LARES VALLEY MOUNTAIN TREK
4 days / 3 nights

This unforgettable and less-known hike combines amazing mountain scenery, glacier lagoons, valley cloud-forest and Quechua communities famous for their textiles. It starts in the village of Huaran and ends up in the village of Lares, where you will enjoy its fabulous hot springs. You will  have the opportunity to see thatched stone houses surrounded by herds of llamas and alpacas. Inside the houses you will see guinea pigs. The trek itself is rated moderate, similar to the Inca Trail with two passes over 4000m. Therefore, it is important that you are well acclimatized to the altitude.

ITINERARY

Day 1 : CUSCO-KISUARANI-CUNCANI.
An early morning start (6am) allows us the best possible views of our incredible mountainous surroundings, dotted with rural villages throughout. The Sacred Valley was the heart of the Inca civilization from the 14th to 15th centuries, and many people still farm in this lush, expansive valley. Our hike begins in the village Qeshwarani, from which we begin our leisurely pace through the valley of Cuncani, before the high pass of Cuncani we will eat our picnic lunch. After lunch we continue on our path to the highland village of Cuncani, our destination for tonight. From our campsite, we will have stunning views of snow-capped Colque Cruz.

Day 2 : Cuncani - Ipsaycocha
After pausing to admire our surroundings in the early morning mist, we will proceed around Sondor Mountain to a high pass (an altitude of 4440m), from which we will have great photo opportunities: scenic Huacahuasi Lake and snow-capped Veronica Mountain (amongst others!) are visible from the path. After a good morning’s hike, we stop for a quick rest in a living Inca settlement, where many still farm the traditional crop of potatoes in the same way that their ancestors did. We resume our hike upstream to the second pass, Ipsayqocha (4550m), where we will celebrate by making an offering of coca leaves to the Andean Gods. We descend to our campsite near Lake Ipsayqocha for the night.

Day 3 : Ipsaycocha – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes
Today we will have photo opportunities: our gentle path is covered in Andean flora, and animals such as llamas and alpacas are fairly commonplace. If we’re lucky, we might even catch a glimpse of Andean geese, puna ibis, Andean cara caras or condor. We will feel welcomed by the warm Quechua people, whose homeland we have the rare opportunity to see firsthand. The traditional dress and lifestyle of these people is both fascinating and enticing to outsiders. Our descent takes us through the spectacular valley of Patacancha, where everything remains as it has since ancient times. After our five-hour hike, we reach the town of Patacancha, where we eat lunch and wait for our private bus to take us to Ollantaytambo, we catch the train for an incredibly scenic ride to Agua Calientes, where we will spend the night in a hotel.

Day 4 : Machu Picchu - Cuzco
An early start this morning assures us the opportunity to see the breathtaking sight of Machu Picchu. We will have a guided tour of this fascinating place, and even the opportunity to climb Wayna Picchu, providing the chance to see Machu Picchu and the surroundings from a more exclusive vantage point. After a full day of exploring, we head back to Cuzco via train for the evening.

PRIVATE SERVICE

Includes:

Hotel collection, round trip transportation by private bus, professional bilingual tour guide (English-Spanish-speaking), train tikets Machupicchu Cusco, bus tikets by  machupicchu, hostal in Aguas Calientes town,excellent cook, high quality camping equipment ( four people igloo tents used for 2 persons, mattress, dining tent, kitchen tent, toilet tent and cooking equipment. Plentiful meals (morning tea, breakfast, snacks, lunch, aftenoon tea and dinner daily), including: pancakes, omelets, soups, fresh fruit, avocado, pasta, chicken, fish, meat, rice, all rich in carbohydrates and suitable for trekking, vegetarian option, hot drinks including  coca leaf tea which is  excellent for the altitude. Boiled water is also provided to fill up your water bottle, hot water every morning and afternoon for washing; pack animals: horses (for camping equipment and your personal items) including horsemen and saddled horses, First aid kit and  oxygen bottle. 

 

Excludes:

Breakfast day one, lunch on day 4, personal equipment, sleeping bag ( you can rent this in our office us$ 15 for the whole trek), tips.

 

GROUP SIZE: PRIVATE GROUP

 

DEPARTURES: FROM APRIL UNTIL NOVEMBER  

GROUP SIZE: Private Group. 2 persons are the minimum   number for a private service.
DEPARTURES: From April until November.

PRICE PER PERSON 2008:

 

YOU SHOULD BRING

Backpack, sleeping bag (you can rent it in our office), warm clothes, fleece, sweater, rain jacket and rain poncho, changing clothes, hiking boots and sandals, trousers and shorts, wool socks, wool hat, gloves, baseball cap, flashlight and extra batteries, sun glasses, water bottle and purification tablets, sun block, insect repellent, toiletries, bathing suit and towel.  

TREK OPTIONS

(1) Horse for personal use or saddle horse.- US$50 for the whole trip.
(2) Vegetarian meals.- We can provide vegetarian meals or special diets with no extra cost. Just let us know at least 2 days prior to trek departure.
(3) Sleeping bag rental.- We have sleeping bags in our office for rent.

 

<<RESERVATIONS>>

 

Address: Lucrepata, Urbambilla A-1 Cercado Cusco - Telf: +51-84-248457 Mobile: +51-984-756439

Emails: aldrin42@hotmail.com  & info@peruvianadventures.com