How to hike the Salkantay Trek without a guide to Machu Picchu - Adventures of A+K (2024)

Want to hike the Salkantay Trek without a guide? We’re sharing a step by step guide to tackling the trek on your own!

Trekking to Machu Picchu has been on our bucket list for years. And while many will take the historic and famous Inca Trail, in our opinion, the Salkantay Trek is the BEST way to get to Machu Picchu!

Along this route you’ll see striking mountain peaks and glaciers, visit a bright blue glacial lake, hike through a river valley, descend into the jungle, see a beautiful waterfall, tour a coffee farm, and so much more!

And unlike the Inca Trail, you can do the Salkantay Trek without a guide. Which gives you much more freedom along the way! But going on a multi-day trek in a new country, without a guide, can be a bit daunting. So we’re here to help!

In this guide we’re sharing everything you need to know to hike the Salkantay Trek without a guide. Including a daily itinerary with what to expect, where to stay each night, a cost breakdown, and tons of tips based on our experience!

The Salkantay Trek (pronounced “sahl-kahn-tie”) is a hike through the Andes Mountains, starting in Challacancha and ending at Aguas Calientes, near Machu Picchu. It is named after Salkantay, or Savage Mountain in Quechua, a beast of a mountain that stands at 6,271 meters (20,574 feet) tall. This mountain is one of the 12 Apus in the Cusco region, which hold great importance to the Incas. Apus have protective spirits that watch over the people in their territory, their livestock, and their crops.

This trek has become an extremely popular alternative to the Inca Trail. And for good reason!Not only are guides not required, but it offers a more diverse mix of scenery. You will hike up to 4,630 meters (15,190 feet) and then back down to 2,057 meters (6,750 feet). Because of this, every day offers a completely different experience. Which is what we loved most about this trek!

However, due to the Salkantay Trek’s growing popularity, and lack of daily hiker limits, it has become a lot more crowded. We saw hundreds of hikers daily, most of which were on group tours. And while we found some pockets of solitude, there were many times we were sandwiched between groups. So definitely expect to see lots of people along the way!

Distance: 69 kilometers (43 miles)
Elevation gain: 3,278 meters (10,755 feet)
Highest point: 4,630 meters (15,190 feet)
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult. Some days are tough because of altitude, while others are just long.
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Above is a custom map we made for the trek, which includes all of our lodging. While there is a route for this hike on AllTrails you can follow, that route includes hiking up to Machu Picchu. Whereas the map (and stats listed) above, assumes you hike to Aguas Calientes and then take the bus to Machu Picchu, which is the most common way.

This hike is a point to point hike, which means you start and end in different areas. Once finishing the trek, you will end in Aguas Calientes, visit Machu Picchu, and then take a train back to Cusco. We outline exactly how to do this, plus some important things to know, in our detailed guide to visiting Machu Picchu.

The Salkantay Trek is usually done in 5 days, which includes 4 days of actual hiking, plus an additional day for Machu Picchu. Minus the first day, each day is pretty long, but totally doable if you have hiking experience. We started hiking around 7 AM and reached our accommodation around 2 PM-4 PM everyday.

Can you do it in more or less time? Yes! Some tours offer a 4 day option (3 days of hiking, 1 day at Machu Picchu). This requires skipping some of the trail and taking a van. You can also spread out the hike over 5 days of hiking, which will make your last couple days a bit shorter. We will share more about how to do this below!

We personally spread the experience over 6 days. This included 4 days of hiking and then 2 days at Machu Picchu. But for most people, one day is plenty, even if you want to do multiple circuits.

There are two seasons in Peru, the dry season and the rainy season. The dry season runs from April through October and is the best time to hike the Salkantay Trek. This is when you’ll have the clearest weather and the trail will be the safest. However, even within this season, your experience may vary a bit.

If you go at the beginning of this timeframe (April and May), the scenery will be more green. Later on in this timeframe, the scenery will be more brown, especially in the higher altitudes. We hiked the Salkantay Trek at the end of September. While some of the scenery was more brown, it was still gorgeous!

As we mentioned above, a big perk of the Salkantay Trek over the Inca Trail is that you can hike the Salkantay Trek without a guide. And while most hikers do have a guide, we think it is totally doable without one!

The trail itself is very straightforward, with only a couple spots (mostly on day 3), where it was a tad confusing. Also, there are plenty of accommodations along the way, as well as some food options. So it is very easy to do it on your own!

However, there are pros and cons to hiking the Salkantay Trek without a guide. Here’s a quick rundown of both to help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.

You have the ultimate freedom! What we loved about hiking the Salkantay Trek without a guide is that we could go at our own pace and stop often. This was especially helpful for us, as we were filming a YouTube video of the hike. But even without filming, we loved this freedom. With a group, the guides will have set stopping points and you’re only as quick as the slowest hiker.

It is cheaper. For us, a big reason why we opted to do this on our own is that it is cheaper than hiring a guide. We will give the breakdown of our costs in a bit!

There is more solitude. Although some parts of the trek were very busy with groups, we had moments where we were the only ones on the trail.

All of the logistics are up to you. It’s up to you to figure out a way to get to the trailhead and book lodging along the route. But our goal with this blog is to make this part a lot easier!

Don’t want to deal with the logistics? Refugio Salkantay offers a service where you pay to have them coordinate your logistics (lodging and transportation to the trail), but you do the hike independently.

You won’t learn much about the area. A big perk of having a guide is that they can explain the area’s history, flora and fauna, and geology. When hiking on your own, you will miss out on that information.

Guides can be helpful in case of an emergency. Whether altitude sickness kicks in or you get an infected bug bite (like me!), a guide will be able to help you.

Less socializing. If you are very social and want to make friends on the trek, it will be harder when going alone. However, we saw some of the same unguided hikers at our hostels and still were able to socialize at meals.

While there are more cons than pros listed, for us, the pros outweigh the cons. We know we would’ve still had a great time on a group tour. But after experiencing it firsthand without a guide, we are super happy with our decision to do the trek unguided.

If you decide you’d rather go with a guide, this 5 day tour with Salkantay Trekking would be our first choice, as the tour company is highly regarded and has the best lodging along the trek.

We felt 100% safe while on the Salkantay Trek. As we mentioned above, minus a couple spots, it’s easy to follow. And with its growing popularity, there is a good amount of infrastructure, like food stands and hostels. Plus, there will be lots of tour groups on the trail, so if you need help, someone will be coming down the trail soon.

We met quite a few people along the way who were hiking without a guide, including some solo travelers.

• Ride to the trail: S/160 ($42 USD)
• Trail entrance fee: S/40 ($10.60 USD)
• Salkantay Trek lodging costs: S/660 ($175 USD)
• Bathrooms: S/20 ($5.30 USD)
• Meals: S/48 ($12.70 USD)
• Snacks: S/34 ($9 USD)
• Aguas Calientes hotel for 2 nights: S/747 ($198 USD) We could’ve stayed in a hostel for a lot less!
• Machu Picchu bus: S/362 ($96 USD)
• Machu Picchu tickets: S/724 ($192 USD)
• Tip for our Machu Picchu guide: S/60 ($16 USD)
• Train from Aguas Calientes to Cusco: S/677 ($182 USD)

When hiking the Salkantay Trek without a guide you have two main options. You can either tent camp or stay in hostels/B&Bs. We’d personally suggest just staying in the hostels/B&Bs, so you can carry less gear.

These hostels and B&Bs are pretty simple, but made for a comfortable night after a long day of hiking. Some offered a mix of bunk rooms with shared bathrooms, as well as private rooms with private bathrooms. While others were only private rooms and private bathrooms. We are sharing all of the places we stayed in the itinerary below!

All of the lodging we stayed at along the Salkantay Trek offered breakfast (for free) and dinner (sometimes for an extra fee). These meals were a set menu, sometimes served family style and other times served as a plated meal. We had everything from fried rice to lomo saltado to avocado and eggs. If you have any dietary restrictions, let your host know as soon as you check in.

The meals are also at a set time and you eat with the other guests. So even though you’re doing the trek alone, you’ll get to socialize a bit!

We didn’t have much cell service during the trek, but all of our lodging had Wi-Fi. While this meant we weren’t as unplugged as we hoped, when I had a medical issue, I was grateful to have it!

All of our rooms also had outlets, which meant we could easily charge our cameras along the way. We still recommend bringing a portable charger for during the day though!

Technically you do not need to book lodging in advance, but we’d recommend it. As the hike becomes even more popular, it may be more competitive to get a spot at a reputable hostel or B&B.

We personally don’t like taking the risk of not finding something, suffering through a place with bad reviews, or not getting a private room. So we opted to book in advance to have peace of mind that we had a nice place to be at the end of a long day!

The big downside of hiking the Salkantay Trek without a guide is you have to find your own way to the starting point in Challacancha. There are a few ways to do this!

Collectivo + taxi

Ask your host

Talk to a tour company

Similar to the approach above, we heard from another hiker that she went around Cusco and asked tour companies going to Humantay Lake or the Salkantay Trek if they had an open seat to drive her there. So if you don’t want to rely on a collectivo and taxi, this could be a good approach!

Day 1 – Challacancha to Soraypampa (+ Humantay Lake)

Distance: 10.5 km (6.5 miles)
Elevation Gain: 683 meters (2,240 feet)

Challacancha to Soraypampa

The beginning of the hike has some steep switchbacks, but overall, this will be the shortest and easiest hiking day of the trek. For the most part, the hike is relatively flat, but the altitude is high, so you may feel it a bit.

Along this stretch of the hike you’ll walk along a small canal and have views of the mountains ahead and valley behind you. As you inch closer to Soraypampa, the views get even better, with multiple glacial mountains, including Salkantay!

After about 6.76 km (4.2 miles), you will reach Soraypampa. This is where we suggest staying the first night. Check into your lodging, eat lunch, and rest up a bit before heading to Humantay Lake!

Before you go, here are a few important things to know and tips:

• This lake is popular with day tours and gets VERY crowded. To avoid most crowds, head to the lake around 12:45 PM-1 PM from your lodging. We had the lake mostly to ourselves for a few minutes, but the Salkantay trek groups did start rolling in after that.
• Around 3:30 PM, the lake does start to get a shadow, so make sure you’re there before that to see the most vibrant colors.
• You are not allowed to touch the water and there are ropes around the lake. They will whistle at you if you disobey.
• Drones are NOT allowed here. We saw multiple people get in trouble.
• For even better views, hike up the ridge on the left side. While hiking up even more may not sound appealing once at the lake, it’s a short climb and the views are incredible!

Distance: 18.8 km (11.7 miles)
Elevation Gain: 860 meters (2,821 feet)

Today is the toughest day of the hike because of the altitude. Right after leaving Soraypampa you will be climbing up to Salkantay Pass, the highest point on the trek at 4,630 meters (15,190 feet). And it is pretty challenging!

In order to have plenty of time to hike this segment, we suggest leaving by 6 AM. Our hostel provided breakfast at 5:30 AM, so we made sure to pack up beforehand so we were ready to go.

Once leaving Soraypampa, there appeared to be two ways to go. A lower route on the left and a higher route on the right. All of the tour groups went to the right, so we opted to follow them. These paths will meet back up after almost 3.2 km (2 miles) in a beautiful wide open area, with head on views of Salkantay.

Shortly after walking through this open area, the path will split again. To the left are a bunch of switchbacks known as the Seven Snakes and to the right is a steep climb up the hill. Both options meetup, so either one works. After debating which to do, someone told us the right was better, so we opted to go that way.

You may be thinking “the pass is at the top of this!”, but unfortunately there is still a bit to go. But the views are phenomenal!

After huffing and puffing for a few hours, you will make it to the top of Salkantay Pass! From here you have a head on view of Salkantay and its glaciers. Make sure to take a break, drink water, eat some snacks, and admire the views you worked hard to see.

Once leaving the pass, the trail is basically all downhill to Chaullay. During this downhill portion, before Wayramachay, you’ll come across a bathroom and a snack shack where you can buy snacks and water. This makes for a good break stop and is where we opted to enjoy lunch!

The downhill continues from here. And while we thought the hardest part of the day was going to be Salkantay Pass, the nonstop downhill may have been tougher for us, as it started to feel like a slog towards the end. And with rockier terrain, we had to be careful of where we stepped at times.

But even though this day was tough for us mentally and physically, what kept us going was the ever changing scenery. Throughout this stretch we went from a barren landscape with glaciers and epic peaks, to a stunning river valley, and lush green trees.

Besides staring at the scenery, another thing to be on the lookout for this day are the horses. There are a LOT of horses on this stretch! Some people opt to ride a horse to the top of the pass and all of the tour groups have multiple horses carrying gear. Make sure to be alert and move out of the way when you see horses coming.

Overall, this day took us about 10 hours, with us arriving at our hostel just before 4 PM.

Distance: 18.7 km (11.6 miles)
Elevation Gain: 392 meters (1,286 feet)

We underestimated the third day of the Salkantay Trek. It was much tougher than we expected. While there is less elevation than the day before (and you’re at lower altitude!), there are some steep, short uphill sections. And it’s just overall a long day.

After leaving Chaullay, you’ll walk on the road for a while before having to make a decision to either continue on the road for the whole day or go down to the river and take the actual trail.

Our host at Salkantay Hostel told us to take the trail, so we decided to do that. And right by where you get onto the trail, there is a super cool canyon, so make sure to go to the bridge to see it before heading down onto the trail!

While many people say this is the least scenic day of the trek, we thought it was still beautiful! Along the way we got to see a tall waterfall, plus endless views of the river. The scenery doesn’t change too much, especially compared to the previous day, but it is still scenic.

Plus, there is an amazing set of fruit stands at Wanaypocco, where we got to enjoy fruit, juices, and avocado sandwiches. This was definitely a highlight of the day!

However, the biggest issue with this day is the trail itself. We noticed not too long after Wanaypocco that many of the tour groups were taking a bridge across the river and hiking on the road. And a big reason for this is that the trail conditions get a bit sketchy.

There was a landslide that impacted the trail not too long ago and while the trail is open, it gets very narrow, with a dropoff on the right side. We opted to stay on the trail and made it just fine, but it was a bit anxiety inducing at times. If we did this trek again, we would probably go on the road for the last part of the day. The map doesn’t really show where the bridges are, but after leaving Wanaypocco, look for a steep path on the right and a bridge at the bottom.

We assume because of the landslide and many people taking the road, we noticed that many of the restaurants and stands were closed on this last part of today’s trail. While some were open, we wouldn’t count on getting any food or water past Wanaypocco!

After a longer day than we anticipated, we made it to Lucmabamba around 2 PM, just in time to relax for a bit before our 4 PM coffee tour. Lucmabamba is home to many different coffee, banana, and avocado farms and staying at one is one of the biggest highlights of the Salkantay Trek!

During our stay at Lia B&B Lucmabamba, Fredy gave us a hilarious tour of his farm, where we not only learned about coffee, bananas, and avocados, but got to pick avocados ourselves and roast our own coffee! We then enjoyed dinner with the three others staying there, plus played games with Fredy’s niece. It was so much fun and our favorite night on the trek!

If you arrive early enough, you can also get a taxi to the Aguas Termales Cocalmayo in Santa Teresa, which looks incredible. We unfortunately didn’t have enough time to do this and the coffee tour.

Distance: 21.4 km (13.3 miles)
Elevation Gain: 1,276 meters (4,176 feet)

The final day of the Salkantay Trek takes you from Lucmabamba to Aguas Calientes, the town right below Machu Picchu. And it’s another long day! But there is a chance to shorten it, which we will share below.

This day did not go as planned for us. Long story short, on the first day of the trek I got some bug bites. And on the second day, I scratched them, which led to them getting infected and developing cellulitis. By the end of the third day, my ankle was SO swollen and in so much pain, that there was no way I could do the full fourth day. So our hosts helped us get a taxi from Lucmabamba to Hidroeléctrica (cutting out the steepest parts), where we then walked the final stretch to Aguas Calientes.

But from what we hear, this is a beautiful last day on the Salkantay Trek! Your morning will start with an uphill climb to Llactapata, where you will have amazing views of lush mountains, a chance to see some ruins, plus your first chance to see Machu Picchu from afar. There is also a fun swing here that you can swing on, overlooking the views.

From here, it’s a downhill hike to Hidroeléctrica, which is the last place vehicles can drive before Aguas Calientes. The only way to get to Aguas Calientes from here is to walk 3 hours or take the train. While you could take the train, if you arrive at a time that matches its schedule, the walk is pretty cool, as you walk alongside the railroad tracks. And since there are railroad tracks, it is relatively flat.

By the train station in Hidroeléctrica there are tons of restaurants, so if you need lunch or a snack before continuing down the tracks, this is a good place to take a break. Shortly past the restaurants you will reach a junction. You will want to go right here. We made the mistake of going straight, which is a dead end and required us to go up a VERY steep climb to get back on the trail.

As you walk along the railroad tracks, you will pass various stands selling snacks, see beautiful jungle and river views, and have a chance to see Machu Picchu from below. And if you get lucky, a cute dog will follow you most of the way!

Just be mindful of trains! Because these are active tracks, the trail is closed before 9 AM, for safety reasons. But you will likely see train cars coming down the tracks, so pay attention and move to the side.

Once arriving in Aguas Calientes, check into your hotel, grab some food, explore the town a bit, and rest up before visiting Machu Picchu tomorrow. If you’re looking for things to do in Aguas Calientes (and places to eat), check out our guide about this scenic small town!

Optional Day 5 – Lucmabamba to Llactapata

After days of hiking, you have finally made it to Machu Picchu! There is a lot to know about visiting this World Wonder and we have outlined all of the details in this guide to visiting Machu Picchu. Including how to get tickets, the different circuits to choose from, what to bring, and so much more.

It’s most common to spend one day at Machu Picchu, which gives you time for two circuits, but we opted to spend two days there. This not only allowed us to take it a bit easier after the trek, but it also gave us a better chance of getting good weather. And we are so glad we did! Because our first day was very foggy and our second day was clear and sunny!

Our number one tip before attempting the Salkantay Trek is to take an honest look at your fitness level. This is a challenging experience that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Besides the first day, it’s a lot of miles each day, plus there is the added element of the higher altitude. And if you get in a pickle, there isn’t much help.

We have experience hiking and backpacking all over North America, including hikes above 13,000 feet (3,962 meters) and 14,000 feet (4,267 meters). Since we have been at higher altitudes before, plus done many hikes with heavy packs, we knew we would be fine. But even with our experience, it was still tough physically!

Bring cash

Snack stands, bathrooms, and some lodging are cash only, so make sure to bring plenty of cash. To our knowledge, the only ATM along the hike is in Aguas Calientes.

There is little cell service

Since you’re out in the Andes mountains, there is very little to no cell service, even if you use an eSIM like Airalo. If you need to be connected, there is usually Wi-Fi available at accommodations. But don’t plan to have internet along the trail, so make sure to download the offline AllTrails map, which requires an AllTrails+ membership.

The only way back to Cusco from Aguas Calientes is by train. You can either take a train with PeruRail or Inca Rail. They both have many trains a day and offer a variety of train car types to choose from. For the best options, make sure to book this in advance!

We personally took PeruRail in their Vistadome car, which was very nice! Depending on when you visit and the sunset time, we suggest taking the train a few hours before sunset to be able to see the scenery. The right side of the train offers the best views on the ride back to Cusco.

Also, all Inca Rail and most PeruRail trains are bi-modal to and from Cusco. Which means you take a train (for the majority of the ride) and then a bus when closer to Cusco. It sounds like a hassle, but it’s pretty seamless!