Salkantay trek by your own

Unlike the Inca Trail, the Salkantay trek can be done without a tour, on your own and without a tour guide. To take this walk you must take all the necessary precautions. Follow these recommendations to do the Salkantay trek on your own :

• Book the Machu Picchu tickets in advance before performing the Salkantay trek. Otherwise, you can go back without knowing the Wonder of the World. 
• The route to follow is the same as the Salkantay trek with tour. 
• The journey on your own may take more or less days, depending on the visitor’s capacity. 
• The first step is to reach the town of Mollepata from the city of Cusco. 
• The cars are taken at the bus terminal of ‘Arcopata’, in the city of Cusco. 
• From Mollepata begins the ascent. 
• It is advisable to bring what is strictly necessary (food for 5 days and equipment to sleep) to avoid loading excessive luggage.

What to bring for the Salkantay trek?

• Sleeping bags. 
• Hat or cap. 
• Trekking shoes 
• Trekking backpack. 
• Waterproof coat. 
• Trekking pants 
• Poncho for the rain. 
• Water. 
• Water purifying tablets. 
• Sunscreen. 
• Personal hygiene items. 
• Snacks. 
• Cash.

Tips for the Salkantay trek 

• Acclimatize one or two days in the city of Cusco before performing the Salkantay trek. 
• Avoid alcoholic beverages or foods with a lot of fat. 
• Altitude sickness or soroche in Salkantay and Machu Picchu is one of the greatest difficulties. Perform a little exercise prior to the Salkantay trek. You do not need to be in excellent physical shape but a little exercise will help. 
• No matter what part of the year, wear warm clothes during the Salkantay trek.
• The nights are especially cold in the first two days. 
• Plan up to the smallest detail the Salkantay trek on your own.

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Hiking Salkantay without a guide

Usually when you arrive in Cusco and start exploring the possibilities to go to Macchu Picchu on your own, you find that the information they provide is scarce and of dubious reliability. Not many decide to do this trek without a guide, given the uncertainty that you face. But the reality is that it is a fairly accessible road, as long as the time is on our side.Now learn how to hike Salkantay without a guide.

The preparations:

Mountain equipment: Among the essential things to survive 5 days in the wild mountain Salkantay, you will need a good sleeping bag, tent, stove and gas to cook, rain poncho, warm clothes, mountain boots, etc. If you already have everything, perfect. If not you can rent some material. Now the list of some things that you maybe need:

• 5 soles per day per sleeping bag up to -15ºC
• 3 soles per day for rain pants
• 5 soles for buying a rain poncho
• 40 soles per gas bottle for cooking

Food: since you do not know if you will going to find a place to buy food until reache to Aguas Calientes, is recommended to buy food for 5 days. Oatmeal for breakfast, nuts for the road, pasta to eat, nuddles for dinner. Cooked eggs last several days and complement either meal well. Try to look for dehydrated fruits (you can find it at San Pedro Market in Cusco) and in general take things that weigh little. For the water carry water treatment pills.

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Salkantay Trekking preparation

One of the most incredible ways to visit Machu Picchu is through the Salkantay trek. This 5-day and 4-night hiking route crosses the imposing Salkantay mountain and then reaches the Wonder of the World. Would you like to know Machu Picchu with this adventure surrounded by amazing landscapes? Know everything about physical preparation for Salkantay Trekking :

1. Make hiking with weight

A very good advice to train and have your legs and body strong enough is to make a few hikings with weight. Leave your house to do some hiking in the mountains and load your backpack, start with little weight and as the days go by and go strengthening your muscles, increase the weight you carry, you can get up to 15 kgs. but that depends on everyone.

2. Travel long distances (spend a whole day on the mountain)

It is important to accustom the body to long days, since the kilometers traveled per day in Salkantay will make you spend at least seven or eight hours of travel, keep in mind that the second day takes around nine hours walking!

3. Walk slowly
We tend to want to walk fast or go ahead of everyone, you have to remember that you have to be patient, to enjoy the moment and what nature offers us. Walk slowly, do not speed up, because it is not the same to keep accelerated for an hour to be in constant effort for more than nine hours.

4. Sleep in height
In the first camp of the Salkantay route, it is 4,000 meters above sea level. Do you know what the body feels when sleeping at this height? Sometimes we feel we suffocate, that we lack air, our head hurts and we struggle to sleep.

That is why as part of training to enjoy the trekking it is important to spend a few nights at least over 2,500 meters above sea level. This will allow you to know the reactions of your body when sleeping at high altitude and it will know what it is to be several hours in height and develop more red blood cells, which are the blood particles that transport oxygen from the body.

5. Do breathing exercises
Breathing is very important, many travelers thought that hiking and mountain becomes a constant meditation at every moment.

Finally enjoy the best experience through the adventure of Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu!

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The Salkantay Route

This hike takes its name from the magnificent Salkantay Snowy Mountain, a natural work belonging to the Vilcabamba mountain range, located in the province of La Convención, district of Santa Teresa and is also one of the highest mountains in the Cusco region.

This mountain is also considered as one of the main Apus, since for the population it is a sacred place above the valleys, located at an altitude of 6,271 m.a.s.l

Best time to travel to Salkantay road:

The Cusco region has two types of marked climates, rainy season and dry season, so the months from May to October are considered the best dates to make such an excursion since the rains are over and the road is firm; However, this route can be done all year round, except for the month considered the rainiest of the year (February), so we suggest you think it through.

What Salkantay Road offers?

The route to Salkantay offers privileged views of the Humantay and Salkantay peaks, since with the melting of these two lakes are formed, being the most important and visited by travelers, called Humantay Lagoon, (it is currently visited by tourists from all over the world to enjoy its beauty and leave offerings to the Pachamama, deity that represents mother Earth in the Inca culture)

In addition to the snowy mountains, the route shows a variety of flora and fauna as far as the region of the jungle is concerned, since one is surrounded by a green and warm landscape that allows us to breathe pure air that does well to our body.

Marvel at vestiges and constructions that our ancestors left us as a legacy. Enjoy magical nights with a starry sky, which makes you think and say that it was worth all the effort made.

Difficulty of the walk:

The degree of difficulty for any walk depends a lot on the physical condition that one may have, in addition to already having experience in a similar route and in the state of health that one may have.

This route is considered by many travelers of greater effort since the degree of difficulty is "High", considering it a great challenge for those who do it.

Physical training:

The preparation for the Road to Salkantay, begins taking into consideration the physical condition that one has, that is why specialists consider having an advance preparation before making such an excursion, since in this way the muscles are strengthened and generate resistance. at the time of our walk to Salkantay.

So much so that gradually your physical condition will be in better conditions, since at the time of making the walk all the muscles will be prepared and in that way also our heart will pump more efficient blood that will make us have more oxygen.

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Maras Moray Tour

We travel to more recondite places of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Discover the best Sacred Valley Tour  start with Chinchero, where you will appreciate the beauty of its town and archaeological complex; also you will have the possibility to participate in a brief exhibition of traditional textiles, a distinctive feature of this town famous for the beauty and high quality of its fabrics and ancestral dyeing techniques. 

Then you must visit Moray, where the view is impressive thanks to colossal concentric terraces simulating a large amphitheater. Its usefulness: to recreate 20 different types of microclimates, measurement that assured the agricultural production of the empire. Finally you will continue to Maras, the famous and ancient salt mines of the colonial era. The contrast of its white wells with the green valley is imposing and must-see for a spectacular postcard of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Discover Moray:

It is located about 7 km southwest of Maras; It is unique archaeological group in its kind in the region. These are gigantic natural depressions or pits on the surface of the land that were used to build terraces or agricultural platforms with their respective irrigation channels. It is therefore a prototype of a greenhouse or biological experimental station that is quite advanced for its time. that the American man of antiquity inherits to the humanity a 60% of the vegetable products that he consumes, that the Andean man consumes a thousand and a half of diverse varieties of potatoes, a hundred and a half of corn, and many other products.

Explore Maras - Salt Mines:

Located to the west of Cusco at 3300 m.a.s.l. From there you can see the Urubamba mountain range and the snowy summits of "La Verónica" (5682 meters above sea level) and the "Chikón" (5530 meters above sea level). Its important occupation began when the Inkan Cusquenian nobles were stripped of their palaces in the Qosqo and had They go out to settle in other small towns like Maras. It has a church made of adobes, typical of the religious architecture of the town, inside the church are kept canvases of the Cusquenian School.

Now talking about Salt Mines, it is located to the northwest of the town of Maras are about 3000 small wells with an average area of about 5 m², during the dry season are filled or "irrigated" every 3 days with salt water that emanates from a natural spring located in the part of the wells so that when the water evaporates, the salt contained in it gradually solidifies, later the salt is hit and thus granulated; the salt will then be bagged in plastic bags and sent to the markets of the region; Today that salt is being iodized, which is why its consumption is not harmful. 

Are you ready to dare with the adventure? Take your package and don't doubt, visit the Sacred Valley Tour.

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Tips to preven the altitude sickness during Salkantay Trek

Altitude sickness, also known as Monge's disease, occurs as a fundamental cause in the lack of oxygen, and manifests itself in non-acclimatized people who rise above 2 thousand m.a.s.l. in less than 1 or 2 days. The tourist who arrives at these points by plane is the most prone to suffer this evil. The symptoms usually occur within the first 48 hours of the ascent and include from insomnia, headache to nausea, vomiting. To start let´s know;

What is altitude sickness? (or Soroche, as it is called in Cusco) 

At altitudes above 2,400 m, the air is thinner, that is, there is less pressure, so while the percentage of oxygen remains the same, the air is less dense, so every time you breathe, inhale less oxygen than you're used to. To counteract this, your body, at first, feels the need to breathe faster and pump the blood more quickly in order to have the same amount of oxygen to which you are accustomed. For many people, this comes as a shock to the body, causing various symptoms.

Now I will describe some of the most popular symptoms:

• Dizziness, lightheadedness 
• Headaches Sickness
• Vomiting 
• Diarrhea or constipation 
• Difficult breathing 
• Tachycardia 

However, many of us do not know how to protect ourselves from this evil. Here some
recommendations before hiking the Salkantay Trek:

•  Acclimatization upon arrival in Cusco is very important to fully enjoy the rest of the trip. It is necessary to rest as much as possible the first day, eat little and drink plenty of fluids. 
• Always walk slowly, if you suffer from severe headache. 
• Do not make physical efforts too sudden. 
• Avoid alcohol, cigarettes and heavy food.
• It is advisable to bring a good supply of lemon candies, as it counteracts dehydration and discomfort due to height.
• If you also feel fatigue, headache, suffer from nausea or vomiting seek medical help at the nearest health post.

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Salkantay Packing List

Before starting your great adventure hike through the sacred snow mountain of Salkantay to Machu Picchu you must have your travel backpack ready. Do not waste time looking for a lot of information on what to bring, that we provide you with the definitive packing list for the Salkantay Trek. 

Backpack for the 5-day hike from Salkantay to Machu Picchu: What backpack to take to the Salkantay tour of 5 days?  

As it is a 5 day journey, you will need a backpack of 30 liters or more, resistant to rain and with extra pockets to carry extra things. 

Clothing: The Salkantay Trek offers diverse landscapes with different climates so it is necessary that you go prepared for sunny days, rain, snow and humidity. We recommend you bring: A coat, also called a jacket, will be very useful to protect you from the cold and rain. Four shirts, which will be used during the five days of the walk. Try to be light and dry fast. Avoid cotton clothes because they are heavy.

Salkantay Hike: 

Choose a jacket that protects from cold and rain You must keep your legs and feet protected during the crossing. We recommend the following items in your travel backpack: 

• Hiking pants. A good idea is to use pants with removable boots (with zipper) to be able to use them as shorts. 
• Underwear: Comfortable pieces and that dry fast. 
• Footwear: Hiking shoes. Choose a pair that has good grip and is suitable for rough terrain and water resistant. Avoid wearing a new pair of shoes, as they can hurt you more than some used ones.Your shoes for the Salkantay trek must be water resistant accessories 
• Hat: Important for days of intense sun. 
• Plastic poncho: Do not let the rain bother you, rather enjoy the landscape! 
• Swimwear. On the route you can optionally enter the thermal baths. 
• Towel. Of regular size and that is of a fabric that dries fast.

Camping equipment 

• Water canteen: You can carry a reusable bottle for water. 
• Gloves: Sometimes the cold can get into your hands, so we recommend taking them. 
• Trekking sticks: They can be useful for some sections of the walk. 
• Lantern: Very useful for outings in the early hours or for camping nights. 
• Binoculars: Do not lose sight of wild animals in the distance!

Personal hygiene items 

Do not forget to bring items such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and other personal items so you can start each morning refreshed and ready for adventure.

Electronic

The memories of your adventure will be recorded forever in the memory of the camera and you can share them with your friends and family. To ensure the functioning of your equipment, do not forget to bring extra batteries and an additional memory card. The landscapes you will find are one of the reasons to choose the way from Salkantay to Machu Picchu, so prepare that camera!

Documents 

It is very important that your backpack has your original passport and your original identity document to be able to identify you at the checkpoints. In case of being a student, the ISIC card will be useful for some discounts in the price of the tour and in some establishments in the city of Cusco.

Health articles

Small items that will be very useful in your backpack to travel to Salkantay:

• Insect repellent and sunscreen 
• Hand sanitizer 
• Toilet paper 
• Tissues 

Others 

• Cash. It is advisable to have around 400 soles (equivalent to 123 US dollars) in cash for extra expenses. 
• Personal medications: If you follow a treatment, do not forget to take all your medications with you. Snacks: Small healthy snacks like energy bars, granola, yogurt among others.
• Souvenirs of your country. Share your culture with your travel companions and the people you meet along the way!

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