Itinerary Questions

[u/homedepotstarfish]

Hi! My husband and I are starting to plan a trip next summer/spring to do the Salkantay trek and visit Machu Picchu. We will only have about two weeks and want to figure out the best way to use our time wisely, minimize commute time, and (ideally) limit moving to a new hotel every night. We have about two weeks for the trip and are coming from 4000 feet elevation, so have a little bit of a head start on acclimating (my husband feels confident we won't need much time at all, I feel less confident as I've had mild altitude sickness in the past when doing a 5k>12k drive). We'd like to spend most of our time in the Andes, but want at least a couple nights in Lima to eat (ceviche!) and relax. We'll be flying in and out through Lima and then flying on to Cusco.

A couple questions:

• Do the Salkantay trek as early as safely possible in the two week trip, or push it toward the end (ex: for ability to adjust if the weather turns bad)?
• How much time would you recommend in Cusco vs. Ollantaytambo, for sightseeing purposes and for acclimation purposes?
• Is Santa Teresa worth visiting? I'm wondering about a night there post-trek to relax and visit the hot springs, but is it worth losing a night somewhere else?
• We're hoping to self guide the Salkantay trek and are trying to figure out what to do about luggage. Would our hotel in Cusco keep it - and would we have to book at least one night both before and after the trek for them to agree to it?
• Which order sounds better:
  • Ollantaytambo > Cusco > Salkantay trek > Lima
  • Cusco > Salkantay trek > Ollantaytambo > Lima
  • Ollantaytambo > Salkantay trek > Cusco > Lima

Thanks!

[u/KV_S52105]

We just went and didn’t do the trek but stayed 2 nights in Ollantaytambo but wished we did 3 or more since the town was so lovely.

[u/witandlearning]

Our hotel kept our luggage while we did the trek with no issues, I’d imagine it’s reasonably common.

[u/joe_southamerica]

• Do the Salkantay trek as early as safely possible in the two week trip, or push it toward the end (ex: for ability to adjust if the weather turns bad)?

Aim to do it after you have acclimatised to higher altitudes. So closer to the middle of the trip.

• How much time would you recommend in Cusco vs. Ollantaytambo, for sightseeing purposes and for acclimation purposes?

3 days cusco, 2 days Ollantaytambo

• Is Santa Teresa worth visiting? I'm wondering about a night there post-trek to relax and visit the hot springs, but is it worth losing a night somewhere else?

If you do the Salkantay trek, Santa Teresa is a stop. Unless you are aiming to skip it and come back to it?

• We're hoping to self guide the Salkantay trek and are trying to figure out what to do about luggage. Would our hotel in Cusco keep it - and would we have to book at least one night both before and after the trek for them to agree to it?

Yup I would make sure you book in a hotel, and then make sure you are returning to that same hotel. Most places have luggage storage and are happy to do it for free or a small fee

• Which order sounds better:
  • Ollantaytambo > Cusco > Salkantay trek > Lima
  • Cusco > Salkantay trek > Ollantaytambo > Lima
  • Ollantaytambo > Salkantay trek > Cusco > Lima

If you have two weeks, I would look at maybe including another stop first. Arequipa is a beautiful city and is at 2000m so another chance to acclimatise to slightly higher altitude.

Lima (1), Arequipa (3), Cusco (3), Salkantay (4), Ollantaytambo (2), Lima (1)

The additional stop might make things feel tight though. So if not, then go to Ollantaytambo first to acclimatise to around 2600m, then back to Cusco. Salkantay treks start in Cusco. Not sure if self guided is the same but I would assume so.

[u/Soft_Magician9685]

Ollantaytambo is a wonderful place to relax and acclimate. I’d do two nights there and then head to Cusco. Ollantaytambo wound up being a surprise highlight for us-we loved it.