Valle Lares Trek to Machu Picchu – Trek Lares
Experience the best of the off-road adventure on the four days Lares Trek to Machu Picchu with our English speaking local tour guide.
Valle Lares Trek to Machu Picchu is not as popular as the Salkantay Trek or Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. However, the experience that it offers is quite authentic.
This high altitude trek takes you through many highland Andean lagoons and remote Andean communities. People here continue to maintain their age-old traditions and customs. You will get to see many highland Andean farms and villages.
On this four day hike, you will get a detailed insight to the Peruvian traditions and culture and history before you visit Lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu.
The highest point of the Lares Trek to Machu Picchu is at 4600 metres above sea level. It is important that you spend at least 4 days in Cusco before the trek to avoid altitude sickness.
We offer Lares Trek to Machu Picchu both as a group tour and as a private trek.
Why Peruvian Highland Trek?
Peruvian Highland Trek is a fully locally owned tour operating company based in Cusco. We are licensed Lares Trek operators. All our tour guides are locals. They have extensive knowledge about trekking and local culture.
Please take a moment to check out our reviews on Tripadvisor.
Lares Trek to Machu Picchu 4days/3nights
- Program:4d/3n
- Group: 2 – 4 -6 Persons
- Category: Easy and Moderate Trek
- Season: January to December
- Frequency: Frequently
- Transportation: By Bus and train
- Accommodation: 2 nights of camping tents, 1 night tourist hostel in Aguas CalienteS
- Highlights: Landscape, Snow Mountains, 3 days trekking, and tropical jungle
We will be picking you up at 0500 AM from your hotel in Cusco. Then in our private transport, we will be driving you through the Sacred Valley of Incas to the starting point of the trek. On our way, we will pass by archaeological remains, Andean markets, cultivated Inca terraces and various small villages. Eventually we will arrive at the high mountain pass, at Huacawasi (4450m). From that point it is all downhill to the beautiful Lares Valley (3250m). Here we will have time to enjoy the natural hot springs. That is also where we will have our Lunch for the day and meet the rest of our trek team- the team cook and the Llameros (Llama handlers), and the horses that will carry all the food, our backpacks, and the camping gear. We will start the hike with a three hour uphill trek to Wacawasi, where we will set up our campsite. That afternoon we will have a good chance to meet some of the locals and see some of their typical artisan weaving on exhibition. We can even participate in some lessons about the ancient technique of their special textiles. We will be waking you up early in the morning. Our crew will then serve a traditional breakfast. This is the longest and hardest day of the Lares trek to Machu Picchu. We will be hiking for 7 to 8 hours. The first portion of the trek will be uphill towards the immense pass, Abra Epsay (4480m). The climb is pretty hard with an indescribable panoramic view of snow-capped peaks of Pitusiray, Sawasiray, Chicon and surrounded by stunning landscapes all around. At about the halfway point, we will stop for a lunch break. After resting for a bit we will continue, hiking past a number of small Andean communities. We will learn about their vast knowledge of natural agricultural techniques. After the pass we’ll continue our journey downwards until our campsite next to the small village of Patacancha (3720m). Set up the tents and time to explore around on your own. The third day of Lares trail to Machu Picchu is more of a cultural trek. It will be mostly a downhill hike. We will be hiking for five hours from the campsite to Pumamarca. On our way, we will be hiking through different Andean communities. People here have preserved their age-old traditions and customs. You will get an insight to the Andean way of life. We will then reach Yanahuara from where we will be driving you to Ollantaytambo. It will be a two hours drive. Here, we will be taking a train to Aguas Calientes. It will be a three hours train ride. You will get to see views of Urubamba snaking through the highland Andean village. Our representative will meet you and will transfer you to the hotel in Aguas Calientes. We will be accommodating you in an ensuite hotel room for the night. The hotel crew will be serving breakfast early in the morning. We will then take a bus up to the famous Inca citadel, Machu Picchu. It will be a 30 minutes drive. The local expert will be giving you a detailed two hours guided tour of the citadel. During the tour, you will be visiting some of the important places like the main plaza, the temple of the Condor, Intihuatana (Solar clock) and the temple of three windows. After the tour, you will have some free time to explore the citadel on your own. If you want to climb Huayna Picchu mountain or Machu Picchu mountain, our guide will be directing you to the respective entrance. Please Note that local authorities restrict the number of people who can hike Huayna Picchu in a day. Often permits are sold out months in advance. So make sure to book one in advance. After the tour, you will be taking the bus back down to Aguas Calientes. Here you will be boarding the train to Ollantaytambo. Our representative will be meeting you and will be driving you back to your hotel in Cusco.
Itinerary
Day 1: Cusco – Lares Valley – Hot Springs – Wacawasi
Day 2: Wacawasi – Abra Epsay – Patacancha
Day 3: Patacancha – Pumamarca – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes
Day 4: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco
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