Salkantay and Inca Trail: The 7-Day Combination Trek

What Is in the $1,555

The listing includes the Inca Trail permits and tickets, entry fees to the Salkantay Trek and Humantay Lake, and the Machu Picchu entrance for Circuit 1C and Circuit 3B. Meals are breakfast, lunch and dinner with water, tea time and daily snacks on the trail, and vegetarian or vegan options on request. All private transport and transfers are covered, along with hotel pickup and drop-off in Cusco.

The camping package covers 5 nights at named camps plus 1 night at Sky Camp in Soraypampa, private camping facilities and equipment, a personal duffel bag for up to 5 kg, transport of personal belongings, and a small towel and soap. An expert chef, porters and horsemen support the group, and the safety kit includes a first aid kit, walkie-talkies, oxygen and emergency satellite phones. A pre-departure briefing is included, held at the main office in Cusco at 5:00 PM the night before and lasting about 30 to 45 minutes.

What Is Not in the Price

The exclusions name the optional horseback rides from Soraypampa to Humantay Lake on day 1 and from Soraypampa to Salkantay Pass on day 2, clothing and personal hiking equipment, travel insurance, which the listing recommends, and gratuities for the staff, which are optional. Single supplements are not stated. The Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo tourist train is included, and the listing names no upgrade.

The bus from Aguas Calientes up to Machu Picchu is not named in the inclusions, so ask the operator before counting on it. Tips are extra, and budgeting for them is worth doing before you book.

The Sleeping Bag and Pole Conflict

The basic hiking equipment line lists a sleeping bag, trekking poles, rain poncho and backpack cover. The exclusions list a sleeping bag and trekking poles under gear. The two lines disagree, so ask the operator in writing before you pack.

If you do need to rent, other listings show the kind of cost involved: AB Expeditions charges $20 each for a sleeping bag or walking sticks. That figure belongs to a different trek and is only here to size the risk.

Line by Line

The table sums up the money position from this listing alone. Extras on the day are the optional horse rides and tips, and everything else sits inside the $1,555.

Before Day 1

The trek begins with a briefing at the operator's main office in Cusco at 5:00 PM the night before, lasting about 30 to 45 minutes. Pickup is from your hotel in Cusco on day 1, and the time is not stated on the listing. Cusco sits well above 3,000 metres, and the listing recommends arriving at least 2 days early to adjust.

Salkantay Days

Day 1 ends at Sky Camp in Soraypampa, below Salkantay, a mountain of more than 6,200 m. Humantay Lake and the Salkantay Pass come in these early days. The Salkantay Pass sits at roughly 4,600 to 4,660 m depending on the source, which is higher than anything on the Inca Trail.

Optional horseback rides cover the Humantay Lake and Salkantay Pass climbs from Soraypampa if you want to save your legs.

Camps to Wiñay Wayna

The named camps after Sky Camp are Pampajaponesa, Paucarcancha, Ayapata, Chaquicocha and Wiñay Wayna, which puts the group on the Classic Inca Trail for the second half of the trek. Camps such as Ayapata sit before Dead Woman's Pass, at roughly 4,200 to 4,215 metres the highest point of the classic route, and Chaquicocha and Wiñay Wayna come after it. Each night the chef and camp team handle meals, and the horsemen move the group gear.

The listing does not state daily distances or walking hours, so those are not given here.

Sun Gate, Machu Picchu and the Way Back

The final trail day walks into Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate, about 2 km from the citadel entrance and sitting at about 2,720 to 2,745 metres depending on the source. The included entrance covers Circuit 1C and Circuit 3B. After the visit the return runs on the tourist train, called panoramic in the description, from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo, a journey that PeruRail trains cover in about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Hotel drop-off in Cusco is included as part of the transfers.

Anyone Who Needs a Refund

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations, and the Inca Trail permit is personal and non-transferable, issued to one passport. Fix it by being certain of your dates and your passport details before paying, and by buying travel insurance, which the listing recommends but does not include.

If flexibility matters more, the Premium 4-Day Inca Trail Trek offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Anyone Put Off by the Fitness Demand

The listing calls this a challenging trek requiring a high level of physical fitness. You carry days of altitude: the Salkantay Pass sits at roughly 4,600 to 4,660 m and Dead Woman's Pass at roughly 4,200 to 4,215 m, and the operator says the climb to the pass takes 4 to 5 hours. It is not recommended for pregnant travellers, travellers with spinal injuries or those with poor cardiovascular health.

Read the Dead Woman's Pass guide, and if 7 days is too much, the 4-Day Inca Trail with Vistadome Train covers the classic route alone.

Travellers Outside the Age Band

The listing takes bookings for travellers aged 12 to 70, and children aged 12 and over must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times. It does not say that younger children can join. Families with children under 12 should look at the short Inca Trail instead, and the Short Inca Trail with 4-Star Hotel is a 2-day version with a hotel night.

Private-trek Seekers and February Travellers

This is a shared group of up to 12, not a private departure, so you cannot set your own pace or dates. The Inca Trail section of the route closes every February for maintenance and reopens on 1 March, so the trek cannot run then. For a private classic trek, see the Private 4-Day Inca Trail.

For what the permits allow month by month, see Inca Trail permits.

Acclimatise in Cusco First

Cusco sits well above 3,000 metres and the listing recommends arriving at least 2 days before the trek to adjust. Those nights are yours to book, since the trek itself has no hotel nights. The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu guide covers how the altitude shapes each day.

Permit and Passport Timing

Permits are issued to one person on one passport and are non-transferable, and the listing requires your passport name, number, expiry and country at the time of booking for every participant. Make sure your passport is valid and ready for your travel day. The listing advises booking at least five months ahead, and in high season the demand is highest.

The Inca Trail permits guide explains the 500-per-day cap and how permits are released.

What the Machu Picchu Circuits Show

The included entrance covers Circuit 1C and Circuit 3B. Circuit 1C is the Sun Gate route, and this trek arrives at the citadel through the Sun Gate itself before touring on its circuits. Optional add-ons sell Huchuy Picchu, Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain tickets, so pick the option when booking if you want a mountain climb on top of the circuits.

The Sun Gate Machu Picchu guide has the detail on the 1C route.

A Night in Aguas Calientes and the Luggage Limit

This listing camps all 6 nights and includes no hotel in Aguas Calientes, so if you want a bed after the trail, add nights there yourself at the end or pick a trek with a hotel night such as the Private 5-Day Inca Trail. For the train home, PeruRail allows one backpack up to 8 kg or one carry-on up to 12 kg on Machu Picchu routes, and excess baggage costs $15 for excess carry-on and $25 for checked baggage. Pack to the limit and leave the rest in Cusco.