Inca Trail vs Salkantay

The Numbers at a Glance

The figures below come from the sources on record. Where sources disagree, both numbers are shown. The Inca Trail column uses the classic 4-day route from Km 82.

The Salkantay column uses the full route as listed by TourRadar and Salkantay Trekking.

What the Numbers Mean in Practice

The permit is the real difference. The Inca Trail has had a quota system since 2001, and before the early 2000s more than 1,000 people a day were hiking it. Today only 500 permits a day exist, about 200 of them for trekkers, and hiking without an authorised agency is not allowed. Peak season permits for May to September sell out fastest, and operators advise booking 4 to 8 months ahead. Salkantay has no such cap, so you can decide later.

Altitude cuts the other way. Salkantay Pass is roughly 400 metres higher than Dead Woman's Pass, and Exploor Peru rates Salkantay as strenuous at 6 to 10 hours a day against the Inca Trail's moderate 6 to 7 hours. The Inca Trail shuts every February for maintenance and reopens on 1 March, while no February closure is stated for Salkantay.

On price, the classic Inca Trail starts at $798 per person for the 4-Day Inca Trail with Panoramic Train and reaches $6,222 per person for the fully private Luxury 4-Day Inca Trail with massage therapists and paired wines. The 7-day trek that does both routes sits between them at $1,555 per person.

The Ruins on the Way

No other route to Machu Picchu carries this much archaeology on the path itself. Each of these sits on or beside the trail:

- Patallaqta, 1.5 km from the classic start, with about 100 structures and a shrine called Pulpituyuq. Manco Inca Yupanqui burned it in 1536. - Runkurakay at 3,760 metres, a ruin whose name comes from Quechua runku (basket) and raqay (shed), heavily restored in the late 1990s. - Sayacmarca at 3,600 metres, meaning Inaccessible Town, with a Temple of the Sun and a labyrinth of residences. Hiram Bingham III visited it in April 1915 and called it Cedrobamba. - Phuyupatamarca, the City above the Clouds, with five ceremonial fountains whose water systems still function. - Wiñay Wayna, a ceremonial and agricultural centre 4 km from Machu Picchu with as many as 19 springs. The final descent to it covers roughly 1,500 carved steps over about 1,000 metres.

The Sun Gate Arrival

The Inca Trail delivers you to Machu Picchu on foot through the Sun Gate (Inti Punku), at about 2,720 to 2,745 metres depending on the source. Trekkers arriving on the trail network enter on Circuit 3-B, which covers the agricultural zone, the Temple of the Sun and the House of the Inca. Trek dates must match the citadel entry date for same-day entry.

This on-foot arrival is what Salkantay does not offer. Salkantay hikers view Machu Picchu from afar on the final day and visit it the next day, arriving by bus from Aguas Calientes.

Permits and What the Cap Really Means

Permits are capped at 500 people per day, of which about 200 go to trekkers and about 300 to guides, porters and support staff. They are issued to one person on one passport, and they are non-transferable and non-refundable. They are sold only through Ministry of Culture authorised agencies.

The trail also closes every February for maintenance and reopens on 1 March. Machu Picchu citadel itself stays open all year even when the trail is shut. A difficult detail: permits that include Circuit 3-B entry are scarce and can sell out months in advance, so book early or read the Inca Trail permits guide for the release calendar.

The Mountain and Humantay Lake

Salcantay mountain stands at 6,271 m (20,574 ft) or 6,264 m (20,551 ft) depending on the source, the 12th highest peak in Peru and about 60 km west-northwest of Cusco. The trek crosses Salkantay Pass at 4,630 metres per Salkantay Trekking, though other sources give 4,600, 4,650 or 4,660 metres, so it is about 400 metres above Dead Woman's Pass whichever figure you take. Humantay Lake sits at 4,200 metres (13,780 feet) and is reached from Soraypampa.

The route then drops through subtropical cloud forest and past a local coffee farm, so you walk from glacier country into almost tropical green in a few days. The dry season runs from late April to mid-October.

No Permit and Fewer People

Salkantay needs no hiking permit, only a Machu Picchu ticket, which removes the single biggest planning problem on the Inca Trail. KimKim puts Salkantay traffic at about 50 hikers a day against roughly 200 tourists on the Inca Trail, and that gap widens once Inca Trail permits for the dry season sell out. The trade is honest: KimKim notes Salkantay has relatively few ruins compared with the Inca Trail, and the arrival is by bus rather than on foot through the Sun Gate.

If ruins and the classic entrance matter most, Salkantay will disappoint. If solitude and high scenery matter more, it is the easier yes. Trekkers who want both can look at the 7-Day Salkantay and Inca Trail, which links Humantay Lake and Salkantay Pass with the classic trail's ruins and Sun Gate finish.

Where You Sleep

Salkantay's sleeping options run wider than the Inca Trail's. TourRadar lists both camping and lodge options. Salkantay Trekking's short trek sleeps one night at Sky Camp at 3,900 metres, which has glass igloos, and one at Mountain Sky View at 2,950 metres, which has luxury domes, with the last night in a hotel in Aguas Calientes.

A separate lodge-to-lodge option exists too: Mountain Lodges of Peru runs a 7-day lodge trek crossing the pass at 4,600 metres and using four lodges, with a retailer listing Salkantay Lodge at 12,690 feet, Wayra Lodge at 3,906 metres and Colpa Lodge at 2,870 metres. That lodge trek is not the Inca Trail. On the classic Inca Trail, by contrast, the sleeping is camping, and the upgrade is the camp itself: luxury camps typically bring large tents, quality mattresses, a mess tent and toilet tents.

The Numbers Side By Side

Sources do not agree on the basics, so both sides are given. The Inca Trail length is listed as 42 km (26 miles) by Wikipedia, 44 km by Salkantay Trekking, 45 km by Valencia Travel, while Andean Trails' day distances add to 38.9 km. For the Salkantay, Salkantay Trekking's short trek covers 57.5 km in 4 days and TourRadar gives the full route as 74 km over 5 days.

The Salkantay Pass sits at 4,630 m per Salkantay Trekking, or 4,600 m per TourRadar, which is clearly above Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 m (or 4,200 m on its own Wikipedia page). Exploor Peru rates the Salkantay trek strenuous at 6 to 10 hours a day and the Inca Trail moderate at 6 to 7 hours.

Altitude And Acclimatisation

The Salkantay route takes you roughly 400 metres higher than the Inca Trail, and altitude sickness can appear from about 2,500 metres, so both treks cross into the risk zone. Cusco sits at roughly 3,200 to 3,450 metres depending on the source, and the 7-day Salkantay and Inca Trail listing recommends arriving in Cusco at least 2 days early. Above 3,000 metres, sleeping altitude should rise by no more than about 500 metres a day.

Common symptoms are headache, nausea, fatigue and poor sleep. A typical acetazolamide prevention dose is 125 mg twice daily starting the day before ascent, which is a matter to discuss with a doctor. The Salkantay's Sky Camp sits at 3,900 metres, a high place to sleep, while Inca Trail camps such as Llulluch'apampa at about 3,800 metres are similarly high.

Machu Picchu itself is nearly 1,000 metres lower than Cusco at about 2,430 metres on the trail's lowest point, so the final day is easier on the lungs. Read more in the guide to Dead Woman's Pass.

Weather And The February Closure

The two routes face the same seasons but not the same rules. The Inca Trail closes every February for maintenance, covering routes 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 of the network, and reopens on 1 March. About 60 specialists repair stonework, stabilise terraces, clear vegetation and inspect bridges during the closure.

The 2025 closure ran to late March because of heavy rain. No February closure is stated for the Salkantay trek, which runs on trails without the Inca Trail permit system, though February is the height of the rainy season, with heavy rain, landslides, fog and swollen rivers. The dry season runs from April to October, with July and August rated the most stable trekking conditions and nights in June and July on the Inca Trail able to reach freezing.

Cusco's record low is minus 7.0 C. April and May are balanced shoulder months with fewer crowds. Plan around the closure with the page on the best time to hike the Inca Trail.

The 7-Day Salkantay And Inca Trail Trek

The 7-Day Salkantay and Inca Trail costs $1,555 per person for 7 days and 6 nights in a group of up to 12. It covers 6 nights of camping, including 1 night at Sky Camp in Soraypampa. The route goes to Humantay Lake at 4,200 metres and over the Salkantay Pass, then joins the Classic Inca Trail to the Sun Gate.

The price includes permits and tickets for the Inca Trail, entry fees for the Salkantay Trek and Humantay Lake, and Machu Picchu entrance for Circuit 1C and Circuit 3B. An expert chef, porters and horsemen travel with the group, each hiker gets a personal duffel bag for up to 5 kg, and walkie-talkies, oxygen and emergency satellite phones are carried. Optional horseback rides from Soraypampa to Humantay Lake and to Salkantay Pass are not included.

The return is the panoramic tourist train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo. The listing is non-refundable and advises booking five months ahead. Full details are on the Salkantay and Inca Trail 7 days page.

For shorter options, compare the 4-day treks on Inca Trail with Vistadome Train, which costs $835, or read about luxury Inca Trail tours more broadly.

When The Classic Alone Is Enough

Seven days of walking with six nights of camping is a serious commitment, and the combo asks for strong legs and a full week of holiday. If your priority is the ruins rather than the mountain scenery, the Classic Inca Trail alone delivers the Inca sites that Salkantay largely lacks, since KimKim notes the Salkantay route has relatively few ruins. The 4-Day Inca Trail with Vistadome Train at $835 covers the classic route and the Sun Gate arrival in 4 days.

If you want the most comfortable version of the classic, the Luxury 4-Day Inca Trail at $6,222 adds ultra-luxury camping, a massage therapist at every camp and Peruvian wine with the meals. Neither shorter trek includes the Salkantay Pass, Humantay Lake or a night at Sky Camp, so the choice comes down to landscape versus time and budget.