Salkantay Trek Sky Lodge Domes: 4 Days to Machu Picchu

Included in the $680

The price covers the briefing at 5:00 pm the night before at the operator's office in Cusco, private tourist transport from Cusco to Mollepata and Challacancha, hotel pickup by your guide, a bilingual English and Spanish guide, horsemen and mules carrying 7 kilos of personal luggage each in a provided duffel bag, a professional cook, a first aid kit and an oxygen tank. Food at the dome campsites is 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners and 2 snacks. Lodging is 2 nights in the Glamping Sky Lodge Domes with private bathroom and hot shower plus 1 night in a hotel in Aguas Calientes.

Dining equipment with portable chairs and tables is included, and the guided tour of Machu Picchu on the last day is in the price.

• Briefing the night before at 5:00 pm
• Private transport Cusco to Challacancha via Mollepata
• Mules carry 7 kilos per person, duffel bag provided
• 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners, 2 snacks at the campsites
• 2 dome nights with private bathroom and hot shower, 1 hotel night in Aguas Calientes
• Guided Machu Picchu tour with options for additional hikes

Paid on Top

The Machu Picchu entrance is USD 48 per person for circuits 1, 2 and 3, subject to government availability. If those circuits are sold out, bring 152 soles to buy the ticket in Aguas Calientes, or ask the operator to buy it for you. The return leg is not included: a train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo costs USD 95 including the transfer to Cusco, with departures at 1:37 pm, 2:55 pm, 4:36 pm, 6:20 pm or 7:00 pm.

The bus from Hidroelectrica to Cusco costs USD 30, leaving at 2:00 pm or 2:30 pm after the walk of about 3 hours from Aguas Calientes. The Salkantay and Humantay Lake entrance fee of 20 soles, the first breakfast, the last dinner, the sleeping bag and trekking poles are also excluded. The sleeping bag and poles can be rented from the operator.

• Machu Picchu entrance: USD 48, or 152 soles in Aguas Calientes
• Train back: USD 95 including the Ollantaytambo to Cusco transfer
• Bus back from Hidroelectrica: USD 30
• Salkantay and Humantay Lake entrance: 20 soles
• First breakfast and last dinner
• Sleeping bag and trekking poles, rentable from the operator

The Line by Line

The table sums up what the $680 listing includes and what you settle separately, using the figures stated on the GetYourGuide listing. This is the honest trade of this product. The base price looks low because the ticket and the transport home sit outside it, so budget for them before comparing.

Travellers who prefer the ticket and the train already paid should read Salkantay Sky Camp 4-Day or Salkantay Glass Cabins 5-Day, which bundle them, or see the site's what the listing price covers section.

Day 1: Cusco to Soraypampa and Humantay Lake

An early pickup from your Cusco hotel by your guide, then private tourist transport to Mollepata for breakfast and on to Challacancha, the Salkantay trailhead. You walk to Soraypampa and check into the Sky Lodge domes, then hike up to the turquoise Humantay Lake before an evening under the stars. Independent route guides place Soraypampa at about 3,900 m and the Humantay detour at about 4 km with roughly 300 m of climbing.

The listing itself states no altitudes or distances for the day.

Day 2: Over the Salkantay Pass to Chaullay

An early start for the challenging climb to the Salkantay Pass, the highest point of the trek, with views of Andean peaks including Salkantay itself, a peak of 6,271 m by Wikipedia's figure. Independent guides put the pass between 4,580 m and 4,660 m, with 4,600 m the figure Wikivoyage and Salkantay Trekking give. The listing states no altitude for the pass.

After the pass you descend to Chaullay for the night, a day one trekker's account times at about 8 hours with 810 m of gain.

Day 3: Down the Santa Teresa Valley to Aguas Calientes

An easier day through the Santa Teresa Valley. At the end of it you either hike or take a train to Aguas Calientes for the hotel night. The listing gives no distance for the day.

One independent 4-day account times the walking at about 6 hours. If you plan the bus option home for Day 4, note the walk from Aguas Calientes to Hidroelectrica takes about 3 hours.

Day 4: Guided Machu Picchu Tour and the Return

A bus ride up to Machu Picchu for a guided tour, with options for additional hikes. The Machu Picchu entrance is not in the trek price, so the USD 48 ticket or the 152 soles cash matters here. Afterwards you return to Cusco the way you paid for: the train to Ollantaytambo at USD 95 with departures from 1:37 pm to 7:00 pm and the onward transfer included, or the USD 30 bus from Hidroelectrica at 2:00 pm or 2:30 pm after the walk of about 3 hours.

Not for Anyone Who Wants the Ticket Paid

The Machu Picchu entrance of USD 48 is excluded and the circuits you get are subject to government availability. If circuits 1, 2 and 3 are gone, the fallback is 152 soles in cash in Aguas Calientes. If that sounds stressful, Salkantay Sky Camp 4-Day includes the ticket with a fallback circuit at no extra cost, and Salkantay Glass Cabins 5-Day bundles entry fees and the train back.

Not for Weak Knees or Unacclimatised Lungs

Day 2 climbs the challenging Salkantay Pass, and independent guides place it around 4,600 m. If altitude worries you, read how the route tests fitness first, or consider the shorter 2-day Humantay Lake and Salkantay Pass Trek as a taster. The listing states no minimum age, but it also states no support details beyond the first aid kit and oxygen tank, so ask the operator directly about children.

Not for Travellers Who Want a Hotel-only Trip

Two nights are in domes, and nights at the high camps can drop well below freezing, per independent guides. The sleeping bag is not included and can be rented from the operator. No listing on this site gives a hotel bed every night.

The private Salkantay 4-Day Trek with Vistadome Train pairs tents with a foam mattress and a private-room hotel in Aguas Calientes, is non-refundable and costs $1,265.

Not for Travellers Who Need a Late Cancellation

Free cancellation applies only up to 24 hours before departure. Inside that window the booking is effectively locked, and one operator guide says the Machu Picchu ticket itself is non-transferable and non-refundable once bought. Book the trek only once your flights into Cusco are confirmed, and arrive with days to spare.

Acclimatise in Cusco First

Cusco sits at about 3,400 m and Day 1 already puts you near 3,900 m at Soraypampa, with the pass above that on Day 2. The NHS says altitude sickness usually occurs above 2,500 m and advises against jumping from below 1,200 m to above 3,500 m in one day. Wikivoyage recommends at least 2 to 3 days in Cusco or a similar altitude before the trek.

Symptoms usually begin 6 to 10 hours after arrival and most pass in 1 to 3 days, so give yourself that buffer. The site's altitude and fitness section covers the pass day in more detail.

What to Pack

The route runs from alpine terrain with freezing nights down into humid cloud forest, so you need both warm layers and light clothing. Pack for around 15 C days and nights that can fall far below zero in the high areas, per independent guides. Mules carry 7 kilos of your personal luggage in the duffel bag provided, which sets a hard limit.

Rent the sleeping bag and trekking poles from the operator if you do not carry your own. A full Salkantay trek packing list covers the details.

Getting Back to Cusco

The return is your choice and your cost. The train option runs from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo at USD 95 per person including the road transfer to Cusco, with departures at 1:37 pm, 2:55 pm, 4:36 pm, 6:20 pm or 7:00 pm. The bus option leaves Hidroelectrica at 2:00 pm or 2:30 pm at USD 30 per person, which means walking about 3 hours from Aguas Calientes first.

The listing gives no arrival time in Cusco, so check it with the operator before booking onward travel the same evening.