Salkantay Trek – to Vilcabamba (Vitkus)

In the morning, you will depart from Cusco (Arcopata Avenue – Santiago – Cusco) to the town of Mollepata, where you will enjoy your first breakfast on your excursion to Vilcabamba. After breakfast, you will head to Soraypampa, where your family will be waiting for you with a delicious lunch. After lunch, you will begin the hike to the famous Humantay Lagoon, an ascent that will take approximately 1.5 hours. You will be at the lagoon between 1 and 2 pm. You will then descend to the lodge, where you will have the afternoon free to enjoy the sunset, and finally, you can have dinner and rest.

After a hearty breakfast at 6:00 a.m., you’ll begin your first four-hour hike to the Salkantay Pass (4,600 m) (15,213 ft), the highest point on the route. You’ll then descend to Wayracmachay, where you can rest and enjoy a packed lunch. After a snack, you’ll continue your hike to Chaullay (2,889 m / 9,481 ft). You’ll arrive at the lodge at 4:00 p.m., where your room will be ready. A hot shower, towels, soft paper towels, bath soap, and Wi-Fi are provided in your room.

This day we will have breakfast at 6:00 am. To continue our third day of travel, deviating from the classic Salkantay route, our vehicle will take us to the M. Llamocca Pass, the point of the day. From there, we will begin the downhill hike for approximately 2 hours to reach the lunch site with alpine views of the Pumasillo snow-capped mountain. After lunch, we will continue our hike for another 2.5 hours to reach the Yanama overnight site.

Departing from Yanama (an initial downhill hike to the Yanama River (Tinkuc) and then a short walk along the Yanama River), we then ascend to the Chungana sector. From there, we hike gradually upward until we reach our campsite at Qelcamachay (4,000 m / 13,143 ft).

In the early morning, we’ll have a hearty breakfast and then ascend for about 4 hours to reach the Choquetacarpo Pass (4,650 meters above sea level). This spectacular pass offers incredible views of the entire valley. It’s one of the less-traveled routes, with Inca trails and ancient walls that continue to the archaeological site of Vitcus. From the Choquetacarpo Pass, we descend following ancient paths for about 6 hours toward Huancacalle, where we’ll stay.

This day, after resting from a long day of hiking, we will walk for approximately one hour and visit the archaeological sites of Vitcus, Rosaspata, and Ñustahispana. The landscape is extremely beautiful. The first site we will explore is Vitcus and Rosaspata, the residence of the Incas who resisted the Spanish for nearly 40 years here. After exploring the archaeological sites of Vitcus, we will head to the town of Huancacalle for lunch. We will bid farewell to our luggage transport staff, muleteer, and cook, and then board our vehicle that will take us back to Cusco.
Weather: Cold – Warm.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch with Snacks.
Highest altitude: Huancacalle (2,900 meters above sea level).