The Salkantay Trek, for those not in the know, is an alternative to the Inca Trail, which can be hiked either independently or with a guide. It is longer than the Inca Trail but does not require a permit, which means it doesn’t need to be booked months in advance as the Inca Trail does. And in recent years various trekking companies have set up luxury lodges along the route, allowing it to be tackled in greater comfort than the typical campsite lodging on the Inca Trail.

I wanted to do the trek as part of a group so booked through a tour company aptly named Salkantay Trekking. The company provided a really superb level of support – we had a pre-trek briefing the evening before the start of the trek, at which we were each given a duffel bag to fill with our clothing and personal belongings for the 5 days; the duffel bags were carried by donkeys along the route and returned to us each evening so that we only ever had to hike with a small day pack containing what we needed during the day. We had two chefs who provided sumptuous and delicious meals three times a day, and accommodation was in “Sky domes” or similar glamping pods, with the final night’s accommodation in a hotel in Aguas Calientes.

Despite the luxury, the trek is hard work. We were picked up from our hotels at 4am the first morning and subsequent days started not much later – 5 am on days 2 and 3, another dreadful 4 am start on day 4, and even on day 5, when we expected a lie in before visiting Machu Picchu, we still had to be up at 5.30. So not much time to enjoy that luxury accommodation!

Then there’s the altitude to consider – and this was my biggest fear from the start. On day 1 we were driven from Cusco (3400m) to the start of the trek at 3800m. We then hiked 7km on a mostly flat path to our camp at 3900m where we had a huge lunch and were then given an hour to lie down so that the food could digest before we hiked up to Humantay Lake (4200m) and back down to the camp.

Below pictures show two of the lunch courses – there was a soup course in between. Main course would always be served as a variety of food on central platters from which we would help ourselves. This 3-course lunch became standard, with dinner following a similar 2 course format (soup and a variety of mains). We were certainly not allowed to go hungry!

The hike up to the lake was up a fairly steep gravel hillside, not technically challenging at all – the only challenge was breathing normally at that altitude. But we were all allowed to take it at our own pace and all made it without too much trouble, all agreeing the view was well worth it. We even ended up hiking up onto the ridge above the lake to get a closer view of the glacier.

Sadly my digestion clearly hadn’t returned to normal yet from the stomach bug I’d just had – by the time I got back down to camp I could feel gas building up painfully in my oesophagus, and was completely unable to eat dinner. I spent a very uncomfortable night struggling to sleep due to the painful indigestion, and was still unable to eat any breakfast the next morning. Thankfully I found coffee and hot chocolate would slip down okay so those were my fuel for the long climb up to the Salkantay Pass (4600m).

We had been given the option to hire a horse to carry us over the pass, and one couple in the group had opted to do so, but I was determined to hike up.

I found on the hike up that I simply couldn’t keep up with the pace the guide was setting, so settled into my own steady pace at the back of the group. We had two guides, thankfully, so one guide would always go in front and one behind, and the lead guide was stopping regularly to let the others catch their breath, so I was able to catch up to them each time they stopped, as I prefer not to stop once I’ve settled into my own pace. Slowly and steadily we all made it to the top, with me arriving probably 3 or 4 minutes behind the rest of the group.

After multiple photos and a break for coca tea and sandwiches (I forced down half of my sandwich but still was struggling to eat) I thankfully came into my own on the way down. Whereas a few of the others were now starting to feel ill or dizzy, or not liking the uneven gravel path down, I found myself almost running down. The path itself was a very moderate gradient compared to some of the paths I’ve come across in the Lake District and Scotland, and with gravity on my side breathing was of course suddenly so much easier.

It had been cloudy when we were heading up and had started raining lightly when we were at the top of the pass, and as we dropped down a few hundred meters we were suddenly struck by the transformation in our surroundings from arid hillside to lush greenery. Sadly the rain picked up in earnest and we had to quickly scramble to put on waterproofs!

We stopped for lunch at an altitude of 3850m and finally I found my indigestion had cleared to the point where I could eat. From there we descended a further 900m through tropical rainforest to our very luxurious Mountain Sky View accommodation – bliss to finally be sleeping below 3000m, and with an en-suite bathroom rather than the communal toilet block we’d had the previous night. It had stopped raining by this stage, thankfully, and we had time to settle in and have a shower before heading to the campsite restaurant for dinner.

Day 3 was billed as a relatively easy day, with only 14km to hike, mostly flat or downhill. But it all had to be done by lunchtime to allow us to settle into our Jungle Domes campsite, have lunch and head off to some hot springs for some well-needed relaxation. So it was another 5 am start, and a fairly brisk pace to allow time to enjoy a photo stop at a magnificent waterfall, a mid morning picnic stop at a campsite selling delicious fresh fruit and juices, as well as a visit to a coffee farm where we actually got to roast, grind and brew our own coffee! There was a fair bit of exposure along this route, hiking along narrow paths cut into steep hillside, which some members of the group really didn’t enjoy, but all managed to cope admirably. There was also plenty of beautiful flora to admire on the less exposed sections.

There was also an offer to try an “Inka tequila” which some of the men in the group jumped at – until the guide produced the vessel from which they would have to drink it!

After our coffee tasting, we had a short drive to the jungle domes where we got checked in and had lunch before heading out to the hot springs. The jungle domes are very similar to the Sky Domes, just with fabric covers rather than glass.

It was quite a long drive to the hot springs but we all agreed it was well worth it – though we did all end up absolutely savaged my mosquitoes whenever we were out of the water! I was particularly impressed with the shower system which comprised of cold showers fed directly from a waterfall, and hot showers fed from the pool above.

Day 4 was simply exhausting. I had by now completely recovered from any stomach and altitude related issues and thankfully was not having any real problems with my knees, but a number of the group were hobbling with sore knees and feet, and a few had been struggling with nausea and other digestive issues. We started the day with a 700m climb through a forest on a section of the original Inca trail – followed by a 700m descent down the other side of the pass. It was raining and very humid – the track through the forest was beautiful with coffee plants growing at the side of the track and plenty of other lush vegetation, but the highlight of the climb was a stop at a picnic spot shortly before the top, where the owners had installed a couple of swings on which one could swing out over the tree tops into the cloud – great fun!

At the top of the pass, Llactapapa, we had a short stop to admire the remains of an Inca settlement and then carried on to a viewpoint from which we could see Machu Picchu in the distance.

It was then a long descent to Aobamba for lunch, before the final 14 km hike out via Hidroelectrica to Aguas Calientes. We all enjoyed the walk over the suspension bridge to Hidroelectrica – a couple of girls in the group had a fear of heights and had been dreading it, but it’s a pretty sturdy bridge which, though a bit wobbly, doesn’t feel too perilous and affords beautiful views down the valley,

The final 12km alongside the railway track to Aguas Calientes felt endless. It’s all flat but it was baking hot by this stage and we were all just ready for the hike to be over, with some members of the group visibly hobbling with assorted foot and knee problems. We eventually did arrive, however, and I was charmed by what a beautiful village Aguas Calientes is, with a river running through the middle, bridges adorned with hanging baskets, ornate street signs, and Inca statues in abundance.

Our duffel bags were being brought by train and were not due to arrive for another couple of hours so we couldn’t shower and get changed – but we could check into our hotel rooms, dump our day bags and head straight to the bar across the road for celebratory beers and pisco sours, so that’s exactly what we did.

It was a really lovely group – we were 12 in total, ranging in age from the other Kate who has just finished university, to Ben who I’m guessing was in his late 50s / early 60s, with the majority being in their 30s. We were a fairly international mix, with 5 Brits, a couple from the Netherlands, two living in London but originally from France and Cyprus, and three Americans. Most were couples, with myself and my roommate, Piper, being the only two singles. Piper and I thankfully got on well and had no issues sharing accommodation – though I had paid upfront for a single room in Aguas Calientes as I didn’t know when booking who I would end up sharing with and will always opt for a single room where available. We had a lot of laughs along the way, and everyone supported each other through the various stomach upsets, injuries and general exhaustion brought on by the trek. Our guides, Carlos “The Mountain King” and Marco “Marquito” were both very good, very knowledgeable and organised, and always full of enthusiasm and energy. Overall a very enjoyable trek and a great way to reach Machu Picchu.