Living The Experience
Mollepata Salkantay trek
If there’s another trek option worth being called “The second Inca Trail to Machu Picchu” it’s the Mollepata/Salkantay one! National Geographic classifies this route among the 25 best trekkings in the world http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/photography/south-america/peru/brent-stirton2.html)! It starts in Mollepata town and goes through the Salkantay snow-covered mountain at 4.600 masl! It’s a 5 days and 4 nights trail, crossing rivers and valleys, watching the sun rise behind the mountains, observing the rich flora and fauna and learning a lot about Incan and Peruvian cultures! All this to get to the “Lost city of the Incas”: Machupicchu!
Like all the other trails to Machu Picchu, this one starts in Cusco, with the transfer from the hotel on a tour bus through the Apurimac Valley, to the town of Mollepata (northwest of Cusco), where we stop for a nutritious breakfast, while our porters mount our camping gear and personal belongings on mules and horses that will come with us! For that we have to wake up at 4 am because the transfer leaves at 4:30 am! The bus takes around 4 hours arrive in Mollepata and the breakfast is served at a picturesque local “coffee-shop”. It’s the last opportunity to buy any supplies before the hike begins! Time to start sipping coca-leaf tea to avoid altitude sickness! The first day is a climb up through the mountain valleys full of exuberant vegetation and great opportunities to see humming-birds and other fauna examples! At around 1 pm we stop for a very-well prepared lunch. From here to Soraypampa, it’s another 2 hours-hike, to reach campsite at 3850 masl! The porters and their assistants – their horses and mules lol – do a great job setting camp before we arrive! At 7 pm we are ready to rest in our tents and freeze our butts! The first day is the coldest of the 5! Remember to bring warm clothes, gloves, cap and a good sleeping bag!
The second day starts early around 6 am with the wake-up call of the porters and guide, delivering our hot coca-leaf tea! After an energetic breakfast, we start walking uphill! It’s time to observe the snow-covered Huamantay mountain and a bit further, the beautiful Yanacocha “Black” lagoon. Here we can rest a little and take awesome pics! The dark color of the water comes from the “humus” in it and its position is like a volcano-crater. The lush of green in this area is amazing! Another 1 hour more and we reach the highest point of the entire trek. It’s the “Abra Salkantay” at 4.600 masl: a mountain pass between the Salkantay and the Tukarhuay mountains. Time to enjoy the glaciers of the Andean mountain range. The photos taken here show a great number of mountain peaks! Here we start a short descent to our lunch stop! After lunch we continue going downhill to arrive at Wayrapata at around 6 pm, in time to watch sunset over the mountain range! This is our second campsite, a little warmer then yesterday but still a bit cold! Dinner is served around 6:30 pm and we have time to blend with the others in the group by a bonfire!
At 6:30 am on the third day we had already had breakfast and headed off to La Playa (The Beach). The path today is through native communities and their coffee and fruit cultives, watching waterfalls in the mountains and enjoying the company! We’ll walk around 5 hours until we reach La Playa, our third campsite where we’ll have lunch and enjoy the time to refresh in the river waters! La Playa is the biggest village in the region and offers small stores, snack places etc. We’ll have plenty of time here to rest, enjoy and blend with locals and other tourists, until camping time!
After the earliest breakfast (just some hot tea and snacks, the real breakfast comes afterwards) of the entire program at 5:30 am, we walk for 10 minutes and board a truck to Santa Teresa (1 hour), where the real breakfast is served: a nutritious one! We do more walking – 3 hours, that’ll take us to La Oroya – a place where we cross the Urubamba river. It’s Tarzan style lol It’s done via “flying fox”: 2/3 people in a “cage”, sliding through an iron cord! Try not to pay attention to some crosses by the river indicating somebody died there… This cross is very safe because the men who run it, are professionals! On the other side we start a 3-hour hike that will lead us to the “Hydroelectric” village. Here we can watch the artificial waterfalls of the complex and some Incan ruins. On the way we cross a suspended bridge over the Vilcanota river. At 2 pm we have lunch and rest a little, to re-start the final leg of our walking: 4 hours by the railroad heading to Aguas Calientes. At 6:30 pm we are checking in the hotel where we’ll have dinner and spend the night. There’s also time to explore the village: the thermal baths to the north, souvenir stores, restaurants etc.
The trek in this fifth and last day is the shortest. After breakfast at 5:30 am, we spend 1 hour and a half going up to the ruins. At the entrance our guide shows our entrance tickets to the clerk and we enter the magnificent complex of the Lost city of the Incas! The view of Machu Picchu so early and before crowd arrives, is unforgettable! The Huayna Picchu seems to look us in the eye asking what we are doing there lol In case you want to climb this highest mountain of the complex, take the line and wait to climb up steep and irregular steps for 1 hour and 30 minutes. It’s not for fainted-hearts but worth every drop of sweat or fear! (only 400 people a day, can climb it). After this amazing tour, we’ll have time to explore the ruins for about 3 hours before taking the bus back to Aguas Calientes. Besides the 3 sectors of the citadel (the urban, the religious and the living) the must-sees are the Inti Puku (gate of the sun), the Inca bridge and the guard house at the entrance for who comes from the original Inca Trail! At 1 pm we arrive in Aguas to have lunch at a chosen restaurant and at 4:30 pm we take the train back to Cusco. In Cusco the guide will transfer us to our hotel, where we’ll arrive at around 9:30 pm.
My last tips are:
> don’t forget your personal first-aid kit and be sure the guide has one for the whole group!
> make sure of the inclusions of the price you’re paying and pay close attention to the details on them!
> don’t litter the track!
> be nice to the natives and try to blend with them respectfully!
> take the best photos of your life!
> take care and be responsible!
Like all the other trails to Machu Picchu, this one starts in Cusco, with the transfer from the hotel on a tour bus through the Apurimac Valley, to the town of Mollepata (northwest of Cusco), where we stop for a nutritious breakfast, while our porters mount our camping gear and personal belongings on mules and horses that will come with us! For that we have to wake up at 4 am because the transfer leaves at 4:30 am! The bus takes around 4 hours arrive in Mollepata and the breakfast is served at a picturesque local “coffee-shop”. It’s the last opportunity to buy any supplies before the hike begins! Time to start sipping coca-leaf tea to avoid altitude sickness! The first day is a climb up through the mountain valleys full of exuberant vegetation and great opportunities to see humming-birds and other fauna examples! At around 1 pm we stop for a very-well prepared lunch. From here to Soraypampa, it’s another 2 hours-hike, to reach campsite at 3850 masl! The porters and their assistants – their horses and mules lol – do a great job setting camp before we arrive! At 7 pm we are ready to rest in our tents and freeze our butts! The first day is the coldest of the 5! Remember to bring warm clothes, gloves, cap and a good sleeping bag!
The second day starts early around 6 am with the wake-up call of the porters and guide, delivering our hot coca-leaf tea! After an energetic breakfast, we start walking uphill! It’s time to observe the snow-covered Huamantay mountain and a bit further, the beautiful Yanacocha “Black” lagoon. Here we can rest a little and take awesome pics! The dark color of the water comes from the “humus” in it and its position is like a volcano-crater. The lush of green in this area is amazing! Another 1 hour more and we reach the highest point of the entire trek. It’s the “Abra Salkantay” at 4.600 masl: a mountain pass between the Salkantay and the Tukarhuay mountains. Time to enjoy the glaciers of the Andean mountain range. The photos taken here show a great number of mountain peaks! Here we start a short descent to our lunch stop! After lunch we continue going downhill to arrive at Wayrapata at around 6 pm, in time to watch sunset over the mountain range! This is our second campsite, a little warmer then yesterday but still a bit cold! Dinner is served around 6:30 pm and we have time to blend with the others in the group by a bonfire!
At 6:30 am on the third day we had already had breakfast and headed off to La Playa (The Beach). The path today is through native communities and their coffee and fruit cultives, watching waterfalls in the mountains and enjoying the company! We’ll walk around 5 hours until we reach La Playa, our third campsite where we’ll have lunch and enjoy the time to refresh in the river waters! La Playa is the biggest village in the region and offers small stores, snack places etc. We’ll have plenty of time here to rest, enjoy and blend with locals and other tourists, until camping time!
After the earliest breakfast (just some hot tea and snacks, the real breakfast comes afterwards) of the entire program at 5:30 am, we walk for 10 minutes and board a truck to Santa Teresa (1 hour), where the real breakfast is served: a nutritious one! We do more walking – 3 hours, that’ll take us to La Oroya – a place where we cross the Urubamba river. It’s Tarzan style lol It’s done via “flying fox”: 2/3 people in a “cage”, sliding through an iron cord! Try not to pay attention to some crosses by the river indicating somebody died there… This cross is very safe because the men who run it, are professionals! On the other side we start a 3-hour hike that will lead us to the “Hydroelectric” village. Here we can watch the artificial waterfalls of the complex and some Incan ruins. On the way we cross a suspended bridge over the Vilcanota river. At 2 pm we have lunch and rest a little, to re-start the final leg of our walking: 4 hours by the railroad heading to Aguas Calientes. At 6:30 pm we are checking in the hotel where we’ll have dinner and spend the night. There’s also time to explore the village: the thermal baths to the north, souvenir stores, restaurants etc.
The trek in this fifth and last day is the shortest. After breakfast at 5:30 am, we spend 1 hour and a half going up to the ruins. At the entrance our guide shows our entrance tickets to the clerk and we enter the magnificent complex of the Lost city of the Incas! The view of Machu Picchu so early and before crowd arrives, is unforgettable! The Huayna Picchu seems to look us in the eye asking what we are doing there lol In case you want to climb this highest mountain of the complex, take the line and wait to climb up steep and irregular steps for 1 hour and 30 minutes. It’s not for fainted-hearts but worth every drop of sweat or fear! (only 400 people a day, can climb it). After this amazing tour, we’ll have time to explore the ruins for about 3 hours before taking the bus back to Aguas Calientes. Besides the 3 sectors of the citadel (the urban, the religious and the living) the must-sees are the Inti Puku (gate of the sun), the Inca bridge and the guard house at the entrance for who comes from the original Inca Trail! At 1 pm we arrive in Aguas to have lunch at a chosen restaurant and at 4:30 pm we take the train back to Cusco. In Cusco the guide will transfer us to our hotel, where we’ll arrive at around 9:30 pm.
My last tips are:
> don’t forget your personal first-aid kit and be sure the guide has one for the whole group!
> make sure of the inclusions of the price you’re paying and pay close attention to the details on them!
> don’t litter the track!
> be nice to the natives and try to blend with them respectfully!
> take the best photos of your life!
> take care and be responsible!
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Started by anna oliveira Nov 12, 2009.
Concerning about the altitud on the Inca trail what to do !!
Started by Carla Barrientos Apr 13, 2009.
Be aware with Inca trail spaces!!
Started by Carla Barrientos Apr 13, 2009.
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