The Lares valley is one of the most picturesque villages in the southern part of Cusco. Lares Valley is particularly well known for its very high-quality, brightly colored weavings and characteristic upturned hats, many of the popular tourist markets being supplied from here. Although in this area always people not far away, they often dont speak Spanish. Although in this area always people not far away, they often dont speak Spanish...The 4 days Lares Llama Trek is a great alternative, ending at Machu Picchu.
The trek itself is rated moderate, similar to the Inca Trail. There are, however, one pass over 4000m so it is essential that you are well acclimatized to the altitude. If arriving from sea level then plan on spending at least 2 days in Cusco and the surroundings before undertaking the trek. This 4-day newly developed itinerary offers an outstanding combination of amazing mountain scenery in a remote area and visits to authentic Quechua communities such as Wacawasi, Willog, and Patacancha and reaches Aguas Calientes on the third day. The last day is devoted to the visit of the impressive Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.To have the best experience we combine interaction with the local people and use their Llamas to carry all the camping gear and our backpacks, how ancient Andean people did.
This trek takes us into the Lares region of the Peruvian Andes, passing green valleys, tranquil mountain lakes and high passes, with breathtaking views of snow-capped Andean peaks rising to just under 6,000 meters. Our route takes us through many small village communities that offer a rare & fascinating insight into traditional Andean life. Finally we make our way by train to Aguas Calientes and continue on to Machu-Picchu, the legendary Lost City of the Incas. We have plenty of time to explore this renowned and fascinating site, climb to Huayna Picchu, walk to Sun-Gate etc.
- Distance : 46km
- Duration : 4 days
- When to go: from April to October
- Altitude : 2700 masl to 4600 masl
- Difficulty : Moderate .
South Adventure Peru Tours: Strongly recommend book this amazing trek as far in advance as possible, prior you arrive to Peru. The entrances to the santuary of Machu Picchu and Huaynapichu must be booked 3 to 4 months in advance...South Adventure Peru Tours recommend spending two nights in Cusco before to begin the Lares Valley trek to Machu Picchu; two spending at 3400m (Cusco) will be great to aclimatize to the altitude.
Important info: Since July 20th 2011 the entrances has been limited , due to the high demand and limit of entrances to the santuary of Machu Picchu and Huayna picchu we suggest you book in advance before it runs out of spaces.
We take small groups, Why ?
The principal reason to take small groups in the inca trail to machu picchu, is to provide personalized service, in a small group is easy to keep walking together and enjoy the nature of the inca trail, there is a possibility to make friend and share experiences, interacting more closely with each other. Whereas, in larger groups from (10 – 16) people it trend to split into factions. Moreover, in larger groups tends to be a sizeable difference often over onehour in a section of the trail between the fastest andslowest member, what makes more difficult for the guides, cooks and porters to make their effective labors. In small groups, people are more likely to arrive at roughly the same time to hear the guide’s explanations. Also our porters are given the same food as the tourists.
In larger groups agencies often provide inferior food for the porters. Smallgroups require less space in campsites and this enables the guide to select better locations. In small groups the guide, cook and porters have a more intimate relationship with the tourists and are better able to meet individual needs and attend to environmental issues such as waste disposal, contamination, etc. as the group will be together more of the time. Because of these reason in our standard service we take small groups, only in a group of friends and delegations we manage larger group. So choose small group.
What are the benefits of doing a private tour? One of the main reasons why the private option is sought after is because you do not need to worry about which dates we have departures set for or if our departures have enough space…Your only concern is whether or not there are permits available…You can choose almost any date that you want if permits are available… In addition to the convenience and flexibility in booking, the private option provides a more personal trip experience for your group. We will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel….The guide will focus all of his energy and attention on your group. You can also be more specific about the foods that you would like to be served during the trek. It is a truly wonderful experience to go on such an amazing journey with only your friends and loved ones. Ask at South Adventure Peru Tours how you can arrange your own private tour.
Stay an extra night in Aguas Calientes town :Stay an extra night at Aguas Calientes? Yes, if you want to stay an extra night in Aguas Calientes after the trek this can easily be arranged. We will purchase your train ticket to return to Cusco the following day. You need to let us know at the time of making the trek reservation so we can reserve your train tickets in advance. Obviously if you stay an extra night then you will have to pay for your accommodation which is US$75 per person at HOTEL LA CABAÑA OR Hotel Eco Machu Picchu Pueblo for $ 45 each Lares Valley weather: Dry season (April - November) Day temperature 15ºC/21ºC / Night temperature -0ºC/5ºC Wet season (December - March) Day temperature 17ºC/22º;C / Night temperature -2ºC/5ºC. Local Kids and Adults: Along the way you will met many people, specially kids walking long distance to arrive at school and study 5 hours and they back home after maybe 30 minutes or 2 – 4 hours depending how far they live from the school. Normally they are son or daughter of poor farmers living on the mountains. We strongly recommend help us to give some present to them like pencils, notebook, dictionaries, toys, clothes (socks, gloves, hat, t-shirt, etc) and something to eat. We dont recommend giving them things like candies, chew gun, soda, camping knife or money. If you really like to make picture of them, especially of adults we strongly advise you to ask first. If you dont speak any word of Spanish language (español) coordinate with your guide to see if is possible to have picture of them. Local people dont permit take picture of them, because they believe you taking their spirit on your camera.