion of the trek) and porters (on the Inca Trail). All of the camping equipment needed on the trek is also carried by mules or porters.
Your last night on the trail will be spent either at Wiñaywayna or Phuyupatamarca campsites. Many people covet Wiñaywayna as it’s just a 2-hour hike to Machu Picchu from there, whereas it is 5 hours from Phuyupatamarca.
Being the most popular, Wiñaywayna is allocated first. If you have your heart set on camping at Wiñaywayna, book early! The plus side to Phuyupatamarca is that it is generally less crowded.
Read more about Wiñaywayna vs Phuyupatamarca in our blog!
In order to see the sun rise over Machu Picchu from Inti Punku, two things need to happen: (1) you leave camp early enough to arrive at dawn, and (2) it is a clear, sunny day.
Arriving at Inti Punku at dawn is possible on this trek, especially if you book early enough and we are able to reserve the preferred campsite (Wiñay Wayna) the night before. From Wiñay Wayna it is a 2-3 hour hike to Inti Punku so if we start early enough (say, 3am, the earliest we are permitted to start out on the trail), then there is a good chance we’ll arrive as dawn breaks.
However, as Machu Picchu is located in the high jungle, it is actually often shrouded in mist in the early mornings. A misty Machu Picchu is a beautiful and ethereal sight, but it is not the same as a stunning bright sunrise breaking over the mountain.
It is on many people’s bucket list to see the sun rise over Machu Picchu, and some less honest agencies promote this as a selling point. But let’s not be misleading: you most likely won’t see the sun actually rise over Machu Picchu.
Truth be told, we actually think a later arrival at Machu Picchu can be better. You are likely to be joined by fewer fellow hikers on the trail, and may also experience a somewhat less-crowded Machu Picchu, too.
In order to answer whether this trek is right for you, ask yourself the following questions:
The 6 Day Salkantay and Inca Trail Trek begins and ends in Cusco. Travel to/from Cusco is not included in the price of your trek.
Travel Direct…
…or Take the Long Way
If you’re still not sure if this is the right trek for you, or want to read more about the area or other people’s trekking experiences, check out these helpful articles from our blog:
Fully met expectations – Perfect itinerary. I truly appreciate the focus on the details that made everything looking easy and smooth, a lot of preparation behind made it happen. Kudos to Valerio, great to travel with the van.
My daughter and I had a fantastic time with Apus! The minor glitch with Valerio was more than made up for by the wonderful dinner at Uchu. Thank you!
Jose knew the route like the back of his hand. He is a wonderful, knowledgeable guide and I tell my friends about how wonderful Apus and Jose are.
I am a big fan of Apus. My constructive feed-back would be to have one of the guides review the custom itineraries for accuracy. Obviously on the set routes that is not critical, but I seem to pick custom routes and that is where the guides might help the office. How could office staff know if they haven’t been over the route the client wants to try? Please understand that I am offering suggestions for improvements and not criticism.
So, I am truly a Happy Apus Camper.
Please tell Jose how much we enjoyed his company. I feel, after two treks with him, that he is a friend. You guys run a very classy operation. It was just a pleasure! I will always use and recommend Apus.
Muchas Gracias!
The trek exceeded my expectations! Campsite #1 was the highlight of the trek, sleeping beneath Apu Salkantay.
Our guide was great, helpful, knowledgeable and well informed.
It has taken me three attempts to make it to Peru for the Salkantay-Inka Trail. I had organised a larger group the first time and the feedback from those people about Apus Peru was, without exception, excellent.
Apus Peru is a relatively small organisation amongst a forest of tour megaliths. It feels and works like a small community. Our sales representative answered every one of my pesky emails during the months leading up to our trek and, when we met, gave us all the time we needed for our questions. We were a small group of two walkers and Apus sent nine people to care and carry for us. The porters all came from the same small village and had been with Apus for many years. They were always cheerful and each one kept a quiet eye out for us. Our guide stuck with me (the slow one) for all the seven days and made sure I came through looking good. Our chef worked miracles in his tent kitchen.
Apus Peru did a great job. Thank you, Apus.
It is hard to express in words our experience trekking as a family of 4 from Mollepata, up to Abra Salkantay down to Pampa Cahuana and then on to the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The communication with our travel consultant from Apus Peru was thorough and always prompt right from the start of my inquiries. I had a good feeling about this local outfitter right from the start. This would be our family’s first multi-day backpacking trek but with camping, hiking and strong fitness, we were confident in our kids’ abilities to tackle the trail.
We then began our private trek for the 6 days along with our guide. The first two days we had horses along with our chef and sous chef and then porters for the Inca Trail portion. Our guide was a fantastic guide for our family. He is calm but intuitive, very knowledgeable about history and current events both in Peru and globally so we had some great conversations. He was able to anticipate our pacing which enabled us to move faster through the trail and get to camp early rather than stop for extended lunches in the latter part of the trek which was great as we then had lots of time at camp to eat, read, play soccer and eat again! And the food…our chef and sous chef were incredible! We are a vegan/vegetarian family and our guide joined us in this! We miss these meals every day now that we are home! We even had real coffee (not nescafe) done on the burner with a large espresso maker.
We tackled the Salkantay climb and descent the first two days which was the highlight of our trek – the beauty, peace, and challenge was awesome. We covered 34 kms and got up to 5000m and back down to just over 3000m in those two days. Inca Trail was great to do as well. The only busy campground, really, was the last one as we were still early season. Weather co-operated for us (some light rain) and the bugs were minimal. We ended at Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu climb (which seemed easy after the prior 5 days!). While we appreciated everything that is Machu Picchu, we had seen so many lessor but equally interesting and quiet ruins that it was almost strange to be seeing this amongst 2500+ other people. Our guide guided us through some interesting elements (not all the touristy ones) and left us to hike Wayna Picchu. We capped off the day in Aguas Calientes and then Vistadome train back (recommend upgrading the train for sure). Another 2 hrs in the van to Cusco which made for a long day but worth it.
We will book again through Apus Peru – likely my husband and I would do a longer, more remote trek in the future. Peru is a beautiful place to visit with excellent food for vegans.
