- Published range
- US$50–77 per trekker (3 of 4 guides)
- In soles
- About S/ 170–265
- Shared between
- Guide, cook and horsemen
- Pay it in
- Soles, small notes
- Required?
- No — not part of the price
Tipping is the one cost on this trek that nobody puts in writing for you, so people either bring far too little or worry about it for five days. This page sets out what the published guides recommend, why their numbers do not agree, and who the money actually reaches. We do not set a house figure: the amount is yours, and it should follow the trek you had.
The short answer
For a five-day trek, most published guidance puts the tip for the whole team at US$50–77 per trekker, which is about S/ 170–265 at October 2026 rates. One source says US$20–30. Bring it in soles, in small notes, and split it into a share for the guide and a share for the cook and horsemen.
What the published guides say
We compared every Salkantay tipping figure that ranks in search for the question, as published on 11 October 2026:
- salkantaytrekking.com (a Cusco operator): 30–40 soles per day per trekker for the trekking staff, usually 120–160 soles (US$35–45) for the trek, plus 60–80 soles (US$15–20) for the guide. Together, US$50–65.
- TrovaTrip: US$55 per person — US$30 for porters, cooks and assistants, US$10 for the assistant guide, US$15 for the trekking guide.
- G Adventures (in its trip notes): head guide US$10–25, assistant guide US$5–12, trekking crew US$40. Together, US$55–77.
- The Abroad Guide: US$20–30 per person for the guide, cook and porters, in a single FAQ answer.
Most of the spread is not generosity, it is coverage. The three higher figures name every role on the team and give each a share. Two of them also include an assistant guide, a role our treks do not have. The lowest figure is one sentence with no split at all.
Who you are tipping
On our departures the team is a licensed guide, a cook, and horsemen with the horses and mules that carry the camping gear, the kitchen and the food. You carry a daypack; they carry everything else, set up camp before you arrive and take it down after you leave. The five-day trek and every other itinerary list exactly what is included.
The cook is the person most trekkers mention afterwards. Four meals a day come out of a kitchen tent at 3,900 metres — what you actually eat explains how. One trekker, Jessica A from New York, wrote that “the guides and cooks and horsemen were so wonderful, friendly and encouraging”, which is close to how most of our reviews read.
Why group size changes the answer
Per-trekker figures hide the thing that matters to the crew: the total. If eight trekkers each put S/ 150 towards the cook and horsemen, the envelope holds S/ 1,200. If four do, it holds S/ 600 for the same five days of work, the same loads and the same camps. If your group is small, that is a good reason to give towards the top of the range. Our departures take at most twelve people, so the range of possible group sizes is wide.
How it usually works
The common practice on the Salkantay is a pooled tip. One person in the group collects the money, it goes into envelopes — usually one for the guide and one for the cook and horsemen — and it is handed over in person with a thank-you at the last meal or camp where the whole team is together. Giving the crew one envelope rather than individual tips keeps it fair for the people you saw least, such as a horseman who left camp before you woke up.
Decide the amount as a group on the last evening, not at the handover. It saves an awkward minute in front of the people you are thanking.
Soles, dollars and small notes
Pay in soles. At about S/ 3.43 to the US dollar (October 2026), US$60 is about S/ 206. Dollars have to be changed in town before they can be spent, and torn or heavily marked notes can be hard to change, so they are worth less to the person receiving them than they are to you.
Peruvian notes come in S/ 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200. Ask for tens and twenties when you change money in Cusco before the trek, and put the cash in your daypack with the rest of your essentials — the packing list already includes it. The rest of what is and is not included in the price is in what the trek costs.
When it went badly, or very well
Three of the four guides say it outright: a tip reflects the service. If something went wrong, tell the guide during the trek, when it can still be fixed, and tell us afterwards. If one person went out of their way — a horseman who carried your daypack on a bad day, a cook who rebuilt a menu around an allergy — a small extra tip handed to them directly is a common and welcome gesture, on top of the pooled envelope rather than instead of it.
Common questions
How much should I tip on the Salkantay Trek?
Three of the four published guides we compared put the total for the whole team at US$50–77 per trekker, about S/ 170–265. The fourth, a one-line FAQ answer, says US$20–30. Most of the difference is what each figure includes, so read the split, not just the total.
Is tipping mandatory on the Salkantay Trek?
No. Tips are not part of the price you pay us. They are customary, and most trekkers give one, but the amount is yours to decide and should reflect the trek you had.
Should I tip in soles or US dollars?
Soles, in small notes. A team member paid in dollars has to change them in town before they can spend them, and torn or marked dollar notes can be hard to change. Peruvian notes come in S/ 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200, so ask for tens and twenties when you change money in Cusco.
When do you give the tip?
At the last point where the whole team is still with the group. Not everyone walks all the way to Machu Picchu, so ask your guide on the first day when that will be, and have the envelopes ready the evening before.
Do I tip the guide separately from the crew?
Usually, yes. Every published guide that gives a split sets the guide apart from the cook and horsemen, and it keeps the crew’s share from depending on how the guide divides one envelope.