7-Day Lares Trek to Machu Picchu
Cusco, Peru
Trip Type: Multi-day Tours
Duration: 7 days
This trek takes you into the Lares region of the Peruvian Andes, passing green valleys, tranquil mountain lakes and high passes with breathtaking views of snow-capped Andean peaks rising up at 6,000 meters. This is a great route to Machu Picchu, taking you through many fascinating small village communities.
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This trek takes you into the Lares region of the Peruvian Andes, passing green valleys, tranquil mountain lakes and high passes with breathtaking views of snow-capped Andean peaks rising up at 6,000 meters. This is a great route to Machu Picchu, taking you through many fascinating small village communities.
Day 1: Arrive to Cusco
After your arrival in Cusco, you'll be picked up at the airport and taken to your hotel. You can opt to take a city tour (additional cost).
Day 2: Open Day at Leisure (B)
After breakfast, you have the rest of the day to spend at your leisure. You can opt to take the Sacred Valley tour (additional cost) and visit Pisac, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo and the Chinchero market. Otherwise, you can explore Cusco on your own.
Day 3: Lares Valley - Patakancha (L) (D)
You'll depart from Cusco early in the morning and travel to the town of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. You will then cross the Sacred Valley after 4 hours of driving. You'll arrive to Patakancha, a Quechua community, where people live very much like their Incan ancestors, in stone and adobe homes with thatch roofs. The locals weave much of their clothing, work the land with foot ploughs and live off their llamas and alpacas as they are used as porters. You'll visit the community and school and then meet your trekking crew, load your kit and start your hike. Lunch and dinner are included on this day.
Day 4: Huacahuasi - Lares Hot Springs (B) (L) (D)
After breakfast, you begin to descend for about three hours until you reach the community of Huacahuasi. Today, the scenery will be different from yesterday filled with fields of potato, barley, quinoa and corn that are abundant here. You'll trek for 3 or 4 hours to the hot springs near the colonial village of Lares at 3,400meters and set up camp here. You can take a refreshing bath at the famous hot springs if you wish.Feeling fully refreshed, you will have a dinner and spend the night.
Day 5: Lares - Ollantaytambo - Aguas Calientes (B) (L)
Early in the morning, the bus will pick you up to the head of a short trail by the Totora canyon for 2 hours. Your transportation will be waiting to take you down the valley to the Incan town of Ollantaytambo, where you will rest and have lunch. In the afternoon, you will catch a train to Aguas Calientes. This is a spectacular journey that starts in the Quechua highlands and slowly descends to lush tropical vegetation as nearing Aguas Calientes. Total journey time by train is about 1.5 hours. You'll spend the night in a hotel in Aguas Calientes and enjoy the opportunity to soak in the hot springs. You will call it an early night to prepare for your Machu Picchu visit the following morning.
Day 6: Machu Picchu (B) (L)
You will have breakfast at your hotel and then your guide will pick you up at 5:40am. You will take the bus up to majestic Machu Picchu to catch the sunrise and begin your walking tour (two hours) with your guide. After this, you can explore the mysterious city on your own. You will then meet your guide in Aguas Calientes (by bus or on foot) to have lunch and to receive your train tickets back to Cusco.
Day 7: Departure from Cusco (B)
You will have breakfast at the hotel and will have the whole day to enjoy Cusco before being transferred to the airport to take your flight back to Lima.
After your arrival in Cusco, you'll be picked up at the airport and taken to your hotel. You can opt to take a city tour (additional cost).
Day 2: Open Day at Leisure (B)
After breakfast, you have the rest of the day to spend at your leisure. You can opt to take the Sacred Valley tour (additional cost) and visit Pisac, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo and the Chinchero market. Otherwise, you can explore Cusco on your own.
Day 3: Lares Valley - Patakancha (L) (D)
You'll depart from Cusco early in the morning and travel to the town of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. You will then cross the Sacred Valley after 4 hours of driving. You'll arrive to Patakancha, a Quechua community, where people live very much like their Incan ancestors, in stone and adobe homes with thatch roofs. The locals weave much of their clothing, work the land with foot ploughs and live off their llamas and alpacas as they are used as porters. You'll visit the community and school and then meet your trekking crew, load your kit and start your hike. Lunch and dinner are included on this day.
Day 4: Huacahuasi - Lares Hot Springs (B) (L) (D)
After breakfast, you begin to descend for about three hours until you reach the community of Huacahuasi. Today, the scenery will be different from yesterday filled with fields of potato, barley, quinoa and corn that are abundant here. You'll trek for 3 or 4 hours to the hot springs near the colonial village of Lares at 3,400meters and set up camp here. You can take a refreshing bath at the famous hot springs if you wish.Feeling fully refreshed, you will have a dinner and spend the night.
Day 5: Lares - Ollantaytambo - Aguas Calientes (B) (L)
Early in the morning, the bus will pick you up to the head of a short trail by the Totora canyon for 2 hours. Your transportation will be waiting to take you down the valley to the Incan town of Ollantaytambo, where you will rest and have lunch. In the afternoon, you will catch a train to Aguas Calientes. This is a spectacular journey that starts in the Quechua highlands and slowly descends to lush tropical vegetation as nearing Aguas Calientes. Total journey time by train is about 1.5 hours. You'll spend the night in a hotel in Aguas Calientes and enjoy the opportunity to soak in the hot springs. You will call it an early night to prepare for your Machu Picchu visit the following morning.
Day 6: Machu Picchu (B) (L)
You will have breakfast at your hotel and then your guide will pick you up at 5:40am. You will take the bus up to majestic Machu Picchu to catch the sunrise and begin your walking tour (two hours) with your guide. After this, you can explore the mysterious city on your own. You will then meet your guide in Aguas Calientes (by bus or on foot) to have lunch and to receive your train tickets back to Cusco.
Day 7: Departure from Cusco (B)
You will have breakfast at the hotel and will have the whole day to enjoy Cusco before being transferred to the airport to take your flight back to Lima.
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