Chat on WhatsAppI am not even sure where to begin. I travel, a lot, this was by far the most amazing experience I've had traveling. From the moment we had our first meeting I knew it would be amazing, I think we got super lucky with the group of people we were with, including that amazing Raul ! This just made the experience even more pleasurable. I titled this review "even though I had to take a horse" because even though this was so difficult for me, that on the second day, which is the hardest day I actually paid to take a horse to the summit, it didn't change my trip at all.
The horse was quite the experience, it was actually pretty scary, so if you're having a hard time breathing (like me, like a lot of people) you may be offered a ride to the top on a horse, think twice about this, is my only advice, it seems like a great idea, and it was a lot easier, however, it was very scary and somewhat sad. I felt bad for my horse... even though her whole life is walking up and down that mountain, I still felt bad for giving her added weight ! We arrived at the top about 20 minutes before the rest of our group and all was good from there, as the rest of the trek I walked. The summit is everything you want it to be and more, it's breathtaking and I'm not sure there are actual words that can do it any justice so you'll just have to find out yourself.
I would 100% recommend Inca Trail Reservations - Salkantay.org over any other company, you may be tempted to book when you get to Cusco, and there are plenty of companies that do that and they will be cheaper, but you will not get the experience that you get with Inca Trail Reservations. I know this for a fact as people in my homestay booked through other companies and they had to carry all their own equipment, the food was so-so !
Mariella was so patient in setting up our trip, she took care of everything from flights to airport transfers, to any add-ons we wanted during our stay, she even offered to find me flights to Mancora which was for a part of my trip that was a week after I returned from my trek ! Before I even left I felt confident that I was in good hands. The porters and cooks were amazing ! our tents were always set up when we arrived at camp, and the food was delicious and there was so much of it. In fact the first day our group filled up on a little guacamole and soup only to find out that was just the beginning there was another course after that, and then dessert. And that was pretty much the way every meal went. Breakfast, lunch and dinner exceeded my expectations (And I chose the vegetarian option, which I was fearful wouldn't be satisfying but it was !)
As I said in my photo description, Raul was the best. We only did the 4 day trek and I was so sad to have to leave him, he went above and beyond to make sure we had the best experience, he was calm, patient, informative and super nice. He really is one of kind. At the end of our trek it was his 300th time walking the trail.... needless to say he knows everything about this mountain !
I would recommend Salkantay over Inca Trail, just strictly based on what we were told and what I saw... which was only one other group on the trails with us. No crowded campsites, no waiting on the trail for slow hikers (like myself !), it was as if we had the whole trail to ourselves ! Machu Picchu... is again everything you would think it is, everything you want it to be and so much more. It's an experience that, yet again, I can't describe for you... I can only encourage you to go to Peru and book your trip through Inca Trail Reservations - Salkantay.org !
