Day 6: Trek to Huaran

TREK OVERVIEW

After breakfast, trekkers will start their four hour trek downhill. They’ll pass farms that grow potatoes, fava beans, and many other traditional crop by hand in the traditional Incan way. Trekkers will continue descending into the Sacred Valley where they’ll feel the climate change and see crops that are different from those in the high mountains. Around the Sacred Valley people farm corn, quinoa, kiwi, peaches, avocados and other types of fruits. They’ll end their hike in Huaran village. From Huaran, they’ll catch a van into the valley to visit the Salineras salt pans in the town of Maras. At 11,000 feet above sea level, a salt water spring gushes forth and spills down the side of the mountain. Over 3,000 small evaporation chambers have been created and look as if they are tumbling down the mountainside. These have been in use since before incan times. Local families each own one of these pans and make their living supplying salt to the towns around the area. After visiting Salineras, trekkers will continue in the van for 45 minutes to the ruins of Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo which still has many incan water channels, houses and walls. After a tour, trekkers will have dinner and then catch the 7:00 PM train to Agues Calientes, the town just below Machu Picchu, where they’ll end their trek. 

TREK STATS

Starting elevation 12,305 feet

Ending elevation 8,858

Elevation lost 3,447 feet

Distance hiked 8.7 miles

Average hiking time 6.2 hours