This 7 day trek will take you into the Lares region of the Peruvian Andes. Enjoy the landscapes while heading towards Machu Picchu!
7 DAY LARES VALLEY TREK LINK
ITINERARY
DAY 1 - FLY TO CUSCO
After arriving in Cusco, a Valencia Travel Cusco representative will transport you to your hotel for the night. The following day, you will have the day to enjoy at your leisure. There is the option of taking a free walking tour! You can confirm in advance to schedule a tour guide. The tour will be about 2 to 3 hours.
Places to be visited is as followed:
- Regocijo square
- Plaza de Armas (Main square in Cusco)
- Plaza Nazarenas
- San blas town
- The stone of 12 angles
- San Pedro market
DAY 2 - OPEN DAY AT LEISURE
You can enjoy what Cusco has to offer at your own pace or take the optional: full day Sacred Valley tour.
Optional - SACRED VALLEY TOUR
After having breakfast, you 'll be picked up from your hotel and head towards the Urubamba valley to visit the following places:
- Pisac- Known for its famous indigenous market held every Sunday
- Urubamba - We will have lunch here
- Ollantaytambo- The oldest occupied town in the South American continent
- Chinchero- Also known for its indigenous markets
Early in the morning,we depart Cusco for the town of Ollantaytambo located within the Sacred Valley of the Incas. After 4 hours driving, we arrive in Patakancha, a Quechua community, where the locals still live like their Incan ancestors. The locals live in abode homes with thatched roofs, weave their clothing and work the land. Their main income is from their livestock of llamas and alpacas.The locals also work as porters for travel companies. We will visit the community and its school. After the visit, you will meet the trekking crew and pack up to start your hike. Along the beginning of the trek, you will enjoy views of alpaca and llamas grazing in the fields. After an hour and a half ascending, the trail flattens out and we will reach Lake Ipsaycocha. In the afternoon, we will cross our first high pass called Ipsaycocha pass then the trail will go downhill until we reach our campsite.
DAY 4 - HUACAHUASI TO LARES HOT SPRINGS
After breakfast, we will begin to descend for about three hours until we reach the community of Huacahuasi. The scenery will be different from yesterday filled with fields of potato, barley, quinoa and corn. Many of the houses in the village of Huacahuasi are built from stone and have thatched roofs. The people in this community produce colorful textiles. The next day, we will learn about their weaving techniques and admire some of their high quality products. As we continue our walk (2 to 3 hours) we arrive in the colonial village of Lares, where we will camp for the night. We will take a relaxing dip in the hot springs.
DAY 5 - LARES TO OLLANTAYTAMBO TO AGUAS CALIENTES
In the early morning, the bus will pick up to head towards the beginning of a trail near the Totora canyon. After 2 hours, we will keep going until we reach Ollantaytambo, where we will rest and have lunch. In the afternoon, we will catch a train to Aguas Calientes. This journey starts off in the Quechua highlands and descend into lush tropical vegetation as we near Aguas Calientes. Once in Aguas Calientes, we will check into our hotel for the night.
DAY 6 - MACHU PICCHU IN ITS GLORY
After having breakfast, you guide will pick you up to take the bus to Machu Picchu. We will watch the sunrise after which, you'll being a guided tour. When the tour is done, you will be able to explore the citadel by yourselves. You will then meet your guide in Aguas Calientes to have lunch and be given your return train tickets to Cusco. Make sure to be early at the train station (20 or 30 minutes) in order to catch your train back to Cusco.
DAY 7 - FLY TO LIMA
After having breakfast in your hotel, you will have the morning to enjoy at your leisure. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight back to Lima.
