INCA TRAIL - Lares 2 days + 2 days
The Lares Trek is an invitation to experience the living culture of the Incas. The people living along its length have kept their ancestral traditions alive through their textiles, clothing, religion, and language.
After Lares, we’ll enter Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate at the end of the Two-Day Inca Trail, a hiking route with breathtaking views and important archaeological sites. Taken together, these two hikes are a simply magical experience, a 34-kilometer journey full of living history and ancient ruins that are the legacy of the Inca Empire.
Itinerary
We’ll have an informative talk about the hike and the opportunity to get to know the other travelers who will be sharing the trail with you.
| *Your briefing is typically scheduled for one day before your trek. However if your trek starts on a Monday, your briefing will be scheduled for the Saturday before. Please take this into consideration when booking your flights. |
Our first day we leave Cusco very early to reach Huacawasi (Lares), which is the starting place of our hike. Before we start trekking, we will have the chance to visit the community of Huacawasi and learn about the customs and traditions still kept from ancestral times. After this we will start our trek, gradually ascending and passing by small populations that still use the very colorful clothings of their ancestors and herds of llamas and alpacas. Along the way we will have the opportunity to share local experiences. After ascending for approximately 4-5 hours, we will arrive at the highest pass on our trek- Ipsayccasa (4,500 masl). Here we will rest for a bit, feeling the cold of the air high in the Andes, almost touching the clouds. From here we can see the entire chain of snow-capped mountains in the area, such as the Mountain of Verónica (5,750 masl). After we are rested, we will descend to the Ipsaycocha lagoon (4,350 masl), a small lake with an abundance of high-altitude birds, including the Andean goose, known for its color and size; the Puna ibis, and other aquatic birds that soar through the mountains. Here we will have our first campsite, close to the lagoon of Ipsaycocha.
- Distance: 14km
- Hours of hiking: 6 – 7 hours
- Minimum Elevation: 3828 m / 12559 ft
- Maximum Elevation: 4500 m / 14764 ft
- Campsite Elevation: 4350 m / 14272 ft
We will wake up early to local birdsong, and have our breakfast surrounded by the mountains and lagoon in all their splendor. We start out descending toward the community of Patacancha (3,750 masl), which is another ancestral community characterized by its colored woven textiles and indigenous culture. From here we will take a local car/van for approximately 30 minutes to the archaeological site of Pumamarka (3,750 masl), known locally as “The Pueblo de los Pumas” (The City of the Pumas), a mystical and magical place in its location overlooking the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
After our visit to Pumamarka, we will have a delicious lunch and a nice rest. After lunch, we start walking again on one of the original Inca Trails, passing by different archaeological sites, filled with different flora and fauna, with incredible views of various valleys, mountains, and local villagers along the route, finally arriving in Ollantaytambo (2850 masl), where we will spend the night.
- Distance: 16km
- Hours of hiking: 7- 8 hours
- Minimum Elevation: 2,850 m / 9,350 ft
- Maximum Elevation: 4,350 m / 14272 ft
- Campsite Elevation: 2850 m / 9,350 ft
After breakfast, we will make our way to the Ollantaytambo train station, where we will board our train to Km 104, the start of the 2 Day Inca Trail. During this train ride we will get to see impressive landscapes, mountains, Andean towns, snow-caps, and valleys, coming down towards the jungle and the banks of the Urubamba River, showing all of its natural beauty. At Km 104 (start of today’s hike) we go through the checkpoint to enter the 2 Day Inca Trail. After going through control, we will visit the Archaeological site of Chachabamba (2,050 masl), beautiful in its construction and location in the valley, nearly all of its architecture still intact. We will then ascend for approximately 3 hours to the archaeological site of Wiñay Wayna (2,650 masl) where we will enjoy our tasty box lunch. After a good rest, we will continue through the semi-tropical forest towards the mystic Inti Punkuu (Sun Gate), where we will get our first incredible panoramic view of the enigmatic citadel of Machu Picchu. From the Inti Punku we descend approximately 30 minutes towards the citadel and we will rest in a very good place to take incredible photos. We will then make our way to the buses and take a bus down to Aguas Calientes, where we will spend the night in a hotel.
- Distance: 16km
- Hours of hiking: 7 – 8 hours
- Minimum Elevation: 2,850 m / 9,350 ft
- Maximum Elevation: 4,350 m / 14,272 ft
- Campsite Elevation: 2,850 m / 9,350 ft
We will wake up early to take the bus to Machu Picchu (2,430 m.a.s.l.) where we will be among the first visitors of the day to enjoy the magic and mystery of one of the wonders of the world. We will have a tour of the citadel for approximately 2-3 hours. From there we will enjoy the splendor of Machupicchu and the surrounding landscape, the exotic tranquility of the lost city of the Incas. By the afternoon we will take the bus to Aguas Calientes. Once in town you will have free time to grab lunch and later on in the day we will take the train to return to Ollantaytambo. Upon arrival to Cusco our transfer will be waiting in our private van to take you back to your hotel.
