Peru
Soraypampa – Collpapampa
Distance of day 2: 23,8 km. Accommodation of day 2: Mountain Sky View.
Morning hike to the Salkantay Pass
Up at 4:30 AM, we geared up for what’s widely known as the trek’s hardest day. The first seven kilometers are a relentless, uphill battle along a zig-zagging trail playfully named the “Path of the 7 Snakes”. For this first part of the day, you can choose between walking yourself or riding a horse. We opted to hire horses for this stretch, thinking it’d be relaxing. However, our horses had minds of their own and were swaying dangerously close to cliff edges. Lesson learned, next time, we’ll take it on foot! The views along the way were really intense, though, and we couldn’t wait for what the summit would bring. Once we (finally) made it to the top, all the exhaustion and stress melted away. Salkantay Mountain towered above us, a silent, snow-capped giant that felt… humbling.
Afternoon hike to the campsite
After a well-deserved snack and a round of high-fives, we began our descent. It’s all downhill from here, well, literally 😉 Our favorite part? Definitely the wildlife we spotted along the way and the stunning river that accompanied us throughout the journey!
Mountain Sky View Camp
By evening, we’d reached the next camp, a cozy dome with a private bathroom: a luxury out here! Looking back at all the accommodations we stayed at during the trek, this was our favorite. The views, the interior, a hot shower… After hiking over 20K this was all we needed! We celebrated the day’s triumph with snacks and hot tea, followed by a hearty dinner. And since the “toughest day” was behind us, a few of us even cracked open beers. It felt like a little victory celebration!
