Doing the Salkantay trek without a guide may be easier than you think. I decided to do this fantastic trek during the rainy season in February. There were a lot of questions in my head about how to do it properly, and only a few answers were available. That’s why I decided to write this blog series to help you.
In this Machu Picchu series, I will share details on how I did the Salkantray trek in five days without a guide. It took me six days to complete the trip, but the fifth day was only for resting. After hiking for four days straight, I decided that one rest day at the hot springs in Aguas Calientes was well deserved.
If you are here, you are also trying to figure out how to do the Salkantay independently. My experience will help you to have a better idea about this trek.
This blog post is part of a series about doing the Salkantay trek without a guide. If you are interested to know more details about the other days of this trek, click on the links below:
Table of Contents
The Itinerary
The entire Salkantay trek without a guide was 96km long and took me five days to complete. My base was in Cusco, but you could start from anywhere as long as you could find transportation to the village of Mollepata. The first day of hiking begins from Mollepata and ends in Soraypampa.
The second day is a hike from Soraypampa to Collpapampa. On this day, if you wish, the Humantay Lake is located a few km from Soraypampa. So it’s possible to visit early in the morning and head to Collpapampa afterward. If you do that, it will be a long day hiking, around 28-29kms.
The third day begins in Collpapampa and ends in Llactapata. The last 5kms before reaching Llactapata is mainly uphill, so you must be mentally prepared. The fourth day continues from Llactapata to Aguas Calientes, passing by Hidroeletrica on the way.
Lastly, Aguas Calientes is the last day of hiking. A 10km hike (both ways) to the Machu Picchu archaeological site, the first hour is only uphill through stairs until the entrance. There, the staff will check your tickets, and you will walk through one of the world’s seven wonders!!!
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Day 1 - Mollepata to Soraypampa
From Cusco, I took a colectivo to Mollepata. The colectivos depart from the Arcopata Avenue and cost 20 Soles per person. The avenue is long but there’s a corner where several colectivos are parked. Drivers are always shouting the destination, so you will easily find the ones driving to Mollepata.
From Cusco to Mollepata was a 2 hours drive without major issues. There was a police check at the bridge Rio Blanco. The driver asked me to leave the colectivo and follow another driver to a car. I had to cross the bridge and walk to the other side, where a driver took me to Mollepata.
There are a few tiendas and restaurants in Mollepata. If you are planning to have breakfast like I did, you are covered. The driver recommended me a restaurant called Mamaconas. The breakfast was overpriced, 22 soles for a desayuno americano served mostly for tourists. I was checking the locals eating there; they were eating something that wasn’t on the menu given to me.
After breakfast, the driver from the bridge told me he drives people to Soraypampa for 100 Soles. So in case you want to skip this part of the trek you have options.
Hiking to Soraypampa
The hike to Soraypampa was easy initially, more challenging in the middle and easy again in the last kms. From the start, it is a constant uphill for 11 kms with an elevation gain of 900m. The last 6kms is mostly flat, where you pass by a big bank built to send water to the houses in the area.
There were a couple of moments that I lost the trail, if you stick to the main road you won’t get lost but there’s a proper hiking trail in many places that cross the main road. It’s necessary to keep an eye to find them. I realized that some hiking trails were not available on Maps.me.
There are a few water sources on the way. The best way to do this hike is to have a water bottle with a filter to refill it on the way. After a few km, I encountered workers on the main road; they told me about one trail I had previously lost that would be a nice shortcut.
I followed the trail on Maps.me, but sometimes the map wasn’t correct. Luckily, I met some villagers who told me the right direction. If you encounter some intersections and you are trying to decide which way to go, follow the trail that goes uphill. The trail will be more straightforward after you reach the highest point of the day.
In the last kilometers, when it was possible to see Soraypampa, I hiked through the main road. After a few minutes, I saw a sign of a hiking trail, so I followed. It was easy to follow most of the time, except for one moment when I needed to figure out what path to follow. You will find my route in this link if you want to follow it.
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Getting to Soraypampa
Since it was low season (rainy season), I found only two places open in Soraypampa: Refugio Nacho and Soraypampa Hostel. I stayed at Soraypampa Hostel in a nice cabin with a sky view for 80 soles a night per person, dinner and breakfast included.
There are many places in Soraypampa, but most were closed, and I found no tiendas to buy supplies for the next day. Only in the Soraypampa Hostel did I find a few things available. You can buy basic things like water, snickers, toilet paper, and energy drinks like Gatorade.
Conclusion
After wrapping up the day, I took a nice cold shower (mind you, there’s no hot water in the Soraypampa Hostel) and prepared the plan for the day. If you want to visit Humantay Lake, you can visit it on the same day or the day after.
This article describes my experience on the first day of the Salkantay trek without a guide. If you want to continue reading about the following days, click the link below.
Thanks for reading about my adventure!! In the comments, let me know about your plan or experience doing the Salkantay trek without a guide. Bye!!
