Comments on: The Salkantay Trek: From Glaciers to Machu Picchu

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:03:46 +0000

@Jonny: Glad this post was helpful. It’s a difficult decision between the traditional Machu Picchu trail and Salkantay, but you can’t go wrong. As for the panorama of Salkantay and Wayna Picchu, one of these days we are going to write a how-to. It’s on the list. Funny you noticed the detail of the woman and her mobile phone in the panorama. Didn’t notice that ’til now.

By: Jonny

Jonny — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 22:47:29 +0000

Great post, like everyone’s said, helps making a decision between the two. Fantastic panorama, going to have to learn how you did that. There’s a lady in an orange hat on her mobile phone looking like she’s just popped to the shops in the Huayna Piccu picture.. classic.

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 18:27:29 +0000

@Ben: We had an exceptional experience hiking the Salkantay trek. However, it was almost in spite of the agent we used in town.

Here’s the full story, to give you some background. I also believe there are some recommendations from others (in the comments) regarding guides and companies they used:
http://www.uncorneredmarket.com/2009/10/fawlty-tours-7-games-tour-companies-play/

I hope this helps. It really is a great experience starting out with Salkantay and ending at Machu Picchu.

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 23:48:57 +0000

Hey Daniel,

Just wondering who you did your Salkantay trek with? Sounds like you had a great experience!

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 04:30:21 +0000

@Caralin: Thank you so much for your comment. You made my day. I love stories like this. The Salkantay pass/glacier is certainly an inspired place to pop the magic question and to commit to a life together. I’m especially glad that your experience lived up both to your expectations and to what we tried to describe here.

Thanks also for your recommendation and your motivation to help others to do the same (Hike Salkantay, that is. Though I imagine Salkantay now has a spot on the “ultimate places to get engaged” list.)

So all the best and congratulations to you both! I hope you’ll continue to stay in touch.

By: Caralin Ruth

Caralin Ruth — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 22:03:14 +0000

Hi Daniel,

I posted a message on this board back in June asking your advice about this trek. I just wanted to thank you for your wonderful advice, and for sharing your inspiring trip!

Your post was a large part of what helped us decide on Salkantay, and we’re definitely glad we did – we actually got engaged at the top of Salkantay pass! Your panorama photo of the cairns at the top shows the exact spot (closer to the glacier, away from the path), so this trek will always be extra special for us.

For Jessica, and others still debating between Salkantay and the Inca Trail, I can tell you that I was at first disappointed that the Inca Trail was sold out, but now I’m so glad that we did Salkantay – the views were amazing, the micro-climates incredibly diverse, and the tiny villages along the way were fascinating too. We trekked with “Apus Peru”, and our guide was Myra. Both the company and guide were wonderful – I would highly recommend them both.

Thanks again, Daniel – re-reading your post brought back some lovely memories!

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:54:01 +0000

@Jessica: Great to see you here. You’re not late at all…no better time than the present.

I’m glad we could help you consider alternatives to the traditional Inca Trail. The Salkantay Trek is stunning and rewarding. If you have any questions, just let us know.

“Ridiculously excited.” — You made my day.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 03:00:03 +0000

So a little late in the game on commenting on this article but I just stumbled upon your guys’ blog. I am heading to Peru in July and was getting all bummed out about how crowded the Inca Trail may be (if I could even get a permit) and then I come across this post!! Fantastic; super stoked about exploring some of the alternative trails to MP. Also ridiculously excited about exploring the rest of this site!

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:26:50 +0000

@Gillian: Ah, the great Machu Picchu debate. I think you’d be more than pleased with the Salkantay Trail. We hiked Salkatay and Machu Picchu in early October. The late-day rain was an issue on the first day approach to our camp below the glacier, but after that, it was clear. Regarding weather, I’d look at climate charts for the current year since weather patterns have gone crazy as of late. As for wildflowers in bloom, I suspect that Apr/May just after the rainy season is better, but I cannot say for certain. As for the scenery in general (the approach, the glacier and the descent into lowlands/jungle) in late Sept/Oct, we really enjoyed it.

By: Gillian

Gillian — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:05:49 +0000

Thank you for your informative post — it is quite helpful as I am debating between the Inca Trail and Salkantay Trail. Perhaps I missed this information in your post, but when did you hike the Salkantay Trail? Do you think doing the hike in Sept/Oct vs. Apr/May makes a difference in terms of the scenery and chance to see wildflowers in bloom, etc.? Thanks.