How Much Does the Salkantay Trek Cost? Our Complete Cost Breakdown

When we decided to hike the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, we quickly realized there are tons of options! There are premium trekking experiences, budget-friendly groups, and even the option to hike it independently. And with that the Salkantay Trek cost can vary greatly.

We decided to hike the 5-day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu with Salkantay Trekking Company and chose their Premium trek. It wasn’t the cheapest option, but after comparing what was included with Classic versus Premium, we felt like we were already going to pay extra for enough of the upgrades that Premium made sense for us. And after completing the five days on the trail, we’d make the same choice again.

We loved still getting the challenge and adventure of hiking to Machu Picchu while having some extra comfort along the way. After a long day of hiking, things like hot showers, warm beds, incredible meals and having almost all of the logistics handled for us felt VERY worth paying more for.

Our premium Salkantay Trek cost $995 per person when we did it, and after tips and a couple of optional extras, we spent about $1,260 per person total. It definitely wasn’t the cheapest way to hike Salkantay, but for the experience we got, we thought it was an incredible value.

And if that isn’t in your budget? I wouldn’t let that stop you from doing the trek. There are definitely less expensive ways to hike Salkantay, and we’ll get into those too.

What We Paid for Our 5-Day Salkantay Trek

We decided to book the 5-day Premium Salkantay Trek with Salkantay Trekking. We wanted the logistics taken care of for us while still having a little more comfort during five days of hiking. So we’ll focus primarily on what we actually paid for our five-day trek, what our Premium package included, and the additional expenses we had along the way.

What we actually paid per person:

• 5-Day Premium Trek: $995/person
• Horse rental on the trail: $80 (one person)
• Additional Machu Picchu circuit: $50/person
• Tips: $350 total
• Total: $1250 per person

Because we booked the Premium trek with Salkantay Trekking Company, there actually weren’t that many additional expenses once we were on the trail. Most of the major costs were included in our original $995 per-person price. Our horse rental was an unplanned decision we made during the trek, while the additional Machu Picchu circuit was an optional add-on.

What Was Included in Our Premium Salkantay Trek?

One of the reasons there weren’t many additional expenses during our Salkantay Trek is that a lot was included in the Premium package. We paid $995 per person at the time of our trek (the same package is currently $1,095 per person), and once we started hiking, most of the major logistics were already taken care of. Which was nice to not have to worry about paying extra as we went. 

Here’s what was included in our 5 day premium Salkantay Trek:

Accommodations for all 4 nights

Our accommodations were one of the biggest reasons we chose the Premium trek. Rather than traditional tent camping every night, we stayed in Salkantay Trekking’s unique camps and lodges along the route, followed by a hotel in Aguas Calientes on our final night.

Our accommodations included:

• Night 1: Sky Camp in Soraypampa
• Night 2: Mountain Sky View
• Night 3: Jungle accommodation
• Night 4: Hotel in Aguas Calientes

This was honestly one of the highlights of choosing Premium. After hiking all day, having a comfortable place to sleep and hot showers and private bathrooms on portions of the trek felt like a huge luxury. And these accommodations that Salkantay Trekking Company has are top tier!

All of Our Meals

We were shocked by the amount and quality of the meals we were served! Breakfasts, lunches and dinners throughout the trek were included, along with snacks along the trail, snacks before dinner, hot drinks and water refills along portions of the trail.

And the food was so much better than we expected! We took some snacks from home because we weren’t sure if we would have enough, and we definitely didn’t need them.  The meals were prepared by the trekking team’s chefs, and considering we were eating in the middle of the Andes, we were continually impressed by what they were able to serve us.

Guide + Trekking Team

Our English-speaking guide was included throughout the trek, along with the larger team working behind the scenes to move our gear, prepare our meals and keep everything running.

This is one of those things that’s easy to overlook when you first see the price of a guided trek. You’re not just paying for someone to show you the trail. There is an entire team making the five-day experience happen.

Sleeping Bag + Trekking Poles

Both a sleeping bag and trekking poles were included with our Premium package, so we didn’t have to pay additional rental fees for either.

This was another perk of Premium that we appreciated because trekking poles are something we would absolutely recommend having for Salkantay, especially with the amount of climbing and descending you’ll do over five days.

22 lb. duffel bag allowance + gear transport

We were given a duffel bag for the belongings we wouldn’t need while actively hiking, and the trekking team transported it between camps for us.

That meant we only needed to carry our daypacks while hiking rather than hauling five days’ worth of clothing and gear on our backs.

Entrance Fees

Several of the major entrance fees along the route were also included, including:

• Humantay Lake and Salkantay Trek entrance
• Cocalmayo Hot Springs
• Machu Picchu entrance

Our standard Machu Picchu circuit was included in the package, although we chose to purchase an additional Machu Picchu experience separately, which we’ll include in our extra costs below.

Transportation + Trains

Transportation was another major expense we didn’t have to worry about separately.

Our package included transportation from Cusco to the beginning of the trek, transportation needed along the route, the train from Hidroelectrica to Aguas Calientes, transportation for our Machu Picchu visit, round trip bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu, Upgraded Vistadome Observatory train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo and transportation back to our hotel in Cusco.

Safety + Emergency Support

The Premium package also included first-aid and oxygen carried by the guide, communication equipment, and an emergency horse available to the group for part of the trek.

It’s worth pointing out that the horse we paid for separately was not the emergency horse included with the tour. We made the decision while we were on the trail to hire a horse for an optional portion of the hike, so we’ll break that expense down separately.

So, Was a Lot Included?

Absolutely! And this is something we didn’t fully appreciate until we were actually on the trek.

The Premium Salkantay Trek isn’t cheap, but we also weren’t constantly pulling out our wallets over the five days. Our accommodations, most meals, guides, trekking staff, gear transport, sleeping bags, trekking poles, major entrance tickets and most of the transportation were already covered by the price we’d paid before starting.

That made the actual experience feel much more all-inclusive than we expected and made it easier to understand where some of the additional cost of the Premium trek was going. After experiencing 5 days on the trek, we definitely think this is still excellent value for the service, accomodation and food you get along the way! 

What Was NOT Included in the Trek Price?

While the Premium Salkantay Trek includes most of the major expenses you’ll have during the five days, there are still a few things you’ll need to budget for separately.

Tips for Your Guides and Trekking Team

Tips are not included in the price of the trek. You’ll have guides, chefs, horsemen and other members of the trekking team helping make the experience possible, so you’ll want to bring cash specifically for tipping.

We’ll share what we tipped and how we handled tipping in our complete cost breakdown below.

Optional Horse Rental

The Premium package includes an emergency horse for the group, but that doesn’t mean you can simply choose to ride it whenever you don’t feel like hiking.

We actually made the decision while we were on the trail to hire a horse for part of the trek. This wasn’t something we’d planned or paid for ahead of time, but because Tip was struggling with altitude sickness after day 1, we thought it was the best choice, so it became one of our unexpected additional expenses.

If you’re concerned about the altitude, difficulty or how to train for the trek, this is a good example of why we’d recommend carrying some extra cash even when you’ve booked the Premium package.

Additional Machu Picchu Tickets or Circuits

Your Premium trek includes your standard entrance ticket to Machu Picchu, but any additional Machu Picchu experiences you choose to book will cost extra.

We decided to add an additional Machu Picchu circuit to our visit, so this was another optional expense on top of our original trek price.

You absolutely don’t have to do this to complete the Salkantay Trek, but if you want to see more of Machu Picchu or add another experience while you’re already there, factor that into your overall budget.

Personal Expenses Along the Trek

You’ll also want some cash for personal purchases along the way. Think snacks, bottled drinks, souvenirs or anything else you decide to buy at stops along the trail.

These weren’t significant expenses for us, especially since our meals, snacks and water refills were already included, but we would still recommend carrying some Peruvian soles for things like smoothies, candy, gatorades or such along the trail. 

Travel Insurance and Personal Gear

Travel insurance isn’t included in the trek price, and you’ll obviously need your own hiking clothing, boots, daypack and other personal gear.

We don’t include these in our Salkantay Trek total because these costs vary so much from person to person. You may already own everything you need, and your travel insurance may cover your entire Peru trip rather than just the trek.

If you’re still figuring out what you’ll need, check out our complete Salkantay Trek packing list for everything we packed, what we actually used and what we’d recommend bringing.

The Good News: There Aren’t Many Extra Costs

One of the advantages of booking the Premium trek was that there weren’t many surprise expenses once we started hiking. Most of the big-ticket items – accommodations, meals, entrance fees, transportation, trekking poles, sleeping bags and gear transport – were already included.

For us, the biggest additional costs were tips and the optional experiences we chose to add. So while we’d absolutely recommend having some extra cash available, you don’t need to assume that the advertised Premium price is just the beginning of a long list of required fees.

Salkantay Trekking Classic vs. Premium: What’s the Difference?

If you’re considering booking with Salkantay Trekking, one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make is whether to choose the Classic or Premium 5-day trek.

Currently, the Classic Salkantay Trek costs $695 per person, while the Premium Trek costs $1,095 per person, a difference of $400. When we did the trek in October of 2025, the prices were $650 for Classic and $995 for Premium, so we paid an additional $345 per person to upgrade.

Both options cover the same general 5-day journey to Machu Picchu, and many of the major inclusions are similar. Where Premium starts to separate itself is in the accommodations, included gear, luggage allowance, transportation and some of the smaller comforts that become much more noticeable after you’ve been hiking all day.

With Premium, our sleeping bags and trekking poles were included, and we were allowed 10 kg (22 lbs) in our duffel bags compared with 5 kg (11 lbs) on the Classic trek. Premium also includes an emergency horse for the section between Soraypampa and Salkantay Pass. 

One thing we didn’t realize about the premium booking until we did the trek was you get priority everything. So when you’re eating dinner at basecamp, your group gets the best table, and gets fed first, which was not needed but a nice perk.

Why We Chose the Premium Trek

We chose the Premium trek because we felt we were going to add some of the add-ons anyways, and by the time we added a few, we felt we were close to the premium price. 

We knew going into Salkantay that this was still going to be a challenging five-day hike. We weren’t looking to remove the adventure from the experience, but we liked the idea of having a little more comfort and fewer logistics to worry about along the way.

And after actually hiking Salkantay, those little comforts mattered more than we expected.

Was the Premium Salkantay Trek Worth It?

For us, yes. We would choose Premium again.

The biggest thing to remember is that you’re not paying the additional money to make the hiking itself easier. You’re still hiking long days, tackling Salkantay Pass at altitude and covering a lot of miles on your feet.

You’re paying for what happens around the hiking.

Having more comfortable accommodations, more gear included, a larger duffel allowance and some of the additional Premium inclusions made the experience easier and more comfortable without taking away from the challenge of completing the trek.

Could we have completed the Classic trek and still had an incredible experience? Absolutely. If keeping your Salkantay Trek cost as low as possible is the priority, the Classic option gives you the same incredible destination for considerably less money.

But if you have room in your budget and value a little more comfort after a full day on the trail, we think the Premium upgrade is worth considering — and it’s the option we’d personally choose again.

Can You Do the Salkantay Trek Cheaper?

Absolutely. Spending $1,000+ per person is not the only way to hike the Salkantay Trek.

Unlike the Inca Trail, you aren’t required to hike the Salkantay Trek with a licensed tour company. The trail itself doesn’t require the same permit or mandatory guided-tour setup, which means experienced hikers can organize the trek independently and potentially spend considerably less.

If you go the self-guided route, however, you’ll be responsible for arranging your own transportation, accommodations, food, entrance fees, Machu Picchu tickets and transportation back to Cusco. You’ll also need to carry your own gear or arrange luggage transportation along the route.

There are also plenty of guided Salkantay tours that cost significantly less than the Premium trek we chose. The biggest thing we’d recommend when comparing prices is to look beyond the advertised number and compare what’s actually included. Accommodation, meals, sleeping bags and trekking poles, luggage transport, Machu Picchu tickets, buses and your return train can all make a big difference in the final cost. And also to check the reviews before booking! 

We didn’t hike Salkantay independently, so we can’t compare the experiences firsthand. For us, having our accommodations, meals, transportation, gear transport and most of the logistics handled was part of what made the Premium trek worth paying more for.

If your main priority is completing Salkantay as cheaply as possible, you can absolutely do it for less than we did. But if you’re comparing a $300 trek with a $1,095 trek, make sure you’re comparing the total experience and final cost, not just the number on the booking page.

How Much Should You Actually Budget for the Salkantay Trek?

If you’re planning to book the 5-day Premium Salkantay Trek with Salkantay Trekking, we’d recommend budgeting around $1,300–$1,500 per person based on current pricing.

The Premium trek currently starts at $1,095 per person, and because so much is already included, your final cost doesn’t have to be dramatically higher than that. But you’ll still want to budget for tips and leave some extra room for optional or unexpected expenses.

For reference, we tipped approximately $200 total for our guide and $150 for our chef and porter, or around $350 in tips for the two of us.

We also chose to purchase an additional Machu Picchu circuit for $50 per person and made an unexpected decision on the trail (due to Tip having some issues with the altitude on the first day into the second day) to hire a horse, which was $80. 

If a couple booking the Premium trek today had similar expenses to ours, the breakdown would look roughly like this:

• Premium trek for two: $2,190
• Tips based on what we gave: $350
• Additional Machu Picchu circuit for two: $100
• One horse rental: $80
• Estimated total: $2,720 for two, or $1,360 per person

You certainly don’t need to spend all of that. The additional Machu Picchu circuit and horse were optional expenses, and you may choose to tip differently. But that’s exactly why we think $1,300–$1,500 per person is a comfortable budget for the Premium Salkantay Trek.

It gives you enough room to cover the trek, appropriately tip your trekking team, add an optional experience or two, and have some breathing room for expenses you didn’t anticipate before hitting the trail.

Was the Salkantay Trek Worth the Cost?

For us, 100% yes. We would pay what we did for the Salkantay Trek again, and honestly, probably more.

The level of service we received from Salkantay Trekking was one of the biggest reasons we felt the Premium trek was such a good value. When you consider that the price included four nights of accommodations, almost all of our meals, guides, chefs and porters, gear transport, entrance fees, transportation, trains, trekking poles, sleeping bags and so much more, we felt like we got a lot for what we paid.

The accommodations alone were a huge part of the experience for us. We still got the challenge and adventure of hiking through the Andes for five days, but at the end of a long day we could look forward to a warm bed, hot shower, incredible food and some seriously unique places to stay.

Could you hike the Salkantay Trek for much less? Absolutely. But we weren’t looking for the cheapest way to get to Machu Picchu. We wanted the adventure and physical challenge of Salkantay while still having a little comfort along the way.

For us, Premium gave us exactly that balance, and we’d happily pay for it again.

What We’d Budget If We Hiked Salkantay Again

If we were booking the Salkantay Trek again today, we’d budget around $1,300–$1,500 per person for the 5-day Premium trek.

That gives you enough to cover the current $1,095 base price, tips for your trekking team and some flexibility for optional or unexpected expenses along the way.

Our biggest advice is don’t budget exactly $1,095 and call it good. Even though Premium includes almost everything you’ll need during the five days, having a few hundred dollars of breathing room means you can add an experience or deal with an unexpected expense without stressing about your budget.

Planning Your Own Salkantay Trek?

We’ve put together several resources based on our experience to help you plan and prepare:

• Read our full Salkantay Trekking review for our experience with the company, accommodations, food and guides.
• Download our free 12-week Salkantay Trek training guide if you’re wondering how to physically prepare for five days of hiking.
• Use our Salkantay Trek packing list to see exactly what we brought, what we used and what we’d pack again.
• Start with our complete Salkantay Trek overview if you’re still deciding whether this trek to Machu Picchu is right for you.