Ultimate Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu 5 Days

Posted By : W5577AJanthonyl
My girlfriend and I did both the 5-day Salkantay and 2-day Colca canyon trek while in Peru. Though there are endless companies to book with, this Peruvian owned/operated company is the one to go with! My booking agent (Rosmel) and primary guide (William Elvis) were two of the best guides I have ever backpacked with. Both trips had amazing landscapes, delicious food as well as authentic cultural experiences, separating TreXPeriwnce from the pack. Do not question the (slightly) elevated priced of TreXperience compared to the non-Peruvian options through the hostels, their treks are work every penny. Special thank you to Rosmel and William Elvis for making my month in Peru so memorable. Bravo!
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-05-18 14:50:12

Posted By : T7520NDsandral
Our expectations were totally exceeded! Juan was an amazing guide and explained us a lot about the Inka, the landscape, flora and fauna and peruvian life along the way. Our chef Rolando and his team did an incredible job! We had the best food of our holiday on this trek.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-05-16 23:04:13

Posted By : 909ariellen
This experience was one I will remember for the rest of my life. The hiking segments were challenging and we were rewarded everyday with delicious food and camping accommodations set up by the wonderful team. The chef, sous chef, and waiter worked so incredibly hard to make sure we were taken care of and our guide was extra patient with me as I took my time along some of the difficult paths. TreX was an amazing team and set up a wonderful 5 days of views and experiences for us.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-05-11 09:58:26

Posted By : C5921WMtylerm
What an amazing trip! The hiking was challenging both physically and mentally but SO worth it. The scenery was breathtaking. Our guides (Klever and Jilbert) were knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive. The mountain chef was spectacular (I liked his food more than any restaurant in Lima, Cusco, or Aguas Calienties), and our porters/horsemen were hardworking and attentive. I would recommend this trip to anyone who loves hiking and exploring and I would definitely do it again.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-05-08 17:53:11

Posted By : Jaya_h_c
We just got back from a fantastic 5-day Salkantay trek. First a huge shout out to our guides. Roberto. Our main guide was extremely kind and prioritized our needs. Plenio or Pepe, was his assistant and he followed Roberto’s lead on caring for the group. This was most evident the day after the earthquake when we were going through the fresh, very muddy landslide area.

There were some extra special unexpected touches that made the trip extra special. On the first night, when temperatures went below freezing, we were all pleasantly surprised to find extra blankets and little pillows in our tent. Just as we finished dinner Roberto surprised us by telling us that we would each get a hot water bottle. The dreaded below freezing night no longer seemed so bad. Thank you, Roberto and Plenio.

Food during the trek was very flavorful. Being vegetarian was not a problem on most days. The only exception was the day we had the BBQ when the chefs did not understand why grilling the chicken with the veggies made the veggies not okay for us. However, when I explained the situation to Roberto, he had the cooks make our food separately. We had plenty of food throughout the trek and really did not have to eat too many of the snacks we brought.

Suggesting and pulling off the thermal bath diversion on day 3 was an excellent idea. In addition to allowing everybody to feel clean and refreshed, it also kept us away from the boring roadside hike to Llucambara.

I will definitely recommend our guides and TreXperience to friends planning trips to Machu Pichu.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-05-05 22:25:14

Posted By : allisont1123
I want to highlight that our guide, Gary, was incredibly kind and helpful. He also provided an option for us to go to the hot springs on the 3rd day (which was an extra 50 soles but well worth it). We would not have been able to continue up the mountain on day 3 and the hot springs should be a break included in the pricing and package. They also give you warming pads and extra blankets for the first freezing night which was really amazing and helped. Being greeted with coca tea every morning was fantastic. The porters were also very professional.

Things to consider:
- The ultimate says online it's ~64 Kilometers. We were informed the day before leaving it was 82 kilometers.
- There was intense pressure to stick to the program which meant that most days were spent waking up at 5am and then walking until at least 6pm. We felt we were in military camp and had absolutely 0 downtime to enjoy. I'd have rather woken up earlier to have some resting time in the evening.
- We had only brief rests after shoveling food down our throats before walking again.
- There was clearly a lot of stress that things 'went to the program' regardless of how the trekkers were doing.
- My friend was injured on the 4th day and we were informed there was no way she could get to Aguas Caliente other than walking 10K more on her injured knee, which seems rather unsafe.
- Most tours did not complete the final mountain hike on day 4 because of the amount of rain and mud making it a risky trek. We were told initially that probably the guides just didn't want to do it. As we started down the mountain we had over 1.5 hours of slick mud to trek through. i fell twice and my friend once. It was scary and unenjoyable. We should have been given the option to skip that hike and take a bus, I would have happily paid more.

Because of the injuries sustained on day 4 we were unable to complete our additional hike at Machu Picchu, which meant losing 75 dollars and the hike that I actually wanted to do. I was very disappointed.

The company should build in options for hikers if they are going to extend it by 20k more kilometers than advertised.

The food was fine. Day 1 it was fantastic but not nearly enough protein the rest of the week, especially for the hikes we were doing. However, there was a lot of food at all times and it all tasted good. The chef did great.

I want to thank Gary for doing all he could to keep us optimistic through the hike. It was clear he wanted to do well for us. He should be given more resources to make adjustments to the program based on safety and how the tour group is doing so that injuries could be minimized.

We noted at the end that all other groups seemed happy and to be laughing. Our entire group was broken and exhausted. The one benefit is that we bonded and will remain friends. After speaking with friends who completed with Salkantay Treks and other companies, the key difference is where we were walking longs blocks of road (of which I can only assume are the extra 20k not on the program) they had been taking busses (even though they were also doing the 5 day 4 nights). All in all, I'm glad I did it but I would only choose this trek if you want to spend your time being pushed to your limits versus enjoying the landscape.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-04-29 16:34:55

Posted By : RTGlo
Excellent trek with Roger. Well organised - and great food from Alejandro. The day timings worked very well for the conditions and we had so much fun.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-04-24 12:44:56

Posted By : Guide52820222369
Me and my sister are super happy about choosing TreXperience! The food was awesome, the camp locations were amazing, the equipment great and the staff always took care of us. Especially our guides Gilbert and Gary were so nice! They had so much knowledge about everything, worked perfect as a team, were so funny and always made us laugh! Our favourite part of the tour, besides the amazing views, was talking to them and spending a fun time together.
The prices are a bit higher that what you will find at other companies but it was definitely worth it knowing that the salary of the staff is way better than at other places. We also had a free cooking class included which was super fun and we got to take the vista dome train back to Cusco!
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-04-23 17:32:42

Posted By : Navigate38076915849
The Salkantay trek was such a great experience, the hike was epic and the Trexperience crew made it extra special with delicious food, incredible porters and an extremely helpful guide.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-04-22 16:28:41

Posted By : TBoneHODL
The TreXperience team did a fantastic job at making us feel comfortable during the Trek. Our guide was knowledgeable throughout and fluent in English and Spanish.
The chefs cooked amazing food and we never went hungry.
There were lots of little 1-percenters that made the experience memorable.
Throughout the trek, the contrasting landscapes and sceneries provided us with an abundance of photo opportunities.
Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to explore the area, and discover some of the history, stories and myths of the Incas, the Spanish and the Peruvians.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-04-18 05:49:26