Guide · two routes, one citadel

Inca Trail vs Salkantay Trek

TL;DR: Book the Inca Trail if you want to walk into Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate on original Inca stone and can get a permit five to six months ahead. Book Salkantay if the permits are gone, it is February, or you want higher mountains: it needs no permit, crosses a pass above 4 600 m and reaches the citadel by bus.

Check dates on the Salkantay trek

sells to one traveller · non-refundable

Glamping domes on the Salkantay route — Salkantay: glamping domes below the pass

4 600 mSalkantay pass, against 4 215 m on the Inca Trail

No permit on Salkantay; 500 a day on the classic Inca TrailSun Gate only on the Inca Trail; Salkantay ends by bus4–5 days on Salkantay, 4 on the classic trail

Every trek with its price, filtered

Side by side

Inca Trail vs Salkantay Trek, Side by Side

	Classic Inca Trail	Salkantay
Permit	500 a day, 5–6 months ahead	none
Inca Trail walked	42–46 km	0 km
Highest point	4 215 m	4 600 m+
Nights	3 in tents	camps, domes or huts, then a hotel
Through the Sun Gate	yes	no · bus to the citadel
From, per person	$750	$343
Most reviews on one trek	594	44
Open in February	no	yes

The routes share only the destination. The Inca Trail is a stone road built for the citadel, with ruins every few hours and the arrival through Inti Punku. Salkantay is a mountain trek: a long climb under a glacier, Humantay Lake on many itineraries, then cloud forest and coffee country down to the valley, and the last stretch to Machu Picchu by bus.

Check dates · $564sells to one traveller · non-refundable

Who should pick which

Salkantay vs Inca Trail: Who Should Pick Which

Pick the Inca Trail: You can book five to six months ahead; you want the ruins and the Sun Gate; you are fine with 500 people a day on the same path in the dry season.
Pick Salkantay: Your dates have no permits, or it is February; you want higher, emptier mountains; you do not mind arriving at the citadel by bus.
Pick the short trail: You want the Sun Gate but have two days, or the classic quota is gone and the Km 104 quota is not.

Salkantay is harder in altitude and usually longer; the Inca Trail is harder to book. On price the two overlap: the cheapest Salkantay trek is $343, the most-reviewed with a full price and the panoramic train is Cusco: 4-Day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, Panoramic Train at $564, and the classic Inca Trail starts at $750.

“do not underestimate the trek. The terrain is challenging and the pace is brisk.”Momin · 5 Jul 2026 · review of the Salkantay trek with the panoramic train

Check dates · Inca Trail Salkantay treks Short trail

Day by day

Salkantay Trek vs Inca Trail, Day by Day

Day	Classic Inca Trail	Salkantay (4 days)
1	Km 82 along the Urubamba to the first camp	Mollepata or Soraypampa, Humantay Lake on many itineraries
2	Warmiwañusca, 4 215 m, the hardest day	the Salkantay pass above 4 600 m, the hardest day
3	ruins and cloud forest to Wiñay Wayna	down through cloud forest and coffee country
4	Sun Gate at sunrise, guided citadel, train	Aguas Calientes, bus to the citadel, train

The Inca Trail is ruins all the way; Salkantay is landscape all the way. On the Inca Trail the hardest day is the second; on Salkantay it is also the second, but higher and longer. Both end with the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo.

Five daysThe five-day Salkantay treks add a night and often Llactapata, an Inca site facing Machu Picchu across the valley.

Check dates · Salkantay How hard is the Inca Trail

Timing and booking

Inca Trail or Salkantay: When You Can Book

The biggest practical difference is the calendar. The classic Inca Trail sells out in the order of the October release: June and July within days, May, August and September within weeks. Salkantay has no quota; the operator's availability and the Machu Picchu entrance are the only limits, and a few weeks ahead is usually enough.

February

The Inca Trail is closed all month. Salkantay stays open and is the most common choice for February travellers who want to walk.

Check Inca Trail dates first Permits guide

Effort

Which Is Harder, Salkantay or the Inca Trail

Salkantay goes higher: the pass is about 4 600 m, against 4 215 m at Warmiwañusca on the Inca Trail. Reviews of the Salkantay trek we checked warn that the terrain is challenging and the pace brisk. The Inca Trail is shorter in height but its stone steps are steep, and day two climbs about 1 200 m.

Harder on the lungs: Salkantay, because of the pass.
Harder on the knees: The Inca Trail, because of the steps down after each pass.
Easier nights: Salkantay listings with domes, huts and a hotel; every classic Inca Trail trek camps.

Check dates · Salkantay How hard the Inca Trail is

Money

Salkantay vs Inca Trail Cost

	Inca Trail, 4 days	Salkantay, 4–5 days
From, per person	$750	$343
Most-reviewed	our pick · $798	Salkantay with Vistadome · $564
Permit	included, sold by name	none needed
Book ahead	5–6 months	weeks

From-prices without deposit listings, 28 Sep 2026.

Salkantay is cheaper mainly because it needs no permit; the Inca Trail price pays for the permit, porters and the Sun Gate.

Check dates · $564sells to one traveller · non-refundable

Read before you book

The Treks We Would Compare First

Salkantay and the classic trail, plus two Inca Jungle treks if neither suits, all reviewed with the checkout of 26 and 29 September:

Cusco: 4-Day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, Panoramic Train: Read the review — the Salkantay Pass, glamping, a hut and a hotel, Vistadome back, $564.
Machu Picchu: 4-Day Inca Trail Hike & Panoramic Train: Read the review — our pick: sells to one at the listing price, 7 kg porter, toilet tent, Vistadome back.
Cusco: 4-Day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu with Accommodation: Read the review — the Inca Jungle, not the Inca Trail: 862 reviews, bike and hot springs, from $470.
From Cusco: 4-Day Inca Jungle Adventure to Machu Picchu: Read the review — bike, raft and zipline in groups of ten; $560 each for two, $1,040 alone.

Check dates · $564 All alternatives

Read on

Next Questions People Ask

Inca Trail to Machu PicchuStop by stop, with the elevation profile

How Hard Is the Inca TrailBy format, in numbers

Inca Trail Permits500 a day, the October release

What a Trek CostsEvery format, deposits explained

Choosing

Inca Trail vs Salkantay FAQ

Is Salkantay harder than the Inca Trail?

In altitude, yes: the Salkantay pass is above 4 600 m against 4 215 m at Warmiwañusca, and the days are often longer. Reviewers of the most-booked Salkantay trek call the terrain challenging and the pace brisk.

Does Salkantay need a permit?

No Inca Trail permit. You still need a Machu Picchu entrance, which the listings include, booked with your passport details.

Do you see the Sun Gate on Salkantay?

No. Salkantay reaches Aguas Calientes by another valley and the citadel by bus. Only the Inca Trail, classic or short, ends at Inti Punku.

Which is cheaper?

Salkantay, at the bottom of the range: from $343 against $750 on the classic Inca Trail. At the top the two overlap.

Can I do Salkantay in February?

Yes. Salkantay, Inca Jungle and Lares stay open while the Inca Trail closes for all of February.

Which has better views?

Salkantay for mountains and glaciers; the Inca Trail for ruins and the arrival at the citadel. Many people who could not get a permit and walked Salkantay were glad they did.

How many days is Salkantay?

Four or five on GetYourGuide. The five-day versions add a night and often the Llactapata ruins with a view of Machu Picchu from across the valley.

Which is better for a first trek at altitude?

The Inca Trail, or its short version. Salkantay goes higher and for longer, and its pass is more exposed to weather. If you are unsure about altitude, the two-day Inca Trail has no pass at all.

Can I combine Salkantay with the Inca Trail?

Not on GetYourGuide in one product. Some travellers walk Salkantay and later the short Inca Trail on a separate booking; the short trail needs its own permit.

Is Salkantay busy?

Less than the Inca Trail in the dry season, because nobody rations it but nobody needs to: the route is long and remote. Humantay Lake on the first day is the busiest stop.

Is the Inca Trail worth it over Salkantay?

If the Sun Gate and the ruins on the way are why you are going, yes. If you want mountains and your dates have no permits, Salkantay is the better trek, not a lesser one.

Where do you sleep on Salkantay?

It depends on the listing: camps, glamping domes, Andean huts, and a hotel or hostel in Aguas Calientes on the last night.

Check dates · Salkantay All alternatives

Salkantay with the panoramic train

Cusco: 4-Day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, Panoramic Train

Check dates

sells to one traveller · non-refundable

Updated 29 Sep 2026 · listing prices as of 28 Sep 2026, checkout prices checked on GetYourGuide 26–29 Sep 2026.