Hiking the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

The second day is the toughest of the five, which in my opinion is a good thing to get out of the way early. Make sure to eat a big breakfast and leave Soraypampa no later than 6:15am to give yourself plenty of time.

Shortly after leaving Soraypampa, you'll begin the climb towards Salkantay Pass at 4,630 metres (15,190 feet). Even if you're hiking independently, this is one of the busiest sections of the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu, as everyone slows down on the steep climb towards the pass. Once you reach the top, sit down, have some food and water, and take in the snow-capped mountains in every direction. From here, the long descent begins, and the landscape soon changes from jagged peaks to lush green rainforest.

Finding lunch on day two was trickier than expected without a guided group. Most places we tried were set up for tours, and a few scoffed before turning us away because their tables were already reserved. Fortunately, a family next to Wayra Lodge, who usually cooks for passing tour groups, snuck us into their kitchen, where we had a warm home-cooked meal surrounded by dogs, cats, ducks, guinea pigs and rabbits. It was one of those small, unplanned moments that made hiking without a guide feel worth it.

After nearly 23 km (14.29 miles) and 770 metres (2,500 feet) of climbing, you'll arrive in Chaullay feeling wrecked and probably ready to find a room and a warm meal as soon as possible. We stayed at Salkantay Hostel, which cost 70 PEN for a private room with warm showers, dinner, breakfast and semi-functional Wi-Fi. However, the best part of this accommodation is that it sits right on the edge of the valley, with most rooms looking out over dense green forest.

In Australia, we say the third day is always better than the second, and the Salkantay Trek is no exception. After the climb over Salkantay Pass the day before, the walk from Chaullay to Lucmabamba feels much kinder on the legs. The trail is mostly flat as it follows the river through a humid, subtropical valley, passing through Peru's coffee and avocado-growing region along the way. It is usually warm and sticky here, so you'll probably start peeling off layers not long after leaving Chaullay.

For me, the highlight of day three was stopping at a local farm mid-hike for fresh avocado sandwiches and a cup of coffee grown nearby. We liked it so much that we kept ordering sandwiches until the family ran out of bread. I haven't been able to pin down the exact location of the farm, but there were plenty of similar stops along the trail, so you should still have a good chance of finding somewhere for food and coffee.

When you arrive in Lucmabamba, you'll find local farms offering simple accommodation and meals. We stayed at Lucmabamba Lodge, which cost 60 PEN for a private room with hot showers, Wi-Fi, dinner and breakfast. What made the stay memorable was the way the owner and his family joined us for both dinner and breakfast and, despite our limited Spanish, made a real effort to chat about Peru and our travel plans. Every meal came with a generous serving of avocado and a complimentary cup of coffee, which felt very fitting for the part of Peru we were in.

Day four starts with a steep uphill climb. It is not the most physically demanding section of the trek, but the humid, sticky conditions made it one of the least enjoyable parts for us. Just before you reach the top of the climb, you'll spot a small path leading to a flat farm area called Mesa Pata Inca Observatory, which is well worth the short detour.

After the viewpoint, you'll continue downhill towards Hidroelectrica, which is the last proper food stop before the walk to Aguas Calientes. There are plenty of restaurants here if you want lunch, though we found the food fairly bland and overpriced compared to most other places we ate in Peru. There are also plenty of small tiendas (shops), where you can buy more water and snacks for the last leg of the trip.

From Hidroelectrica, the walk to Aguas Calientes becomes something special. The path follows the train tracks through thick green forest, with the rail line on one side and the river running beside you for much of the way. This section feels completely different from anything else on the Salkantay Trek and, even if your legs are sore by this point, it is worth taking the time to appreciate it.

Arriving in Aguas Calientes (also called Machu Picchu Town) can be a bit of a shock after the quiet villages along the trek. It is far more built-up, with hotels, restaurants, a train station, hot springs and even a synthetic football field tucked into the valley below Machu Picchu. For accommodation, we found a good balance at Inka's Land, paying 40 PEN per person for a private room with hot showers, the fastest Wi-Fi of the trek and a filling breakfast.

To visit Machu Picchu, you'll need to book your entrance ticket in advance, ideally before you reach Aguas Calientes. The best place to buy your ticket is through the official website, where you'll choose your date, entry time and circuit. For context on how quickly Machu Picchu tickets can sell out, we completed the Salkantay trek in the off-season and bought our tickets on day three, but only the earliest entrance time was still available. If you know the date you're starting the trek, you can work out when you'll reach Machu Picchu and use that to book your ticket ahead of time.

From Aguas Calientes, there are two ways up to Machu Picchu: the shuttle bus or the walk. The official bus tickets are run by Consettur and cost around 50 PEN one way. You can buy them online through the official website, or in person at the authorised ticket booths in Cusco or Aguas Calientes. We took the bus up for our 6 AM entrance and walked back down afterwards, which felt like the right balance after five days on the trail. If you walk up, expect a 3.4 km (2.1 mile) hike with around 680 metres (2,230 feet) of elevation gain, including roughly 1,750 stone steps over the final kilometre (0.6 miles). Depending on your pace, the walk usually takes around 1.5 to 2 hours.

After five days of snow-capped mountains, cloud forest, coffee plantations and jungle, arriving at Machu Picchu almost feels as exciting as opening presents on Christmas morning when you were a child. It is a place you have probably seen in photos countless times, but finally standing there after completing the Salkantay Trek, one of Peru's most iconic routes, is completely different. No photo really prepares you for the scale of it, with the ruins sitting high above the valley and green mountains rising all around. An added benefit of booking an early entrance ticket is that you can beat the crowds and take your time inside, since your ticket does not have an exit time.

If the weather is clear and your legs have something left, Huayna Picchu is worth considering. Huayna Picchu is the steep mountain behind Machu Picchu, and the climb gives you a top-down view over the ruins and the valley around them. You'll need a separate add-on ticket for Circuit 3-B, which you can buy through the same official website as your Machu Picchu entrance ticket. Spots are limited, so book early if this is something you want to do.

The cheaper way back to Cusco is to walk back along the train tracks to Hidroelectrica and catch a bus from there. Although it means retracing your steps, the walk is still just as scenic, and there is something nice about knowing these are your final steps on the Salkantay trail. You can organise transport on day four before reaching Aguas Calientes, or arrange it over WhatsApp once you're there. We booked through Soledad, who charged 40 PEN per person (WhatsApp: +51 984 286 146), and the process was straightforward.

The journey takes around 7 to 8 hours, with one stop for dinner at a roadside spot along the way. We shared a table with other trekkers and had the most satisfying plate of rice, chicken and soup after five days on the trail. It might not sound gourmet, but after completing the Salkantay Trek, it absolutely hit the spot.

Doing the Salkantay Trek without a guide might feel like a leap at first, but looking back, it was moments like eating in a kitchen surrounded by seven different types of animals, or walking at your own pace beside the train tracks on the final stretch to Aguas Calientes, with thick forest around you and the river rushing beside the trail, that made the experience so rewarding. Those are the small moments you probably would not get in the same way with a guide, and I cannot recommend doing this trek without a guide enough.