Lares Trekking To Machu Picchu 4 Days

The most amazing parts of the day: Seeing the surprising valley of Quiswarani. Touching the clouds at the Pachacútec Pass. Letting the power of the Qanchispaccha waterfall clean your internal energy. Being submerged in Andean culture and making new friends.

Today, we ll wake up around 5:30 AM, being offered hot drinks. At this time, people from the town will already be taking their llamas and alpacas out to graze. Breakfast will be served as soon as we finish getting the luggage ready to go. We ll fill our water bottles and receive snacks to start the day strengthened for the trail. There will be 3-4 hours of ascent toward the highest point of the entire trek: the Pachacútec Pass (4,700 MASL / 15,419 FASL). We ll hike upward in zigzag to lessen the strain due to the altitude. The landscapes of this place are surprising. You ll see the beautiful lake of Palcoyo and the impressive Qanchispaccha waterfall. If you feel bad or too tired, don t worry, we ll always have an emergency horse available. We ll find ourselves above the clouds once we get to the Pachacútec Pass. From there, the 360 degree view is truly astounding. In front of you, you ll see the majestic mountains of Pitusiray and Qolqe Cruz. Take advantage of this point to take amazing photos because we ll soon start going downhill! We ll start a one-hour descent down the slope to a place where we ll enjoy our lunch. Recuperate your energy, you ll still need to walk 3 more hours! Our campsite is found in the town of Cancha Cancha (3,900 MASL / 12,795 FASL). Here, 85% of the houses are made with traditional techniques and materials: stone walls and thatched roofs. Since our support team will be in charge of setting up the tents, you ll have time to spend with the local people. After that, your guide will take you to one of the community houses to learn about their lifestyle. You ll be able to see guinea pigs being raised and learn about traditional, hand-made textiles made of alpaca and llama wool. In the afternoon, you ll enjoy hot drinks and dinner.

Distance: 13.5 km / 8.4 miles
Trekking time: About 8 hours
Starting altitude: 3,850 MASL / 12,631 FASL
Maximum altitude: 4,700 MASL / 15,419 FASL
Lodging type: Campsite
Lodging altitude: 3,900 MASL / 12,795 FASL
Difficulty: Challenging
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner; besides that, snacks and tea time in the afternoon

The most amazing parts of the day: Seeing the work of the shepherds who live at high altitude. Leaning more about ancient Inca agriculture. Being surprised by the pink salt of Maras. Visiting the living Inca city of Ollantaytambo. Relaxing in the town of Aguas Calientes and preparing to go to Machu Picchu.

Just like every morning, our trekking team will wake you up with a hot drink to start the day in the best way. Once you re prepared, you ll start the last leg of the trek. We ll walk 4 hours downhill along a gorgeous path where you ll see herds of llamas and alpacas again. We ll pass by fields of potatoes, haba beans and other products. This is a fabulous opportunity to learn more about Andean agricultural techniques. We ll start descending to a warmer area: the Sacred Valley. You ll feel the changes between micro-climates and will see different crops than you saw in the higher altitude areas. The Sacred Valley cultivates corn, quinoa, kiwi, peaches, avocados and other types of fruits. Of course, this area is full of history and Inca culture. We ll finish the tour in a small town called Huarán (2,700 MASL / 8,858 FASL) where you ll say goodbye to the trekking team and the horses. Here, you ll enjoy a delicious, nutritional lunch.

In Huarán, transportation will be waiting for us to go through the Sacred Valley to the salt mines of the town of Maras. Here, at 3,380 MASL / 11,089 FASL, a salty spring of water flows and spills out over the slope of the mountain. You ll be able to see 3,000 small evaporation chambers that have been used since pre-Inca times. This salt has curative properties due to the minerals it contains and which turn it a beautiful pink color. Local families possess every one of these chambers and support themselves by supplying salt to the towns in this zone. There s a small shop there where you can buy some of the pink salt, if you re interested.

After visiting the salt mines, the van will take us 45 minutes away to Ollantaytambo, the last intact, living Inca town that exists. There, you ll see water canals, as well as houses and walls more than 5 centuries old. Your guide will drive around so you can see more of this small city until dinner time in a local restaurant. We ll board the train at 7:00 PM for Aguas Calientes, the town found at the base of Machu Picchu. Remember that train schedules can vary depending on availability. When we arrive to Aguas Calientes, you ll be registered at a hotel. Now relax and prepare yourself for the most astounding day of the whole trip.

Distance: 9 km / 5.6 miles
Trekking time: About 4 hours
Starting altitude: 3,900 MASL / 12,795 FASL
Maximum altitude: 3,900 MASL / 12,795 FASL
Lodging type: Hotel
Lodging altitude: 2,000 MASL / 6,562 FASL
Difficulty: Easy
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner; besides that, snacks

The most outstanding: Feeling your heart accelerate as you walk closer and closer to Machu Picchu early in the morning. We ll arrive before the majority of other tourists! Exploring this sacred wonder of the world while you enjoy the sunrise. Discovering the mysteries of Machu Picchu with your professional guides in a two-hour tour. Next, if you d like and have reserved your tickets in advance, hiking up Wayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountain or walking to the Sun Gate where you don t need extra tickets.

Today, we ll get to the final destination of our trek. Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World and Historical and Cultural World Heritage Site.

After a restful night in the hotel, we ll get up very early to go to the archeological complex of Machu Picchu with the intention of arriving before the majority of the tourists. In this way, you ll be able to enjoy a serene view of this sanctuary under the smooth light of the morning. The control point in the entrance of Machu Picchu is open to visitors from 6:00 AM until 5:00 PM. It s important to know that this trek is challenging, and there s also an option to take a bus for USD $12.00 extra. There, we ll have a 2-hour guided tour around the entire ancient city. The architecture of the Incas is truly surprising! The Incas we able to construct a safe, sustainable city with excellent planning on top of the mountains thanks to their deep relationship with the surrounding nature. Among other feats, they were able to distribute water to the whole population through canals!

After the tour, you ll be able to hike Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountain. For this, be sure to reserve your tickets in advance. It takes about 3 hours round-trip to hike either one of these mountains. A less difficult option for which you don t need an extra ticket is to walk to the Sun Gate, the main entrance for trekkers coming from the Inca Trail. This hike takes about 2 to 2.5 hours round-trip. Another interesting option is to walk to the Inca Bridge.

After enjoying the magic of this city-state, you ll return to the town of Aguas Calientes where, at about 4:22 PM (subject to availability), we ll take the train to go back to Ollantaytambo. This trip will take 2 hours. In Ollantaytambo, we ll get on a bus to take us back to Cusco. Arrival to the city will be at about 9:00 PM.

We ve finished this vibrant adventure, and now you can rest your body. However, we assure you that your heart will keep beating in joy for weeks, years or maybe eternally.

Distance: 6 km / 3.72 miles
Trekking time: About 2 hours
Starting altitude: 1,900 MASL / 6,232 FASL
Maximum altitude: 2,400 MASL / 7,872 FASL
Difficulty: Moderate to challenging
Meals: Boxed breakfast