Why Choose this Hike to Machu Picchu?

The walk through Lares will let you discover places with vegetation and fauna in the Andes that you have never seen before.

Lares is definitely one of the best walks you will find in Cusco if what you want is an encounter with yourself and leave aside the rest and disconnect for 4 days.

Walking on the Valley of Lares and taking this route to the wonder of the world «Machu Picchu» will be one of the best experiences you will have in our country.

You will be able to find the most beautiful snowy mountain Ispay, the beautiful Lares valley, incredible waterfalls, an incredible ecosystem and the Ispaycocha lagoon.

Enjoying the hot springs of Lares before starting the adventure will undoubtedly be the best start in this adventure.

QUICK ITINERARY:

DAY 1: CUSCO – LARES- THERMAL BATHS – WACAWASI

05.00 a.m. Transfer from Cusco to Lares. (4 hours).

09.00 a.m. Visit to the medicinal thermal baths / Start of the walk.

13.00 p.m. Lunch.

14.00 p.m. Walk to Wacawasi (3 hours Approximate)

17.00 p.m. Arrival to the camp in Wacawasi.

19.00 p.m. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 2: WACAWASI- STEP IPSAY – IPSAYCOCHA – PATACANCHA

06.00 a.m. Breakfast.

07.00 a.m. Walk towards Ipsay Pass.

12:00 a.m. Lunch at Ipsaycocha.

13.30 p.m. Walk to Patacancha.

16.00 p.m. Arrival to the camp in Patacancha.

19.00 p.m. Dinner and accommodation.

DAY 3: PATACANCHA – WILLOQ – OLLANTAYTAMBO – AGUAS CALIENTES

06.00 a.m. Breakfast.

07.00 a.m Visit to the community of Willoq

08.00 a.m. Hike to Ollantaytambo

12:00 p.m. Lunch in Ollantaytambo.

11:15 a.m. / 16: 36 p.m. / 19: 27 p.m. Departure by train to Machupicchu. (ACCORDING TO AVAILABILITY)

18.10 p.m. Transfer and night in lodging. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 4: MACHU PICCHU!!! – RETURN TO CUSCO.

04.30 a.m. Start of the hike to Machupicchu ruins.

06.00 a.m. Guided tour for 02 hours.

09.00 a.m. Free time. It is recommended: Climb Cerro Huaynapicchu, visit the Temple of the Moon, the Inca Bridge, etc.

Descent on a WALK to Machupicchu town. Schedule to coordinate with the guide.

Return by train: Machupicchu Pueblo – Ollantaytambo

Transfer: Train station – Cusco.

ITINERARY:

DAY 1: CUSCO – LARES- THERMAL BATHS – WACAHUASI

We will enjoy the thermal baths of Lares and we will arrive at Wacawasi which is a small community between the Lares valley. The walk this day will not be demanding. We will have lunch after visiting the hot springs and in the afternoon, we will arrive and sleep next to the small houses of the inhabitants of the areas in our tents.

The tour will start at 5:00 a.m. in the morning we will go to your hotel to pick you up, we will go from Cusco to the city of Calca in an average of 2 hours, passing through the sacred valley of the Incas and the city of Pisac, full valley of fertile lands, glaciers and a beautiful landscape, we will arrive at calca around 7 am we will make a stop so that they can have breakfast (not included) or simply take a hot drink and use the toilet services, then we will continue for another 2 hours towards the baths Lares hot springs (3250 masl- 10662 fasl), place that is the beginning of our walk. In the hot springs we will meet the team that will accompany us on the adventure, the muleteer who is waiting with our horses and mules. The horses will carry all the food and camping equipment and the cook will prepare all the equipment for your trip, meanwhile you have the opportunity to enjoy the excellent hot springs, in the pools with refreshing hot spring water by yourself for approximately 1 hour, after relaxing and enjoying the hot springs we will continue with the walk the first part of the way is flat it has no difficulty we will pass small gorges towards the middle of the route and stop and we will enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by our cook, next to the river and with a beautiful landscape in front, After lunch, at 1 pm. we will continue our walk, this piece is a moderate walk of approximately 3 hours. This is a beautiful afternoon of hiking, with stunning views and great scenery and the experience of visiting small Andean towns along the way, and having a chat with local people. We will arrive at our camp at 5:00 pm. in the area called Wacawasi which is located (3800 masl- 12467 fasl), where we will set up the tents to sleep and we will also prepare a delicious dinner by the team cook. We will take the opportunity to talk and share the experiences of the day.

• Meals: Lunch – Dinner
• Distance traveled: 12 km – 7.4 miles
• Walking hours: 5
• Minimum height: 3250 masl- 10662 fasl
• Maximum height: 3800 masl- 12467 fasl
• Difficulty: Moderate – easy

DAY 2: WACAWASI- STEP IPSAY –PATACANCHA

This day’s walk will be different, we will conquer the Ipsay Pass at more than 4550 masl -14927 fasl, the highest point of our journey. We will enjoy magnificent views of the snow-capped mountains of Pitusiray, Sawasiray, Chicón, Verónica and other beautiful snow-capped peaks. In the morning we will have the way up and in the afternoon most of it is downhill towards the town of Patacancha where we will spend the night. There is the possibility to appreciate the Andean constellations, as well as the Milky Way in the sky if the weather allows it. 

We will wake up early to continue the adventure, at 6:00 am. with a coca tea and after our breakfast, we will begin our walk of around 4 hours to high altitude areas in order to reach the highest point of the route of our trip the Ispay pass at more than 4550 masl -14927 fasl. This will be the longest and most difficult day of the entire way, the hike is hard uphill, but the indescribable panoramic views of the snowy peaks of Pitusiray, Sawasiray, Chicón, Verónica and the surrounding snowy peaks, in addition to the landscapes The valley’s impressive views from the summit are definitely the best on the trail. Thus we reach the highest point of our walk called the Ipsay Pass and after taking some good photos, we will continue our walk from the pass, simply descending for approximately 1 hour to reach the Ipsaycocha lagoon where we will have a delicious lunch and after a deserved rest, we continue downhill for about 2 hours and in this part of the tour we can see the local people living in these isolated communities, we will have the opportunity to see some species of auquénidos such as llamas and alpacas. Finally we will arrive at our second camp in the town of Patacancha at 3750 masl – 12303 fasl, there we will have a tea in the afternoon and afterwards a delicious dinner we will take advantage of to see the photos of the day and to be able to talk about the route we had if the weather is good and the sky is clear we can take advantage and see the beautiful starry sky of the andes over the beautiful mountains, we hope so. 

• Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
• Distance traveled: 14 km – 8.7 miles
• Hiking Hours: 7
• Minimum height: 3750 masl – 12303 fasl
• Maximum height: 4550 masl -14927 fasl
• Difficulty: High – challenging.

DAY 3: PATACANCHA – WILLOQ – OLLANTAYTAMBO – AGUAS CALIENTES

We will say goodbye to the beautiful landscapes between the mountains, we will descend almost the whole route from the Patacancha community to the town of Ollantaytambo, we will stop for lunch before and take the train that will take us to Aguas Calientes where we will spend the night.

This day we will also say goodbye to the team that accompanied us for 3 days on this beautiful tour of the Lares valley. 

Today it is an easy walk, at 6:00 am after a delicious breakfast we continue our walk descending for about 40 minutes to the town of Willoq at 3500 masl – 11482 fasl, a small town that maintains its original and ancient customs we will appreciate the clothing of the inhabitants who are distinguished by having the characteristic reds of the area, then we continue our walk for 1 hour and a half to the Inca archaeological site of Puma marks at 3200 masl – 10498 fasl to see the famous Inca terraces, we will have a brief talk about this constructions and free time to take pictures of this beautiful place. After a break, we will continue for 3 hours towards the town of Ollantaytambo 2800 masl – 9186 fasl, located along the Vilcanota river, a fertile valley known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas, the town of Ollantaytambo is considered one of the Inca towns most important living, the only one that retains its ancient Inca urban design. From there we take the train in order to reach Aguas Calientes, a small city that acts as a gateway to the Historic Sanctuary of Machupicchu. The train journey is approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes and finally you reach the town of Aguas Calientes located at 2000 meters above sea level – 6561 a small town that acts as a gateway to the Historic Sanctuary of Machupicchu. In Aguas Calientes we will spend the night in a comfortable hotel, dinner will be at the tourist restaurant that is included. During dinner our guide will provide us with very important information about your next day since it will be a local guide from Aguas Calientes who will visit us the next day and he will give you the last details of the tour. We will have free time to get to know this beautiful town, visit the squares, parks and thermal baths of Aguas Calientes (hence the name) (optional), there we will spend the night at the foot of the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu among huge mountains and feeling the energy of the mountains around us. 

• Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
• Distance traveled: 14 km – 8.7 miles
• Hiking Hours: 7
• Minimum height: 2000 masl – 6561 fasl
• Maximum height: 3750 masl – 12303 fasl
• Difficulty: medium

DAY 4: MACHU PICCHU!!! – RETURN TO CUSCO.

We have scheduled a meeting with a wonder of the world, we start very early with the walk to the sanctuary of Machupicchu, we will have a day full of history, architecture, culture, mystery and spirituality. Get ready for a natural meditation where your emotions will be organized and you will feel a spiritual encounter, while you contemplate the ancient Inca city of Machupicchu! In the afternoon return us to Cusco after this incredible adventure

We start the last day of our adventure to one of the 7 wonders of the world, we will have breakfast early remember that we still have a walk of around 2 hours ascending some steps to the sanctuary, or we can take the bus that will take us to the Inca city of Machupicchu (optional), The archaeological park is open from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We will make the visit at the time coordinated with the guide, we will have approximately 2 hours a visit to the most important sites with your guide through the most important places: viewpoint of the guardian’s house, the Inca palace, the priest’s house, the main square, intihuatana or sundial, the industrial sectors and the cultivation terraces. You will be amazed at the size of Machupicchu because it will still have many places to explore because later you will be able to explore the mysterious city at your own pace. If you still have energy you can also climb Huayna Picchu (2720 MSNM / 8923 FASL) It takes 45 minutes to reach the top, this tour is additional and optional and you may have to leave the Machu Picchu tour to be able to get a Permission to climb this mountain needs to be booked well in advance (not included). The way back is the same 1 hour and 30 minutes’ walk back to Aguas Calientes or we can take the bus to the town of Aguas Calientes (optional) You will have free time to have lunch there (not included) according to the train schedule ( show up 30 minutes before) which we will take to Ollantaytambo where the transport will wait to move to Cusco as it was coordinated and organized according to the chosen program and itinerary.

• Meals: Breakfast.
• Walking hours: 3 -5
• Walking distance: 14 KM. 8.7 miles
• Maximum Altitude: 2430 masl-7972 fasl
• Minimum Altitude: 2040 masl- 6692 fasl
• Difficulty: medium

INCLUDED:

• Informative talk with the guide the day before the tour.
• Transfers: Cusco – Lares.
• Transfers: Ollantaytambo train station – Cusco.
• Round trip train ticket.
• Entrance to Machupicchu.
• Guide and cook.
• Horses for 03 days. For camping equipment and supplies only.
• 5 kg of luggage on the horse for 2 days.
• Food: 03 breakfasts, 03 lunches and 03 dinners.
• Camping equipment: quadruple dormitory tents for use as double bed, mat, dining tent, kitchen tent, tables, chairs, dishes, oxygen bottle, first aid kit.
• Overnight accommodation in Machu Picchu Town.

NOT INCLUDED:

• Breakfast on the 1st day and Lunch on the 5th day.
• Sleeping bag (necessary) and walking sticks.
• Bus up and down in Machupicchu.
• Entrance to the thermal baths s / 10.00 soles.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Passengers must personally carry the following: Toiletries, a small first-aid kit containing a pair of bandages, cream for muscle pain, pills for: altitude sickness, fever, upset stomach, pills to purify water, sunscreen , mosquito repellent, bottled water, flashlight, plastic rain ponchos, dark glasses, binoculars, camera, walking stick, trekking shoes, thermal clothing for the night, light clothing for the day, money at your discretion do not forget to bring your Original Passport.

Students must carry a valid student card.

OPTIONAL:

We offer to rent sleeping bags for the 04 days: Fiber $ 15.00 and pen $ 20.00.

Likewise, for passengers who carry extra (excess) cargo horses during the 03 days in the US $ 90.00 each.

IMPORTANT:

1.- In the case of students with Student card (after consultation) and Children up to 07 years old, the rates are reduced in the following amounts: Students: USA $ 20.00, and Children: USA $ 60.00.

2.- To climb Cerro Huaynapicchu the cost of admission is US $ 20.00 and must be purchased in advance. Spaces are limited, at different times from 06:00, 07:00 to 08:00 am and 10:00 to 11:00. 

3.- Rates are subject to any increase or readjustment that the Ministry of Culture of Peru, Peru Rail SA or Inca Rail may determine and are subject to change depending on the Peru Rail schedule and availability, The local train is only for Peruvians and the purchase of this is in person and with a copy of the DNI.

4.- In the pool system the group is made up of a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 16 passengers.

5.- The camps can vary depending on the climate and the state of health of the travelers.