Salkantay Trek

Introduction

The Salkantay Trek is one of several multi-day treks that one can undertake and end off at Machu Picchu. In recent times, the popularity of this trek has grown to rival the traditional Inca Trail Trek. It mainly differs in two ways. Firstly, it is an alpine trek (as opposed to Inca Trail’s Jungle) and secondly, you would arrive at Aquas Calientes (base town for Machu Picchu), on the last night instead of camping all the way.

I attempted the Salkantay Trek after having done both the Huayhuash and Ausangate treks, which meant that I was acclimatized and in form for high altitude trekking. I could truly feel the difference, as my body was light and nimble throughout the trek. As such, this was definitely, the easiest of the three treks.

Day 1

The first day of the trek was a warm up day, with large sections of flat ground and a gentle pace to boot. After lunch, we made our way up to Humantay Lake (this can also be done as a day trip). The journey up was filled with slippery mud terrain and I was also misled by two overly adventurous trekkers who went not by the winding path, but rather over the top of a hill. Me being the overly optimistic person I am, went along with them and quickly found myself climbing over large piles of rocks. Thankfully, we got to the lake fine.

When we got to the lake, it was heavily shrouded in cloud, damp and cold. Many people quickly turned back and made their way down after a couple of photos. Thankfully, we waited it out and were rewarded when the sun came out. With rays of sunshine, the lake produced several different colours, a beautiful sight indeed. Additionally, I explored a ridgeline at the top of the lake, giving me an extra perspective of the area.

Day 2

The second day was the toughest day on the trek. A long ascend up to 4,600m followed by a descend into the high jungle was required on this day. While the terrain was not particularly challenging, the length of the day provided a mental challenge for me. For large parts of the day, I zoned out and hiked at my own comfortable pace.

I met a couple of New Yorkers on the path, who together with their guide gave me great company for the hike. Its always refreshing to meet people who have been to Singapore before, and could converse about the differences in culture and living between countries.

Day 3

The third day of the trek involved a gradual up and down path that wind through a forest and the various communities that inhabited it. My guide made it a point to point out the unique flora and plantations that existed in the area, while we also walked passed several waterfalls. In general, this was a fairly tamed day.

After lunch, we had probably the most boring hike of the trek, as we walked 10km from Hydroelectric station to Agua Calientes (base town of Machu Picchu). People who are not keen on this hike can pay a pricy sum to take the rail train directly to town, but there are no other options. No cars or buses ferry people to the town. As such, I settled for a brisk walk through annoying rock pile and hoped to reach town sooner than later.

The town of Agua Calientes was beautiful, though with an air of artificialness. The town exists mainly for tourists, some 4000 of whom enter daily. The railway actually runs through the town and is really close to each hotel or shop. As such, you could be dining on the first floor when the train suddenly rushes pass you. Overall, I really did like the vibes of the town.

Day 4

The final day of the Salkantay Trek, and the last hiking of my time in South America had arrived. And boy was it a crazy day. To start with, there are two ways to get to Machu Picchu from Agua Calientes, either take the bus or hike it up. Given that the majority of group was taking the bus (which normally reaches ahead of the hikers), but I was a little too broke for that option, I was left with the only choice of rushing up in order to catch them, or risk forfeiting my tour.

As such, together with another friend, we got up at 3am, and walked over to the first checkpoint, reaching at 3.40am. The checkpoint would open up at 5am, as such we sat down, the first ones there, and waited till 5am. For reference, the first bus leaves at about 5.15am from town. As we waited, the line ballooned up to my estimated number of 300 people.

Once the checkpoint opened up, we had our passports and tickets checked before we started a mad rush to the entrance of Machu Picchu. For an insane 25 minutes we huffed and puffed our way up in the darkness. Joined by two other truly fit trekkers, we pushed through lactic acid and muscle ache. As we rounded the last few turns, we heard the first bus coming up. As such, we were inspired into an all out sprint, and amazingly we barely beat the first bus to the entrance. We were absolutely delirious at this point, as we watched people pour out of 5 buses. They looked shocked at us, all sweaty and drenched. But damm, did it feel good to be right at the head of the insane queue.

Machu Picchu certainly lived up to its billing, never found by the Spanish, it was minimally restored in modern times. It is really difficult to describe the feeling of walking in a city that ancient, imagining how people might have lived in it in the past. Getting to the sun gate also gave me special meaning as it symbolized the end of time in South America. After months of hearing the stories of other exchange students who had gone to Machu Picchu before me, this was my time.

After walking around the city, I had a final ascent for me. While my group returned to town, I decided to attempt to climb Hyhuayna Picchu, one of several mountains you can climb to get a vantage point of Machu Picchu. While commercialised in the sense that it had steps and a rope to hold on to, the climb got really steep. As such, it definitely posed a challenge to my tired legs after 1.5 months of trekking.

Conclusion

Doing the Salkantay Trek and visiting Machu Picchu was a fitting end to my time in South America & Peru. I found the trip to be highly enjoyable and am glad to have done it. With this, I am also for the time being, putting a hold on this blog. I am not entirely sure if I will continue to blog on future trips, and when these future trips maybe.

Nonetheless, I am really thankful for those who have taken time to read my content and who have messaged me words of encouragement. May everyone find their adventures in life!