Lares Trek & 2 Day Inca Trail 5D/4N

Day 1: Your Andean Mountain adventure through the Lares Valley to Machu Picchu starts bright and early with a 6:00 am pickup from your Cusco hotel. We will drive to Huaran, where our hike begins. You'll meet your horsemen and horses there. Time to get ready, boots on, and embark on our first 3-hour gradual ascent towards Cancha Cancha. Along the way, lunch will be served by the river, replenishing your energy for the trek ahead with a delicious meal prepared by your trekking chef.

Cancha Cancha (3,900m/12,800ft) is one of the most remote and traditional communities, self-sustaining as it has been for centuries. There is no road to the community, and they were only recently connected to electricity in December 2019. After settling into your tents and enjoying afternoon tea, you'll have the chance to visit a local family. You'll learn all about life in a traditional Andean village, with your guide as your interpreter. After dinner, your guide will point out the Inca constellations, which were crucial for their agricultural practices and still hold significance today.

Meals included: Lunch – Afternoon Tea Time – Dinner
Accommodation: Camping facilities with bathroom building
Distance: 9kms / 5.6 miles

Day 2: Your guide will wake you with a hot mug of tea or coffee to enjoy before breakfast. Feeling energized for the day, we start our 7-hour hike northeast. It begins with an intense climb, reaching high passes en route to the highest point of our trek at Pachacutec Pass (4,500m/14,800ft). As you push through this challenging section, you'll be rewarded with views of glaciers, remote lakes, alpaca herds, rugged valleys, and stunning mountain vistas. Keep an eye out for Caracara falcons and Andean geese soaring above!

After savoring the summit, we descend for 3 hours until we reach our campsite near the Quiswarani community (3,700m/12,139ft). Along the way, we'll take an isolated trail where you'll encounter indigenous highland people in their traditional attire, herding llamas and alpacas. The local villagers will interact with you in Quechua, the language of the Incas, and your guide will translate and teach you some Quechua phrases. When you reach the spectacular seven waterfalls, you'll know the campsite is close!

At the campsite, everything will be ready. Enjoy hot drinks and appetizers before dinner, then snuggle in for a comfortable night's sleep.

Meals included: Breakfast – Lunch – Afternoon Tea Time – Dinner
Accommodation: Camping facilities with bathroom building
Distance: 12kms / 7.5 mile

Your adventure continues as you begin the most scenic day yet!  We begin our ascent for 3 hours until we reach the Willqaqasa Pass, (4,200m/13,779ft) getting a bird’s eye view of the reflections of the mountains in mirror images in the glacial lakes. The majestic Colquecruz and Pitusiray Mountains are inspiring to admire from the pass. We continue our trek through the Puna grasslands, productive agricultural sites and natural pristine lakes. Time to descend for 2 hours to the Cucani community. Connecting with the local indigenous children, you may have the opportunity to visit their school and share in some quality time with the students.

From Cuncani we meet the driver and ride down through the valley with extensive agricultural areas, fruit bearing trees, varied flora and native flowers like begonias and wild orchids. Finally, we reach our destination, the Lares Hot Springs (3,100m/ 10,170ft), where we can soak in the natural volcanic hot springs for an hour, have lunch and relax. Time for our goodbyes for our remarkable chef and horsemen.

After lunch in Lares, we take our private transport to 2.5 hours Ollantaytambo, where we have dinner together and spend the night in our hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast – Lunch – Afternoon Tea – Dinner
2* Accommodation: Veronica View Hotel
3* Accommodation: El Alberge or Pakaritampu

We start this exciting day early; your guide will pick you up at 5:30am. When you arrive at the train station, the guide will give you your lunch to add to your daypack. The train departs Ollantaytambo at 6:10am and you will have just over an hour on the train to enjoy the scenery and have breakfast (not included). Your hotel can provide you a picnic breakfast to take with you or you can pack your own breakfast.

Get off the train at the famous Km104, where your trek begins! (2,000m/6,560 ft. above sea level). After crossing the Urubamba River on a picturesque foot bridge, you will show your passport at the checkpoint and visit the first Inca site nearby. The first hour and a half are a gentle upward climb. Along the way, stop at several outlooks where you have an expansive view of the Urubamba River. Pass through a cloud forest, so be ready for damp or even rain at any season of the year. The next hour and a half are a slightly steeper uphill with a beautiful waterfall as your reward at the end of the hike!

When you cross the bridge below the waterfall, be sure to take some time for photos and as you do you will find yourself gazing up at the spectacular Wiñay Wayna! (2,600m/8,500ft above sea level) These amazing Inca ruins have a fascinating history and some parts are still hidden by the dense jungle. This close to Machu Picchu, you are hiking through lush sub-tropical jungle. Your guide will tell you all about the ruins, plus the incredible flora and fauna of this microclimate and answer any questions you have before the short 5-minute walk to your lunch spot.

After lunch, you have a mostly flat walk to the Sun Gate, from which you have your first view of Machu Picchu! Though the hour-long walk is a gentle rolling up and down, it does end with a set of steep stairs carved directly into the bedrock by the Inca. As you turn the corner from the Sun Gate, you will enjoy your first breathtaking view of Machu Picchu. So, take some time to savor the moment and take photos. The last 60 minutes down from the Sun Gate provide many opportunities to take more photos of Machu Picchu from this unique vantage point. There are also a couple more important Inca sites between the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu, so make sure to go slowly and ask your guide questions about these historical places on the last bit of your hike to Machu Picchu.

Once you reach Machu Picchu, you will have time to take more photos from the viewing platforms, “House of the Guardians”where you can take the famous postcard pictures of Machu Picchu above the site. You will arrive in the afternoon, as the archeological area starts to empty of tourists, which gives you the opportunity to take beautiful photos in the afternoon light with fewer people in your shots. Take your time to enjoy this magical experience before you take the bus down to Aguas Calientes to check into your hotel. Have a delicious dinner, then have time to walk around this picturesque little town, visit the hot springs or just go to your hotel to rest after such an exciting day.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner in a restaurant in Aguas Calientes
Distance: 12 kms/7.5 miles

This is the day you’ve been waiting for! After an early breakfast at your hotel, you’ll take one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu so that you can be there to witness the sunrise. It is a truly extraordinary site and not something you’ll want to miss! Your guide will give you a guided tour of Machu Picchu, which takes about two hours. You will see many of the most important parts of Machu Picchu Citadel.

When you have had your fill of the exceptional views of Machu Picchu, you will take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes for lunch (not included). Depending on your train departure time, you may also have time for some shopping, sightseeing or a visit to the museum or hot springs.

The Expedition train will take you back to Ollantaytambo at 2:55pm or 3:20pm, following the spectacular Urubamba River. Close to Aguas Calientes, the canyon is narrow and the river has many beautiful sections of whitewater. You can also see Wiñay Wayna from the train, if you look up high on the steep canyon wall! Back at Ollantaytambo, your driver will meet you at the exit from the train station to take you back to your hotel in Cusco in our private vehicle. You can expect to arrive at your hotel by 7:00pm.

Meal included: Breakfast