4-Day Lares Trek with Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

We will start at 6:00 a.m., where we will pick you up directly from your hotel and drive 2 hours to the town of Huaran (Punta Carretera 3250 m) located in the Sacred Valley between Pisac and Urubamba. Before starting your walk, you will meet your horses and horsemen (arrieros). After you get ready, we’ll start the hike through the beautiful Huaran valley toward the lares andes. The first 4.5 hours will be gradually uphill until lunch. After lunch, we will continue leaving the Sacred Valley behind us, heading north following a path that climbs gently alongside the small river for 2 hours to reach our destination (Accopata 4,125 m) in the small village called Cancha Cancha where we spend the night. Cancha Cancha doesn’t have modern technology and people still practice real Inca traditions. In this Inca town, 85 percent of the houses are still made up of original, old buildings, made of stone, with thatched roofs. Unlike any other town in the Lares Valley, this town has no electricity or cars. Your porters will set up your tents while you have time to meet with locals.

In the evening you will enjoy hot drinks and dinner and an early night to be ready for the next day. If conditions allow, enjoy an unforgettable stargazing experience beneath the crystal-clear Andean sky and the brilliance of the Milky Way.

As part of our True Impact Experience, your guide will take you to a local family home, where you’ll connect with the living culture of the Andes.

Learn how families raise guinea pigs, discover the traditions behind handwoven textiles made from llama and alpaca wool, and enjoy a genuine cultural exchange.

Through our True Impact Project, we support educational initiatives for local children. Read more.

This is not a performance—it’s a real connection that creates a positive impact.

Without a doubt, one of the most meaningful highlights of your journey.

Leaving Accopata, we continue northeast through the valley, passing traditional stone houses with thatched roofs. After approximately one hour of gradual ascent, the trail levels out briefly before a steep three-hour climb to the highest point, Paso de Pachacutec (4,685 m).

From here, you will be rewarded with magnificent views of Lake Pachacutec and the snow-capped peaks of Pitusiray. After taking time to soak in the scenery, we descend for approximately three hours to the village of Quishuarani (3,870 m), passing beautiful lakes, waterfalls, and herds of llamas and alpacas along the way.

After lunch, we transfer by private transportation to Ollantaytambo, where we will check in to our hotel.

You will be picked up from the hotel at 5:30 a.m. and we will go to the train station to leave on the 6:10 a.m. train from Ollantaytambo. The train follows the Urubamba River until we reach Km 104, where we’ll begin our trek. Once you have everything you need, we’ll take a group photo before visiting our first Inca site. After the orientation and visit of the Inka site, we will begin hiking upwards, as we head for the Day 4 section of the Classic Inka Trail. If the weather is clear, we’ll have tremendous views of Machu Picchu mountain, the Urubamba River and other surrounding Incan Sites.

After hiking for 3-hours, we will reach the gorgeous Inka ruins on the Inca Trail, Wiñay Huayna (Forever Young) at 8,500 ft (2600m). Most people do not get the opportunity to see the elaborate water fountain, temples and agricultural terraces, which provide a perfect opportunity to learn about the history of the Incas. The site is bordered by steep drops, allowing you to see the stunning mountains surrounding the area. From Wiñay Huayna, we’ll walk to the Sun Gate, from where we’ll see the picturesque landscape of Machu Picchu. After taking in the once-in-a-lifetime views, we will begin our descent to Machu Picchu itself.

A big advantage of this hike is that by the time we reach Machu Picchu, most of the day travelers will have returned home, so you will have the area to yourself. After taking photos in Machu Picchu circuit 1, we take the bus down to Aguas Calientes and head to your hotel. After dinner (not included), we recommend going to bed early to make the most of the next day.

We will wake up early in the morning in order to catch the sunrise at Machu Picchu (weather permitting). You will have a two-hour guided tour by your private English-speaking guide. After that, you will have time to explore Machu Picchu by your own. Those who have tickets to Huayna Picchu will have time to climb the mountain, which takes approximately an hour and a half, round-trip. When you are done exploring, you can either take a bus, or walk, down to Aguas Calientes for lunch (not included). Following this, you will take the train back to Ollantaytambo, and then transfer to Cusco, where you will be brought back to your hotel.