Hey Kathy! Honestly it’s pretty impossible for judge to say when I haven’t done the trek myself. I have heard great things about the lodge-to-lodge trek though and I know it is a popular option for those looking for a slightly more comfortable option than camping. Sounds like you are in very good shape if you are exercising regularly — maybe just amp it up a bit with some small hikes in anticipation of the trip 🙂 Enjoy!

That’s awesome, Michelle! Glad to know it’s a doable proposition for those that want to DIY. I loved the Inca Trail but if I head back someday I may follow in your footsteps! Nice work!

Hey Alex (and everyone else),

Just got back from hiking the Salkantay in Peru, and I can safely say it’s an AMAZING hike. Glaciers, jungle, high dusty mountain passes… We did it without any guides and during rainy season, and didn’t have a problem at all. You see the guided tours each night and there were a couple of other solo backpackers we met at different points. As long as you’re adventurous, I can definitely recommend doing this solo! And the video on this page is definitely great inspiration! 🙂 Machu Picchu looks all the more magical when you’ve been carrying everything and hiking 15,200ft passes to get there! Thanks again Alex for your posts on this and the Inca Trail!

Michelle

Hey Michelle, do you mean you’re considering doing the trek totally solo, without guides or a group? Honestly I’m not sure if that’s possible — it’s DEFINITELY not possible on the Inca Trail (you must trek with a permitted guide), and regardless I wouldn’t recommend going solo on any of them. The guides do give some historical information but more importantly act as local liaisons, make camp, and cook each night. If you are an extremely experienced hiker and are capable of carrying enough food and cooking equipment for several days, I guess the next step would be looking into how the campsites get assigned each night — and asking if it’s a safe route to trek sans guide (many in Latin America aren’t.) Best of luck!

I have a couple questions since my friend and I will be hiking there this January! Obviously the boys were all in great shape and adventurous – would you still recommend getting guides or paying for the trek? We definitely want to do Salkantay and are both pretty rugged and don’t mind carrying our stuff but would also love to get a guide if it adds something in terms of history and all that!

We’re also going the first week of January – do you know if there were many local companies still offering treks that time of year?? I know you mentioned rainy season shutting some of them down, so hopefully we don’t have too much mud and slip-sliding! Ha!

Love the video!

Michelle

I’m so happy to hear that, Sarah! That’s always my goal — to make things seem a little more manageable when you’re travel planning 🙂 You’re going to have such a great time!

Hey Sarah! Are you trying to book online? That is always going to jack the prices way way up. I’d wait and book in person, though the time of year and your group size may also have some influence as well! Best of luck 🙂