Machu Picchu Eco-lodge Trek, Peru

The Trip

Craving the challenge of a Machu Picchu trek, but aren't keen on sleeping in a tent? At last, there is a more comfortable alternative! We will hike between four small eco-lodges on a less-visited alternative to the overcrowded "Inca Trail." Hot showers, delicious meals, and comfortable beds will seem like the ultimate indulgence after high-altitude hiking days. Along our journey we will enjoy spectacular scenery and a variety of special life zones, from the high altitude puna grassland with Andean condors and intriguing mountain viscachas to biologically rich cloud forests with a wide variety of colorful orchids and birds.

After meeting in the city of Cusco, we will tour this incredible ancient city and former Inca capital. Then we move to the nearby Sacred Valley with its endless views and stunning archaeology. As we enjoy these first couple of days we are also becoming acclimatized to the high altitudes. A high mountain plain with lakes and breathtaking views are visual treats as we drive to Mollepata. Just beyond this lovely small village, we start our hiking trek.

Our trek begins with a half-day hike to our first lodge below the glacier-clad Salcantay Peak, which is over 20,000 feet high. Five days of trekking, with pack animals carrying our gear, will take us through the spectacular Andes Cordillera Vilcabamba, passing glistening, snow-capped 20,000-footers. Each evening will find us at cozy, eco-friendly lodges, eating gourmet dishes, soaking in the hot tub under the stars, and snuggling into down comforters.

At the end of our trek, we'll reward ourselves with a full day exploring the mysterious ruins of Machu Picchu. And then we continue on a train through the Urubamba Valley to Ollantaytambo where we will explore magnificent Inca ruins before driving back to Cusco for our last evening together.

Day 1: Arrive in Cusco (11,400 feet) by late morning, and then gather for lunch and a group orientation meeting. In the afternoon enjoy a guided tour of this fascinating city and the impressive Inca ruins that overlook the city.

Day 2: Today, we'll take a tour of the beautiful Sacred Valley. We will first visit Awana Kancha, a local woman’s cooperative that makes wool from llamas and alpacas, then naturally dyes the wool and weaves the wool into a variety of lovely textiles available for sale. Then we will visit the impressive Inca ruins of Pisac. Afterward we will hike down to the village of Pisac to eat lunch and visit the bustling market.

Day 3: After an early breakfast, we'll set off for our first remote trekking lodge. We will be transported by van for the first part of the route and then start a beautiful and long afternoon hike to the lodge. A soak in the hot tub, under the stars and mountain tops, ends a perfect day!

Day 4: We will continue to acclimatize to the altitude today as we hike (optional) to a gorgeous, aquamarine blue lake (over 14,000 feet) below the glimmering glaciers of Humantay Peak. Most of the afternoon is yours to enjoy exploring the grounds around the lodge or just relaxing and admiring the scenery.

Day 5: An early start will allow us to comfortably cross the highest pass on the trek (15,200 feet) by lunchtime. Today’s hike is challenging, but we will be rewarded with views of endless snow-capped mountains as we look for Andean Condors circling above us. We will reach our next lodge by mid-afternoon.

Day 6: Today we’ll have a moderate downhill hike, high above the Salkantay River and into increasingly verdant scenery. As we descend into the cloud forest, we will see an increasing number of colorful flowers, including an array of orchids, and more exotic birds. We will arrive at the lodge by the river for a late and special Peruvian-style BBQ lunch.

Day 7: We will hike above the roaring Santa Theresa River for most of the day, past a series of small farms nestled in the rain forest. There are many butterflies, orchids, and flocks of parakeets to enchant us on our moderate hike today. After lunch we will interrupt our hike for a 30-minute van ride through a congested village back to our trail. A 30-minute walk uphill, with a brief stop at a local coffee plantation, will bring us to our fourth wonderful lodge overlooking the picturesque Santa Theresa Valley.

Day 8: This will be the last day of our trek. Hiking steadily uphill for two to three hours, we will have climbed about 2,000 feet to a pass that takes us to the Llactapata Ruins. Here we are rewarded with our first magnificent views of Machu Picchu in the distance. After lunch at a nearby farm, we will steeply descend through forests of bamboo and farmland to the Aobamba River. A short train ride will take us to Aguas Calientes at the bottom of the Urubamba Valley and our hotel for the night.

Day 9: A day in Machu Picchu! We will get up early and take the bus up the mountain to the ruins. We will have a guided tour of the ruins and have time to wander in this magnificent and sacred place. A big buffet lunch will fortify us during the day. We will stay as late as we can to enjoy the late-afternoon light on these unforgettable ruins. After the bus returns us to Aguas Calientes, we will transfer to a train for the 1.5-hour ride to Ollantaytambo.

Day 10: After breakfast we will spend the morning touring the impressive and expansive ruins of Ollantaytambo. Driving back to Cusco after lunch, we will stop at the unique and ancient salt pans of Maras where “pink salt” is obtained and sold around the world. Our final stop will be at Moray, where the Inca are believed to have done agricultural research. The ruins are both beautiful and intriguing. We will then return to Cusco and a farewell dinner.

Day 11: Our trip ends after breakfast. You'll have the options of flying home, staying longer in Cusco, or visiting other places in beautiful Peru.

Getting There

This trip begins and ends in Cusco. The leader will send additional information to registered participants. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

The on-trek accommodations are a highlight of this trip. While most treks in this area involve camping, we will be staying in cozy six-room eco-lodges (some even come with outdoor hot tubs!). There is nothing as indulgent as sleeping in a warm, cozy bed in a roadless area, where everything must be carried in by horses and mules. Each room includes two beds, and we will need to have two people per room due to the size of our group. So you will be required to share a room with someone in our group. Meals at each of the lodges are prepared by an excellent chef and local kitchen staff. Accommodations in Cusco, Aguas Calientes, and Ollantaytambo can be considered "upscale tourist class" (3+ to 4 stars). The food on-trek is delicious and plentiful, with vegetarian options at every meal. Meals outside of the trek will be in local restaurants, with vegetarian options available.

Trip Difficulty

Although our gear will be carried by pack animals and we will spend nights in comfortable lodges, this is a strenuous, high-altitude trek and should not be underestimated. Altitudes on the trek range from 6,200 feet to over 15,000 feet, and we will hike up to seven hours per day. Some days require ascents or descents of several thousand feet. You must be in excellent physical condition for this trip. Previous high-altitude hiking experience is preferred. The leader is happy to answer any questions you may have and to help you plan your pre-trip conditioning.

Equipment and Clothing

Weather is typically nice, with cooler temperatures ranging from the low 70s during the day to the mid 30s at night throughout the spring and from the mid 60s to the mid 30s during the fall. Many days Machu Picchu can be partly cloudy early in the day, but it is usually sunny in the afternoon; however we must still be prepared for occasional rain. A pair of well-broken-in, sturdy hiking boots is essential, as is a full set of raingear and some warm layers. The leader will send a complete packing list to registered participants and is available to answer any questions you may have about gear.

References

Books:

• Wright, R. & Zegarra, A., The Machu Picchu Guidebook: A Self-Guided Tour. 2011. This is a good guide to the ruins of Machu Picchu and handy to have while at Machu Picchu.
• Reinhard, J., Machu Picchu: Exploring an Ancient Sacred Center 4^th ed. 2007. This guide is more focused on the cosmology of the Inca and Machu Picchu.
• Hemming, J., Monuments of the Incas, revised ed. 2010. A large format coffee table-style book with beautiful black and white photographs and detailed descriptions of the archaeological sites we will see and many other Incan sites.
• Adams, M., Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time. 2012. A humorous story of one man’s introduction to the adventure and archaeology associated with Inca ruins. An excellent and entertaining book.
• Bingham, H., The Lost City of the Incas, revised ed. 2003. A reprint of Bingham’s original account of his "discovery" of Machu Picchu with archival photographs. The book was originally published in 1948.
• Hemming, J., The Conquest of the Incas. 2003. An exhaustive, sad and authoritative account of the Spanish conquest of Peru and the Incas.
• MacQuarrie, K., The Last Days of the Incas. 2008. Another perspective on the fall of the Incas. This book also discusses modern scholars evolving interpretations of Inca remains.
• Reinhard, J., Inca Rituals and Sacred Mountains: A Study of the World's Highest Archaeological Sites. 2010. An account of Reinhard’s recent discovery of incredibly well-preserved teenage mummies from an ancient Incan ritual that were found at the top of the Andes and are now on display in Salta, Argentina.
• Reinhard, J., The Ice Maiden: Inca Mummies, Mountain Gods, and Sacred Sites in the Andes. 2006. This is a description of Reinhard’s first stunning discovery of a well-preserved young woman from an ancient Incan rite that was found near the top of a Peruvian volcanic mountain and is now on display in Arequipa, Peru.
• Coronel-Molina, S., Quechua: Lonely Planet Phrasebook. 2014. Many of the people of the Andes speak only Quechua and this little book can help you with a few common Quechua phrases.
• Jenkins, D., The Rough Guide to Peru. 2018. One of many guides to Peru. The Rough Guide series has a section called “Contexts” that gives a lucid overview of the history, economics and politics of the country.
• Stewart, A., Inca Trail, Cusco & Machu Picchu, 5^th ed. 2013. This Trailblazer book has descriptions of several treks in Peru, including ours – The Salcantay Trek.
• Pearson, D. & Beletsky, Peru: Travellers’ Wildlife Guides. 2014. A fine introduction to the ecology and wildlife of Peru including a section on birds. Do you know what a Viscacha is as we might see them on our trek?
• Walker, B., The Birds of Machu Picchu and the Cusco Region: A Field Guide. 2005. There are about 1,000 species of birds in the areas we will visit. This is an introductory guide to the more common birds of the region.
• Del Sante, G. & Chang, D., Flowers of Machu Picchu: Including Orchids. 2006. This is the best book available on the common flowers of the region we will be visiting.
• Del Sante, G., Trees & Bushes of the Sacred Valley. 2007. This is the best book available on the common trees and shrubs of the region we will be visiting.

Movies:

• The Incas Remembered (1986)
• The Great Inca Rebellion (2007) – National Geographic
• Ghosts of Machu Picchu (2009) – Nova

Conservation

Since its founding in 1892, The Sierra Club has worked to preserve and restore the natural environment we all share on this planet. Thousands of grassroots-level volunteers spearhead our efforts to conserve and sustain resources, both in our own backyards and on a global scale. Through direct experience in the outdoors, Sierra Club outings enable participants to better understand, advocate, and participate in the environmental conservation goals of the Club.

Tourism in this area of Peru has been a mixed blessing, especially with the increase in popularity of Machu Picchu. On one hand, it accounts for much of the economy and provides jobs for many of the local people. However, it has also led to widespread exploitation of labor and the environment, including a troublesome trash disposal problem on popular trekking routes and damage to the Machu Picchu ruins. We will discuss how tourism can be used as a source for economic and community development, and the steps that some organizations are taking to promote more ecologically friendly tourism. Although the lodges we stay in have an impact on the environment, the owners have employed many innovative building and maintenance techniques that reduce their footprint. They have also gone to great lengths to hire and train local employees and to help local support staff organize for higher wages and better working conditions industry-wide.

Evacuation and Travel Insurance

The Sierra Club provides evacuation insurance to all participants on international trips. Since this coverage does not include any trip cancellation or interruption insurance, we suggest you purchase another policy separately to provide coverage for your trip and other travel costs. This policy also does not cover pre-trip and post-trip travel. Please note the evacuation insurance provided does not cover claims resulting from any pre-existing condition that occurs within 60 days of the trip departure. If you have specific questions about this exclusion, please review the insurance brochure. For information on purchasing a separate policy, please see our travel insurance page.