Lares Trek & Short Inca Trail 4 Days

Duration

1Day

Tour Type

Daily Tour

Group Size

10 people

Languages

English, Espanol

ITINERARY

DAY 01: CUSCO – CALCA – LARES – WACAHUASI

Early in the morning we will pick you up from your hotel lobby in Cusco at 05:30 am and travel for 1 hour towards the Sacred Valley we will stop at the lookout to take panoramic photos of the Valley and the tour guide will give you a brief explanation of the place, then continue to the village of Calca, where we will make a short stop and a visit to the local market where typical local products are sold, then we will transport you for about 2 hours to the village of Lares (3,100 m / 10,170 ft) in this place we will welcome our road team (chef, carrier) before the walk we will have the opportunity to go to the medicinal thermal baths of Lares (3,250 m / 10,662 ft) and enjoy a relaxing bath, the temperature varies between 28 ° C to 34 ° C.
Then we will begin our adventure, walking Andean flat terrain for about 2 hours for better acclimatization to the bridge of Vilcabamba where our team awaits us with lunch, after lunch we will enjoy a short break and continue for 3 hours to the village of Wacahuasi (3,750 m / 12,303 ft) during the trek find children from nearby villages using their traditional costumes to welcome us is a great opportunity to support and share good times with them. Wacahuasi is the place of our first day of camp, this camp the night will be colder recommend wearing warm clothes for the night, then we will have tea time ideal for sharing experiences in the day time. Later we will enjoy dinner and finally the night.

Estimated time to walk: 4 to 5 hours.
Total distance: 11 km
Altitude of our camp: 3,750 meters above sea level.

DAY 02: WAKAHUASI – SACSALLAULLY PASS – YANAHUARA

Very early in the morning after breakfast we will start the 6:00 AM walk, where we will have the best views of the incredible mountains of the Andes. We will walk uphill for 3 hours, arriving at Paso de Paso Sacsallaully (4,646 m / 15,242 ft.). This point offers a rewarding view of the valleys, snow-capped mountains and Lake Aruray Cocha. We will also appreciate species of native birds including geese (Cara Cara), ducks, etc. and other typical animals of the area such as llamas, alpacas, vicuñas and guanacos. From Aurora Cassa Pass we descend to the two lakes known as Aruraycocha and Yuraccoha, with the forest of Queuñas (typical tree of the Incas). At the side of one of the lakes we will have our Andean lunch with beautiful views.
During the next two hours of our walk and before our arrival in Mantanay (3,850 m / 12,631 ft.) There will be a great change in the landscape. The rest of the walk is downhill through a picturesque valley of Queuñares (native) with ample opportunities to take pictures of the Andean flora. Then we arrive at Yanahuara (2,780 m / 9,120 ft.) A cozy warm village with a comfortable climate, located near Urubamba Valley (Sacred Valley of the Incas).
Second camp site in Yanahuara.

Estimated time to walk: 8 to 9 hours.
Total distance: 18 km
Altitude of our accommodation: 2,780 meters above sea level.
 
 

DAY 3: YANAHUARA – SHORT INCA TRAIL – WIÑAYWAYNA – MACHU PICCHU – AGUAS CALIENTES TOWN

Early in the morning after our breakfast, we will take your to the train station in Ollantaytambo and board the train that will take you to the km. 104 the journey is approximately 1 hour. It is here at Km 104 (2,200 masl / 7,217 ft.) where we will begin the walk, pass the bridge that is on the Urubamba river or Willkamayuc which translated from Quechua means “Sacred River” which was very important for incas. Upon reaching the checkpoint, you’ll have to show identification documents either Passport. 2-minutes walking there is the first archaeological center Chachabamba that is hidden in the semi-tropical forest, after this visit, we will begin the walk through stands in ascending up to the next place, on the way, we will observe the Sacred Valley , waterfalls and different types of orchids semi-tropical forest, after 4 hours walking, we’ll reach Wiñaywayna (2,650 masl / 8,694 ft.) which shows a perfect example of what was farming at the time of the Incas, as along its slopes lie a large number of farming terraces, where the Incas cultivated different agricultural crops. The name “Wiñaywayna” comes from a beautiful orchid that abounds in the area and whose meaning in Spanish “Forever Young” and has more than 20 buildings, one of them the “Temple of the Iris Rainbow” also called Temple of Fertility, the visit will be 1 hour on average, then you will enjoy the lunchbox to refuel and continue until we reach Wiñaywayna control.

In this second part of the tour we will walk for 2 hours through an Andean plan, stone stairs and tambos (“resting places”) until we reach the Inti Punku – Puerta del Sol (2,720 m / 8,923 ft) that during the Incas functioned as control of entry to the Citadel of Machu Picchu; From here you have an impressive panoramic view of Machu Picchu and the entire surrounding valley, then descend for approximately 30 minutes to the wonder of Machu Picchu world (2,490 m / 8,169 ft) and finally take the bus to Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu Town (2,160 m / 7,086 ft) the trip lasts 25 minutes, here we will spend the night in a very comfortable hotel. If you are not very tired, you have the option of visiting the thermal baths that is 10 minutes from the town, the cost is 10 soles. For those who like to dance or have a drink in a bar, we inform you that Aguas Calientes has a wide variety of bars and restaurants, including an ATM, in case you wish to withdraw money from the bank. Here we will also have a delicious à la carte dinner in a very cozy restaurant in this town.

Hotel night in the towns of Aguas Calientes.
 

DAY 4: MACHU PICCHU TOUR – CUSCO

This day we visit Machu picchu again, after breakfast your guide will meet you by your hotel lobby and you go to the bus stop to board the bus, we will drive for about 30 minutes to reach the citadel of Machu Picchu we pass the control where you show your ticket and passport, you will have a private, guided tour, to visit the most important places in Machu Picchu such as the Main Plaza, the Sun Temple, the Sacred Sundial, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows and cemeteries, the tour will be for more than two hours, After the visit, you will have free time to visit Machu Picchu on your own (optional, climb the Huaynapicchu or Machu Picchu mountain, this costs an additional $ 35 USD per person). You can also hike to the Sun Gate or the Inka Bridge, for these 02 places there are no additional payments.
At the appropriate time, we will take the bus and descend from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes usual train departure to Ollantaytambo is in the afternoon, followed by car two hours drive to your hotel in Cusco.

Hotel night in Cusco.

end of our service

Included / Excluded

INCLUDED

  • Pick up from your hotel in dela morning hours.
  • Private transport from Cusco to Lares (the starting point of the walk).
  • Professional bilingual tour guide.
  • Food 3 breakfast / 3 lunches / 3 dinners
  • Cook and cooking equipment.
  • Horsemen and horses (to carry tents, food and cooking equipment).
  • Transportations form Yanahuara to Ollantaytambo
  • Train ticket Ollanta to Km. 104
  • Professional bilingual tour guide (English-Spanish)
  • Entrance to the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu.
  • Bus ticket Machu Picchu – Aguas Calientes (outward / return).
  • 1 night hotel in Aguas Calientes (hab. Double).
  • First aid kit, oxygen bottle
  • Train ticket from Aguas Calientes – Ollantaytambo.
  • Transportation Ollantaytambo – Cusco.
  • Transfer to the hotel.

EXCLUDED

  • First breakfast and last lunch.
  • Sleeping bag (can be rented in our office $ 15 for the entire trip).
  • Trekking poles, you can rent in our office (the $ 15.00 USD for the entire trip).
  • Entrance to Huaynapicchu or Machu Picchu Mountain ($ 35 USD optional).
  • Lunch on the last day: after the guided visit to Machu Picchu.
  • Visit the thermal baths in the village of “Aguas Calientes”.

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