Lares Trek to Machu Picchu in Cusco, Peru (4 days)

You will be picked up at your hotel at 5.00 a.m. from where we will travel straight to Lares (4 hours by bus). Along the way you will be passing the highest point of 4265 m.a.s.l. where you get to see a few glaciers such as Sawasiray and Pitusiray. After 4 hours of driving you will have lunch in the valley of Lares (3207 m.a.s.l.). At Lares you´ll have the opportunity to visit the hot springs or walk around the area. After a good rest we will start climbing up from 3207 (Lares) to 3800 meters above sea level (4 hours). During this hike you will have some amazing views and get to know the local people even better.
After a day of walking we arrive at our camping site in Waca Huasi, which is a charming little community. You can walk around in the village, or even play football with the locals. After dinner you can take a good rest in one of the comfortable tents.

Your wake-up call will be at 6.00 a.m. Today will be the hardest day. After breakfast we will start hiking for at least 4 hours before we reach the Huaca Wasi pass (4600 m.a.s.l.). During this hike you will see a lot of typical South America animals, like llamas and alpacas. When you reach the top you will have an amazing view over the Auroray Lake (Blue Lagoon). Sometimes we have to walk through snow on the pass. We will offer some coca leaves for pacha mama (mother earth) and start walking down towards the lake where we will have our lunch break. After lunch we will continue hiking to the second camp site: Miski Unuyoc (1,5 hours). Miski Unuyoc located at 3800 Mt. This is an open area with views of the snow capped mountains. At this campsite it can be very cold but at night we can make a campfire to keep warm.

Today the wake-up call will be at 7.00 a.m. After a healthy breakfast you will start hiking around 8.00 toward Yanahuara (2950 m.a.s.l.). Yanahuara is a beautiful town with a very nice climate, located in the Urubamba Valley. This area is one of the major suppliers of food products for Cusco such as corn and vegetables. We will walk down for about 3 to 4 hours until the beginning of the village of Yanahuara. After a lunch break in the village we will continue our trip by bus to Ollantaytambo where we will take the train to Aguas Calientes. After a 2 hour train ride we will arrive at Aguas Calientes. You will spend the night in a hostel with private bathrooms. After checking in at your hostel you are going to have dinner in a local restaurant. At this time our tour guide will give you some information about the next day. There will be an option to visit the hot springs or have a cold beer in one of the bars in the village.

PS : It is possible to do the Lares trek without visiting Machu Picchu and return from Yanaguara to Cusco on day 3.

Today you will have breakfast at 5.00 a.m. At round 5.45 a.m. you will take one of the first busses to Machu Picchu. At Machu Picchu you will have a guided tour that tells you all about this wonderful and interesting Inca village. The tour will last for about 2 hours. After the tour there is enough time to take photos and explore Machu Picchu by yourself. After you are done exploring Machu Picchu you can walk down, or take the bus (included in the price) to Aguas Calientes to have lunch (not included).
You also can climb the Wayna Picchu Mountain, from where you can take some amazing photos of Machu Picchu (included in the tour if at time of reservation there are still permits available). Or you could also walk up to the sun gate. In the afternoon you will take the train back to Ollantaytambo or Poroy, from where there will be a transfer to Cusco, where you will arrive late evening after an amazing 4 days!