Lares Trek and Machu Picchu - 7 Days

Cusco Highland Excursions - Acclimatizing for The Lares Trek.

After breakfast, enjoy a free day to explore Cusco at your ease while you are acclimatizing for the Lares Trek. The capital city of the Inca Empire is now the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, as well as the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city.

You may visit the local archaeological sites of Saqsaywaman, Tambomachay, and Qenqo or you can take part in a Peruvian cooking class or chocolate-making class, depending on how you want to spend your free day, before your Lares Trek. We can help arrange and suggest all the available activities in this incredible imperial City.

Please remember that at 7pm you will meet your guide (your guide will confirm the place) for your pre-trek briefing to go over the details of the Lares Trek to Machu Picchu, such as the packing list for the Lares trek, safety on the Lares trek, and Lares trek to Machu Picchu FAQs. 

Quechua Community Visits and Hot springs along Lares Trek Route.

The first trekking day of our 7 Day Lares Trek and Machu Picchu begins early in the morning when we pick you up from your hotel in Cusco. We will then drive to Calca, a small town in the Sacred Valley. Here you’ll have your last chance to buy any last-minute supplies for your Lares Trail.

Continuing on, we’ll drive for about three hours in the direction of Lares village, passing the highest point for the day at 4,265 meters above sea level (13,992 ft), where the Sawasiray and Pitusiray mountains rise up ahead of us. This is alpaca region and you will appreciate the rolling hills and farmlands of the native Quechua people. We’ll then descend on the  Lares Valley trek until we reach the small village of Lares.  

In Lares, we can make the most of the local hot springs, which are famous in the Cusco Region for their healing properties. These natural springs are said to be excellent for stomach and rheumatic diseases, and conditions such as arthritis, as well as for treating fractures, muscular pains, and more. We’ll have lunch in Lares and then get ready to start our guided Lares Trek with local experts.  Our specialized chefs not only produce the most delicious food along the Lares Trek but also use locally sourced ingredients from the nearby villages so that we are directly contributing to the areas where we trek on our off-the-beaten-path Lares Trek expedition.

From Lares, we’ll head off on foot towards Huacawasi, a colorful little town of adobe houses and roaming llamas, located at about 3,600 m (11,811 ft) above sea level. It will take us about four or five hours to trek to Huacawasi, where we’ll have dinner and camp for the night. Huacawasi is a traditional weaving community, and you’ll be able to spend some time watching the local weavers at work, and maybe have a go yourself. These Traditional weaving demonstrations on the Lares Trek are a highlight of the Lares Trek and many of the authentic products in Cusco come from these native weaving communities, hidden in The Andes.  Why not buy the products directly from the producers in these local villages? You will be contributing to Lares Trek sustainable travel practices and probably get a better price buying direct from the producer!  

• Hiking Time: 4 hours approx. 
• Hiking Distance: 10 Km / 6.21 miles 
• Lowest Point: 3,207 m / 10,521 ft 
• Highest Point: 4,265 m / 13,992 ft 

Andes Mountains Adventure Travel and Wildlife Spotting During The Lares Trek.

We’ll start this day of The Lares trek early in the morning with a hearty breakfast, to get our energy levels up for what is probably the toughest day of our Lares trek to Machu Picchu. Setting off, it’s a steep uphill climb to a mountain pass at about 4,500 meters above sea level – the highest point reached on our Lares trek. The view from up here is sublime, looking out across the surrounding mountains and down to the beautiful Aruraycocha Lake below us. We’ll then head downhill towards the lake, stopping off to admire its clear glacial waters as we enjoy Trekking off the tourist path in Peru.   

We’ll then pass through the Mantanay conservation area, where the natural environment changes. This region has forests of polylepis trees, known locally as queuñas, which provide an important refuge for many bird species, including some that are endangered - perfect for wildlife spotting during the Lares Trek. Mantanay is also dotted with lagoons, around which various hardy shrub and tree species grow. We’ll have lunch on the banks of one of these stunning lakes. If we’re lucky, we might even see a huge Andean condor as it swoops overhead on our Cusco highland excursions.

After lunch, we’ll continue downhill on our Lares trek until we reach the village Mantanay, our second campsite, at about 3,800 meters.  This is another great opportunity to interact with the local villagers and see authentic Andean villages on the Lares Trek. This makes the Lares Trek one of the best Peru cultural treks on the way to Machu Picchu. At Mantanay we will have a tasty dinner and bed down for the night.   

• Hiking Time: 7 hours approx. 
• Hiking Distance: 14 Km / 8.69 miles 
• Lowest Point: 3,800 m / 12,467 ft 
• Highest Point: 4,500 m / 14,763 ft  

Cusco Rural Tourism and The Scenic Train Journey to Aguas Calientes.

Our final day of trekking along the Lares to Machu Picchu itinerary will be a relatively easy walk of between four and five hours. We will leave Mantanay after breakfast and head towards the charming colonial town of Yanahuara in the Sacred Valley, passing through more spectacular scenery where the Incas once roamed. The weather should be warmer as we descend towards Yanahuara we witness one of the Lares Trek scenic spots, passing near fields of white corn, typical of this region. Once we reach Yanahuara, we’ll have our last meal together on this all-inclusive Lares Trek package. At this point, our cooks and porters will leave you in the capable hands of your experienced guide. This marks the end of the trekking section of our Lares trek to Machu Picchu itinerary. 

From here, we will travel by minibus to the wonderful Inca archaeological site of Ollantaytambo, one of the most famous ruins in the Cusco Region. The sprawling mountainside complex was once the royal estate of the Inca emperor Pachacuti. After exploring these extensive ruins, we´ll take the train to Aguas Calientes, where we’ll have dinner in a local restaurant and spend the night in a hotel, not far from our final destination: the magnificent citadel of Machu Picchu.   

• Hiking Time: 4 hours approx. 
• Hiking Distance: 7 Km / 4.35 miles 
• Lowest Point: 2,950 m / 9,678 ft 
• Highest Point: 3,800 m / 12,467 ft.

Alternative Machu Picchu Hikes Along The Lares Trail.

To best appreciate Machu Picchu, we’ll wake up early in the morning so we can get to the citadel in good time. You’ll have time for breakfast first, and then your guide will pick you up from the hotel at around 5:40 a.m. We’ll then walk to the bus departure point for the short but zigzagging ascent up the road to Machu Picchu.  

We’ll then pass through the gates into the Machu Picchu archaeological site. Here you’ll begin your guided walking tour with our experienced and highly knowledgeable guide. Our tour of Machu Picchu will last about two hours and will take you to all the most famous and most spectacular parts of the extensive archaeological complex. These include the House of the Guardian, the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, the Sacred Plaza, and other key locations. As we walk around, we’ll have spectacular views of the agricultural terraces of Machu Picchu and across to the surrounding mountains and plunging gorges. After the guided tour you’ll have time to explore Machu Picchu, perhaps walking to some lesser-visited sections such as the Inca Bridge, depending on which Machu Picchu circuit you have opted for.  

Once we’ve finished our Lares Trek and Machu Picchu combination tour, we’ll take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes where you can relax and have lunch (not included) before we board the train back to Ollantaytambo or Poroy. Upon arrival at the station, we’ll be waiting to take you back to your hotel in Cusco, where you’ll finish the stunningly authentic Lares trek to Machu Picchu. 

The Final Day of Your Guided Lares Trek with Local Experts.

After breakfast enjoy your last day at leisure before transferring to the Cusco airport for your return flight home via Lima.