DISCRIPTION:

the lares trek is an alternative route that takes us to know the wonder of the andean villages that still preserve their traditions and customs. It is a remote region that offers visitors a privileged view of traditional Andean life such as their Inca customs that use llamas to transport their products such as potatoes, quinoa, corn and lizas. You will get to know a different world where farmers plant their crops on the lands that their ancestors tended and observe the herds of llamas and alpacas under the sacred snowy peaks that they worshipped as gods. We will walk surrounded by alpacas, llamas and under the foothills of the Andes with incredible views of lakes and glaciers. We offer this alternative route to the Lares Trek and visit the Inca city of Machu Picchu. We will visit the medicinal hot springs on day 3, a well-deserved reward for completing the trekking part of the Lares trek. On this trek there is a combination of natural and historical elements that will undoubtedly make your trek unforgettable.

DETAILS OF THE TRIP:

• Duration: 5 days / 4 nights
• Location:Inca LARES TREK (Inca Trail to Machu Picchu)
• Distance: 45 km – 26 miles
• Departure: Cusco
• Difficulty: Moderate,Challenging
• Destination: Machu Picchu
• Type of tour: trekking, cultural, adventure and history

DAY 1:

CUSCO – THERMAL MEDICINAL BATHS – KISWARANI VILLAGE:

We will pick you up from your hotel at 5:00 a.m. Then we will head towards Lares. It will be a three hour drive through the wonderful scenery of the Sacred Valley and across the Andes. Once we arrive at the site of Lares you will enjoy your first breakfast prepared by the chef of Ali Peru treks. Then we get ready to enjoy a bath of thermo medicinal waters that are distributed in different pools, ranging from cold water to the hottest. These thermal medicinal baths are composed of volcanic water, so it is considered medicinal, once enjoyed the thermal medicinal baths we get ready to continue with our tours, so we will take the transport for about 30 minutes to reach the hiking point. From the point your two hour expedition will begin, until you reach our lunch spot in the first village called Kiswarani. After lunch you will have time to explore the village and visit some local houses. There you will learn about the lifestyle and ancient traditions of the local people. Then it will be another two hours of gradual climbing and passing waterfalls and waterfalls until you reach the camp.

• Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Lodging: Camping
• Camp altitude: 3,670 m/12,074 ft.
• Distance to hike: 12 km/ 7.5 miles
• Hiking time: 7 hours

DAY 2:

KISWARANI – CONDOR PASS – CANCHA CANCHA.

In the morning our porter will wake you up very early with a hot tea. You will have spectacular views of the lake and the valley of Kiswarani village. Breakfast will be served once you have finished packing your gear. After breakfast, you will begin a 4-hour hike uphill to the highest point, the Condor Pass (4800 m.a.s.l / 15744 ft.). The views of the area are stunning lakes where you will see Wallatas (Andean geese) that are swimming in the crystal clear lakes. Upon reaching the top of the Condor Pass, we will serve you a well-deserved cup of coca tea and you can take some time to rest while your guide performs a spiritual offering ceremony to the sacred mountains. Then, it is a 2-hour downhill descent from the top of the mountain to the valley where lunch will be served. After lunch, we will continue descending two more hours downhill to our cancha cancha camp located at (3,690 m.a.s.l / 12,103 ft.), where people still practice Inca traditions.

•  Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
•  Lodging: Camping
• Altitude of the camp: 3,870 m/12,994 ft.
• Hiking distance: 14 km/ 8,5 miles
• Hiking time: 8 hours

DAY 3:

CANCHA CANCHA – HUARAN- OLLANTAYTAMBO.

Today we wake up early with a cup of hot coca tea and enjoy the last breakfast of the trek. After breakfast we prepare for the last 4 hours downhill descent. We will pass through properties where they grow many varieties of Andean potatoes and other traditional crops. You will begin to feel the changes in the microclimate and start to see different crops. Around the Sacred Valley, people grow corn, quinoa, peaches, avocados and other types of fruits. This area has a lot of Inca history and you will end your tour in the village of Huaran, in the Sacred Valley, which is located at 2750 m.a.s.l / 9020 ft. Here you will say goodbye to your horses, riders, chef and porters. From here, our private bus will take you to Salineras after exploring the salt mines we will drive you to Ollantaytambo where you will spend the night.

• Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Lodging: Camping
• Altitude: 2,792 m/9,157 ft.
• Hiking distance: 12 km/ 6.4 miles
• Hiking time: 7 hours

Day 4: Ollantaytambo – chachabamba (Km 104) – Machu Picchu

Early in the morning your tour guide will pick you up from your hotel to take the first train to Chachabamba (KM 104). Here you will begin your hike following the original Inca trail through the beautiful Andean mountains. The first Inca ruins you will encounter are those of Chachabamba, a small archaeological complex that is believed to have once been a guard house for Machu Picchu. From here, the trail ascends with a gradual incline for four hours to reach 2,650 meters (8,690 feet). You will visit the site of Wiñay Wayna, which means «Eternal Youth». The name comes from the orchids that dot the landscape, making Wiñay Wayna perhaps the most beautiful place on the Trail. After touring the site and having lunch, you will continue to the «Gate of the Sun (Inti Punku)», from where you will be able to see Machu Picchu in all its majesty and grandeur. Then you will take a bus to the Machu Picchu town of Aguas Calientes, where you will have dinner and spend the night in a comfortable Machu Picchu hotel.

• Meals: Box lunch and dinner
• Lodging: Hotel
• Altitude: 2,040 m/6,691 ft.
• hiking Distance: 7 km/ 3.4 miles
• Hiking time: 6 hours

DAY 5:

MACHU PICCHU- OLLANTAYTAMBO – CUSCO:

Today will be a wonderful day to visit Machu Picchu: You will only need to bring your backpack with everything you need. The hotel will store your bags for you while you are in Machu Picchu. The bus ride from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu takes approximately 25 minutes, once in Machu Picchu your guide will take you to the Inca citadel for a total of 3 hours. During this guided tour, you will learn more about the history and culture of the Inca Empire, we recommend you return to Aguas Calientes no later than 2 hours before your train departs. The return train journey from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo will take approximately 2 hours. In Ollantaytambo our staff will be waiting for you, to take you back to Cusco and drop you off at your hotel.

• Meals: Breakfast

WHAT IS INCLUDED:

• Safety briefing the day before the tour at 18:00 in our office.
• Free luggage storage.
• Pick up from your hotel for the excursion.
• All transport during the tour.
• Personal transport up to 8 kilos
• Professional guides (English-Spanish)
• Experienced cooks and porters
• horses and llamas to transport your luggage
• All meals are prepared with fresh local ingredients.
• Entrance ticket to lares, short inca trail and machupicchu
• Bus down to Aguas Calientes from Machu Picchu
• transport by train
• Satellite phones, first aid kit and oxygen tank
• Eureka tents for every 2 passengers
• Private portable toilets
• Return to your hotel

NOT INCLUDED:

• Sleeping bags
• air mattresses
• trekking poles
• Lunch last day after the Machu Picchu Tour
• Huayna Picchu Mountain (optional)

• Original passport (no copy)
• Clothes for trekking
• Hiking shoes
• Sleeping bag
• Hiking equipment
• Hat
• Camera
• Sun protection
• Rain gear
• Flip-flops
• Student card(IF YOU BOOKED AS A STUDENT)
• Insect repellent
• Torch

• This trek covers a total distance of 49 km at high altitude. We recommend that you acclimatise in Cusco 2 or 3 days before doing the lares trek
• You should bring your own backpack (25 L maximum). As you will be carrying it on your own, make sure you don’t carry anything too big or heavy.