We tried to solo hike the Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu.
This meant no guides to direct us, no porters to cook us food, and no horses to carry our gear along the 40 miles of trail. This meant we had to plan our route. This meant we had to pack enough food and water. This meant we had to have the physical and mental tenacity to carry 40 pounds for 40 miles at high elevation.
Cautionary tales and words of discouragement bombarded us as we planned our trip. We are not locals. We are not experts. We are just folks who like to emphasize self-reliance and meditation while backpacking. Why should we have any clue how to hike a “real” trail?
From the very first step until the very end, barrages of hikers, porters, and horses continually passed us as we struggled to keep up. We couldn’t, and although it was constant discouragement, our spirits continually rose and surpassed any preconceived notion of what I thought was possible. We did it. In the end…
…we solo hiked the Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu! Here’s how we did it. Be sure to also check out the following entries for a breakdown of each day.
Jump To…
Salkantay Trekking Stats (including GPX data)
Trip Itinerary
Why Hike the Salkantay Trail?
Feasibility Study
Trip Logistics & What You Need to Know
Salkantay Trail Diary
Location: Salkantay Trail, Peru
Map above shows where we started the trek. It was a 4+ hour taxi ride from Cusco.
Duration & Length: 4 days, 3 nights
Hiking Stats with GPX Data for Download
Hike Day 1: Humantay Lake
Total climbing: 1795 ft
Total time: 05:32:51
Hike Day 1: Hiking to Campsite
Total climbing: 1050 ft
Total time: 02:18:43
Hike Day 2: Hiking the Salkantay Pass
Total climbing: 2349 ft
Total time: 10:57:51
Hike Day 3: Hiking to Chaullay
Total climbing: 220 ft
Total time: 04:12:15
Hike Day 4: Hiking from Lucmabamba to Hidroelectrica via Llactapata
Total climbing: 2953 ft
Total time: 08:00:28
Hiking Up Machu Picchu Mountain
Total climbing: 1991 ft
Total time: 03:49:37
Trip Itinerary
| Day | Start | End | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA | Lima, Peru | Flight from USA to Lima |
| 2 | Lima, Peru | Cusco, Peru | Flight from Lima to Cusco Acclimation Day 1 |
| 4 | Cusco | Cusco | Acclimation Day 2 |
| 5 | Cusco | Cusco | Acclimation Day 3 |
| 6 | Cusco | Salkantay Pampa | 1) Take taxi from Cusco to Soraypampa at 3 AM. 2) Arrive Soraypampa 7:30 AM. 3) Begin hike and hike up to Humantay Lake. 4) Hike back down from Humantay Lake, and continue on the Salkantay Trail to Salkantay Pampa. (NOTE: we do not recommend this - we recommend spending the evening at SorayPampa to allow for acclimation. 5) Camp at Salktanay Pampa |
| 7 | Salkantay Pampa | Huarachmachay/Wayramachay | 1) Hike from SalkantayPampa to Abra Salkantay. Hiking to the pass is the hardest part of the hike due to the elevation 2) Descend the pass towards Huarachmachay/Wayramachay 3) Refuel + sleep at Huarachmachay/Wayramachay |
| 8 | Huarachmachay/Wayramachay | Chaullay --> Lucmabamba | 1) Hike from Huarachmachay/Wayramachay to Chaullay. This is an easy 5 mile trek, mostly downhill 2) Refuel at Chaullay. 3) Take a taxi from Chaullay to Lucmabamba (15 sol per person) 4) Camp at Lucmabamba. Enjoy fresh coffee, local honey, and avocados! |
| 9 | Lucmabamba | Llactapata --> Hidroelectrica --> Machu Picchu | 1) Hike from Lucmabamba to Llactapata - a gain of ~2500 feet! 2) Hike from Llactapata down to Hidroelectrica 3) Pay for the train from Hidroelectrica to Machu Picchu |
| 10 | Machu Picchu | Cusco | 1) Take the 5 AM bus to Machu Picchu ruins 2) Hike up Machu Picchu Mountain (over 1,900 feet gain) 3) Descend, look at ruins 4) Take bus back down to Machu Picchu station 5) Refuel, and board train to Cusco |
| 11 | Cusco | Lima | 1) Flight from Cusco to Lima |
| 12 | Lima | USA | 1) Flight from Lima to USA |
Why the Salkantay Trail?
Exotic as it may seem to a northerner, Machu Picchu is a very popular destination, and the trails leading to it are very popular among outdoor enthusiasts. People from all over the world fly to Peru to hike up to Machu Picchu. The Salkantay Trail was our choice for a few simple reasons:
- No permit required to hike, unlike the Inca Trail
- Porters/tour guides not required, meaning we have the option to complete the feat by ourselves
- The itinerary would make it was the longest and most treacherous trek to date, but we were up for the challenge
Feasibility Study
Hiking to Machu Picchu with a tour group is the most sane and recommended option. There are porters and horses which help with transportation and meal preparation throughout the hike, and the locals are usually knowledgeable about natural history. Also, if there was ever a hike to meet like-minded people on, this is it. We must have seen hikers from at least 10 different countries, and as usual, everyone was delightful!
Speaking personally, hiking and camping are avenues of escape into my own mind. I prefer to roam with my thoughts and close friends as my only companions, so I was wary of doing this hike with a tour group. In fact, I wanted this hike to be similar to the hikes I do in the states, only tougher. Self-reliance was a badge of honor that I needed to award myself.
If you plan on doing this hike without a guide, make sure someone in your party knows the Spanish! Once the language barrier is solved, there are only a few more elements to deliberate:
- Details of the route – can I handle a 4-day trek? Am I susceptible to elevation sickness?
- Gear to bring versus gear to buy (and when)
- Lessons learned from other experienced hikers
In the course of our research, we found our answers by reading other blogs. One of the first blogs we looked at was Mark and Xin which was a tremendous help throughout our preparation. Be sure to check them out – what they have is serious #lifegoals status, and their content is extremely informative!
Logistics
Daydreaming about the hike is an exciting way to pass time, but there are many prerequisites to enjoying a safe and memorable trip. It was important for us to get a head start on everything to ensure no loose ends creeped up at the last minute.
Vaccinations and Medication
We were vaccinated for DPT, yellow fever, and typhoid fever. Due to a yellow fever vaccine shortage, this vaccine was not covered by insurance and was ~$250. We were advised that we would not be in a yellow fever zone at any point during our stay, so you can choose to forgo this (and other vaccines) if you so choose.
You can also get prescriptions for anti-malaria and anti-elevation sickness medication, but we opted out of the last two. In hindsight, the anti-elevation sickness medication would have come in handy.
Flight Tickets
All tickets were purchased in advance. The flights were:
- USA to Lima (LIM)
- Lima (LIM) to Cusco (CUZ)
- Cusco (CUZ) to Lima (LIM)
- Lima (LIM) to USA
AirBnB Reservations for Lima and Cusco
We stayed in AirBnBs for our non-hiking nights in Lima and Cusco. These were booked in advance.
Taxi from Cusco to Salkantay Trail
The folks at Haku Expeditions arranged this for us. It was important for us to have a reliable driver to take us to the trailhead.
Hotel Reservation
For our day in historic Machu Picchu, we booked a hotel room in advance (since we would be arriving the night before, at the tail-end of the hike). We stayed at the Killa Inn. After spending 4 days on the trail, the bed and bathroom were sufficient for our needs. Carla was great – she met us at the train station and helped us navigate the town. Also, she made sure we bought our bus tickets to Machu Picchu before they closed for the night.
Train Tickets
Hidroelectrica to Machu Picchu: The 4-day trek ends at at Hidroelectrica. From here, you can hike up to Machu Picchu or you can take the train. We opted for the train, since this portion of the hike is less than pleasant alongside the train tracks. We arrived at the station in time to purchase our tickets for the afternoon train.
Machu Picchu to Cusco: Tickets for the 4-hour train from Machu Picchu to Cusco was purchased in advance. The folks at Haku Expeditions arranged this for us.
Bus Ticket
The ticket allows you to take the bus up to the historic “Machu Picchu” ruins. We purchased these as soon as we arrived to Machu Picchu, at night, the day before visiting the ruins.
Ticket to Enter Historic Machu Picchu Ruins
The folks at Haku Expeditions arranged this for us.
Ticket to Hike Up Machu Picchu Mountain
Once the bus took us up to Machu Picchu, this ticket allowed us to hike up Machu Picchu Mountain. Again, the folks at Haku Expeditions arranged this for us.
Gear we Brought
I brought all of my standard hiking gear, but I left behind anything not airplane-friendly (gas canister, lighter, knives). I placed my empty pack alongside my gear within my checked suitcase.
Food: dehydrated meals (just add hot water), protein bars, energy bars
A note on clothing: We packed layers. Temperature would (and did) range from 20-70 degrees F. The nights will certainly be a chill for anyone not accustomed to winter backpacking, so we recommend thermals. In addition to packing enough clean (dry) clothes for 4 days, we also packed ponchos. Although we didn’t experience any rain, weather in the mountains can change at the drop of a hat!
Gear we Bought
We purchased the following gear in Cusco, the day before our first trekking day:
- Propane tanks for cooking meals
- Eggs
- Lighters
- Cocoa leaves to chew on during the hike
- Each day of the hike, we bought water/gatorade/powerade from the porters who were stationed at various points along the trail (usually next to the campsites)
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