LARES TO MACHU PICCHU TREKKING 4 DAYS
Alpacas grazing by the pathway.
Price as of 2019, and 2020: US$ 580 (regular price).
US$ 560 (student card).
IMPORTANT INFO: The hikers of this trek are counted into the 2500 people allowed a day for Machu Picchu citadel so we recommend you to book 2 weeks in advance at least assuring you a space for Machu Picchu.
Wayna Picchu mountain only offer 400 spaces, so you need to assure a space for Wayna Picchu a month in advance at least.
OVERVIEW.
This special trek is about being back in time to see the closest descendants of the incas wrongly called "indians", we must call them early peruvians or native peruvians, who are still living in stone-thatched roof houses, using the same old techniques for looming, farming, dehydrating of potatoes, meat, only eating what they really produce by subsistence farming mainly the different species of andean tubers (potatoes and local named ocas, ollucos,etc) and locally raising of llamas and alpacas to get meat and wool for looming.
Either driving or hiking always pay attention to the landscape which changes mainly during the driving because you will be able to see different lifestyles of the Sacred valley inhabitants and the very high landers, please notice how the wearing changes depending of the altitude even the cattle around too, at beginning there will be cows, donkeys, horses, at highlands only llamas and alpacas, also widespread stone-thatched houses and the native people wearing clothes made by themselves using the old techniques of looming, after this highlands it's seen the sacred valley surrounded by corn plantations, wheat, barley, peas, getting to Ollantaytambo inca site, a very important inca town still inhabited since the inca's time, going to Machu Picchu by train, railway lays along the bank of the Urubamba river into the cloudforest, after all you will be back in Cusco in the afternoon, at day 4.
ITINERARY.
DAY 1: CUSCO - CALCA - LARES HOT SPRINGS HUACAWASI.
Picking up will be at 5:00 to drive a tourist bus for 1 hour and a half from Cusco to Calca town located at Sacred valley to keep driving up to Lares pass at 4500 m, 14763 ft (1 hour and half more) so before getting this pass you will visit the Ankasmarka site an important pre-inca settlement comprised of rounded shaped rooms built on the mountain with no planning at all, during the driving always look around to see the stone houses and some sheperd taking their llamas and alpacas for grazing in the Puna grassland specially in the way up.
After driving down for 1 hour into Lares village (3100 m, 10170 ft) where breakfast is served (not included - $10), it's possible to enjoy for another hour the warmest hot springs of Lares (45 C - 113 F, the warmest pool), so the hike starts by 11:00 am gently up, passing by the first stone-thatched roof houses and their wonderful stone fences, at beginning it's seen some corn fields and temperate crops.
It takes no more than 4 hours hiking up to get to Huacawasi village (3800 m, 12467 ft) still inhabited by native peruvians wearing clothes made by themselves using looms, llama bones, wooden wedges as tools, just imagine looming every string one by one even shapes of animals and geometric figures related to the andean cosmology.
The campsite will be set by this village so some local children will ask you for gifts, please just take with you some copy books, pencils or chocolates and candies, just remember they are still the forgotten people of Peru, fortunately they've got electricity 4 years ago and a school of concrete is being building nowadays.
Lunch is served at the campsite so you have a free afternoon for siesta or you can walk around getting impressed of this unique location comprised of stone houses, llamas, alpacas and glaciers beyond, do not forget to look at the sky at night to point out the constellations that sparkle in the clear Andean sky.
MEALS: Lunch, "happy hour" and dinner.
DAY 2: HUACAWASI - IPSAYC'ASA (pass) - IPSAYCOCHA (lake) - PATACANCHA.
Wake up time will be at 6:00 am enjoying a cup of coca tea before packing so after having breakfast you will start hiking by 7:30 am, first at all you can visit one of the houses nearby to see the lifestyle of this people, their clothing, tools for working, dehydrated potatoes and meat.
The hike is all the way up to Ipsayccasa pass (4350 m, 14271 ft), taking 4 hours at least by a ground pathway passing by the Puna grassland or straw, grazed by llamas and alpacas, along this part there are still local stone-thatched roof houses widespread and surrounded only for potatoes fields and highland tubers (ocas, ollucos, etc.) due to the altitude, they rotate the growing of tubers every 8 years.
After the pass all the way is downhill passing by the Ipsaycocha lake , lunch is served nearby so you can stay a while enjoying the view of this lagoon and some local fauna like the andean Ibis, huallatas (a specie of high land duck), trout to be fished, and a few more birds, so it takes 45 more minutes down from the pass to the lunch place.
After lunch it is about 3 more hours hiking down getting to Patacancha (3800 m, 12467 ft), another native town.
On the way down is seen more alpacas and llamas and a few stone houses, the campsite is nearby Patacancha, where once houses were about only stone walls and straw, nowadays they are built of mud-bricks and corrugated tin roofs even some locals wear synthetic clothes likely men.
MEALS: Breakfast, lunch, "happy hour"and dinner.
DAY 3: PATACANCHA - HUILLOJ - OLLANTAYTAMBO - AGUAS CALIENTES.
Leaving will be at 7:30 am again to keep hiking all the way downhill getting to Ollantaytambo town (2850 m, 9350 ft), taking you no more than 5 hours, so on the way down you will pass by the next native town called Huilloj (3500 m, 11483 ft) where locals still wear their traditional home-made llama and alpaca ponchos and pants, notice that going down the landscape changes due to the altitude, so further down it's seen more temperate crop fields like corn, wheat, barley, peas and more domesticated animals brought by the spaniards like the horses, donkeys, bulls, etc. even locals down there do not wear any traditional clothing.
After having lunch you can walk in the streets of Ollantaytambo town inhabited since the inca's time, see the water canals built along the narrow streets for drinking in the past, the colonial houses built on inca stone foundations and the religious area of Ollantaytambo which has a shape of a llama, this religious site is visited during the sacred valley tour.
The train is taken since 12:58 until 7:00 pm, it depends of train availability so you have 2 more hours by train to Aguas calientes along the Urubamba river bank into the cloud forest, dinner is served in a restaurant at Aguas Calientes (2000 m, 6562 ft) or Ollantaytambo, where your guide will organize the tour of Machu Picchu.
A comfortable hostel is provided over there so the next day it's necessary to go at first bus to be as long as possible at Machu Picchu.
MEALS: Breakfast, lunch, "happy hour"and dinner.
DAY 4: AGUAS CALIENTES - MACHU PICCHU - AGUAS CALIENTES - OLLANTAYTAMBO - CUSCO.
This day is the most important for you, so it's needed to wake up very early by 4:30 because breakfast is ready at 5:00 am and you can take the first bus which leaves by 5:30 am, the driving takes 30 min. up to Machupicchu site.
After showing your passport at the checkpoint of Machupicchu (2450 m, 8038 ft), you will go to the upper part of this unique inca site fortunately untouched by the spaniards, take your panoramic picture, relax for a while and wait for the sunrise which takes place after 6:40 am.
You still have a guided tour for two hours visiting the most important places in, learning much more about the inca culture, after that it's "mandatory" to keep exploring on your own almost the whole day because your train leaves at 6:45 pm, there are other options to go like the sungate taking you 1 and half hours walking up which is free or the inca bridge, a walking of 45 min. , both walkings start from the guard house.
The other option is about going to Huayna Picchu mountain but you have to book in advance of 2 months at least, and pay an extra $15, the sungate and Huayna Picchu mountain are located at 2750 m - 9022 ft, just 300 m - 1000 ft higher than Machu Picchu.
The last bus leaves at 5:20 pm, so we recommend you to stay until 5:00 pm if it's possible to have a nice view of Machu Picchu almost empty because by this time most people will be going back to Cusco, even in the morning you chance a little chance to see it uncrowded because almost 1000 people stay in Aguas Calientes the night before.
Your train leaves at 6:45 pm, taking you 2 more hours back to Ollantaytambo by train, where a driver will wait for you to take a bus for 2 more hours, so by 10:45 Cusco is reached.
MEALS: Breakfast (at hostel).
OUR COMPROMISE IS TO PROVIDE YOU A COMFORTABLE HIKE ASSURING THE BEST EXPERIENCE OF YOUR SOUTH AMERICAN TRIP! NEW EQUIPMENT, SMILING HORSEMEN, PREPARED COOKS, AMAZING FOOD AND PROFESSIONAL GUIDES WILL MAKE THIS HIKE UNFORGETTABLE FOR YOU.
CONSIDERING A TABLE OF EXERTION NEEDED FOR THIS TREK,
IT IS MODERATE BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
WE RECOMMEND TO DO EXERCISE FOR 30 DAYS, JOGGING, WALKING AT HOME PRIOR THE HIKING AND ACCLIMATIZE TWO DAYS IN CUSCO AT LEAST.
DIFFICULT LEVEL DEPENDS OF YOUR FITNESS AND ACCLIMATIZATION.
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
-Pre-departure briefing, 1 or 2 nights before the trek, introduced by your guides.
-Tourist bus from your hotel to Lares town, the beginning.
-Professional bilingual guide.
-Assistant guide (groups over 10 people).
-Entrance fee for Machu Picchu.
-1 night in 2-star hotel.
-Bus ticket round trip to Machu Picchu.
-Boiled-cooled water since day 2 at breakfast time.
-3 breakfast, 3 lunches, 3 afternoon snacks (happy hour), 3 dinners, 2 snacks for walking (day 1 breakfast is not included and day 4 last lunch either).
-Cook and cooking equipment.
-Four-person tent for two people.
-Inflatable mattress.
-Horses and a horse man to carry all the equipment, you can leave 8 kilos max. of your belongs to be carried by the horses.
-Bottled oxygen and first aid kit.
-Train ticket from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, expedition service at 12:58 pm or later until 7:20 pm.
-Train ticket from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo (expedition service, notice at 6:45 pm) and bus from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.
-No extra cost for vegetarian food on request.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO TAKE?
-Original passport (ISIC student card if is applicable), you must bring the passport or ID you used for booking if you get a new one is essential to bring a copy of the old one.
-Travel insurance is essential.
-A comfortable daypack to carry what you really need for hiking during the day.
-Snacks: biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, our meals are very complete and well supplied, but you will realize after walking a couple of hours you need to bite a cookie!
-Sleeping bag -5 C or 23 F at least (not included, you can rent it from us).
-Walking boots.
-Waterproof gear, rain poncho (just in case at dry season too), anytime so.
-Warm jacket and warm clothes (temperature varies from -5 to 24 C, 23 to 75 F ).
-Hat, gloves, beanie and sunglasses.
-T-shirts.
-Comfortable trousers.
-Bathing suit (very nice hot springs at Lares town day 1 and Aguas Calientes too, day 4).
-Sun hat.
-Sun protection cream (35 SF recommended).
-Insect repellent (20% DEET - no malaria has been reported).
-Bottled water.
-Water purifying pills.
-Toiletries.
-Towel.
-Personal aid kit.
-Camera and charger to recharge your batteries at 3th night.
-Flashlight and spare alkaline batteries.
-Lipsticks.
-We recommend to pack your belongs in plastic bags due the rain and a waterproof cover for your daypack.
-Extra money (300 soles at least - ATM at Aguas Calientes only).
*IMPORTANT: To qualify as student , it is necessary to have a valid ISIC student green card, and send us a copy at booking.
*Advise us about any allergy or personal health condition (asthma, etc).
OPTIONAL ITEMS
-Shorts (during the day it is normally warm so take more sun's cream and insect repellent).
-Walking poles.
-Plasters and bandages.
-Sandals.
OPTIONAL SERVICES NOT INCLUDED
-Upgrade of train service to Vistadome Class, US$ 50.
-Upgrade of train service to Expedition Class at 2:55 pm, US$ 30.
-Renting of sleeping bag - 4 season, US$20.
-Walking poles - US$20 each pair.
-Emergency horse for riding until day 3 only - US$ 120.
-Single tent supplement - US$ 30.
-Extra night in Aguas Calientes - US$ 60 (double room accommodation - hot shower and private bath room).
-Ask for discounts:
If you are a student (US$ 20 -ISIC card only, send a copy at booking), teenagers up to 15 years old (US$ 20), children up to 7 years old (US$ 20).
*Size of the group: Min. 2 people, max. 16 people.
US$ 560 (student card).
IMPORTANT INFO: The hikers of this trek are counted into the 2500 people allowed a day for Machu Picchu citadel so we recommend you to book 2 weeks in advance at least assuring you a space for Machu Picchu.
Wayna Picchu mountain only offer 400 spaces, so you need to assure a space for Wayna Picchu a month in advance at least.
OVERVIEW.
This special trek is about being back in time to see the closest descendants of the incas wrongly called "indians", we must call them early peruvians or native peruvians, who are still living in stone-thatched roof houses, using the same old techniques for looming, farming, dehydrating of potatoes, meat, only eating what they really produce by subsistence farming mainly the different species of andean tubers (potatoes and local named ocas, ollucos,etc) and locally raising of llamas and alpacas to get meat and wool for looming.
Either driving or hiking always pay attention to the landscape which changes mainly during the driving because you will be able to see different lifestyles of the Sacred valley inhabitants and the very high landers, please notice how the wearing changes depending of the altitude even the cattle around too, at beginning there will be cows, donkeys, horses, at highlands only llamas and alpacas, also widespread stone-thatched houses and the native people wearing clothes made by themselves using the old techniques of looming, after this highlands it's seen the sacred valley surrounded by corn plantations, wheat, barley, peas, getting to Ollantaytambo inca site, a very important inca town still inhabited since the inca's time, going to Machu Picchu by train, railway lays along the bank of the Urubamba river into the cloudforest, after all you will be back in Cusco in the afternoon, at day 4.
ITINERARY.
DAY 1: CUSCO - CALCA - LARES HOT SPRINGS HUACAWASI.
Picking up will be at 5:00 to drive a tourist bus for 1 hour and a half from Cusco to Calca town located at Sacred valley to keep driving up to Lares pass at 4500 m, 14763 ft (1 hour and half more) so before getting this pass you will visit the Ankasmarka site an important pre-inca settlement comprised of rounded shaped rooms built on the mountain with no planning at all, during the driving always look around to see the stone houses and some sheperd taking their llamas and alpacas for grazing in the Puna grassland specially in the way up.
After driving down for 1 hour into Lares village (3100 m, 10170 ft) where breakfast is served (not included - $10), it's possible to enjoy for another hour the warmest hot springs of Lares (45 C - 113 F, the warmest pool), so the hike starts by 11:00 am gently up, passing by the first stone-thatched roof houses and their wonderful stone fences, at beginning it's seen some corn fields and temperate crops.
It takes no more than 4 hours hiking up to get to Huacawasi village (3800 m, 12467 ft) still inhabited by native peruvians wearing clothes made by themselves using looms, llama bones, wooden wedges as tools, just imagine looming every string one by one even shapes of animals and geometric figures related to the andean cosmology.
The campsite will be set by this village so some local children will ask you for gifts, please just take with you some copy books, pencils or chocolates and candies, just remember they are still the forgotten people of Peru, fortunately they've got electricity 4 years ago and a school of concrete is being building nowadays.
Lunch is served at the campsite so you have a free afternoon for siesta or you can walk around getting impressed of this unique location comprised of stone houses, llamas, alpacas and glaciers beyond, do not forget to look at the sky at night to point out the constellations that sparkle in the clear Andean sky.
MEALS: Lunch, "happy hour" and dinner.
DAY 2: HUACAWASI - IPSAYC'ASA (pass) - IPSAYCOCHA (lake) - PATACANCHA.
Wake up time will be at 6:00 am enjoying a cup of coca tea before packing so after having breakfast you will start hiking by 7:30 am, first at all you can visit one of the houses nearby to see the lifestyle of this people, their clothing, tools for working, dehydrated potatoes and meat.
The hike is all the way up to Ipsayccasa pass (4350 m, 14271 ft), taking 4 hours at least by a ground pathway passing by the Puna grassland or straw, grazed by llamas and alpacas, along this part there are still local stone-thatched roof houses widespread and surrounded only for potatoes fields and highland tubers (ocas, ollucos, etc.) due to the altitude, they rotate the growing of tubers every 8 years.
After the pass all the way is downhill passing by the Ipsaycocha lake , lunch is served nearby so you can stay a while enjoying the view of this lagoon and some local fauna like the andean Ibis, huallatas (a specie of high land duck), trout to be fished, and a few more birds, so it takes 45 more minutes down from the pass to the lunch place.
After lunch it is about 3 more hours hiking down getting to Patacancha (3800 m, 12467 ft), another native town.
On the way down is seen more alpacas and llamas and a few stone houses, the campsite is nearby Patacancha, where once houses were about only stone walls and straw, nowadays they are built of mud-bricks and corrugated tin roofs even some locals wear synthetic clothes likely men.
MEALS: Breakfast, lunch, "happy hour"and dinner.
DAY 3: PATACANCHA - HUILLOJ - OLLANTAYTAMBO - AGUAS CALIENTES.
Leaving will be at 7:30 am again to keep hiking all the way downhill getting to Ollantaytambo town (2850 m, 9350 ft), taking you no more than 5 hours, so on the way down you will pass by the next native town called Huilloj (3500 m, 11483 ft) where locals still wear their traditional home-made llama and alpaca ponchos and pants, notice that going down the landscape changes due to the altitude, so further down it's seen more temperate crop fields like corn, wheat, barley, peas and more domesticated animals brought by the spaniards like the horses, donkeys, bulls, etc. even locals down there do not wear any traditional clothing.
After having lunch you can walk in the streets of Ollantaytambo town inhabited since the inca's time, see the water canals built along the narrow streets for drinking in the past, the colonial houses built on inca stone foundations and the religious area of Ollantaytambo which has a shape of a llama, this religious site is visited during the sacred valley tour.
The train is taken since 12:58 until 7:00 pm, it depends of train availability so you have 2 more hours by train to Aguas calientes along the Urubamba river bank into the cloud forest, dinner is served in a restaurant at Aguas Calientes (2000 m, 6562 ft) or Ollantaytambo, where your guide will organize the tour of Machu Picchu.
A comfortable hostel is provided over there so the next day it's necessary to go at first bus to be as long as possible at Machu Picchu.
MEALS: Breakfast, lunch, "happy hour"and dinner.
DAY 4: AGUAS CALIENTES - MACHU PICCHU - AGUAS CALIENTES - OLLANTAYTAMBO - CUSCO.
This day is the most important for you, so it's needed to wake up very early by 4:30 because breakfast is ready at 5:00 am and you can take the first bus which leaves by 5:30 am, the driving takes 30 min. up to Machupicchu site.
After showing your passport at the checkpoint of Machupicchu (2450 m, 8038 ft), you will go to the upper part of this unique inca site fortunately untouched by the spaniards, take your panoramic picture, relax for a while and wait for the sunrise which takes place after 6:40 am.
You still have a guided tour for two hours visiting the most important places in, learning much more about the inca culture, after that it's "mandatory" to keep exploring on your own almost the whole day because your train leaves at 6:45 pm, there are other options to go like the sungate taking you 1 and half hours walking up which is free or the inca bridge, a walking of 45 min. , both walkings start from the guard house.
The other option is about going to Huayna Picchu mountain but you have to book in advance of 2 months at least, and pay an extra $15, the sungate and Huayna Picchu mountain are located at 2750 m - 9022 ft, just 300 m - 1000 ft higher than Machu Picchu.
The last bus leaves at 5:20 pm, so we recommend you to stay until 5:00 pm if it's possible to have a nice view of Machu Picchu almost empty because by this time most people will be going back to Cusco, even in the morning you chance a little chance to see it uncrowded because almost 1000 people stay in Aguas Calientes the night before.
Your train leaves at 6:45 pm, taking you 2 more hours back to Ollantaytambo by train, where a driver will wait for you to take a bus for 2 more hours, so by 10:45 Cusco is reached.
MEALS: Breakfast (at hostel).
OUR COMPROMISE IS TO PROVIDE YOU A COMFORTABLE HIKE ASSURING THE BEST EXPERIENCE OF YOUR SOUTH AMERICAN TRIP! NEW EQUIPMENT, SMILING HORSEMEN, PREPARED COOKS, AMAZING FOOD AND PROFESSIONAL GUIDES WILL MAKE THIS HIKE UNFORGETTABLE FOR YOU.
CONSIDERING A TABLE OF EXERTION NEEDED FOR THIS TREK,
IT IS MODERATE BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
WE RECOMMEND TO DO EXERCISE FOR 30 DAYS, JOGGING, WALKING AT HOME PRIOR THE HIKING AND ACCLIMATIZE TWO DAYS IN CUSCO AT LEAST.
DIFFICULT LEVEL DEPENDS OF YOUR FITNESS AND ACCLIMATIZATION.
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
-Pre-departure briefing, 1 or 2 nights before the trek, introduced by your guides.
-Tourist bus from your hotel to Lares town, the beginning.
-Professional bilingual guide.
-Assistant guide (groups over 10 people).
-Entrance fee for Machu Picchu.
-1 night in 2-star hotel.
-Bus ticket round trip to Machu Picchu.
-Boiled-cooled water since day 2 at breakfast time.
-3 breakfast, 3 lunches, 3 afternoon snacks (happy hour), 3 dinners, 2 snacks for walking (day 1 breakfast is not included and day 4 last lunch either).
-Cook and cooking equipment.
-Four-person tent for two people.
-Inflatable mattress.
-Horses and a horse man to carry all the equipment, you can leave 8 kilos max. of your belongs to be carried by the horses.
-Bottled oxygen and first aid kit.
-Train ticket from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, expedition service at 12:58 pm or later until 7:20 pm.
-Train ticket from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo (expedition service, notice at 6:45 pm) and bus from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.
-No extra cost for vegetarian food on request.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO TAKE?
-Original passport (ISIC student card if is applicable), you must bring the passport or ID you used for booking if you get a new one is essential to bring a copy of the old one.
-Travel insurance is essential.
-A comfortable daypack to carry what you really need for hiking during the day.
-Snacks: biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, our meals are very complete and well supplied, but you will realize after walking a couple of hours you need to bite a cookie!
-Sleeping bag -5 C or 23 F at least (not included, you can rent it from us).
-Walking boots.
-Waterproof gear, rain poncho (just in case at dry season too), anytime so.
-Warm jacket and warm clothes (temperature varies from -5 to 24 C, 23 to 75 F ).
-Hat, gloves, beanie and sunglasses.
-T-shirts.
-Comfortable trousers.
-Bathing suit (very nice hot springs at Lares town day 1 and Aguas Calientes too, day 4).
-Sun hat.
-Sun protection cream (35 SF recommended).
-Insect repellent (20% DEET - no malaria has been reported).
-Bottled water.
-Water purifying pills.
-Toiletries.
-Towel.
-Personal aid kit.
-Camera and charger to recharge your batteries at 3th night.
-Flashlight and spare alkaline batteries.
-Lipsticks.
-We recommend to pack your belongs in plastic bags due the rain and a waterproof cover for your daypack.
-Extra money (300 soles at least - ATM at Aguas Calientes only).
*IMPORTANT: To qualify as student , it is necessary to have a valid ISIC student green card, and send us a copy at booking.
*Advise us about any allergy or personal health condition (asthma, etc).
OPTIONAL ITEMS
-Shorts (during the day it is normally warm so take more sun's cream and insect repellent).
-Walking poles.
-Plasters and bandages.
-Sandals.
OPTIONAL SERVICES NOT INCLUDED
-Upgrade of train service to Vistadome Class, US$ 50.
-Upgrade of train service to Expedition Class at 2:55 pm, US$ 30.
-Renting of sleeping bag - 4 season, US$20.
-Walking poles - US$20 each pair.
-Emergency horse for riding until day 3 only - US$ 120.
-Single tent supplement - US$ 30.
-Extra night in Aguas Calientes - US$ 60 (double room accommodation - hot shower and private bath room).
-Ask for discounts:
If you are a student (US$ 20 -ISIC card only, send a copy at booking), teenagers up to 15 years old (US$ 20), children up to 7 years old (US$ 20).
*Size of the group: Min. 2 people, max. 16 people.