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Why the lesser-explored route through Peru’s Sacred Valley asks intrepid travellers to confront their own limitations
Associated with high altitudes, harsh conditions and challenging terrain, Salkantay earns its name, which is derived from the Quechua word for “wild” or “invincible”. A trail skirting its foothills served as a pilgrimage route for Incas travelling to Machu Picchu. But even before the sky-high citadel was constructed, ancient civilisations followed these paths. Marketed as an alternative to the popular Inca Trail, the Salkantay trek promises a quieter, crowd-free journey through Peru’s Sacred Valley, with no permit required. Going several steps further, I’d chosen a route that is almost untraceable on a conventional map. Sebastián Correa, vice president of exploration at family-owned Chilean adventure company Explora, and his team spent months analysing satellite images to create a multiday camping trip traversing Salkantay’s eastern face, offering views that few visitors have seen.
Explora was founded 32 years ago, and its original concept was “to have a base camp with a really nice shower, bed and bar”, says Correa. Nine upmarket lodges across four countries later, the plan is “to take that idea back to the wilderness, connecting with breathtaking landscapes and the rich ancestral stories of these sacred mountains”.
This latest itinerary promises high-altitude adventure on an even smarter scale. New Andean cuisine is served at mealtimes, a massage therapist is available to knead away aches and pains, and the tents, carried by a support team on horseback, house thick mattresses. But greater comforts make the journey no less challenging. Scaling heights of more than 15,000 feet, with temperatures potentially dipping to minus 15 degrees Celsius at night, requires serious preparation. “Most medical papers are for mountaineering, not tourism, so we’ve used our own wisdom,” explained Correa, outlining the rationale behind the itinerary.
