Lares Trek to Machu Picchu 4D/3N
Discover the Lares Trek to Machu Picchu: Culture, Nature, and Authenticity in One Journey
If you’re looking for a route to Machu Picchu that goes beyond the typical tourist experience, the Lares Trek is the perfect option. This 4-day adventure takes you deep into the heart of the Andes Mountains, offering a rare opportunity to connect with the cultural and natural richness of Peru. Unlike the Classic Inca Trail, the Lares Trek offers fewer crowds, more local interaction, and scenic beauty that feels untouched by modern life.
Throughout the journey, you will walk through breathtaking valleys, cross high mountain passes, and pass by crystal-clear lagoons surrounded by snow-capped peaks. One of the most unique aspects of the Lares Trek is the opportunity to visit remote Andean villages. These communities still preserve their traditional way of life, speak Quechua, and practice age-old customs such as weaving, herding, and farming with ancestral techniques.
A true highlight of the trek is the Pachamanca lunch, a sacred Andean tradition where food is cooked underground using hot stones. This slow-cooked meal includes meats, potatoes, and native herbs, and offers a direct cultural experience tied to the agricultural roots of the region.
This route also emphasizes sustainable and responsible tourism. The trek is supported by local guides, cooks, and horsemen from the surrounding communities. Equipment is carried by llamas, in accordance with local tradition and to reduce environmental impact. Your participation directly supports these families and preserves their heritage.
On the final day, you’ll travel by train to Machu Picchu, arriving refreshed and ready to explore one of the world’s most iconic archaeological sites.
Choosing the Lares Trek to Machu Picchu means more than hiking it’s a journey of cultural immersion, natural wonder, and human connection. It’s the ideal choice for travelers who seek authenticity, community, and a deeper understanding of the Andes.
While the Lares Trek is known for its cultural immersion, hikers seeking more dramatic alpine scenery might want to compare it to the Salkantay trek, which takes you through the stunning Vilcabamba mountain range. Price
Trip Details
- Tour Type:
- Duration
- Group Size
- Dificult
- Housing
Camping
- Language
- Distance
36 km
- Enjoying a pachamanca meal is a unique and traditional Andean gastronomic experience!
- “Embark on a unique adventure through the heart of the Andes! The Camino a Lares takes you through breathtaking landscapes, surrounded by majestic mountains.
- After several days of trekking in the Andes, there is nothing better than enjoying the warm, healing thermal waters of Lares that flow from the mountains.
- Enjoy the majestic of machupicchu
Advantages of the Lares Trek to Machu Picchu
Authentic Cultural Experience
This trek immerses you in traditional Andean communities, giving you the chance to interact with locals who still maintain their ancestral customs and lifestyle. One of the highlights is a traditional pachamanca lunch, a centuries-old cooking method where food is prepared underground using hot stones. This unique experience offers a deep connection to Andean culture and culinary heritage.
Professional Guides and Fair Team Treatment
Ali Peru Treks works with certified, highly knowledgeable guides, many of whom come from the very communities visited during the trek. This enriches the cultural exchange and ensures insightful storytelling. Additionally, the company ensures fair working conditions for porters, cooks, and muleteers, promoting responsible and sustainable tourism.
Efficient and Comfortable Logistics
The service includes all necessary transportation, from Cusco to the trailhead and back from Machu Picchu. During the hike, your luggage is transported by llamas and horses, allowing you to enjoy the trek without carrying heavy bags. There is also an emergency horse available for participants who may need assistance during the walk.
Well-Equipped and Safe Campsites
The trek includes overnight stays in well-organized campsites, featuring high-altitude tents, insulated sleeping mats, dining tents, kitchen tents, and portable toilets. This ensures a comfortable and safe experience, even in changing weather conditions.
Considerations of the Lares Trek to Machu Picchu
Physical Fitness Required
Although the Lares Trek is less demanding than the Classic Inca Trail, it still requires a good level of physical fitness. You will hike several hours each day at altitudes exceeding 4,000 meters (13,000 feet). It is highly recommended to spend a few days acclimatizing in Cusco beforehand.
Unpredictable Weather
The Andean highlands have rapidly changing weather, even during the dry season. You’ll need to bring waterproof clothing, warm layers, and sun protection. Nighttime temperatures can drop significantly, especially in the higher elevations.
Limited Access to Basic Services
There is no phone signal or electricity along the route. This is part of the charm disconnecting to reconnect with nature—but it’s important to be prepared and inform loved ones before you begin the trek.
Machu Picchu Access by Train
Unlike the Classic Inca Trail, the Lares Trek does not enter Machu Picchu via the Sun Gate. On the final day, you’ll take a train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and then visit the citadel. This offers a more relaxed end to the trek but changes the way you arrive at Machu Picchu.
We will pick you up at your hotel around 6:00 a.m. to begin the tour from Lares to Machu Picchu. Pick-up points will be in our private van from any designated location, such as hotels or apartments located in the city of Cusco, Urubamba, or Pisaq.
After pickup, we will take a 2-hour drive in our private van through the Sacred Valley of the Incas until we reach the town of Calca, where we will make a 20-minute stop to explore the local market. Once we have explored the market, we will continue driving for approximately another 40 minutes to the start of the trek in the village of Huaran (2920m/9,100ft). Before starting the trek, you will enjoy your first breakfast prepared by the AliPeruTreks chef, and you will also meet the muleteers and their mules who will be responsible for carrying your luggage.
Then your expedition to Machu Picchu will begin with a gradual three-hour uphill hike to our lunch spot in the first village called Cancha Cancha (3600m/12,290ft). This section of the hike is considered the Sacred Valley area where corn and potatoes are normally grown, and where people cultivate a variety of organic products.
Your guide will also point out some indigenous medicinal plants that grow along the way. We will then arrive at our lunch spot, where you can enjoy your first meal prepared by our trekking chef.
After lunch, you will have plenty of time to interact with community members. You can also visit the community school, where children still speak Quechua, their native language (we would appreciate it if you could bring toys, notebooks, or school supplies to distribute at the school). Afterwards, there will be another two hours of gradual ascent to reach the Acopata camp, located at (3,900 m/12,990 feet), where you will be welcomed by our trekking staff, who will set up the tents. You will also enjoy hot tea and, finally, a delicious dinner prepared on site. After dinner, your guide will show you the Inca constellations that they relied on for orientation in agriculture and which they still use today.
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Accommodation: camping
- hike Distance: 10 km / 6.21371 miles
- Elevation of camp : 3,900 meters / 12,943 feet
- Area: Andes
You will start the day with a hot cup of coca tea or coffee, which will be brought to your tent. Today we will wake you up at 5:00 a.m. You will wake up to a spectacular view surrounded by mountains, llamas, and alpacas. After waking up, you will have 30 minutes to pack your belongings and then enjoy breakfast. After breakfast, you will begin the three-hour uphill hike to the Pachacutec Pass (4700 m/15,267 ft). Along the way, you will enjoy beautiful landscapes, turquoise lagoons, walk surrounded by llamas, sheep, and alpacas, and also enjoy a ceremony with the offering of coca leaves to the sacred mountains. Then, you will have a well-deserved cup of coca tea to relax a little. We will then descend for two hours, passing beautiful blue lagoons until we reach the village of Quishuarani (3700 m/12,134 ft), where you will witness how the traditional pachamanca meal is prepared. This meal is cooked underground with very special stones, a special meal practiced by the Incas.
After enjoying the pachamanca meal, we will take a one-hour break as we will be camping in the same village.
Next, together with the guide, you will visit a local family where you will learn about the way of life in a community, as well as their customs and traditions. When you return from your visit in the afternoon, hot tea will be ready, and then we will have dinner and go to sleep.
- Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
- Accommodation: Camping
- Camp altitude:3700 meters / 12,137 feet
- Hike Distance: 12 km / 7.5 miles
- Area: Andes
We will start very early in the morning, waking up early with a hot drink to help you start the day. You will have time to pack and enjoy a hearty breakfast prepared by your local trekking chef.
Today we will follow another valley. We will climb for another three hours to the second pass of the Willkicasa mountain, located at (4390 m/14,399 ft). At the pass, we will be surrounded by Andean peaks, which is also an ideal place to take photos. We will then continue descending for another two hours, passing magnificent lakes until we reach the village of Cuncani, located at 3600 m/10,892 ft. In the village of Cuncani, we will meet our driver and descend through lush valleys with extensive agricultural areas, fruit trees, varied flora, and native flowers such as begonias and wild orchids. Finally, we will arrive at our destination, the Lares hot springs located at 3100 m/10,170 ft, where we will enjoy the natural volcanic hot springs. After lunch, we will say goodbye to our extraordinary chef and our horsemen. Then we will take our private bus and drive three hours to Ollantaytambo, where we will enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. Afterwards, we will take the 7:10 p.m. train to Aguas Calientes. We will check into our hotel for a quiet night before exploring Machu Picchu.
- Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
- Accommodation: Hotel
- Altitude of camp:2,040 m / 6,690 ft.
- Hike distance: 15 km / 8.3 miles
- Area: andes
Today will be a wonderful day, it is finally time to visit Machu Picchu: After an early breakfast at your hotel you will only have to carry your backpack with everything you need. The hotel will store your luggage 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 the guide will give you a two hour tour.during this guided tour, you will learn more about the history and culture of the Inca Empire.you will also have enough time to explore on your own.we recommend you return to Aguas Calientes no later than 2 hours before the departure of your train. The return train ride from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo will take approximately 2 hours. In Ollantaytambo our staff will be waiting for you to take you back to Cuzco and drop you off at your hotel.
- Meals: Breakfast
INCLUDES
Briefing:
The pre-route briefing or meeting takes place at your hotel the day before the route at 17:00 pm and lasts between 45 minutes and 1 hour. During this session, you will meet the guide who will accompany you on the route, who will answer all your questions and resolve your doubts.
Professional guides:
specialized in hiking and selected from accredited universities. Our guides are fluent in English and have between five and twelve years of experience in different excursions in the region. They are skilled in handling groups under pressure and are experts in first aid and rescue techniques. Most of them come from different Andean communities and bring with them their cultural heritage. Together with the rest of the field team, our guides will make your trip a unique experience.
Chefs:
Trained in local gastronomy schools, they are experts in modern Andean cuisine, traditional Peruvian foods, international food styles and vegetarian cuisine. They have a deep knowledge of the nutritional properties of their meals and are experts in cooking as fast as possible. And all this, of course, with special emphasis on hygiene and food safety during preparation.
Porters:
Responsible for carrying all the group gear and your 7kg of personal items. They come from various rural communities from the Cusco region, where they still maintain their local customs and traditions. We provide them with accident insurance during the trek and with suitable clothing that allows them to work in comfort. Our porters are also hosts responsible for making your journey an unforgettable experience.
Horses:
We include in this tour horses and llamas to carry your luggage during the tour, so you can enjoy your trip at ease.
Emergency horse
in this lares trek tour is included an additional horse for our clients in case they need support in the trek due to fatigue or other circumstances.
Hotel
The trek will include two nights camping and one night in a hotel in Aguas Calientes (Machupicchu). We include a 3 star hotel. Your reserved hotel is factored into the cost of your final bill and upgrades are always possible.
Tents:
These are high mountain tents. They can withstand harsh winter weather, including heavy rain and snow.
Sponge sleeping pads:
Our sponge mattresses guarantee a warm and comfortable night’s sleep on the trail.
Dining tent:
Our spacious dining tent, complete with chairs and a table, gives us all the space we need to enjoy our meals regardless of the weather outside.
Cooking tent:
Comes with all the necessary equipment for our chef to prepare your meals (gas stove and all food preparation utensils).
Bathroom Tents:
These tents have toilets with water pumps, and we will install them at all our lunch spots and campsites.
Transportation:
Bus from Cusco to the trailhead in the town of Lares.
Local bus from Huaran to Ollantaytambo.
EXPEDITION Train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes
Bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu (day 4).
Bus down from Machupicchu to Aguas Calientes (day 4)
Round trip train ticket (Expedition class) from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo after your visit to Machu Picchu.
Bus from Ollantaytambo to your hotel in Cusco.
Emergency equipment:
Satellite phones: Each of our groups carries a satellite phone with them at all times to communicate with our office in case of emergency or for clients to use in case they have a personal emergency anywhere in the world.
Radios: They have a range of 10 km and 8 frequencies for our guides, cooks and porters to communicate with each other.
First aid kit: We carry a full complement of over-the-counter medications, including alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, tincture of iodine, germicidal soap, cotton, gauze, bandages, adhesive medical tape, surgical gloves, analgesics for muscle and stomach pains, antipyretics, anti-allergics, anti-inflammatories, oral rehydration salts, laxatives, burn cream, splints, blood pressure devices, and thermometers. If you take prescription medication, you may bring your own medications.
Entrance ticket:
Lares Hot Springs: you will have the opportunity to bathe in the thermo-medicinal baths of Lares before starting the trekking.
Machu Picchu: after 3 days of trekking it is finally time to visit the wonder of Machu Picchu.
Water
From the first lunch to the last breakfast, we will provide you with all the water you need. The water will be provided boiled and purified, then cooled before distributing it. You must bring your water bottle and/or camelback. We recommend bringing about 3 liters. You will be able to refill water at each meal.
Small details
We believe it is the attention to the small details that makes the difference. Each hiker receives a small pillow to sleep on, a foam mattress for insulation, a backpack cover to protect your gear while hiking and a rain poncho. We try to improve so you have a better experience.
NOT INCLUDES
Rent:
On this tour every hiker needs a sleeping bag to sleep in the campsites. Inflatable air mattresses and walking poles (with rubber tips) are optional but recommended. If you do not wish to bring any of the above, all are available for rent:
Sleeping bag: $20
Inflatable air mattress: $15
Poles (pair): $15
Lunch:
Lunch after the tour in machupicchu is not included in the tour.
Huayna Picchu:
huayna picchu mountain. it is a 40 minute hike that it will take you to get to the top and another 40 minutes it will take you to go back down. The tour would be done after your tour of Machu Picchu. The additional cost is $70 per person. Upgrades should be made at least one month in advance, due to the popularity and crowdedness of the place. Now regarding the weather, we can not do anything because it does not depend on us.
- Click on the button BOOK NOW
- Select your departure date
- Fill out the form with all requested passport information
- Submit the down payment required to book the Inca Trail
We require an initial deposit of $200 per person to reserve the trek. The initial payment is non-refundable, as it is necessary to purchase Inca Trail Permits, train tickets and book hotels.
Our booking platform offers options for Huayna Picchu mountain,. It is essential to book Huayna Picchu, in advance. Please note that permits can sell out quickly. Trekking poles can be rented in Cusco one day before your t
The balance can be paid up to 2 days before the departure date. If you plan to pay in cash, you can do so during the security briefing 1 day before departure.
The best time to do the Lares Trek is during the dry season, which runs from May to September. During these months, rainfall is minimal and the weather is more predictable, making the treks more comfortable and safe. The rainy season (November to March) can make the terrain slippery and difficult to walk on.
The highest point of the trek is at pachacutec Pass, at 4,700 meters above sea level. During the trek, trekkers cross several high points, which can cause altitude sickness in some people if they are not properly acclimatized. The average altitude of the areas through which the trek passes is between 3,000 and 4,200 meters.
It is important to be well prepared, acclimatized to the altitude and in good physical condition to enjoy the hike safely.
Altitude: The trek takes place at high altitudes, reaching up to 4,700 meters.
Terrain: Although the route is less steep than the Inca Trail, it still involves climbing up and down uneven trails in some sections.
No, the LARES TREK can only be hiked with an authorized agency and an official guide. The Peruvian government regulates access to the trail, and all treks must be accompanied by certified guides.
During the tour you can only take the necessary luggage. The rest of your luggage must remain in Cusco. You can store it at:
The hotel: If you return to the same hotel after the trek, we recommend that you store your luggage at the hotel. Most hotels in Cusco offer this service free of charge.
At aliperutreks office: You can leave your luggage in our office, we have a secure storage room to keep all your luggage. We will deliver it to you after the trek.
Yes, you can stay in Urubamba or Ollantaytambo. Pick up will be 1 hour after pick up from Cusco.
No, you must book a tour with an authorized operator such as Aliperutreks.
We recommend arriving in Cuzco at least 1 or 2 days before the trek. If arriving from higher altitudes, only one day is required for acclimatization.
The ideal season is from April to October, which is the dry season. The driest months are May to August.
Our porters will carry up to 7 kg of your personal belongings. This includes the sleeping bag and inflatable mattress.before starting the tour one day before at 17:00 pm you will have a briefing at your hotel with the tour guide who will give you your Duffle Bag.maximum you will have to put 7kg.
2-3 T-shirts
2-3 mountain pants
4 sets of underwear
4 sets of mountain socks
1 fleece
1 warm down jacket (it gets very cold at night)
1 raincoat and pants
1 sun hat
1 wool hat
Headlamp: essential
Waterproof gloves (even if they are ski gloves, take them with you)
Comfortable camping shoes
Hiking boots
Waterproof jacket/ rain poncho
Quick drying towel. We provide small towels, but you may like something larger.
Small bottle of soap: we provide hot water every day for cleaning – it might make you feel fresh if you had some soap.
Battery charger: there is no place to plug in the battery while trekking.
Large plastic bags: to organize and separate the clean from the dirty.
Sleeping bag: We recommend down sleeping bags for -10C minimum.
Original passport (No copy)
Valid student card (if you have booked as a student)
A good backpack (max. 25 liters)
Water tank: A Camelbaks type water tank is recommended, but enough for at least 2-3 liters.
Comfortable hiking boots (light and with good soles).
- Sunscreen
- Facial moisturizer
- Mosquito repellents
- Moist towelettes
- Toilet paper
- Personal medication
We recommend you to carry a small backpack, maximum 25 liters, but we always say that the smaller the better. Inside Machu Picchu, backpacks larger than 25L will not be allowed inside.
- Water: it is not included at the beginning of the trek you will have to bring your own water but after lunch we will provide you with water every day.
- Fleece
- Camera
- Hat
- Rain Gear
- Hand sanitizer
- Toilet paper and small plastic bag for garbage
- Extra money for souvenirs, drinks and tips
- Ear plugs
- Tour Type:
- Duration
- Group Size
- Dificultad
- Housing
Camping
- Language
- Distance
