Lares Trek and Machu Picchu Hike

LARES TREK / MACHU PICCHU HIKE

(4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS)


This program is a nice alternative, to satisfy the hiking tour demand, due respect to the limitations in vacancies and access costs to the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

It is journey through high Andean areas and inter-Andean valleys, with contrasting terrain, which allows you to enjoy extraordinary thermal baths, hikes by remote villages, with their ancestral customs, to share live experiences, visit Incan archaeological sites, contemplate landscapes, native flora and fauna, observe South American cameloids, rivers and valleys, ending with the visit of two of the region´s main Incan archaeological sites: Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu, Wonder of the Modern World.

PROGRAM:

DAY 01           Cusco / Calca / Lares / Wacawasi

• 6:00 a.m.: Departure from your hotel, on a tourist transportation, along the asphalted road of the Sacred Valley Circuit, passing by the colonial village of Pisaq
• 7:00 a.m.: Arrival in Calca, with its mild and very pleasant climate which gives the best corn in the world, as well as typical local fruit. You can opt to have a consistent Andean breakfast, based on lamb, beef or chicken meat broth (Optional and on your own account)
• Continuing our trip on a compacted dirt road to the Valley of Lares , on an uphill stretch to the Lares Mountain Pass ( 4,440 m .a.s.l.) and down to the village of Lares
• 9:00 a.m.: Arrival in the village of Lares ( 3,200 m .a.s.l.), where we’ll enjoy the paradise-like thermal baths, as well as their good infrastructure, in pools with different temperatures, warm and cold waterfalls, dressing rooms, bathrooms, camping areas, etc.
• Countryside lunch in the area
• 1:00 p.m.: Beginning of the hike, enjoying beautiful landscapes, all the way to the Trapiche River Valley , where is located the community of Wacawasi, with its Incan customs
• 5:00 p.m.: Arrival in Wacawasi ( 3,600 m .a.s.l.), where we will set camp, to have dinner and spend the first night.

DAY 02           Wacawasi / Ispayccasa Pass / Ispayqocha Lagoon / Patacancha

• Very early breakfast
• 7:00 a.m.: Uphill hike to the Ispayccasa Mountain Pass , going by remote hamlets and observing their lifestyle
• Observation of South American cameloids, such as lamas, alpacas and vicuñas, in an interesting habitat that gives added value to our trip
• Passing by the Ispayccasa Mountain Pass ( 4,500 m .a.s.l.) which offers impressive views of the Vilcanota Cordillera´s snow-capped mountains, such as the La Verónica , with an altitude of 5,700 meters
• Lunch on the shores of Ispayqocha Lagoon which is the habitat of abundant trout and bird species, like Andean geese, highland ibis and many more
• In the afternoon, downhill hike to the typical community of Patacancha, famous for the originality of their clothes, with hand-woven fabrics elaborated since ancestral times
• Installation of the campsite for dinner and second overnight stay.

DAY 03           Patacancha / Willoq / Ollantaytambo / Aguas Calientes

• Breakfast
• 7:00 a.m.: Downhill hike to the village of Willoq , known for its very colorful typical clothes, hand-woven by the inhabitants themselves, as it is a people who preserves the ancestral customs of an Incan Ayllu (Community)
• Visit of the Incan archaeological sites of Qochapata and Pumamarka which present remains of houses, walls and benched terraces that are currently cultivated, preserving the aqueducts built by the Incas
• Downhill hike towards the Sacred Valley of the Incas, to the village of Ollantaytambo
• 2:00 p.m.: Arrival in the village of Ollantaytambo which still conserves Incan features and designs, in its houses, narrow streets, enclosures and aqueducts
• Lunch in Ollantaytambo
• Free afternoon and optional visit of the Archaeological Complex of Ollantaytambo (On your own)
• 6:50 p.m.: Tourist train bound to Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes)
• 9:10 p.m.: Arrival in Machu Picchu Pueblo and accommodation at a hotel.

DAY 04           Excursion to the Incan City of Machu Picchu / Return to Cusco

• Breakfast at your hotel
• Tourist bus ride up to the Incan City of Machu Picchu, Wonder of the Modern World, located among abrupt mountains and almost inaccessible places, presenting a set of houses, squares, stairways, towers, walls, water fountains, ceremonial places, such as the Intiwatana (Solar observatory), sacred temples and benched terraces, with an incredible urban harmony, displaying the Incan engineering’s high level of development.
• Tourist bus ride down to Aguas Calientes
• Lunch on your own account
• 4:43 p.m.: Departure of the tourist train from Machu Picchu Village , to Cusco
• 8:13 p.m.: Arrival at Poroy’s train station and transfer to your hotel.

END OF OUR SERVICES.

INCLUDES:

• Private tourist transportation Cusco / Calca / Lares
• Bilingual official tour guide
• Cook and horsemen
• Horses (For the gear only)
• Tents, dining and kitchen tents, mattresses, tables and chairs
• Tourist train tickets Ollantaytambo / Machu Picchu Pueblo
• Up and down bus ticket in Machu Picchu Pueblo and entrance fee to Machu Picchu
• Tourist train ticket Machu Picchu Pueblo / Cusco
• Full meals during the hike, except for the last day (Vegetarian option)
• 01 entrance ticket to the Thermo-medicinal Baths of Lares
• 01 hotel night in Machu Picchu Pueblo
• Transfer train station / hotel in Cusco
• Support with communication logistics
• First aid kit, oxygen tank and emergency ropes.

DOES NOT INCLUDE:

• 19 % VAT tax (For Peruvians only)
• National and international flight tickets
• Airport taxes (TUAA USD $ 06.05, to board national flights and USD $ 30.25, for international flights
• Non-programed food, extras, snacks, alcoholic drinks, phone calls, laundry shop, tips, etc.
• Horses can be rented, for personal gear
• Sleeping bag (On rent)
• Services not established in this program
• Additional nights due to flight or train cancellations, or that of other services, for reasons beyond the company’s control.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Standard backpack
• Sleeping bag
• Adequate clothes for cold and heat
• Hiking shoes
• Waterproof poncho for the rain
• Bathing suit and towel
• Cap, flashlight and sunglasses
• Canteen, mineral water, water purifying tablets and snacks
• Repellent and sun blocking lotion
• Personal hygiene kit
• Photo camera, camcorder and batteries
• Extra money in Soles.

View complete details of tour at Lares Trek and Machu Picchu Hike