Salkantay Trek 5D/4N
El trekking Salkantay es una de las rutas alternas más populares y desafiantes para llegar a Machu Picchu. Con una duración de 5 días, este sendero te llevará a través de paisajes diversos y sorprendentes, desde las tierras altas andinas hasta la selva tropical.
El trekking comienza en nuestras glass cabañas , desde donde ascenderás a través de paisajes deslumbrantes hasta llegar al paso de Salkantay, a más de 4,600 metros sobre el nivel del mar. Desde allí, el descenso te llevará por valles verdes y bosques nublados, donde disfrutras de nuestro hobbit house el cual ofrece vistas espectaculares del Nevado Salkantay, uno de los picos más altos de la región. La ruta continúa hacia la selva, pasando por pequeños pueblos andinos, hasta llegar finalmente a Aguas Calientes, la base para la visita a Machu Picchu.
Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley
We had a great time at Rainbow Mountain and the Red Valley. Our tour guide, Elix, was amazing and very patient as we were struggling a bit with the altitude! The transfer was seamless and the day was very well structured. We would highly recommend!
Great trekking company with good kit, fantastic guides and support staff.
Short review: Great trekking company with good kit, fantastic guides and support staff. Overall a superb experience. Long review: Alpaca Expeditions was highly recommended by a friend who used them 2 years ago and clearly Alpaca’s standards have not dropped in that time him. Like my friend, my wife and I did the 4 day/3 nights trek to Machu Picchu (MP) via the Sun Gate which was booked through our travel agent. PRE-DEPARTURE COMMUNICATIONS with Alpaca were very good with detailed explanations of kit required, each day’s trek and what we could expect. LOGISTICS: Hotel pick-ups, trains (at the end) and bus transfers back to our hotels in Cusco was always efficient. EQUIPMENT: I have undertaken several supported treks in Nepal and Pakistan. Without doubt Alpaca had the best tents, air mattresses (Therm-a-Rest), etc that I have seen and used on similar treks. Although the campsites have their own toilets, Alpaca bring a portable toilet for each group’s sole use. This is a god-send at 2am! PORTERS & WELFARE: It was reassuring to see that the porters are well equipped and Alpaca take their responsibilities re. porter welfare very seriously, especially in terms of weight (ie trekker's kit) the authorities allow them to carry. They were always cheerful and friendly and encouraging especially on some of the longer ascents. FOOD & COOKING: Alpaca and the guides and chefs were careful to ensure that dietary needs were fully met. Food was abundant with plenty of variety. Perhaps most astonishing was the chef (JUALIAN) and his team producing a proper sponge cake on the last night! THE TREK: The days can be long and in places the trekking is hard. However the days are structured carefully with regular breaks and lunch stops. Some of the Inca Steps can be a bit tiring, but with the encouragment of the guides and fellow group members, I believe anyone with a basic level of fitness - and determination - could successfully complete the trek. GUIDES: We were fortunate enough to have JAVIER (as head guide) and DAVID as his deputy. From the start they encouraged a team spirit. As a qualified Mountain Leader in the UK, I know that this bonding makes a huge and positive difference to slower members. In addition, Javier managed our group with skill and where appropriate, allowed faster members to go on ahead to pre-determined points while supporting those who were…. enjoying the views! HISTORY TALKS: I’m not sure if this is standard for all groups on the Inca Trail, but it was fascinating to listen to Javier giving very interesting talks about the Incas at the various Inca sites we encountered on the way. HIs knowledge extended to flora and fauna and for my wife and I, and indeed the rest of our group, this was the 'icing on the cake' and really made the trek much more than just getting to Machu Picchu. WEATHER: We undertook the trek on 02-05/Oct/2026 and were fortunate to have no rain. Sadly the Sun Gate was shrouded in cloud, so we missed the classic view of MP. But as predicted by Javier, the cloud burned off and by the time we reached MP - an hour or so later, it was bright and sunny. Further talks by Javier when walking around MP, brought the entire city to life. In conclusion, this trek with Alpaca is more than simply getting to MP. The destination will of course be very important to trekkers, but so is the journey. Anyone can catch the train and bus to MP. However trekking there with Alpaca (and if you're really lucky Javier & Jualian) will really make that journey worthwhile and special.
Incredible Experience
We had the best experience! A huge thank you to Alejandro for the amazing food and to our guides Juan Carlos Zuloaga and Darwin / all the porters for being so lovely, helpful and knowledgeable. It’s a tough hike, but the whole crew made it so much easier by always being there to help and support us. You all made the experience so special, and we couldn’t recommend this tour enough!
Amazing experience with Alpaca Expeditions
We booked with Alpaca after doing a lot of research and decided to use a local company. they had lots of very good reviews. The booking process was straightforward and communications were good, having WhatsApp and email for any questions. We did a day in the Sacred Valley the day before our Inca trail which was enjoyable and a fun day with lots of history and culture. Alpaca were very helpful, they picked us up from the airport late at night and took us straight to the hotel. We wanted to acclimatise for a few days first so they booked extra nights in the same hotel for us. Our guide Carlos Arqque was a great host from start to finish. He kept everything on track and made sure we were where we needed to be, but also giving us rest time when we needed it. I enjoyed hearing about the history of the archeological sites we visited along the way, it was very informative and interesting. He kept us motivated on the more challenging sections which was needed! When we arrived at Machu Picchu he organised everything well and made sure we all had our tickets in hand and gave us an in depth tour which was really interesting. He took lots of pictures for us along the way, as a group and individually which I really appreciated, he was entertaining and knowledgeable at the same time! The whole alpaca team was amazing, I can’t thank the porters enough for all of their hard work making our trip more enjoyable by lightening the load. At every stop they made sure everything was ready, the tents were setup and our bags ready. The food was also very nice, we had different meals everyday and the food was very fresh and very well put together. Even on the last day the chef made us a cake! The vibe fun and our group were all very supportive of each other which really helped. We finished with a final night in Cusco before they picked us up and took us to the airport which took the stress out of getting there. I’d highly recommend using this company and would definitely use again in the future.
Comfortable, attentive and professional
Carlos Arqque was the perfect guide for our group. He kept spirits high, had a great sense of humour and was also very punctual and great at keeping us motivated and keeping us on schedule, without being too pushy. As well as this, the porters were incredible. They had superhuman strength, agility and speed as they trekked the trail faster than the groups and made sure everything was set up for us before we arrive. The chef was also 5 stars, very delicious and fresh food provided throughout which is really impressive considering we were up in the mountains the whole time. Overall, 10/10 experience with alpaca expeditions and I'd highly recommend to anyone considering the Inca trail.