Inca Trail vs Salkantay Trek: which one should you choose?
Permits, altitude, scenery, difficulty and price compared by the guides who walk both routes every week.
Both routes end at Machu Picchu, both are ranked among the great treks of South America, and both are operated by our team every week. The right choice depends on three things: when you are travelling, how early you can book and what kind of landscape you want.
Permits and booking time
The Classic Inca Trail is limited to a fixed number of daily permits that include porters and guides, so spaces for May–September usually sell out four to six months ahead. The trail closes every February. The Salkantay trek needs no trekking permit and can be booked a few days in advance all year round.
Altitude and difficulty
- Inca Trail: highest point Dead Woman's Pass, 4,215 m. Thousands of stone steps; the second day is the hardest.
- Salkantay: highest point around 4,650 m beneath the Salkantay glacier. Colder nights and a longer climb, but softer earth paths.
For both, spend at least two nights in Cusco before starting.
Scenery and experience
The Inca Trail is a journey through history: a chain of Inca sites, cloud forest and the arrival through the Sun Gate. Salkantay is about raw mountain scenery: glaciers, the turquoise Humantay Lake and a dramatic descent into the jungle.
Our recommendation
If you can book early and want the most iconic arrival at Machu Picchu, choose the Inca Trail. If you are booking late, want high-mountain landscapes or travel in February, choose Salkantay. Can't decide? The Salkantay + Inca Trail 7-day expedition combines both.
