Pangea Trips › Destinations › Peru › Peru — Cusco & the Salkantay Trail
Peru — Cusco & the Salkantay Trail
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Cusco, then five days on the Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu — the hard way in, and you sleep in lodges rather than tents.
The trip
Two trips in one: a few days in Cusco for the food and the altitude, then the Salkantay Trail — the high route to Machu Picchu that most visitors never walk. You cross desert valleys, cloud forest and a pass under the Salkantay glacier before arriving at Machu Picchu on foot rather than by train. Ryan has run this route three times, and the trekking days go with a local Cusco partner who does it every week.
Day by day
Cusco
Land, settle, and let the altitude do its work. Group dinner, the markets, and the food Cusco is quietly very good at.
The Salkantay Trail
Five days on the trail — high pass under the glacier, the lagoons, and the drop into cloud forest. Expect up to eight hours walking on the hardest day, at altitude.
Machu Picchu
Arrive the long way round and take the site with a guide who grew up on this history.
Out
Breakfast together and onward — most people stay on in Peru a while.
What’s included
✓ Included
- Accommodation throughout — boutique hotels in town, lodges on the trail (no tents)
- All meals from the first group dinner to the last breakfast
- Local guides and porters
- Ground transport from arrival in Cusco
- Trekking equipment — duffel, poles, rain gear
- Your Pangea host throughout
Not included
- International flights (fly into Cusco, CUZ)
- Travel insurance
- Your own day pack
- Gratuities for guides, porters and chefs
- Personal spending
Your host
Ryan Lee · Pangea Ambassador & Trip Host
Has led small-group adventures since 2022, and a nomad himself — which is why his trips aim past the surface-level version of a place. Read the full bio →
Questions
- When is Peru — Cusco & the Salkantay Trail?
- Peru — Cusco & the Salkantay Trail runs 3–10 July 2027 (8 days · 5 on the trail).
- How much does Peru — Cusco & the Salkantay Trail cost?
- The price isn’t published yet. Join the interest list to get the price and dates first.
- Who hosts Peru — Cusco & the Salkantay Trail?
- Ryan Lee, Pangea Ambassador & Trip Host.
- How big is the group?
- 8–16 travelers.
- How do I book Peru — Cusco & the Salkantay Trail?
- Not open for booking yet. Join the interest list and you'll hear first — before it goes public.