We are in Peru... we are in Cusco... So we have to go to Machu Picchu, right? There are not many options for getting to Machu Picchu. The two most popular ways are a simple day trip by train or the classic Inca Trail. The Inca trail, however, is expensive, overrun by tourists and requires a permit and guide. Neither of these options were particularly attractive to us. An alternative trek to the Inca Trail is the Salkantay trek. During the high season (April - September) there are guided treks but it still does not get the traffic of the Inca Trail. At this time of year (beginning of December) it is pretty much empty. It also does not require a guide or a permit, so it seemed like the perfect option to us. Very few people do this trek without a guide, so finding reliable route information was difficult and the best map we could find was poor at best. Guided treks use pack horses or alpacas and take five to six days. Without horses and during the wet season, we anticipated a six day trek. With the trek selected, we were able to inexpensively rent gear in Cusco. Geared up, we got to bed early for a 4:00 a.m. wake up call.
 |
|
Day One
We took a 4:30 a.m. collectivo to the small town of Mollepata which took about two hours. we got dropped off in the middle of the town and started asking locals the way to Salkantay. Everyone was helpful but simply pointed north, which made route finding a bit difficult. Essentially the trail is not marked at all. Adding to the route finding difficulties, heavy fog limited the visibility all day. At times it required strict compass navigation. This difficulty was compounded by the trail often being cris-crossed by cattle trails that were indistinguishable from the actual trail.
 |
|
Luckily at key moments we came upon locals who pointed the way. At other times, however, were were not so fortunate and simply headed in the direction the compass pointed. One such helpful local came up the trail on horseback and was excited that we were heading to Soray that day as he lives there. He was also at the river crossing at Soray to greet us as we arrived. He wanted to rent us his horse but we politely told him that we prefer caminar.
Soray is the first little village on the trail but as it was low season almost everything was quiet. The trail, during the high season, has presented opportunity for the local farmers and ranchers to set up small snack bars. However, as it was the low season, most were shuttered. As we approached one of these small small snack bars, we witnessed an Andean woman who saw us coming run inside to open her snack bar and don her Machu Picchu floppy hat. We purchased a Snickers bar in exchange for some small talk and route finding information. Two more hours of hiking we came upon a beautiful valley called Salkantaypampa just below the Salkantay pass. With a water source and already at 4280 meters (14,042 feet), it seemed like a good place to make camp. We estimate that we covered about 25 kilometers the first day with a mile elevation gain. Essentially we climbed a 14er!
Day 2
We woke up at dawn (about 5:00 a.m.) and unzipped the tent to see that the fog had cleared to reveal the incredible Nevado Salkantay Peak. Already at 14,000 feet, the 20,574 foot peak towered over us. We stood silently admiring the peak and the valleys, occasionally snapping pictures. We both later agreed that moment was the highlight of the entire trek.
Soon enough, however, the clouds rolled up the valley and we were once again enveloped in fog. So we brewed up a pot of Starbucks instant coffee (thanks Justin & Laura!) and hit the trail. We reached the top of the Nevado Salkantay pass in about an hour and a half and were at 15,420 feet, a new elevation record for us both.
After the pass the trail follows the river down the valley and into the cloud forest and jungle, eventually reaching the town of Collpapamba.
Right outside of the town, it appears as though they tried to build a road which has been washed out by the river and seems to have taken the trail with it. In its place, a makeshift, foot-wide trail has been carved into the mud cliff. This made for one of the sketchiest sections of the entire trek.
We did, however, eventually make it past the river and made camp about halfway between Collpapamba and Playa where we were fortunate to find a family farm that allowed us to camp on their property, complete with an odd assortment of animals including few dogs, a lamb, a turkey and a pig and her piglet.
Day 3
We woke to torrential rain, packed up and continued hiking towards Playa. After Playa the trail crosses a river once more and starts to head up a more defined Incan trail with occasional cobblestones and steps. The initial ascent winded through coffee fincas near Lucmabamba. Our (crappy) map indicated only about 200m of elevation gain which had us optimistic for an easy day. No such luck! It actually climbed more than 1000 meters (or over 3280 feet).
Near the top of the pass we encountered the ruins of a small Incan village. Another steep descent would take us to the river below and the hydro-electric plant where we would catch the train. However, about halfway down, a clearing in the trees allowed us a view across the valley to our first glimpse of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu in the distance. It was yet another spectacular sight.
Back in the relative civilization of the hydro-electric plant things got a bit more frustrating. This spot, called Hidroelectrica locally, is the end of the line for the PeruRail train to Machu Picchu. We were surprised to find that train tickets are not sold on the train or even at the station. They are only sold a half hour taxi ride away in the town of Santa Theresa. We were able to get a taxi round trip to hopefully make our 4:30 train. The driver, understanding our situation, must have set some sort of ground-speed record and got us to the train just in time.
We got a hostel in the town of Aguas Calientes (the portal town to Machu Picchu) and enjoyed a well-earned shower and an early night's sleep for the 5:30 a.m. bus ride to Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu
We arrived at Machu Picchu at 6 a.m. before the crowds descended. We enjoyed this time of relative quiet to take pictures and absorb the site before the tour groups were visible. In the early morning it was easier to imagine life as it must have been for the Incans who lived there.
We made the hike up to the Sun Gate, but the fog limited our view. We wandered around the site for a while and then hiked the Inca bridge which is currently being restored. The meter wide trail clings to the side of a cliff that drops off hundreds of feet. The clouds below obscured our view of the bottom of the valley, but made for a unique view straight down for a hundred or more feet before seeing the only tops of the clouds.
After the long long trek of the previous few days, we could be forgiven if we did not hike to the top of the Huayna Picchu (2,720 meters or 8,900 ft; about 360 meters or 1,200 ft higher than the city)... But we did it anyway. We could not come this far and not do it. The climb up, though complete with irregular Incan stairs, was still certainly steep. The view of the city and the surrounding valleys and mountains made the climb worthwhile.
Another hour wandering around the city and we made our way back to Aguas Calientes to catch the train back to Cusco. All in all, we spent seven hours at the site. The train ride brought us - tired and smelly - back to Cusco by 9:30 p.m. We are now enjoying a few days of rest and plotting our course for the next stop... wherever that may be.
If you are considering doing the Salkantay Trail, please feel free to contact us for more information. During the low season, you are pretty much on your own and it should not be attempted by those without a good deal of backcountry experience. It seems as though it would be easier to follow groups and get directions from locals during the high season, however.
Holy wow you guys! Best post of the trip so far. Thanks for taking the time to share this with us!
ReplyDeleteWicked cool journey Jim and Leslie! Continued safe travels to you both!
ReplyDeleteDan
Amazing post guys!! Thanks for taking us to the tops of the peaks with you. Your pics and descriptions are awesome. You should feel super accomplished. xoxo
ReplyDeleteHi Jim and Leslie! My name is Jacob and I am a student who is planning to hike the salkantay with four friends around jan. 2nd/3rd. We too have been looking for an unguided trek due to cost and mostly because we don't want a guide or pack animals. We all have a decent amount of backpacking experience. My question is this: How were you able to go about the trail unguided? Are there not regulations or stations to pass? I've been researching for some time and found another blog where they took some secret path at the beginning of the trail to avoid the entrance station and camped off the trail in unofficial campsites. What was your experience in avoiding the whole guide thing? Thank you! my email is jacobvanags@gmail.com if that helps!
ReplyDeleteHi! Your site is terrific, thanks for sharing! My name is Daniel and I am making a solo journey to Peru in late March 2010. The Salakantay trail looks amazing and I am trying to decide the best way to go about it. The unguided option is appealing though I don't know how feasible that is for someone going alone. I wouldn't be entirely opposed to a guided trek either but there seem to be many options out there. I know this will be the low (and wet!) season so I'm not sure how pressing it is to make a reservation. Any advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteMuchas Gracias!
Daniel
danoramic@gmail.com
Hey there guys, thanks a lot for the great write up. My girlfriend and I were thinking of doing salkantay solo in July. Very excited. The one thing I am finding difficulty sorting out is the train back. Did you guys book this ahead of time? Is two nights on the trail and one in aguas fairly doable? I am frightened that if we allow for 4 nights total we may be stuck spending an extra night in AC, which I hear is no good. Also what map did you end up using? Thanks a lot again hopefully hear from you soon.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
tyler
tylerjprewett@yahoo.com
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information! My boyfriend and I are planning on hiking the Salkantay trek in May 2011. We are comfortable with most of the challenges (altitude, hiking, etc) but are concerned about the potential for personal safety since we will be alone. Were you ever nervous on your trek?
Thanks
Katie
We were never nervous in the slightest. The people we met in Mollepata or Soray or any of the villages we passed through were all incredibly nice and helpful. But again, we were there in the lowest of low seasons and there was no one else on the trail. The most nervous I got was hiking the sketchy foot wide mud trail over the river outside of Collpapamba. If you're up for the physical challenges, I wouldn't worry!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
Jim
hey guys, awesome details and fantastic pictures! looks like a great trip. i'm planning to the same hike but solo and in february (wet season). please, could you send me suggestions, recommendations, or advice? i will be extremely grateful!! my email is bsfriedmann@gmail.com
ReplyDeletethanks,
ben
Hey thank you guys for posting this info, it helped convince me to do the trail solo. I hiked the trail in September by myself. No problems. I met lots of cool people along the way and REALLY enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI Visited a few of the trekking agencies in Cuzco, they gave me plenty of info and free maps(I have no shame). The South American Explorers club is full of info and sells a publication on alternative inca trails. At Rosly outfitters(in gringo alley) A super zenned out Peruvian-hiker-guru-dude(forgot his name) set me up with the gear I was missing and even gave me a bag of coca leaves to offer the mountain.
Anyone with a little trekking experience shouldn't have too much trouble on this hike.
Glaciers, hot springs, MACHU PICCHU! I loved it.
I struggle with fear of sheer drop offs and narrow trails. Will I encounter that? Thanks
ReplyDeletePamela, It's now been a while, but when we did this trek there was a section that was washed out and that made for a sketchy trail. You can see the picture right after the sentence "This made for one of the sketchiest sections of the entire trek." My guess is that has been rectified by now. Otherwise I don't remember there being any sheer drop offs. You are, of course, high in the mountains and normal mountainous trails are common.
ReplyDelete