The Salkantay Trek is one of Peru’s most spectacular hikes: a journey through five distinct ecosystems, from the glacial peaks of Humantay and Salkantay — at 6,271 m / 20,574 ft the highest mountain in the Vilcabamba range — down through cloud forest to Santa Teresa and Machu Picchu. It is named for Apu Salkantay, the sacred mountain local Quechua people count among the principal deities controlling the region’s weather and fertility.
“Salkantay” derives from the Quechua word “Sallka” — wild, or invincible. It fits both the mountain and the trek that bears its name.
Because the route crosses public Andean passes rather than the regulated Inca Trail, there is no government trekking permit to sell out — which makes Salkantay the most reliable way to reach Machu Picchu on foot when Inca Trail spots are gone. How the two routes stack up is a decision of its own: read Salkantay vs the Inca Trail. And when the research is done, all five trek itineraries are ready to compare.