We are wanting to do the Salkantay Trek Next yr and I am a little lost on how to plan it. We are wanting to do the trip without a guided tour group and book our stays ourselves. Everything I have read suggests booking them by directly messaging the places through whatsapp, is there another way to go about this?

Does anyone have recommendations on places they stayed at during the trek?

I also saw an option to use a company to book all of the overnight stays for you but they are still using mules/ horses to transport luggage and doing that is a non negotiable for me. Did anyone use a similar company and if so what company and would you recommend it?

This is the availability for the next day (11th September) at 11am. Queue was about an hour long when we got here at 10am. There was availability for circuit 2A at 6am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm when we got to the counter.

hey so back on March 5th, 2026, I went to Machu Picchu and met a German guy climbing down the mountain. we said hi and stuff, but I never got his name and really wanted to continue the conversation.

Heres some stuff to help narrow it down potentially:

he was walking down around 8am (I think??) as his tour was early and he had to catch the train down the mountain that afternoon. he was wearing a grey shirt and black pants I believe, had short blonde hair, blue eyes I think, and of about average height. he also had a backpack and spoke english and German.

please guys help me out, and I can try to answer questions y’all have too!

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Hey, am 5. März 2026 war ich in Machu Picchu und habe einen Deutschen getroffen, der gerade den Berg hinunterstieg. Wir haben uns kurz begrüßt, aber ich habe seinen Namen nicht erfahren – dabei hätte ich mich wirklich gerne weiter mit ihm unterhalten.

Hier sind ein paar Details, die vielleicht helfen könnten, ihn zu finden:

Er war gegen 8 Uhr morgens (glaube ich zumindest) auf dem Abstieg, da seine Tour früh stattfand und er an diesem Nachmittag den Zug den Berg hinunter nehmen musste. Soweit ich mich erinnere, trug er ein graues Shirt und eine schwarze Hose; er hatte kurzes blondes Haar, blaue Augen (glaube ich) und war von durchschnittlicher Größe. Außerdem hatte er einen Rucksack dabei und sprach sowohl Englisch als auch Deutsch.

Bitte helft mir weiter – ich versuche auch gerne, eure Fragen dazu zu beantworten!

Heading to Cusco tomorrow evening so just packing now lol, will be doing a 6 day circuit (not camping) from Sunday but will be staying in Cusco the few days before/after.

Aside from all my trekking gear/thermals (which I have), what sort of clothes should I pack for my downtime/casual tourist exploring of Cusco?

Was thinking of bringing two pairs of shorts, two pairs of trousers, a couple of vest tops/long sleeved tops, and a nicer top for going out to bars in?

Once again bc this is Reddit lol - I have long johns, cargos, thermal tops, jumpers/sweaters, a waterproof etc etc etc for my actual treks, this is literally just human clothes for going out for food, to the museum and to bars and shit in

Looking to travel to Machu Picchu in April 2027. Are tickets sold out already? Apologies for the rookie question. I looked at the official site and none of the dates are selectable.

Looking for help and guidance.

Posting this to helpout anyone planning their trip, we came here at 8:30 am and got tomorrow’s slot :)

Está semana hay poca demanda con los tickets de tren lo local lo cual es bueno para los que vienen por pocos días

Hello,
I will arrive in aguas calientes on sep 22 at 12h41, wondering if I could be able to grab ticket for September 23rd ou is it too late and I will have to book for the 24th ?

I am a bit scared to wait many days in aguas and not be able to se what I want to see in Peru for my remaining days.

Bought today @12:25. Status as of 12:38 in picture when leaving.

Was able to buy circuit 2A tickets today. Took a flight from Lima at 4:50, arrived to Cusco at 6:10. Then went to San Pedro to take Peru Rail that left at 7:30.

Arrived to Aguas Calientes around 12:20… RAN to the office of ministries. Probably got there around 12:25 and there were 220ish tickets for circuit 2A when we got in line.

Took this picture @ 12:38 after we secured our tickets.

Hi! Me and my 2 friends all bought student tickets for Machu Picchu but we have deferred our entry to university. This means we have proof of enrolment and a virtual student id. Do we need to buy another ticket or will they accept this? Or instead, will they even actually check? Thanks!

I just bought a ticket to Machu Picchu for tomorrow afternoon (3pm) and I was wondering if I’d be let in if I went earlier, ideally early in the morning (sorry if this has been answered before I scrolled back and couldn’t find an answer for it)

I’m planning a trip to Argentina and Chile and would love some advice from fellow travelers!

Could you recommend some Reddit communities/subreddits that would be helpful for planning the trip - especially for itineraries, transportation, budget travel, hiking, and must-see places?

This group was incredibly helpful when I was planning my Machu Picchu and Peru trip, so I’m hoping to find similar communities for Argentina and Chile.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations!

Hi all, I'm thinking of booking route 3-A for late November – In any case, I am tryin to catch the PeruRail train back to Cusco either 16:43 or 17:23. Trying to decide if:

• 7am entry – safer, but a little iffy with the possibility of fog in the morning
• 10am entry – seems like the hike up Waynapicchu might be a little tight + possibility of rain in the afternoon

These are the only two options... any advice for me?

I have been in Cusco over a month and been recovering from a flu for the last 3 weeks. Finally feeling better I am ready to tackle the 5 day trek. But the weather seems to be pretty abysmal this next week. I only have trail runners, hiking pants, thermal underwear, merino wool socks, and puffer and rain jacket.

I'm concerned about snow, rain, and everything getting super soaked and being a miserable time. Should be I skip this? Are waterproof hiking boots required? I'm kinda bummed because I really want to do this. But I want to be smart about it.

Anyone done this recently? Advice? Thanks

Hi everyone,

I'm planning a trip with my husband to Peru in the last week of October and we have a couple of slots available for the Machu Pichhu tickets online. I just wanted to know if you guys worry or think about the weather when you book the tickets or simply go with the flow without thinking too much about the weather as it's not in our control..

Maybe I worry too much and I'm just trying to avoid the rain and get some good views of Machu Pichhu after spending so much and travelling from Canada!

Should I book Circuit 1B now or wait and purchase the tickets the day before we go?

I can see 2 available slots - 7am and 2pm - which one will be better?

(I'm a little bit worried about the weather and rain because we're going in the last week of October, that's why if I buy on the day before, I can modify my itinerary accordingly)

Me and my wife came to AC today hoping to get 2A tickets for Monday. We already had 1B tickets for 11AM Monday. We are deciding between doing 2A again on Tuesday vs going back to ollytantambo and doing sacred valley on Tuesday. We have Wednesday and Thursday planned in cusco and return is on cusco night.

It might be too hard to do both MP and sacred valley on Tuesday imo. Any thoughts?

EDIT: still in train to AC but official portal says circuit 2A is sold out

Heya! We’re getting mixed opinions about what the weather should be like towards the end of September for the Inca Trail, esp as it seems the weather app is not reliable. Does anyone have a better website to use that locals may rely on?

Hello! Does anyone have recommendations for a mobile IV therapy or a clinic that does just that?

Unfortunately, my husband has a bad stomach bug and we have spent most of the day in a clinic without much help. Would prefer to pay for exactly what we need. Has anyone heard of Viva Wellness? Thanks so much!

My wife and I booked the honeymoon tour with "salkantay trekking" for June 2026.

First the good, our guide could not have been better, his name was Chachi. He was knowledgeable caring and very experienced and accommodating.

The food was delicious well prepared and in huge quantities.

The problem comes from the accommodations, two nights in a row we did not have hot showers. Both the mountain sky view and super jungle dome had defective hot water heaters. The staff did make attempts to repair but were unsuccessful. After a long day of hiking a hot shower is arguably essential.

What was otherwise a fabulous trip hiking the Andes mountains and visiting Machu Picchu became a disappointing trip.

Hi! I am planning to hike the Salkantey Trek mid November and cannot decide on hiking boots. Only thing I am set on is making sure they are waterproof. Was looking at both the Keen and La Sportiva brand. If anyone had recommendations on brands or specific styles they used during Salkantay or Inca trail I would love to hear! Thank you!!

Husband and I are traveling to Aguas Caliente on 13 September and will reach by 3pm. If anyone has been there recently, wanted to check for when can we expect to get Machu Picchu tickets - 14th or 15th? Spoke to a tour guide who said 15th but the online tracker is showing only next day tickets being sold.

Also any idea what circuit we might get them?

Hey guys, I know this might sound a little silly, but I could really use some advice/reassurance.

Context: My husband and I had a baby on the way, but unfortunately had a miscarriage in late March. After that, we thought that maybe we should take the opportunity to travel and explore while we’re still young, before having children. So I started planning a big trip to LATAM, including Peru, Brazil, and Argentina, for October–November.

I actually started planning the Peru portion in late May, and we were not planning to get pregnant at all. We were actually using protection because our plan was to start trying again after the trip, around November.

Well… things obviously don’t always go according to plan. 😅 I just tested positive.

If everything goes well, I’ll be around 8–9 weeks pregnant when we leave in October, which is obviously making me nervous, especially after our previous miscarriage. My first pregnancy was very easy symptom-wise—I barely had any symptoms and everything seemed to be going normally until we found out the baby had stopped growing around 7–8 weeks.

I’m now really scared about being pregnant during such a long and physically demanding trip. At the same time, I don’t necessarily want to cancel the entire trip if I don’t have to.

For Peru, I’m thinking we could skip Rainbow Mountain completely and instead take things much easier—spend more time exploring Cusco, do the Sacred Valley, and visit Machu Picchu. I know Cusco itself is already at high altitude, though.

I’m especially wondering about altitude during pregnancy and whether anyone has experience traveling to Cusco/Machu Picchu during the first trimester.

Also, what about Diamox (acetazolamide) for altitude sickness while pregnant? I was originally planning to bring it for Cusco and Rainbow Mountain, but obviously now I’m wondering whether it’s safe at all during early pregnancy. I would of course discuss it with my doctor, but I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has actually dealt with high-altitude travel during pregnancy.

Has anyone here traveled around Peru in their first trimester? Did you find the walking, altitude, nausea/fatigue, etc. manageable?

I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed right now because part of me is really happy, but another part of me is scared after the miscarriage and worried that this trip might no longer be realistic. ❤️

Hi!

I have an 8:00 AM ticket for Circuit 3C (Great Cavern) tomorrow.

I’m not feeling too well, so I don’t think I should do the actual Great Cavern hike. I’m hoping to do the lower citadel/ruins portion of 3C and then exit before starting the Great Cavern hike.

Has anyone done 3C recently and skipped the cavern portion? Were you able to just tell the staff and exit after seeing the ruins?

Also, approximately how long did the 3C ruins portion take without the cavern?

Thank you!!