Salkantay Trek

Prior to my trip, I was mispronouncing Salkantay and saying it phonetically, Sall-can-ta-ee. Instead, it is pronounce Sal-can-thai. The end is like thai food…not as in Tay for Taylor Swift. Classic Gringa. And in another classic gringa move, nothing could quite compare me for the amount of walking and altitude we would experience. It’s recommended to start preparing physically at least three months prior to the trip. Being in Montana, I have access to a lot of great hiking, but three months prior to my trip in May would be in the middle of winter. I did some workout classes to build my endurance as well as cardio capabilities. I’m not in the best shape of my life, but I did put in an effort to work hard and get myself to a good place before this challenge in Peru. I also found some comfortable Columbia hiking shoes and made sure to break them in well. Having a good pair of shoes makes all the difference in the world. It may take some creativity, but the more you prepare, the more you enjoy yourself on the trip!

The trek was structured really well to ease into the trip with some easier and harder days. I highly recommend staying at least two nights in Cusco prior to the trip to work through any altitude sickness. Hydration, light meals, and getting good sleep is key to acclimating well. The first two hikes on the agenda are optional, but even if you aren’t feeling well – do them. They prepare you for the big hike on the third day as you head to the 15,000 ft pass. The team structures hikes so well that you feel like you’re one of the only people on the hikes. Especially for the Humantay (again, thai and not tay) Lake hike on the second day. This has recently become a very popular hike for tourists and we were able to get to the lake before the droves of people showed up from Cusco. If you do this as a day hike, you have leave Cusco by 4 AM and then return later in the afternoon. I felt very lucky to have experienced this as a day hike without the crowds.

Each evening, we’d have a review with our guide, Carla, of how the next day would go. We’d walk through what to wear, when to meet for breakfast, and what to expect for the hike. The first couple of days were about 3 miles, the hardest and third day over the pass is 8 miles, an easier and downhill 5 and 6 miles the following two days, and then a final push of 7 miles to the Llactapata Pass (first views of the backside of Machu Picchu) down to a small village where we take a short train to Aguas Calientes. I have to say, it was truly enriching to walk about 35 mapped miles from one point to another just to get a taste of how the Incans walked to wherever they needed to go.