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Trail&Pass
The turquoise Humantay Lake below the Humantay glaciers

Salkantay Trek · Preparation

Salkantay trek packing list: what goes in the duffel and what you carry yourself

On the Salkantay you only carry a day pack. Everything else goes in a duffel carried by horses – with a limit of 5, 6 or 10 kg depending on the product. Sleeping bag and poles are rental gear with three of the four offers. The list is sorted into bring, provided and rent.

Editorially checked on 23 September 2026Prices as of 23 September 2026Photo: Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0
In short
  • Duffel limitClassic 5 kg · Short 5 kg · Premium 10 kg · Machu Picchu Expeditions 6 kg (each including the duffel itself)
  • Sleeping bag, polesClassic: excluded, rent · Short: unclear · Premium: included · Machu Picchu Exp.: excluded, rent
  • Providedduffel, rain poncho/pack cover (Classic, Premium), mat and pillow (Machu Picchu Exp.), towel (Premium)
  • Waterdrinking water on the trail: Salkantay Trekking included · Machu Picchu Exp.: bottles excluded, boiled water included
  • Big luggagestays in Cusco: hotel or operator office (Machu Picchu Exp. “free storage”, Salkantay Trekking briefing at the office)
  • Passportbring the original: the Machu Picchu ticket is checked against your passport at the gate

What is provided, what you rent

  • Salkantay Trekking, Classic: duffel up to 5 kg, pack cover; sleeping bag and poles explicitly excluded (rent from the operator, guide figure USD 20–25 for both).
  • Salkantay Trekking, Short: duffel up to 5 kg; sleeping bag and poles neither listed nor excluded – clarify at the briefing, budget a rental fee to be safe.
  • Salkantay Trekking, Premium: duffel up to 10 kg, sleeping bag, poles, rain poncho, pack cover, towel included.
  • Machu Picchu Expeditions: duffel up to 6 kg, mat and pillow; sleeping bag and poles excluded (rent).

Ask about the rental bag's comfort rating: at Sky Camp the temperature drops below freezing at night. Your own silk or cotton liner is light, hygienic and fits any limit.

In the duffel (5, 6 or 10 kg)

The duffel is packed in the morning and handed back at camp in the evening; you cannot get at it during the day. Five kilograms is little: rental sleeping bag (1.5–2 kg depending on model, if not transported separately – ask at the briefing), warm sleepwear, fleece or down jacket, two changes of clothes, socks for every day, toiletries in travel sizes, travel towel, swimwear (Cocalmayo hot springs, hotel in Aguas Calientes), flip-flops for camp, clean clothes for the Machu Picchu day.

Weigh it at home, not at the briefing. Excess stays in Cusco or moves into your day pack.

In the day pack (which you carry yourself)

Water (1.5–2 litres of capacity; refills at the camps), rain jacket, fleece for the pass, hat and gloves for the morning of day two, sun hat, sunglasses, sunscreen (strong at 4,000 m), lip balm, insect repellent from day 3, snacks (the camps provide some, your own for the trail), small first-aid kit with blister plasters and painkillers, toilet paper and a bag for rubbish, power bank (electricity only partly at the camps: Machu Picchu Expeditions lists “free electricity in all camps”, Salkantay Trekking does not), head torch, cash in soles for the return bus, train, horse, drinks, tips, original passport.

Poles: rented or your own – folding ones fit in checked luggage. On the descent from the pass they are worth more than on the ascent.

Clothing: highlands and jungle in one week

Days 1 and 2 are high mountains: frost in the morning, sun at noon, wind at the pass. Days 3 and 4 are cloud forest: 25 °C, humid, mosquitoes. The answer is layers: base layer, a long-sleeved shirt, fleece, wind- and waterproof jacket, zip-off hiking trousers or one long and one short pair. Footwear: broken-in boots over the ankle for the descent from the pass; light shoes for camp, Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu. What you do not need on the first two days stays in the duffel; from day 3 the fleece goes in and the repellent comes out.

Questions about luggage

Does the rental sleeping bag count towards the duffel limit?

The product data do not say. With Premium the bag is included and the duffel more generous at 10 kg; with Classic and Machu Picchu Expeditions ask at the briefing whether the rental bag is transported separately.

Are there showers?

Machu Picchu Expeditions excludes “hot shower” (so there are showers, but not hot); Salkantay Trekking does not mention showers at the camps. Certain is the shower at the hotel in Aguas Calientes on the fourth evening. The Cocalmayo hot springs on day three are included with Premium, otherwise optional.

Where do I leave my suitcase?

In Cusco – at the hotel where you acclimatised for two nights, or at the operator's office (Machu Picchu Expeditions: “free storage service”). After the trek you return to Cusco in the evening.

Sources and check status

Show 4 sources
  1. www.viator.com/tours/Cusco/Classic-5-Day-Salkantay-Trek-to-Machu-Picch – Salkantay Trekking, classic: duffel 5 kg, pack cover, sleeping bag and poles excluded (Viator Partner API) (accessed 22 September 2026)
  2. www.viator.com/tours/Cusco/5-Day-Salkantay-Trek-Glamping-and-Machu-Pic – Salkantay Trekking, premium: duffel 10 kg, sleeping bag, poles, poncho, towel included (Viator Partner API) (accessed 22 September 2026)
  3. www.viator.com/tours/Cusco/4-Day-Short-Salkantay-Trek-to-Machu-Picchu- – Salkantay Trekking, short: 5 kg porterage; sleeping bag/poles not mentioned (Viator Partner API) (accessed 22 September 2026)
  4. www.viator.com/tours/Cusco/5-Day-Salkantay-Trek-to-Machu-Picchu-Classi – Machu Picchu Expeditions: duffel 6 kg, mat and pillow, electricity at camps, sleeping bag/poles/water/hot shower excluded (Viator Partner API) (accessed 22 September 2026)