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Beat the Crowds with The Lares Trek to Machu Picchu. Scenic Off the Beaten Path Trek includes Tents, Guides, Trains, Meals, Admissions & More!
Cusco, Peru
6.30 AM
Lares Trek Cancellation Policy
As the Industry Leader in customer service we provide you with the flexibility to change your travel plans – with the assurance that you’ll have options to re-book when it suits you. As long as you notify us about changes to your travel plans at least 24 hours* before your scheduled departure, you can pick new travel dates or an entirely different trip, with no change fees. We offer:
View our updated Terms and Conditions here
*Domestic/International Airlines may have their own fees. Day tours can be cancelled for a full refund at least 24 hours before tour start time. Multi day tours, treks and tour packages need to be cancelled at least 40 days before departure for full refund.
Please take the time to review all Covid-19 Travel Information before booking.
The Lares Trek starts at approximately 6:30 AM we will pick you up at your hotel/hostel and set course to the village of Lares where we will start hiking. During this journey we will make a stop in the village of Calca, where you will be able to visit the local market and buy breakfast or other last minute supplies/snacks. Your guide might advise you to buy some bread to hand out to the children you will meet during the trek.
When arriving at Lares we will visit the hot springs where you will be able to enjoy the hot water while our cooks prepare a wonderful lunch. After lunch we will start our hike towards the first campsite in Sondor (3900m).
For 6 hours you will walk gradually uphill so that you get a good training for the next day when we will reach the highest point of the trek. Upon arrival in Sondor your tents will be ready and you will receive popcorn, sweets and some hot beverages before having dinner.
As a bonus you will be able to observe and participate in the local tradition of weaving textiles in the Andes. Numerous indigenous communities in the region, like the Huacawasi have preserved their knowledge and techniques of weaving textiles, as well as their ancient fashion.
After a nutritious breakfast we will start hiking towards the highest point, the pass of Huacawasi C’asa at 4500m or 14763 feet. The uphill hike will take about an hour and 30 minutes. Due to the altitude we will be accompanied by horses as support in case you need assistance to reach the top.
During Lares Trek you will be able to enjoy beautiful Andes mountains, a patchwork of agricultural lands and breathtaking views. Be aware that we will reach great heights and the weather can be very cold.
After reaching the highest point we will descend and pass beautiful lagoons where we will stop for lunch. You will be able to rest while our cooks prepare a delicious lunch for you.
Next we will descend further through a forest where you will be able to enjoy the “Queuñas” (Polylepis – a typical tree from Peru), flora and fauna of this unique micro climate. Thereafter we will continue descending until we got our camp at Pucara (3000m/9842f), a private camp where you will have tea time and some snacks upon arrival before having dinner.
Today we will enjoy a hike along an old Inca Trail through the Sacred Valley of the Incas. A vehicle will then bring us to Pachar (2850m/ 9350ft) to start our hike to the best preserved Inca Town of Ollantaytambo and Pinkulluna (Lord of Tunupa). After having lunch, we will take the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (2050m/ 6725ft) town where we will spend the night in a hotel.
We will leave our hotel after breakfast at 5:30 am and head for Machu Picchu (2400m/7874f) by tourist bus. We will arrive at the citadel around 6:00 am. After a guided tour around the archaeological site, including information about life and culture of the Incas, you will have enough time to enjoy Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu (2750m/9022f) on your own.
We will leave Aguas Calientes by train either at 2:55 pm or at 6:10 pm. Until then, you will have time to have lunch in one of the nice restaurants. Moreover, you can visit the hot springs in Aguas Calientes to relax a bit.
Our Lares Trek comes to an end and we part ways until next time.
We had a fabulous time on our 5 day Lares Trek. Our guide, Hector, was extremely knowledgeable and helpful throughout, the wonderful food by Picasso was fresh and delicious. The campsites were well done, hike challenging but beautiful, the visit to Ollantaytambo perfect and the hotel at Aguas Calientes was excellent. Since it was off season Karikuy Tours allowed us to adjust the trek to our personal desires at a reasonable cost. They arranged all train connections, bus shuttles, and vans to and from Cuzco. We are fit seniors (69-73) so we upgraded hostels to hotels, added another horse for our gear and a second day without guide at Machu Picchu to allow us to climb Machu Picchu Mountain at our leisure. This was an extraordinary trip, I highly recommend Karikuy Tours to all.
This was our first visit to Peru and Karikuy made it easy and enjoyable. There are a lot of tour groups and wasn’t sure which to choose. I must say our experience with Karikuy was excellence. They met us at our hotel a day prior to the beginning of our tour to review all the details. All the arrangements were well coordinated and all our guides and drivers were prompt and courteous. The guides were knowledgeable and there English was good to very good. I would definitely recommend Karikuy if you plan on traveling to Peru
We were extremely happy with our tour. Firstly the communication with you before we set off was excellent. Every time I had a question you replied immediately and explained everything clearly. During our Lares trek everything ran to clockwork – always transfers awaiting with our names. Our guide was amazing- he was very enthusiastic, informative and encouraged everyone. It was nice that we were a small group of four. The porters and cook were friendly and when we arrived at the camp sites the meals were ready, we’d bowls of hot water by our tents, we were awoken with cups of tea! The chef’s cooking was incredible- delicious and copious! The trek in itself was stunning. Breathtakingly beautiful scenery and no other trekkers. We did not want it to end! It was also good value for the amount we paid. We highly recommend Karikuy Tours Peru.
Ana was very helpful in planning our trek. She was very quick to respond to my emails. Thank you for your assistance.
The Lares trek was absolutely phenomenal. Views were as of they were in a painting and my fiancée and I had so much fun climbing and chatting with our guide. We went in the low season so it was just us on the tour but it was great because we got to go at our pace instead of waiting for stragglers. The trail was well kept (but challenging!) and the places we stayed were great. The food though was fantastic. Our chef (and his wife who is in the picture) were great and made us traditional food that we were definitely impressed came out of the few things he had. It was also great not to have to carry everything we had, but just a day pack which was a benefit to the Lares trek. The train ride was interesting as well and we got to learn a lot just from sitting in the train. But all of that doesn’t compare to the tour we had from our guide inside Machu Picchu. We got to see a double rainbow over the ruins and we learned so much about the Inca people. The whole trip was amazing!