If you want to see Peru as it look 500 years ago, this off the beaten path trek is for you. This less frequented Lares trek to Machu Picchu winds through remote villages where the locals still dress in traditional garb.
This trek is considered moderate difficulty with two passes over 4000m. For this reason we recommend you acclimate to the altitude prior to the trek. On this journey we will pass traditional stone houses with thatched roofs. You will see fields of llamas and alpacas and even see guinea pigs running around.
In these communities we will be able to observe local customs and husbandry methods unchanged since Inca times. During ´this 4-day experience well see archaeological and cultural wonders, Machu Picchu and the spectacular Lares Valley with its cascading waterfalls, clear streams and abundance of plant and wildlife.
We will pick you up from your hotel at 5:00 am to start our expeditions to the best Trek to Lares, then we will drive for 1 hour to the city of calca during the trip we will stop at the taray viewpoint, from see the highest mountains of the sacred valley, this day we will have our breakfast in the middle of the road, in the ruins of Ancashmarca wich in Inca times was a bigger place for the deposit of food, clothing, weapons, metals, etc. We continue with the trip to Lares for 1 more hours, there we meet our muleteers and horses, who will tae the whole team for three days.
Then we descend to the thermos medicinal baths of Lares, there you can enjoy for 2 hours since afterwards we will make our trek to the community of Quiswarani, about an hour; there we will have our fresh and delicious lunch prepared by our chef, after a good nap, we explored the community very famous for its weavers who still maintain the textile traditions of the incas. In the afternoon we make our walk of the last section that will last 2 hours, through the beautiful landscape of the Andes, we will arrive to our camp that is next to the Yanacocha lagoon, at 4:00 pm.
Walking Distance : 14 km/8 miles
Elevation Gain : 830 meters / 2,723 ft
Camp Elevation : 3,750 meters / 12,303 ft
Weather : Cold.
After a delicious breakfast, we will start our trek to about 4 hours to reach the highest point of our trek, during the journey we will meet the villagers who also take care of theirs llamas, Alpacas, others go to their agricultural tasks, of native potato crops.
Today we are going learn in situ about the agricultural technologies of the incas, from sowing to harvesting, taking into account that Peru is one of the countries with the largest amount of potatoes, also exotic tubers such as Añu, Oca, Smooth At noon we will reach the highest place in our trek, the Pachacuteq Pass (4700 meters), once there, we will enjoy incredible views of the snow-capped peaks of the Sawasiray, Pitusiray, San Juan, Veronica, glacial lakes, after a time to enjoy the 360-degree angle view, the descent begins towards the lunch spot, just about 1 hour downhill and will be located in the glacial lake, with stunning views of the Sacred Valley.
After a shot nap we start a downhill hike for 2 more hours to our camp located by the community of Canchacancha (3700 meters), in the way down we use a part of the Inca trails paved, around the lakes large number of Andean birds like Puna Ibis, Andean Goose, perhaps a Condor flying near of the mountain cliffs. Today we end at 5:00 pm.
After a very nutritious breakfast we will go to the valley of Huaran, which is surrounded by high Andean forests, with native tree species such as Chachacomo, Queuña, Kiswar, etc. The descent is very pleasant since we will enter the valley floor, this place was very respected by the Incas, for its climate and abundance of water. At 9:00 am we will arrive at the town of Huaran, where we will sleep. The train trip is a beautiful experience because of the contrast and beauty of the landscapes on the Vilcanota river side.
This day will be the visit of the citadel of Machupicchu. You will have to get up at 4:45 am, after having your breakfast at the hotel, you will have to make the line at the bus station to Machupicchu, the first bus leaves at 5:30 am, after 30 minutes you will arrive at the entrance tickets with your original passport. For that we make the reservation of the tickets in the first shift from 6:00 am to 8:00 am. With the guide we go through the most important points of Machupicchu, and then you will have an extra time to stay a little longer.
Remember that since January 2019, tickets to visit Machupicchu are valid only for one use. At midday you should go down again to the town of Aguas Callientes, where you can have lunch, and then take the train back to Ollantaytmbo, the schedules of return are as follows: (2:55 pm and 6:20pm), you can indicate at the time of your reservation for us to organize in advance. Remember that the total time with train plus bus to Cusco is 4 hours. After two hours by train you will be picked up by our transfer, who will bring you to the city of Cusco, the final point is the Plaza de Cusco.
