On our way to Machu Picchu – the route of Salkantay

Due in part to the congestion of the Inca Trail, but mainly to our lack of planning, we made our way to Machu Picchu through an alternative route, the route of the snow-capped Salkantay, which in four days took as to the valley of Machu Picchu, final point of our route and the icing in the cake of this trip.
Day 1: Mollepata to Soraypampa
Lucho and Javier, the cook and guide that accompanied us during the trek, came to pick us up to our hostel in Cuzco, and together we arrived to Mollepata, the place where our trek started. We started to warm up engines and after several hours of walk, we gorged an energising meal to allow us continue our way. In the afternoon, the view of the snow-capped Umantay, “the first one”, started to indicate the final destination for that day: its valley, where we camped with the cold installed in our bones, gazing already at the Salkantay, “the inaccessible”, our objective for the following day.
Day 2: Soraypampa-Salkantay Pass-Cahllway
An early morning, a hot chocolate and coca tea, prepared us to tackle the second day of the trek through the Salkantay Pass. The day started with a long and continued hike from the base camp, 3,800 meters over sea level, to the pass at 4,650 meters. The thin air and coldness did not prevent us from achieving the objective (although at points with some difficulties), and we could finally enjoy the amazing views of the pass, where traditionally stone offerings are made to the sacred mountain of Salkantay. Having done our offering and having fulfilled the objective of the day, we still had 3 hours way to our lunch, and other 4 more, leaving behind the Andean landscape and entering in the jungle landscape, to our base camp for the night. With better temperature and accumulated tiredness, we managed to sleep like logs!
Day 3: Callway-Playa-Santa Teresa
After a good sleep, we started our walk along the river Salkantay, through dense jungle landscape where we could enjoy a large variety of fruits and vegetation and eat passion fruit straight from the trees. In Playa, we enjoyed another of Lucho’s lunches, and we relaxed in the river, before starting our way to Santa Teresa, where we indulged in some thermal baths, built on the side of the mountains with exceptional landscape.
Day 4: Finally, Aguas Calientes
And finally, after days of long walks, we started to get closer to Machu Picchu, through the train tracks, only way of communication between several villages in the area. And jumping from wooden block to wooden block, we arrived to Aguas Calientes, an unremarkable town except for being the base point for the obligatory visit to Machu Picchu. And there we could rest and prepare ourselves for the awaited visit, and we spoilt ourselves with the small pleasures of life, forgotten during our trek: a toilet, a shower and a bed!