The Lares Trek 3 Days to Machu Picchu is a fantastic alternative to the classic Inca trail, offering a mix of hiking, cultural immersion, a scenic train ride to Machu Picchu and allows you to spend a night under the stars while camping, trekking off the beaten track going our own way, passing through Quechua communities like Cancha Cancha, offering you a cultural tour focussed on local people and their lifestyle, while passing through amazing scenery.
3 Day Lares Trek to Machu Picchu
Itinerary
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Día 1: Cusco – Valle Sagrado – Huaran – Cancha Cancha
We will start at 5:00 a.m., picking you up directly from your hotel and driving 2 hours to the town of Huaran (2840m) located in the Sacred Valley between Pisac and Urubamba. Before starting your hike, you will meet your horses and horsemen (arrieros), then you will start the trek. 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 a small river for 2 hours to reach our destination – the small village of Cancha Cancha where we’ll spend the night. Cancha Cancha (3,750 m / 12,303 ft) 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 the local children. We provide them with food and school supplies on each Lares trek we do, and we invite our travelers to share in the support of education and health in this native village. You can join us and bring whatever you want to complement the lives of these Quechua-speaking children. Next, your guide will take you to one of the local family houses, where you will learn about the locals’ lifestyle. You can watch them raise their guinea pigs and learn about traditional hand-woven textiles made from llama and alpaca wool. This will be without a doubt one of the best days of your trek. In the evening you will enjoy hot drinks and dinner and an early night to be ready for the next day.
Walking distance: 14 km
Camping elevation: 3800 meters.
Climate: warm / cold
Trail conditions: rocky, dusty, and slippery (trekking shoes required)
Día 2: Cancha Cancha – Quishuarani – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes
Leaving Cancha Cancha we continue northeast through the valley, passing small stone houses with thatched roofs. After 2 hours of gradual ascent, the path flattens out for a bit before steeply climbing for 2 hours to the highest pass called Paso de Pachacutec (4758m). From there, you will be rewarded with magnificent views of Lake Pachacutec and the snowy peaks of Pitusiray. After taking some time to soak up the views, we walk for another 3 hours to the village of Quishuarani (3,870m / 12,694ft) for lunch.
After lunch, we take our private transportation to Ollantaytambo and take the train to Aguas Calientes, where we will check in to our hotel.
Walking distance: 14 km
Maximum altitude point: 4,758 meters
Climate: warm / cold
Trail conditions: rocky, dusty, and slippery (trekking shoes required)
Difficulty: challenge
Día 3: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco
Breakfast will be at 5:00 a.m. in the hotel, and then we will line up to take one of the first buses to Machu Picchu, the bus takes 25 minutes to reach Machu Picchu (which opens its doors at 6:00 a.m.). Be sure to bring your original passport, the same one you used to book your trip because park rangers will ask for it (and you can also get a Machu Picchu stamp in it!). Your guide will help you find the perfect places to get the best photos of Machu Picchu (which will immediately become your Facebook profile photo!) and you can enjoy the sunrise if the weather is good. Then you will have your 2-hour guided tour and some extra time to explore the site on your own. If you have booked Huayanpicchu or Machupicchu Mountain, your guide will show you where to start this trek. Huaynapicchu takes 2 hours and Machupicchu Mountain 3 hours round trip, but if you did not book tickets for these mountains, you can still get to the Sun Gate in 1.5 hours or the Inka Bridge in 45 minutes and enjoy excellent views. Once you’re done exploring, you can return to the buses and head to Aguas Calientes for lunch. After lunch, you will take the train back to Ollantaytambo and we will transfer you back to your hotel in Cusco.
