Peru on foot: the Sacred Valley on horseback, the Salkantay trail to Machu Picchu and a night on Lake Titicaca

Getting there

Through Lima to Cusco, then a driver takes you straight down to the Sacred Valley, about an hour and a half, so the first nights are at about 2,870 metres instead of Cusco's 3,400.

• Take the first day slowly: coca tea, plenty of water, a light dinner and no alcohol
• Travel insurance that covers helicopter evacuation is a must for the trek

The ride

Salineras Ranch, Pichingoto: a family-run working ranch below the salt pans, with five hours in the saddle up past the Maras salt mines, across the plateau to the village of Maras and on to Moray.

• Rides for every level: they introduce you to the horses first and match each rider to one
• Our friends' pick, and a gentle way to spend a day at altitude
• Book a few weeks ahead for June

On the way

Moray: the Inca terraces laid out in great rings in a natural hollow, thought to have been an agricultural test ground.

Lunch

Lunch at the ranch: Peruvian home cooking made with vegetables from the ranch's own terraces, in a dining room looking out at the horses and the mountains.

• Only twelve servings a day: book it with the ride
• Most dishes can be made vegetarian or vegan

The trek

The Salkantay trek with Alpaca Expeditions: five days and four nights from the glacier to Machu Picchu, with guides, a cook and pack animals, and the most unusual nights on any trail in Peru.

• Night 1 in glass cabins at Soraypampa, about 3,800 metres; night 2 in glass domes at Wayracmachay; night 3 in the "hobbit houses" of Loreta in the cloud forest, with hot showers; night 4 in a hotel in Aguas Calientes
• About US$695 each; the four of you can go as a private group

Day 1

Humantay Lagoon: a turquoise lake under the ice of Nevado Humantay, an hour and a half's climb above camp in the afternoon.

• The colour comes from the fine rock dust the glacier grinds into the water

Day 2

The Salkantay pass, 4,630 metres: the hardest day, up a zigzag path below the Salkantay glacier, then down to the domes, where the dry-season sky is full of stars.

• Breakfast at 05:30: the pass is easier in the cold morning
• Days 3 and 4 drop into the cloud forest, past a coffee farm, and along an old Inca path to Llactapata, with a first view of Machu Picchu across the valley

Day 5

Machu Picchu, at opening time, after four days of walking to it. Then the train down the valley to Ollantaytambo and the road back to Cusco.

• Choose a route on the upper or lower terrace for the classic view over the citadel
• Bring the passport you used to buy the ticket: copies are refused, and there is no re-entry