Salkantay Trek

Salkantay is 6,271 metres and was an apu, a mountain deity, in Inca cosmology, and the trek that carries its name crosses the pass at its foot at around 4,600 metres before descending through cloud forest to the Santa Teresa valley and on to Aguas Calientes. It has become the main alternative to the Inca Trail for a practical reason: the Inca Trail requires a permit, permits are capped and sell out months ahead, and Salkantay needs none, so agencies moved onto it in volume. The route runs from high puna through the pass, past Humantay lake, and then drops thousands of metres into humid forest with coffee and fruit growing - the change in vegetation over two days is the real interest. Altitude is the risk: the pass is high, most people arrive from Cusco with limited acclimatisation, and altitude sickness on this trek is common and occasionally serious.

What you actually see

• The Salkantay pass - around 4,600 metres beneath the 6,271-metre peak.
• Humantay lake - the turquoise glacial lake below Soraypampa.
• The vegetation change - high puna to cloud forest over two days of descent.
• The permit position - no permit needed, unlike the Inca Trail.

When to go

May to September, the dry season. January and February are the wettest and some agencies stop running. Acclimatise in Cusco for at least two days first.

Honest expectations

The pass is high and altitude sickness is common - acclimatisation is not optional. Nights at Soraypampa are below freezing. Machu Picchu entry is a separate booking that must be made in advance. Agency quality and group sizes vary enormously.

Nearby

Machu Picchu is at the end of the route; Cusco is the starting point.