Lares Trek to Machu Picchu 4 Days

Day 1: Cusco – Huaran – Cancha Cancha

We will begin at 5:00am where we will pick you up directly from your hotel and drive 2 hours to the village of Huaran (2840m) located in the Sacred Valley between Pisac and Urubamba. Before heading off on your trek, you will meet your horses and your horsesman (Arrieros).  Breakfast will be prepared and served before you start hiking and the team will be introduced at that time.  After breakfast you will get ready to begin the trek. The first 4.5 hours will be gradual uphill until lunch. .  After  lunch we will continue  leaving the Sacred Valley behind us, we head northwards following a gently climbing trail that goes along the small River 2 hours walking to our destination, the small village named Cancha Cancha where we spend the night. The village of Cancha Cancha, which is the village that does not have modern technology. Cancha Cancha is a village (3,750 m/ 12,303 ft) where people still practice real traditions of the Incas. In this Incan village, 85 percent of the houses are still composed of original, ancient construction, made of stone, with grass-thatched roofs. Unlike any other village in the Lares Valley, this village where has no electricity or cars. Here, you will not only enjoy the wilderness, but your porters will also set up your tents. You will have some time to meet with the local children. We provide them with food in each Lares trek we do and school supplies, so we invite our travelers to share this support in the education and the health of this native village. You can join us and bring anything you would like to supplement the lives of these Quechuan-speaking children. Following, your guide will take you to one of the local family’s houses, where you will learn about the lifestyle of the locals. You can see how they raise their guinea pigs, and you will learn about the traditional, hand-woven textiles, made of llama and alpaca wool. This is the best day of your hike. In the evening you will enjoy hot drinks and dinner.

Walking distance: 14 km
Trailhead Elevation: 3800 meters
Campsite Elevation: 3800 meters
Weather: warm/Cold
Trail Conditions: Rocky , dusty and slippery (trekking shoes required)

Day 2: Cancha Cancha – Quishuarani

Leaving Cancha Cancha we continue north-east up the valley, passing small thatched stone houses. After 3 hours the path flattens out before climbing steeply for 2 hours up to the highest pass called Pachacutec Pass (4758m). From there you will be rewarded with superb views of Pachacutec Lake and the snowy peaks of Pitusiray. After time to enjoy everything we head down for 2 hours for lunch, then we have siesta. After lunch we will descend for another 1 ½ hours into the beautiful valley. We will pass by several glacial lakes along the way. Also we can see herds of alpacas, llamas and sheep. Tonight we camp at 3,870 m/12,694 ft close to Quishuarani village, which has typical stone houses.

Walking distance: 14 km
Campsite Elevation: 3800 meters
Weather: warm/Cold
Trail Conditions: Rocky , dusty and slippery (trekking shoes required)
Difficulty: challenge

Day 3: Quishuarani – Lares – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes

Our porters will wake you up with a hot drink and you will have some time to pack your bags and enjoy breakfast. Once you are ready, you’ll begin the last leg of your Lares trek. It will be 3 hours of walking downhill, along this lovely path, where you will pass by stunning waterfalls, more llamas and alpacas. We’ll pass by farms where they cultivate potatoes, fava beans, and many other traditional tubers, in the traditional Incan style.
Following, we will catch a van and make the short drive into the valley at the Lares Hot Springs site.Then, you will enjoy the hot springs, which are divided into various pools ranging from freezing cold to boiling. They are all composed of pure volcanic water, which is medicinal in nature and considered to be good for your bones, stress, muscles and headaches. where you will have your last lunch outdoor accompanied by amazing views of the Andes Mountains.

After lunch in Lares we take our private transport to Ollantaytambo from and we catch the train to Aguas Calientes where we will check in at our hotel.

Walking distance: 10 km
hot springs: 3100 meters
Weather: Cold/ warm

Day 4: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco

Wake up time is at 4:30am, breakfast is at 5:00am at hotel and then we will line up to take one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu (they are first come, first serve – like a shuttle). The bus takes 25 minutes to get up the seitchback road to Machu Picchu (which opens its gates at 6:00am. Please make sure you bring your original passport – the same one that you used to book your trip because the rangers will ask for it (you can get a Machu Picchu stamp on your passport if you like as well). Your guide will help you find the perfect spots ot get perfect pictures of Machu Picchu (which will immediately become your Facebook profile photo!). You can enjoy the sunrise, if the weather is good. Then you will have your 2-hour guided tour. You will have 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 begin this hike. Huaynapicchu takes 2 hours nad Machupicchu 3 hours roundtrip, but if you did not book for this mountains you can still clumb to the Sun Gate 1.5 hours or to the Inka Bridge (45 minutes) with great views. Once you are done exploring, you can make your way back to the buses and head down to Aguas Calientes to enjoy some lunch. After lunch you will take the train back to Ollantaytambo and we will transfer you back to your hotel in Cusco.

Important Notes

• Huayna Picchu or machupicchu mountain is $25 per person and needs to be arranged in advance
• If you want to stay an extra night in Aguas Calientes please let us know in advance. We can adjust your train tickets and arrange a hotel if you would like for us to help.
• Rangers do not allow people to carry large backpacks, day packs only are allowed.
• No trekking poles are allowed to be used in Machu Picchu.
• Snacks and water are allowed but they must be inside your backpack (not in outer pockets)