Why You Should do the Salkantay Trek
Sure, The Inca Trail gets all the hype for those wishing to make the hike to Macchu Picchu, but the Salkantay route offers a less crowded and often more beautiful journey to this wonder of the world.
Salkantay Trek
WHERE: Central Peru, en-route to Macchu Picchu.
WHY: Cheaper than the Inca Trail, better views, excellent hiking.
TIME: 4 nights
Setting out on a 4-5 day hiking journey through the Andes is a considerably more worthwhile use of your time than taking the rushed bus or train trip up to the lost city of the Inca. The feeling of stepping out onto the ancient stone tiling of Macchu Picchu after days of hiking, is one that can hardly be put into words. Picture the pre-dawn sunlight slowly illuminating the site as you explore the site for a brief while practically on your own, beating the hordes of tourists who’ve caught the bus here. The experience is dazzling, enchanting and utterly spellbinding all at once, and is even better after 5 days of hard hiking.
The two classic choices for those who wish to hike to Macchu Picchu often comes down to the Inca Trail versus the Salkantay Trek. In my first trip to Peru in 2014, I opted for the Salkantay, a decision which I thanked myself for repeatedly once I started out hiking. Read more below on why the Salkantay trek is my preferred route to Macchu Picchu.
Viewpoint over a small settlement on the first day of the hike
HIKING NUMBERS
The chief difference between two two trails is that of the amount of hikers on the trail at any one time. The Inca Trail, being the far more popular option has a maximum of 200 hikers per day, but is booked out for months in advance, so you can be sure that each and every day on the trail there will be those 200 hikers slugging along the ancient road. The Salkantay, by comparison, usually has about 50 - 60 hikers on the trail per day. The sheer lack of hikers on the Salkantay trek lead to the hiker experiencing greater periods of solitude, quiet and undisturbed photo opportunities.
Our small group of 10 encountered no other hikers on our second day on the Salkantay Trek
FLEXIBILITY
As mentioned above, the Inca trail is often booked out 6 - 8 months in advance. This seems to be a result of its popularity, but means that any traveler without a set schedule will need to commit to their hike well in advance of arriving in Cusco - a burdensome notion for any traveler not on a set schedule (ie; every backpacker). By comparison, The Salkantay trek has no capped amount of hikers per day, and has never been reported to be booked out - therefore, any organisation around the hike can be done once you arrive in Cusco - a more promising option as it means that you can shop around and try to haggle for prices.
TIP: My personal recommendation for a booking a guide is to go through ‘Create Peru Adventures’ , whom are a local guide company that I went with whilst there in 2014. The guide that I completed my hike with, Juan, proved to be an excellent travelling companion and a fantastic and high-spirited guide.
SCENERY
While both the Inca Trail and the Salkantay Trek will offer you a multitude of spectacular vistas and lookouts (you’ll be in the Andes no matter what), the Salkantay Trek seems to take the cake when it comes to sublime natural wonder and beauty. Some of the more thrilling moments along the Salkantay trek involve seeing and circling Peru’s highest mountain, Mount Salkantay (hence the name), stopping by a possibly frozen lake, Humantay Lagoon, reaching an altitude of 4600 m on the second day, and passing from the frigid alpine air into dense humid jungle as you approach Aguas Calientes on your last day of hiking. The sheer diversity of scenery, from mountaintops, to jagged passageways through valleys up to winding switchbacks, all the way to hiking along old railway lines - this hike has it all. The sheer splendor of the vistas that you’ll come across at each stage of the hike cannot be overestimated, the feeling of stumbling along a road trodden on by Incan messengers centuries ago, the shortness of breath in your lungs - its truly magical. While the Inca Trail has a variety of alternate ruins that you’ll come upon, the Salkantay provides natural beauty unparalleled anywhere else.
A cold pilsener at the end of a long day on the trail
COST
This is an easy one. The standard rule of thumb for a trip on the Inca Trail is roughly anywhere between $570 US to $1000 US, whilst the price for the Salkantay Trek generally sits at somewhere around the $350 mark. Of course, there are a variety of perfectly good reasons for the price disparity, namely, the Inca Trail; uses porters rather than pack horses, the accommodation is generally better and the companies have to pay a larger tax in order to hike on the trail. However, in terms of cost/benefit ratio, my money is on the Salkantay Trek winning out.
Views along the trail
The Challenge
Ok, hear me out here. I know that possibly gruelling hikes aren’t always at the top of every traveler’s ‘to do list,’, but this one is worth your time reading. As mentioned above, the Salkantay Trek involves hiking at extreme altitude, generally sitting at about 3000 metres above sea level, but reaching a maximum altitude of 4600 metres on the third day. Because of this, the hike won’t be for everyone. Moreover - compared to the Inca Trail, the hike is long. While the Inca Trail lasts for 43 km, the Salkantay Trek stretches on for a whopping 73 km - meaning that you will hike longer each day on the Salkantay. al arguments for increased physical exercise amongst backpackers aside - the sheer challenge of this hike is worth doing. The feeling you get when you stop each night is legendary, and the feeling of completion you get when you arrive in Aguas Calientes on the fourth or fifth day of hard hiking is one that cannot be transcribed by mere words - you’ve got to experience it to know it.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE
As every blog will tell you - choosing a trek to reach Macchu Picchu is all about personal preference. If you prefer nicer accomodation, a shorter hike, less gruelling conditions and more ruins then the Inca Trail is for you. However, if, like me, you were traveling on a budget, have no fixed itinerary, prefer a challenge, and enjoy the feeling of solitude whilst hiking, then the Salkantay Trek is an absolute no brainer. The experience of being on this hike is quite genuinely life changing - the scenery is awe-inspiring, the air so crips you can almost bite it. The experience of 5 days of gruelling hiking at altitude is one that made me feel as thought I’d truly earned the experience of visiting Macchu Picchu. Don’t listen to those who suggest catching the bus up - the only way to see Macchu Picchu is the vaguely traditional one - by hoofing it through the Andes for 4 or 5 days to emerge sweating and tired at the gates to this wondrous monument.
Feeling of elation standing at 4600 metres above sea level
So you’ve decided to do the Salkantay Trek? Click here for a complete guide to the trek and seeing Macchu Picchu
Short-form story detailing an experience in Sacred Valley, Peru.