Sharing my itinerary and experience on the Salkantay Trek (completed 3rd May, 2026) leading up to Machu Picchu. Completed this incredible trek solo. Would highly recommend.
Itinerary:
Before the trek:
Make sure you are well acclimatised. Stay in Cusco or elsewhere in Sacred Valley. I spent a week near Pisac.
Day 1 (10–15k):
Stay in Soryapampa. Do the hike up to Humantay Lagoon, very worth it. You can arrange shared pickup from Cusco that drops you a few km from the stay.
Day 2 (20k, ~8 hours of hiking):
Hike from Soryapampa to Chaullay. Brutal day—you will cross the Salkantay Pass followed by seemingly endless downhills down rocky roads.
Normally, most people would stay at Chaullay or Collapampa and hike from there to Lucmabamba the next day. However, given the rains, most of the trail is washed off and you’re going to be walking on a dirt road with cars and construction vehicles. Given this, I just took a taxi to Lucmabamba on Day 2.
Day 3 (25k, ~8 hours of hiking):
Hike from Lucmabamba to Aguas Calientes. First 5k uphill through a forest, next 5k steep downhill through a forest. Next 15k mostly flat walking, first on a trail and then on the train tracks leading to Aguas Calientes.
Day 4:
Lazed around in Aguas Calientes
Day 5:
Hike from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. Get a guide at the entrance and enjoy the tour. You can also hike Huayna Picchu from within Machu Picchu if you want more.
Gear Needed:
I had absolutely no hiking or cold weather gear so I rented almost everything in Cusco for ~500 soles.
Here’s what I carried:
- Two Jackets (Fleece and Puffer)
- Thermal Inner Shirt and Long Pants
- Trekking Pants (with zip to convert to shorts)
- Trekking Poles
- Long sleeves quick dry tshirt (for forest)
- Rain poncho and Rain pant
- Trekking Shoes
All of this was fit (stuffed) in a 30L bag.
Tips/Tricks/Learnings:
- Leave at 5:15 AM everyday just as dawn breaks; You will get beautiful empty trails; Use your headlamp at the start, but it’ll get bright pretty quickly; You may need to skip breakfast, it’s alright - get the hotel to pack sandwiches for you; You’ll be done by 1 PM on most days if you do this
- When walking the train tracks on Aguas Calientes, get off the tracks at Puenta Ruina; If you reach the train tunnel, you have gone too far, turn around and find the nearest way to get off the tracks; I almost got run over by the train, they were able to stop the train in time fortunately
- Get in the Machu Picchu ticket line early (4:30–5 AM) if going during a public holiday
- Do a quick YouTube lesson on using hiking poles properly if using it for the first time (I was)
Comment for names of specific stays / gear rental places, happy to share.