Introduction

On the 16th of January 2017, I boarded a flight to Cusco, Peru with three other college friends. Each of us had a backpack and around $400 . Two of us had intermediate Spanish language skills. One of us had done basic planning for the trip. None of us had been to South America. Our goal was to hike the Salkantay to Machu Picchu for under $1000. On the 30th of January 2017 after an incredibly eventful two weeks, we boarded a flight back to the United States - tired, tan, and $900 poorer.

This blog was created with the intention of condensing our personal experiences into essential tips for Cusco tourists considering hiking the Salkantay Trail or visiting Machu Piccu. It is not meant to be comprehensive, but it should cover everything necessary for an enjoyable and complete trip, if there is anything I missed please let me know in the comments!

*Disclaimer* Our Salkantay Hike was completed without guides and therefore this blog does not include experiences that may have been available on a guided tour

Table of Contents

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- Cusco

 - Arrival and Cusco Airport

 - Exchanging Money and Finding a Hostel

 - Restaurants and Food in Cusco

 - The Market 

 - Things To Do in Cusco

 - Drugs, Police, and Night Life

 - Getting to Machu Picchu

- The Salkantay

 - Salkantay Overview

 - Mollepata to Soraypampa: Salkantay Day One 

 - Soraypampa to the Salkantay Pass and beyond

 - Chaullay to Lucmabamba (and Carlos' place)

 - Mountain Pass to HidroElectrica (ir de la montana)

 - HidroElectrica and the Railroad Tracks

 - Aguas Calientes 

 - Machu Picchu

 - Returning to Cusco

- Extra Stuff
 - What to Pack

 - Useful Spanish Phrases

 - Miscellaneous Information
 - Other Resources

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