Lares Trek to Machu Picchu & Panoramic Train - 4 Days

This is the trek where you will feel like The Adventure People! The trekking team will pick you up from your hotel at around 4:30 am and drive you from the beautiful Sacred Valley of the Incas to the famous Lares thermo-medicinal baths – arriving at approximately 8:00 am. We will jump straight into the medicinal pools – all set at different temperatures. The water is great for your bones, muscles, stress, and headaches, and therefore this is the perfect way to prepare for your Lares Trek to Machu Picchu. Today’s route is relatively easy, with a 2-hour trek uphill until we reach Kiswarani village. Our chef will be waiting for a delicious lunch that has been freshly prepared using natural, organic, local produce. Finally, it’s another 2-hour walk to our campsite, located on the bank of a beautiful blue lake at (3750 m/ 1230 ft). We will pass beautiful streams and a waterfall which is the source of the Amazon river – the largest in the world. On reaching our campsite, your tents and a hot cup of tea will await you. This is a perfect place to relax, stargaze, and learn about Inca astronomy.

We will wake you up bright and early with a hot cup of coffee or cocoa tea. Today is the longest and most challenging day of your Lares Trek to Machu Picchu, and after breakfast, it is a 4-hour hike uphill to Condor Pass (4700 m / 15354 ft) – the highest point of this journey. Along the way, we will enjoy beautiful lakes where Wallatas (Andean geese or ‘lovebirds’) swim in the crystal clear waters and pass the imposing Andean mountains of Pitusiray, Sawasiray, Qolquecruz, all of which are over 18,000 ft. At the summit of Condor Pass, we will serve you a well-deserved cup of hot tea, and you can take some time to rest while your tour guide performs a spiritual offering ceremony to the sacred mountains. After Lunch, we will start a 3-hour descent through the breathtaking scenery. You will have the afternoon free in Cancha Cancha to meet and interact with the local people, visit a local school and help teach and play games with the children. The villagers will welcome any donations of food, school supplies, or anything else you would like to give to help support the health and education of this isolated community. Your guide will visit one of the family's homes late in the afternoon. Here you can experience firsthand their traditional lifestyles passed down from the Incas, sample traditional food, and see how they raise guinea pigs, llamas, and alpacas. Finally, by the evening, our chef will have prepared dinner for us to enjoy together before a well-earned night's rest.

Starting the day with a beautiful view of the mountains and a delicious breakfast, we prepare for our final trekking from the highlands into the sacred valley. First, we will say goodbye to the last remaining village, still practicing Inca traditions and isolated from all modern technologies, before we begin our 4-hour trek downhill. Along the way, you can observe different ecosystems – from the colder highlands, where only potatoes are grown, to the fertile soils of the sacred valley, where maize is the main product. Our Lares Trek to Machu Picchu concludes in a small town called Huaran (2700 m / 8856 ft), and from here, a private bus will drive us to Salineras of Maras and then to Ollantaytambo, “Last Living Incan City.” Or as it is sometimes known, the “World Capital of the Native American.” We will take some time to explore these ancient streets and the water channel that has been in use since Inca time. We will have dinner in a local restaurant in Ollantaytambo before catching the 7:00 pm train to Aguas Calientes, where we will spend the night in a hotel.

On our final day, we have to get up very early to prepare for the highlight of your Lares Trek to Machu Picchu, visiting Machu Picchu – the Lost City of the Incas. We will go straight to the line to wait for the first bus to Machu Picchu at 5:30 am. You can watch the spectacular sunrise over Machu Picchu on a clear day. This is truly an unforgettable sight. Your guide will take you on a 2 to 3-hour comprehensive tour of the city before leaving you in Machu Picchu to explore on your own or climb either Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (tickets must be booked as far in advance as possible). Your guide will explain how to take the bus from Machu Picchu back to Aguas Calientes for lunch (not included) and then take the panoramic Vistadome train and bus back to Cusco. The team will meet you off the train and return safely to your hotel. Arrive around 7.30 pm