Will I survive the hike?

If you have never taken a backpacking trip, you’ll want to seriously consider whether or not you want to spend 3 days in the open air walking up and down mountain trails. Although people of all ages do this hike, it does require moderate physical fitness… but, mostly it requires desire. If just one pesky fly, one night in a tent, or one day spent walking up, up, and up to a mountain pass sounds miserable to you, another study abroad might be better for you.

With that being said, this is not as difficult a hike as your average Colorado backpacking trip. Our travel agency will supply both a guide to help us along and several porters to take care of the heavy gear, setup our campsite, and prepare our food.

You do not have to carry much while you’re hiking. You can divide your things into two bags. One bag (no more than 10 lbs) can be carried by the porters’ horses. Put all your change of clothes, toiletries, etc. in that bag. The other bag should be a backpack with a water bottle, rain jacket, snacks, and anything else you want for the trail. I’d aim for the backpack to also weigh no more than 10 lbs.

The campsites will have toilets, either a flush toilet or an out-house, but keep in mind that this is a remote, primitive trail. You should be prepared to do without the normal comforts of home.

Besides the primitive conditions, you’ll also feel the lack of oxygen as the hike starts about 13,000 feet and climbs up from there. We’ll have spent several weeks acclimating to the altitude by the time we do the hike, but the altitude definitely makes the walking harder.

You may also struggle walking along a rugged, rocky trail. If keeping your balance stepping from rock-to-rock for 8 to 9 hours makes you nervous, you might plan on renting a set of hiking poles in Cusco (about $20) to help with balance. You might also invest in a good pair of hiking boots.

This information isn’t intended to scare you off, but it is important to know what you’re signing up for. This is a much more serious hike than just a stroll in the park. It’s going to challenge you, then reward you with a great sense of accomplishment.

You can read more details about the trip on the What’s the schedule? page. We will use the locally owned Dos Manos Travel Agency as our official Salkantay Trek guide. Read their description of the hike here (we’re taking a shorter hike than described)…

You can get more helpful information from these travel sites…