Itinerary: Lares Trek and Short Inca Trail To Machu Picchu
Pre-trek briefing (required)
We provide a full pre-trek briefing at our office or at your hotel in Cusco. This gives you the chance to ask questions about the trek itinerary. Briefings are scheduled for the day before your trek starts.
Please take this into consideration when booking your travel plans to Cusco, to ensure you arrive in time for the briefing.
Day 1: Lares Trekk: Cusco - Patacancha – Champa Cocha
The first day after breakfast at the hotel, we will pick you up at 05:00 a.m. from your hotel In the Ollantaytambo town we will stop to make the necessary purchases for the trekking. We travel 2:30 hours to the town of the Sacred Valley of the Incas we will walk a total of 12 km (7.44 miles). We arrive to Patakancha, a Quechua community where people live very much like their Incan ancestors, in their stone homes with thatched roofs. The local people make their own clothing, work the land with foot ploughs and live off their Llamas and Alpacas whilst supplementing their income working as porters. We spend some time visiting their community and school. After meeting with our porters, your kit will be loaded and we will start our hike. Leaving the village we enjoy views of the Llama and Alpaca herds grazing along the trail. The scenery is typical of the high Andes, with high altitude grass and Polylepis trees. After trekking an ascent for one and a half hours the trail will level out and we will reach Lake Ipsayccocha, a beautiful lagoon, here we stop for lunch. We continue walking and cross our first high pass of Ipsayccocha Pass at 4600masl or (15,000 feets) The rest of the hike will be downhill towards our campsite in Champa Qocha or Huaca Wuasi at 4200masl or (13,776 feets) Our camp will be set up and we will enjoy dinner and spend the night.
Overnight in Champa Cocha
Camp site
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Day 2: Champa Cocha - Waca Wasi - Tambohuaylla – Lares
Starting with an early morning breakfast, we begin our 2 hour descent until we reach the community of Huaca Wasi, we will walk a total of 13 km (8,000 miles). The scenery will be completely different from yesterday, there will be fields full of potato, barley, quinoa and corn. In the morning we learn about the local weaving techniques and take a look at some of their high quality ponchos, wool hats and other garments. Our walk will be continued for another 3 hours then we arrive at Tambohuaylla, where lunch will be served, before heading to the local school to meet with the children who are involved in our social project. We will then walk another one hour and a half before reaching Hot Springs near the colonial village of Lares. Here we set up camp and take a relaxing dip in the warm waters, which are famous for their healing powers. Finally, we will have dinner and spend the night.
Overnight in Lares (Hot Spring)
Camp site
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Lares – Ancasmarka - Ollantaytambo
After breakfast, we will take a bus trip for a time of 1 hour and 30 minutes to the Archaeological Center of Ancasmarka to visit the Inca site of Angasmarka, we will make a stop for a time of 2 hours. there where we will also have the lunch, Continuing our journey the bus takes us through the sacred valley to the Inca city of Ollantaytambo. In the afternoon we will have free time to explore the Inca town of Ollantaytambo, which is another important town and archaeological site in the Sacred Valley that has temples, gardens and liturgical sources. Also in this place was celebrated one of the greatest battles of Spanish with the Incas. Finally we will go to the Hotel in Ollantaytambo to spend the night.
Overnight in Ollantaytambo
Accommodations: Hotels 3⭐⭐⭐ Standard (Hotel Lilium Valley and others the same category)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Short Inca Trail (Ollantaytambo – Machu Picchu)
Breakfast at the Hotel
After a delicious breakfast we will go to the train station. Where we will take the train from Ollantaytambo through the picturesque Sacred Valley to Km. 104, depending on the departure time of the train to be always 30 minutes before the departure of train.
00.00a.m. Be ready at the train station for check in
00.00 a.m. Train Expeditions from Ollantaytambo to Km. 104 (Starting point of the walk) which takes about one hours 45 minuts. At Km 104 we will get off the train and pass the Inca Trail checkpoint where we will see our first archaeological center called Chachabamba, at 2,170 m or 7,170 ft. Our hike continues gently upward for approximately four hours until we reach the beautifully situated Inca complex of Winay Wayna at 2,650 m or 8,700 ft, which is named after an orchid and means “Forever Young” in Quechua, where we stop to eat a nutritious and plentiful.
Box lunch. Sub-tropical flora and fauna surround us as we continue 2 hours to the Sun Gate at 2,720 m or 8,920 ft which is called Intipunku in Quechua, This is where we will have our first view of Machu Picchu and from there we will hike down to the ruins where you will have some time to take some photos and enjoy the grandeur of Machu Picchu before we take the bus down to Aguas Calientes. We will check into our hotel where you will have some time to rest or you can visit the hot springs which is about 10 minutes away and entrances ticket is S/. 20.00 (Optional). . Afterwards, we will meet for dinner and plan for the following day.
Overnight in Ollantaytambo
Accommodations: Hotels 3⭐⭐⭐ standard (Hotel Hatun Samay, Flower House and others the same category)
Meals: Box Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Short Inca Trail (Machu Picchu – Cusco)
Breakfast at the Hotel
After a delicious breakfast at your hotel. You will meet your guide and take the 25-minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu. You will have a 2 hours and 30 minuts aprox. the tour with your guide. where we will visit the incredible architecture and the mysterious temples left by the Incas. A professional English-speaking guide will help us understand the sophisticated ideas and technology of this highly advanced culture. The suggested time to descend from Machu Picchu to the town of Aguas Calientes is 13:00 p.m depending on the departure time of the train to be always 30 minutes before the departure of train.
Train Expedition from Aguas Calientes – Ollantaytambo or Poroy (Cusco)
Upon arrival at the station you will be waiting for a staff of the company to transfer to their respective hotels in Cusco.
Meals: Breakfast
Trip Details
Duration
4N / 5D
Activities
Hiking – Adventure
Difficulty
Moderate to challenging
Hiking Distance
35KM / 21 miles
Minimum Height
2000 m.s.n.m. or 6,560 ft (Aguas Calientes Town)
Maximum Height
4600 m.s.n.m. (Ipsayccocha Pass)
Destinations
Machu Picchu
Tour Language
English, Spanish
Accommodation
02 Nights Camping /01 night Hotel
Meals
04 Breakfast,01 Box Lunch, 03 Lunch, 03 Tea time and 04 Dinners
Starts / Ends
Cusco – Cusco
IMPORTANT: Please Allow 2 - 3 Days for Acclimatization
The services included
- Transportation from your hotel in Cusco to the start of the hike and back to your hotel at the end
- Entrance to the Lares hot springs
- Entrance ticket to Machu Picchu
- Round trip train tickets in the Expedition service from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and back to Cusco
- Bus ticket from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes on the first day, and round trip bus ticket from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu for the next day
- One night Hotel in Ollantaytambo (3⭐⭐⭐ Standard)
- One night Hotel in Aguas Calientes (3⭐⭐⭐ Standard)
- Doite tents which are 2-person, 4 season tents designed for maximum comfort
- Therm-a-Rest mattress and pillow provided for free
- Duffle bag that you can fill with up to 7kg or (15 pounds) of your personal gear that the horses will carry
- Other camping equipment, such as a kitchen tent manned by a professional cooking staff, a dining tent with table and chairs, and a bathroom tent
- Experienced tour guide fluent in English, Spanish and Quechua. Our guides are equipped and trained to practice First-Aid, administer oxygen if needed, and conduct radio communication
- Complete meals and snacks during the trip starting with lunch on the first day and ending with breakfast the last day at your hotel (the last lunch in Aguas Calientes is not included). Our experienced chefs make amazing meals in the middle of the mountains and are also used to preparing dishes for people with different food restrictions or lifestyles, so please let us know your preferences and we will make sure to meet your dietary needs
- Professional chef who grew up in the countryside and a horseman with horses/mules to carry all of our gear
- One extra horse in the case of an emergency
Not included
- Breakfast on the first day and lunch on the last day in Aguas Calientes
- Sleeping bag or trekking poles (can be rented from us)
- Tips for guide, chef, and horseman (optional)
Prices: Lares Trek and Short Inca Trail To Machu Picchu
Group Service
USD $825.00 per person
Private Service
Number of people
Price per person USD
1 - 2 people
USD $1030.00 per person
3 - 5 people
USD $940.00 per person
6 - 8 people
USD $890.00 per person
9 + people
USD $825.00 per person
Discount
Children 17 years old and under - $40USD off
* To receive the child discount you must send us a copy of the child’s passport.
Additional Options: Lares Trek and Short Inca Trail To Machu Picchu
Huaynapicchu Mountain: USD$70.00
Machu Picchu Mountain: USD$70.00
Vistadome Train: USD$45.00
Sleeping Bags: USD$25.00
Trekking Poles: USD$15.00 (1 pair)
Prívate Tent: USD$40.00
What to bring to: Lares Trek and Short Inca Trail To Machu Picchu
- Small backpack
- Large backpack
- Warm clothes - Including jacket, fleece, thermal clothes for sleeping, gloves, scarf
- Rain clothes - Jacket and trousers, poncho, hat
- Swimsuit
- Small towel
- Strong, waterproof trekking boots
- Walking poles
- Sandals
- Flashlight
- Camera - Extra batteries as they run out faster under cold conditions
- Suncream, moisturiser
- Insect repellant - Min 20% DEET
- Toilet paper
- Personal first aid kit
- Snacks - Biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc
- Water Bottle
- Cash in Soles/$USD
- YOU MUST BRING YOUR ORIGINAL PASSPORT
How to book: Lares Trek and Short Inca Trail To Machu Picchu
To book the tour, please send us an email peruvianpathsandadventures@gmail.com with the information of each person: full name, nationality, date of birth and gender (Copy of your passport) Please include the tour you want to do, the date start, and how many people are in your group.
Tour Map: Lares Trek and Short Inca Trail To Machu Picchu
