Arrive at any time.

Arrive Cusco at any time. There are no planned activities so check into the hotel and enjoy the city. Our best advice for exploring Cusco is to wear a comfortable pair of shoes, arm yourself with a city map, and set off to explore! Meet the group at the welcome meeting, check for the start time on the welcome note at the hotel.

【Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting with G Representative】

The adventure begins today. Feel free to explore, but make sure you're back in time to meet the group. Your G Representative will review the details of your tour.

Depart Cusco and transfer to the start of the trail to begin the Salkantay Trek. Stunning views and Inca ruins fill the days as you hike with views of the striking snow-capped mountains of Vilcabamba mountain range. Traverse high passes the highest point reaching 4,600m (15,092 ft) before descending into valleys nestled in the mountains. Spend the nights camping under the stars. Enjoy the spectacular mountain scenery and breathtaking views as the trek descends from the heights of the Andes to the lush subtropics surrounding Machu Picchu.

【Your G for Good Moment: Handmade Biodegradable Soap Products】

Enjoy local operator-supported handmade biodegradable soap products, for use on our treks. This for Good project empowered local Cusqueña women to start their own business in order to reduce the environmental impact of treks in the region. Planeterra provided $10,000 of seed funding for two young entrepreneurs to register their biodegradable products in order to sell them to the tourism industry. "Esencia Andina" is now a successful business that produces biodegradable soaps, detergents, and natural products for travellers, guides, porters, and cooks on our treks.

【Salkantay Trek - Day 1】

Start trekking accompanied by support staff and horses/mules, pass by spectacular views of the majestic Salkantay Peak and the surrounding snow-capped mountains. Start the ascent up until Salkantaypampa (3,900m/12,795 ft) where you'll stop for a scenic lunch. After lunch, ascend past snowy peaks to the highest point of the trek, Salkantay pass reaching 4,600 metres (15,092 ft) above sea level. From here the views are spectacular towards the mountains of Umantay and Apu Salkantay. Descend from the pass and hike down to the campsite for the night, Wayraqmachay (3900m/12,795 ft).

Continue the trek downhill, passing through the town of Collpabamba on the way to Chaullay. Hike along the Sahuayaco River through lush cloud forest to your campsite for the evening, Playa Sahuayaco.

【Salkantay Trek - Day 2】

Trek to the town of Collpabamba, keeping an eye out for flora and fauna along the way. Stop for lunch at the village of Chaullay (2,900m/9,514 ft). Watch the scenery change from mountain landscapes to lush, cloud forest as you descend down to the Sahuayaco River and walk alongside it to Playa Sahuayaco (2,100m/6,890 ft), the campsite for the night.

 

Hike to the Inca site Llactapata, where you can catch your first glimpse of Machu Picchu. Catch the train in the afternoon to Aguas Calientes.

【Llactapata Hike】

Enjoy one last hike up to the ruins of Llactapata and look out towards Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu. Explore the well-preserved ruins and learn more about the site thought to have been used primarily for crop storage and production.

 

Enjoy a guided tour of Machu Picchu then return to Cusco where the tour ends upon arrival.

【Machu Picchu Guided Tour】

Set off with the local guide to explore Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. Learn about the history and gain insights into this massive mountaintop citadel while wandering through ancient dwellings, stone temples and along sculpted terraces. Feel the energy of this 15th-century site, now both a UNESCO World Heritage site and voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide internet poll.