Salkantay Trek (without guide and without tent)

My first attempt at a blog entry unfortunately became a novel ... way too long ... Therefore:
You will not find this detailed version BELOW the photos!

The multi-day hike was definitely a thing that I absolutely wanted to do and thus the last big highlight of this trip! Whoopee!

Here are just the facts:

DAY 1 (13km): Arrival, then Challacancha to Soraypampa and from there to Humantay Lagoon (over 4200m), overnight at Soraypampa (3900m), best weather
DAY 2 (20km): from Soraypampa via the Salkantay Pass (4630m) to Chaullay (2900m), no visibility
DAY 3 (17km): from Chaullay to Lucmabamba (2100m) and visit the thermal springs "Cocalmayo"
DAY 4 (11km): Lucmabamba via Llactapata (2800m) to Hidroelectrica (1900m), departure

If you want to know more about the top hike, the places and my company ... You will find the corresponding novel under the photos!

The actual blog entry:

Those who have dealt with Peru and Machu Picchu know that there is the "Inca Trail", a multi-day tour that leads along the Sacred Valley towards Machu Picchu. The Inca Trail is not only incredibly expensive, you also have to book it months in advance to make it at all.
In truth, the Inca Trail is just one of many possible ways to hike in the footsteps of the Incas towards Machu Picchu.
The best-known alternative is the Salkantay Trek, which in regular five days (the fifth day is the visit of Machu Picchu itself) leads from Mollepata (or shorter, you can get a little shit) to the finish.

95% wander the Salkantay in organized groups. The rest of the people are so tough and take camping gear with them. Since Schlepperei is not mine, I opted for the third option - from hostel to hostel ... without knowing if the search for a room will be crowned with success. As it turns out, a small flock of other nondesumers tried as well.
And funny: there are exactly A blog post on the net, which discusses exactly this project (Salkantay Trek without guide and without tent)! (From October 2018 and obviously already the standard work.) On the third night of the trek, we were finally seven people, who, mostly independently of each other, had set off on the basis of this article!

The hike itself is beautiful:
On the first day you will hike from Mollepata to Soraypampa (or just a part of it) and in Soraypampa to the Humantay Lagoon (over 4200 meters, also a popular tourist destination from Cusco). With me it was (from Challacancha) a good 13 km on the day, but you also have the arrival of Cusco. The weather was a dream and you had a great view of Tukarway and Salkantay (6271m), between which you would walk the next day to cross the Salkantay Pass.
Unfortunately the weather on day 2 was bad as advertised and the mighty white monsters remained invisible. Instead, only powerful white soup was visible.

The first night I met Andrea (from Bergamo) in the neighborhood. There, in a lousy cold night, we shared the 20-month-old child of the house together (on the guitar). Andreas is funny in many areas similar to me and was therefore just an ideal hiker for the following days!

The 20km on day 2 (800 meters up, 1700m down) over the 4630 meter pass we did in fairly ordinary 7 hours, so we got at 14 o'clock one of the few coveted rooms in Chaullay ... seconds before the big rain came , Of all who came in the hours after us, the day has messed up completely. Groups (one always waits for the slowest) need 10-12 hours (or more) for the day - once again we were glad to be alone.
In the evening, Andrea and I were moved out of our accommodation for dinner, due to our strange vegetarianism, to another neighborhood where we met four other cronies following the same plan / blog.

The third day took us 17km from Chaullay to Lucmabamba, over 800 meters down ... Quasi a walk in comparison to the day before. You just walk nicely along the Rio Santa Teresa and feel the legs of the previous two days.
After all, in Lucmabamba, all of us, without knowing it, ended up with "Sonia and Walter", who already made their big appearance in the blog mentioned above. Rightly so! By far the best quarter (quasi hotel level), fine food, the world's largest guacamole for breakfast. In addition very warm and helpful contact. Who thinks the blog changed the life of Sonia: not at all. Seven guests in one night were her absolute record and Sonia could not get out of the blissful grin.
Since the hiking day was so "short", we left in the late afternoon in the thermal springs "Cocalmayo" drive - what a perfect treat. 90 minutes in 35-40 degrees warm water mean optimized finger skin shrinkage!

On the fourth day we went 11km to Hidroelectrica. You will pass the mountain past the ruins of Llactapata. From the top you have a great view of Machu Picchu ... Even if it was too far away to take decent pictures in the dull weather. The human eye is good for more. The landscape is one way or the other.
In Hidroelectrica our ways parted. Since I was already in Machu Picchu two months ago (which is almost a "dead end"), I am not with me for the last few miles.
We all ate lunch together and drank a Pisco Sour that everyone regretted in their own way. But he was good!

I'm really happy to have done the tour and that's how it is! Thanks to Andrea (and the other fellow travelers) for the pleasant and entertaining company!