Lares Trek to Machu Picchu – Trek Lares

We will leave Cusco at around 6:00 a.m. for the drive in our private vehicle through the Sacred Valley of the Incas, as far as the village of Ollantaytambo, where we will stop to eat. There will be time to explore this fascinating village, with its original Inca street plan. From Ollantaytambo we will continue for about another hour as far as Palca, where we will begin our hike, enjoying fine panoramic views of surrounding mountains, lakes and plains grazed by llamas and alpacas.

After about three hours, at the small village of Chaullacocha (4121 meters / 13,520 feet) we will stop to rest and eat a good lunch consisting of traditional Peruvian food. We will also take the time to visit the local village school and to observe how local people produce traditional Andean handcrafts and weavings. We will camp close to the village, and get a good night’s rest in preparation for our next day’s hiking.

We will begin our trek today at around 7:00 a.m. After hiking for about 2 hours, we will reach Huacahuasi Pass, from where it is possible to observe Andean birdlife, such as Andean geese, known in Quechua as “huallatas”. Beyond the high pass we will pass through the tiny village of Huacahuasi, where indigenous people’s lives have remained largely unchanged for generations. From the village, our trail will take us down for around 5 hours to the hot springs in Lares, where in addition to enjoying the soothing waters it is possible to get a massage from a professional masseuse. We will spend the night close to the hot springs.

Leaving at around 8:00 a.m., we will travel for 3 hours in our private vehicle to Ollantaytambo, where we will visit the impressive local archaeological site. This fortified temple complex is the most impressive archaeological site in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. After lunch, we will take the train to Aguas Calientes, which is also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo. We will spend the night in Aguas Calientes, in a comfortable local hostel with private bathrooms and breakfast included. In the evening we will get together for a dinner to celebrate our arrival and look back at the experiences we shared during the trek.

Today we will finally visit the magnificent ruins of Machu Picchu (2453 meters / 8045 feet). Our plan is to leave the hotel at around 5:30 am for the fifteen minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu, so we can be among the first visitors to reach the ruins, but we can set off a little later on if you are too tired. Your guide will allow some flexibility in this regard, after discussion with the group the night before. We will spend the day visiting what has been hailed as one of the Seven New Wonders of the World.

Machu Picchu is situated on a forested mountain peak amid spectacular scenery. During a guided tour of the site the guide will talk about historical and cultural aspects of this lost city. Our visit to Machu Picchu will begin shortly after sunrise, and in the afternoon we will take the train to Ollantaytambo, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, from where we will head back to Cusco by road in our private vehicle.