Salkantay – Once in a lifetime experience

Greetings!

My name is Kim Victor Girao and I spent the last four days hiking the Salkantay trail lead by none other than Carlos Chuchullo. The track was difficult and very challenging, but Carlos and his team made it for an exciting experience. Carlos untied our group under one family for the past four days.

The first day was the easiest day, we took a car to just a few kilometers outside the first camp site. When we arrived at the first camp site we had lunch and hiked up to the lake, where we made an offering to the gods.

The second day was the most challenging day, we woke up at 5 am and left the camp site by 6 am to talk the wild mountain known as Salkantay. The hike up the mountain was difficult due to the high altitude and the unexpected snowfall. Once we reached the top of the mountain we were hit by a blizzard but still took a family photo. The hike down from the mountain was fairly easy and very exciting. We went from snowfall to jungle in matter of hours. We were the first team to arrive at the camp site and we had our tents set up on the second floor. That night was cold but the happy hour and dinner time made it so we forgot the cold.

The third day we hiked down to Playas and then after lunch we took a bus to our camp site where our tents were set up. From there we went to the natural hot springs and it was very nice. I have never experienced a natural hot spring before, it felt like a jacuzzi. That night, after dinner, we got together with the other groups and built a bonfire, had good music, a few drinks, and lots of laugh.

The fourth day we took a bus to Hydroeletric and from there we hiked two and a half hours to Aguas Calientes. Now we are getting ready to reach our final destination which is Machu Picchu. I am extremely excited to visit such a historical site.

Overall the hike was challenging and a lot of fun. Carlos and his team were professional and exceeded my expectations beyond belief. If I ever come back to Machu Picchu I will personally request for Carlos and his team. I recommend Carlos as your guide, his English and Spanish are perfect, and his knowledge of the trail is amazing.

Thank you for this experience, I will never forget these last four days.

Cheers!