Hiking Guide: Salkantay Trek - Days 1 & 2

Day 1: Humantay Lake and Quiswarniyoc Campsite

Distance: 10km

Ascent: 600m

Descent: 450m

Time to walk: 5 hours, inc. breaks

I met the group at the main office at 5am, so I could leave my luggage there whilst on the hike.

We departed Cusco shortly after and headed toward Soraypampa, with a short break to collect snacks, ponchos and anything else we may require from the small convenience store.

On the bus, this is when we realised that there were 4 of us that were still travelling with the 4-day group! We asked the tour guide, and he explained that because the 5-day group were at capacity, we had been added to the 4-day. On day 3, we would swap groups. Although this didn’t sound ideal, at least there were 4 of us and we became fast buddies!

We started with a two-hour hike to Humantay Lake nestled at 4,200 meters. Surrounded by towering peaks, this turquoise lake is the main highlight of the first day. Although the hike itself wasn’t technically difficult, the altitude made it a lot harder and it was SCORCHING hot.

After an hour or so exploring the lake, we descended to the Quiswarniyoc campsite, where we stayed in cozy mountain huts. Given I was a solo traveller, I had to find another solo traveller to bunk with - there was another Australian girl travelling solo, and we became fast friends!

We got to the campsite quite early, so we had lunch and then relaxed for a few hours before dinner.

Honestly, the hardest part of the hike that day was the 100m from the hut to the top of the hill where the dining hall was located - it was so steep!

Dinner was INCREDIBLE! I had been so used to having to cook my own food on the trails so having a basic meal, but we really got spoiled. We had mango ceviche (pictured below) to start, meat stew with rice, corn, avocado and a peruvian appetizer called tamalito. There was so much food, and it was full of flavour.

Day 2: Crossing the Salkantay Pass

Distance: 22km

Ascent: approx. 750m

Descent: approx. 1,500

Time to walk: 10 hours, inc. breaks

Day 2 of the Salkantay Trek is often considered the most challenging and rewarding part of the trail. The guide had offered to organise us a horse to ride if we didn’t think we were up to it - especially given the altitude.

We didn’t have anybody in our group that was too affected by the altitude, so after our wake-up call at 5am of cocoa leaf tea, and an early breakfast of pancakes, we hit the trail at 6:30am.

The climb is steep and spans approximately 850m in elevation gain. Most groups from other companies leave around the same time, so the trail is pretty busy and there were quite a few people riding up on horses. It took our group about 2.5 hours to reach the top, with the trail winding through rocky, high-altitude terrain. This section is physically demanding due to the thin air at this elevation, but the views make it worthwhile.

At the top, our guide took us through a ritual offering to Pachamama (mother nature) that is a tradition in Incan culture as a way to honour nature and seek her blessings. We presented three cocoa leaves —symbolizing the spiritual world, the living world, and the world of the dead, and recited a prayer to ask for protection, guidance, and permission to continue our journey safely.

We then each found a small rock and placed them in a pile, lay our cocoa leaves in between the rocks, then went around the circle taking a swig from a whisky bottle before pouring the rest of the whisky on the rocks. I’m not sure how traditional the whisky shots were - that part was likely made up by our tour guide for a bit of liquid celebration of making it to the pass!

The way back down the scenery changed drastically, as we descended from the alpine conditions to the lush, green upper Amazon basin. We stopped for lunch along the way, and reached the campsite at about 4:30pm.

That evening after dinner, we watched the football and had some beers and rum & cokes, a perfect way to wind down after a long and tough day of hiking!