The Salkantay Trek is an alternative path to get Machu Picchu and considered by most to be the best alternative route. This magnificent trail is perfect for adventurers who wish to become personally integrated in changing ecosystems from one day to the next. You will walk through sweeping, magical landscapes of a snowy mountain paradise to a tropical jungle where you will find a wide range of animals and medicinal plants and flower varieties. Witness with your own eyes a living, but ancient, culture in remote villages hardly ever seen by foreigners! The Cordillera Vilcabamba is an impressive mountain range extending over 260 km. The snow-capped mountain Salkantay rises to 6271 MASL– 20574 FASL in height and Salkantay is the second highest peak in Cusco. It is an outstanding snowy peak, located less than fifty miles northwest of the city of Cusco.