Salkantay Trek Without a Guide or Tent

11 min readNov 28, 2022

How to backpack the Salkantay Trail in Peru without a guide or tent

In July 2022, my partner and I backpacked the Salkantay trail, the highlight of our trip to Peru. We decided to go without a guide so we could walk at our own pace, take detours, and have a flexible start date. However, unlike typical backpacking, we bought food on the trail and stayed in private rooms.

This post details how to do the Salkantay trek without a guide.

We had some concerns about going without a guide. Firstly, 95% of travelers have a guide, so we were in the vast minority. In addition, I-my partner didn’t share this concern-had the irrational worry about losing the trail and getting stuck in the wilderness of Peru forever. More practically, we were both curious if we’d find housing each night and if we did, if we’d brought enough cash to pay for it. And lastly, we were concerned about not learning about the culture and history since we both only knew limited Spanish.

But the pros ended up outweighing the cons. Our food on the trail was healthy, well-spiced, and delicious-we still dream about some of the meals. From what we heard from friends who used big guiding companies, they mainly subsisted on pasta and pancakes. Also, we had the most exquisite lodging with ensuite bathrooms and overlooking farmyards. We did get lost but had the joy of finding the trail again and talking to kind locals. Lastly, the trek ended up being a great place to practice our Spanish and meet travelers from all over the world. While we didn’t have a pre-made walking group from the same guide service, we spent hours walking with friends made on the trail and talking to them late into the evening.

Trail

Caltopo GPX — GPX I created of the Salkantay Trail from Mollepeta to Machu Picchu. I also marked where the trail was closed for hiking.
Gaia GPX — GPX we used on the trail which was incorrect at parts.

Other Online Guides

Before Day 1

Make sure to acclimatize. We spent a week in Cusco and Puno before we began. During the week, in addition to acclimatizing, we became more familiar with the culture, making traveling on the Salkantay trail easier.
Know the trail. We downloaded the GPX of the route on our phones and then brought extra batteries and chargers. The GPX is sometimes off, but it helped us not miss critical turns and generally know what to expect. In addition, there are no places to buy maps in Cusco, so get a physical map before arriving in Peru.
Book in advance the last night in Mandor. We booked the accommodation in advance and were glad we did since there was a big group staying when we arrived, and there wouldn’t have been space otherwise. We planned to walk to Machu Picchu (as opposed to taking the bus from Aguas Calientes), so starting from Mandor saved a lot of time. We heard Aguas Calientes wasn’t worth visiting, so felt fine skipping it. If the city layout doesn’t make sense, check out the map to see where Hydroelectrica, Mandor, August Calientes, and Machu Picchu are.
Buy in advance the Machu Picchu tickets. We recommend buying the ticket in advance for a Machu Picchu city circuit and booking one of the mountains to climb. Research the circuits before booking. For example, circuit 2 is the most complete tour, but it may be worth choosing a shorter circuit if climbing one of the mountains. In addition, we did Machu Picchu mountain but only because Huayna Picchu, the more popular choice, was sold out. When we climbed the mountain, we were required first to do the circuit and then climb the mountain: one of our friends tried to do it in reverse and wasn’t allowed re-entry for their circuit. Lastly, we went in the morning to beat the crowds, escape the heat, see the sunrise and get back to Cusco on the same day. However, we were a lot more tired from waking up at 4am, and it would have been more enjoyable on more sleep.
Leave a bag in Cusco. Our Airbnb allowed us to keep a bag behind, and the reduced weight made the trail much more fun.
Buy the right water filter. Water bottles are sold on the trail, but we filtered water. Our filter wasn’t rated for animal manure, so we had fewer places to pump.

Day 1: Cusco > Mollepeta > Soraypampa

We got to the collectiva station at 3:50 am to catch the first bus to Mollepeta. Collectivas are big vans that operate as buses.

We recommend verifying the bus location and departure time the day before. Our bus station was here, but there are multiple collectiva stations for Mollepeta. A couple things to note:

We couldn’t buy bus tickets in advance.
The bus is first-come, first-served.
The bus only leaves when full.
The cost is 20 soles per person.

Our bus ended up leaving around 45 minutes after we arrived. And we got into Mollepeta at around 7:30 am, where we began hiking.

We met a dog in the town square of Mollepeta. The dog, whom we soon nicknamed “Dorita” for our favorite chip, continued to walk with us for the next hour. Dorita only left when its owner came on a scooter and scooped her on board.

The trail starts on the road and eventually switches to a dirt trail. The road has a lot of signs and is easy to follow. The dirt trail is where we got lost. We tried to follow the GPX on our phones, but the path had since changed. We ended up relying on physical cues to find the right way. Using Day 1 trail here, I’ve noted new paths and where is no trail access.

We got to Challacancha and continued up a trail to an aqueduct. The aqueduct feels like a stream and is apparently from Incan times (though rebuilt).

Only when we got to Soraypampa did we see other hikers. They had either gotten a ride from a guide service or taken an additional collectiva or a taxi after arriving in Mollepeta.

In addition, only one place allows travelers to stay without a guide called “Salkantay Hostels.” The cost is 67 soles per person for 1-night accommodation, breakfast, and dinner. Even though we got a private room, my partner and I each had to pay 50 soles. There were chargers in the room, but no WiFi. We ate a lot here, but the meals were probably the worst on the trail.

After arriving around 2pm, we hiked up Humantay Lake. A beautiful 1-mile walk from our lodge.

Day 2: Soraypampa > Chaullay

We woke for a 5:30 am breakfast and headed out around 6am.

Since we were acclimatized and in good shape, it was an easy hike. We passed every other group going up except 1 person and made it to the Salkantay Pass in 2.5 hours.

The pass overlooked snowcapped mountains-one of them Salkantay Mountain-and a rockslide. Because we were second to get up, we got to high-five friends as they reached the top and snap smiling, sweaty photos of travelers.

The rest of the day is downhill. It starts in a canyon through rocky terrain and ends in a jungle.

We stayed in Chaullay that night. When discussing how to pronounce the town name, one of the Canadians we met mentioned he said it like a British person would say, “Charlie.” That was as far as we got asking how to pronounce it.

In town, we sat at an outdoor table having drinks. Our table slowly got more crowded as more fellow backpackers joined us after arriving in Chaullay.

There were many accommodations this night, and friends paid half of what we paid. We spent 80 soles per person for a private room with an en-suite bathroom, a beautiful view, electrical outlets, WiFi, breakfast, and dinner.

One thing to note, we tried to go to our friend’s lodge for dinner, but the lodges don’t allow that. We learned we always had to eat at the place we were staying.

Day 3: Chaullay > Lucmabamba

We started pretty late at 9 am since we knew the day was mostly downhill and wanted to wash some clothes.

We needed to take the road and hopscotch between the road and trails for a bit. We spent around 20 minutes taking paths with dead ends till we figured it out. On the Caltopo Map, I marked where the was no access to the trail.

Eventually, the correct path led to a bridge away from the road and onto a dirt path.

Here, not knowing any better, we crossed the bridge away from the road onto the dirt path. On that trail, we enjoyed the solitude and stunning views of nature. However, there are scary steep drop-offs on the trail, and it’s easy to fall-if we did fall, we would have broken a bone. We learned that all guided groups take the road, and we recommend taking the road unless you are really comfortable with unstable ground and heights. Also, there are very few cars on the road, so it must feel like a trail. On the Caltopo Map, I marked in red “Day 3 Trail (Recommended route)” with the trail we recommend taking and “Day 3 Trail (What we did)” in purple with what we did.

That day, we eventually met up with some friends and hiked the rest of the day with them. The trail goes through a couple towns along the way with small shops where folks in our group purchased juice, fruit, ice cream, candy, sandwiches, and more.

We stayed at the Lucmabamba (Luke — ma — Bamba) Lodge, where we had the best food on the trail, most of which was grown at the lodge. The cost was 60 soles per person for dinner, a hot shower, WiFi, private rooms, en-suite bathrooms, electrical outlets, and breakfast with incredible coffee.

Day 4: Lucmabamba > Mandor

This day started with an easy-to-find trail but uphill hiking in the humidity.

On the way up, there is a swing that was one of my favorite parts of the trek. It cost 1 sole to use but was 1,000 soles worth of fun. The swingset overlooked the valley and trail below and allowed me to reflect on my journey.

At the top of the uphill section, we got the first view of Machu Picchu and the waterfall giving Hidroelectrica its name. The moment feels impossible. How do you build a city on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere without machines?

On the way down, we passed by the ruins at Llactapata: which were a bit underwhelming. We then started the hike down to Hidroelectrica, which was rough on my feet.

Once we reached Hidroelectrica, we started seeing tons and tons of people. It was jarring going from seeing tens of people every day, most of whom we knew by this point, to thousands of strangers. In Hidroelectrica, we asked about the location of collectivas to Cusco, so we knew where to go the next day. It was roughly here but worth verifying.

The train station is a slice of an Indian city. There is a row of tin-roofed cafes, restaurants, and bodegas selling meals, snacks, and drinks. The air is full of spoons hitting soup bowls and laughter.

PeruRail Train from Cusco to Agua Calientes

After grabbing a beer & lunch, we walked with friends along the train track to get to Mandor. We stayed in a private room with a hot shower, ensuite bathroom, and electrical outlets. The food was okay, but we discovered they had the cheapest ice cream between Hidroelectrica and Agua Calientes.

Day 5: Mandor > Machu Picchu > Hidroelectrica -> Cusco

We left the lodge at 4:30 to walk to Machu Picchu. Even at 4:30am, we encountered other travelers.

Around sunrise, we entered the ruins and were greeted by a committee of llamas and alpacas on terraced walls. 150 feet from the entrance, there were a lot of people around. As we walked further in, the crowds thinned to less than 10 people: most tour groups slowly moved through the city.

One thing to note, as part of purchasing a ticket, we signed up for a one-way circuit through Machu Picchu and then a mountain to go up. We ended up getting there early enough that no one enforced us staying on our circuit, and we could just walk around. However in the day, we noticed staying on the circuit was enforced.

The ruins are an assortment of original Inca work and obvious reconstruction. However even the reconstruction is poor in some areas, the rebuilding allowed us to feel the enormity of the place and the power the city must have had back in the day.

The original Inca work is incomprehensible. Each building is constructed by chiseling stones, pushing the stones up hills, and then using rope to place each stone. Each stone fits perfectly without any binding agent.

Once we were done with the ruins, we headed out to re-enter and visit Machu Picchu mountain. We were the fastest people on the trail, which was nice for our egos and time crunch. At the top, we had an incredible view of the mountains and Machu Picchu. We quickly descended to grab our bags, lunch and a bus back to Cusco.

At 1:30 pm, we hopped into a collectiva to return to Cusco. It didn’t leave until it was full, so we left around 2:30 pm and got to Cusco at 8:30 pm, with a couple of breaks on the way.

It was a really long day and brutal on my feet. It also felt like the best way to end our hiking trek and honor all the human labor that went into building Machu Picchu.

Originally published at https://everythingbutbackpacks.substack.com on November 28, 2022.