We were very impressed with our guide, Joel. He informed us of many of the flaura and fauna of the Mountain, and helped us with any problems we had.
The cooks and crew were also wonderful! I was surprised that the food that they cooked out of a tent tasted better than anything that we had eaten in any of the restaurants in Cusco. The presentation was also very nice, with cucumbers sliced into flowers, and avocados fanned out. Everything was delicious.
The views were beautiful! I felt very small with all of the large Mountains around me.
Unfortunately, I became sick because of the altitude at the end of the first day. The crew helped me. The immediately made me coca tea and Joel brought it to me in my tent. We thought it would be too dangerous for me to go up any higher in altitude, so the next morning I had to walk until a car picked us up to take us to Cusco. One of the cooks and crew came to the car with us and carried our bags. His name was Salvador, and he was extremely friendly and concerned about my well-being. He made sure we would have a safe ride to Cusco.
Once we returned to Cusco, the office staff was also very helpful! Even though we could not finish the Trek, they made sure we would be able to use our hotel in Aguas Calientes and our entrance tickets to Machu Picchu. They also helped us to get Train tickets there, and even walked us to the bus stop so that we would not get lost and would make it to Olayantambo, where we would meet the train.
Overall, our experience with this company was positive, even though everything did not go according to our original plan.
The Salkantay Trek is a trip of a lifetime and we would highly recommend that you experience this amazing adventure! The food was definitely a major highlight of the trip. We couldn’t believe how wonderful the meals were as the cooks brought us course after course of fantastic cuisine! The scenery was so spectacular as well as completely (and literally) breathtaking!
All of our arrangements went exactly to our expectation and our guide Joel, was an absolute joy to have as a guide.
The office staff was so helpful and some of the nicest people we have met. They helped in so many ways from booking train tickets, taxis, bus rides, and even referring us to local restaurants and attractions to visit while we stayed in Cusco.
Salkantay Trek is a must for any outdoor adventurer!