Trekking

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The Salkantay Trail is an alternative trek instead of the Inca trail which is booked up until late september.

The Salkantay trek is a 5 day trek which includes camping in tents for 3 nights and staying in a hostel on the 4th night with the final destination Machu Picchu.

Day 1 - The first morning we were collected from our hostel at 4am and brought by bus for 3 hours to Mollepata. There we met our 2 cooks, 2 horsemen and guide that would be with us for the the next 5 days. We left Mollepata walking up hill in the heat for 3 and half hours to lunch. Food was really good on this trek. After lunch we walked for another 3 and half hours to our first camp site at Soraypampa which was going to be the coldest night. It was really cold at night here -around -5 C.

Day 2 was the toughest, really steep steps and hills until we reached our highest point of the trek Nevado Salcantay 4600M. The views were great and because we were so high up it was hard to breathe. Not just because we had walked 3 hours uphill but the air was just really thin.
But the fun didnt stop there, oh no, we then had to walk downhill towards our next campsite Challway. It was a warmer night there because it was at a much lower altitude. The toilet situation difficult to get used to! 'Nature's toilet' - our guide called it! Just a hole in the ground. Nice!!

Day 3 was a little easier still going downhill. Don´t know how many times everyone slipped on the lose stoney and sandy track but the scenery was great along the way. After 7 hours we arrived in Sahuayaco our next campsite. Here we saw a cow being bludgeoned to death by some locals and still managed to eat afterwards! We then went to Santa Teresa thermal springs. This was nice to relax the muscles, it was like getting into big bath. That night we got bitten loads by the mosquitos. We had a good few beers and rum so there was no problem sleeping that night!

Day 4 we started our walk in great form but then we came to a river which there was no way over only this little cable car. Stephen being afraid of heights did not like the thoughts of going over the river in the little basket. But it was actually ok. So then we walked along a train track all the way to our last place to sleep in Aguas Calientes. A nice little town where the train goes through the centre of the little street and no cars can drive down this street.

Day 5 - Final day, up nice and early at 4am again to go up to Machu Picchu. You could have taken a bus up to the top or you could walk the vertical steps. So all our group being the hardcore (hehe!!) trekkers chose the steps! It was really tough but it was worth it when we got sight of the beautiful citadel of Machu Picchu.

This trek was great fun. Even with all the blisters, falls, cuts, sleeping in a tent in -5 degrees and walking somedays in 25 degrees. The total distance was about 95KM mostly uphill - Not bad!!

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Photos

Salkantay Peak!
Our group at the peak of Salkantay mountain which was 4600m. The people in our group were so nice.

Cable car
The little basket we had to go in to get across the river