ALTERNATIVE TREK TO MACHU PICCHU - LARES TREK AND INCA JUNGLE

LARES TREK

Lares: where is it located? How high is it?

Where is Lares located?

Lares is located in the Andes Mountains, in southern Peru. This district of Cusco belongs to the province of Calca.
How high is it?
Lares is 3,150 meters above sea level (m.s.n.m.).
What is the weather like in Lares?
The climate in Lares is temperate with cold at night. The average temperature is 11ºC. During the day, the heat can reach 21ºC. At night, temperatures can reach 1ºC.
How to get to Lares?
Lares is separated from the city of Cusco by 149 kilometers of highway. From this point, it is reached through a car trip that goes through the towns of Pisac and Calca in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
What to see and do in Lares?
Lares has several tourist attractions such as:
Lares thermo-medicinal baths.
Mantto Falls.
The hiking route to Machu Picchu.
Lares is famous for being the starting point of the so-called Lares Trek, a route that leads to Machu Picchu on a 4-day, 3-night road.

More about the Lares Trek

Is it difficult to do the Lares Trek?
The Lares Trek has a medium difficulty. Compared to the Inca Trail or the Salkantay Trek, this route is less arduous. The only difficulty is altitude sickness, due to trails located in high altitude geographies.
When is the best time to do the Lares Trek?
The best time to do the Lares Trek is during the dry season (from April to October). In those months, the sky is clearer and there is less chance of rain. Therefore, the roads are in better condition for hiking.
How to fight altitude sickness on the Lares Trek?
One of the biggest difficulties during the Lares Trek is altitude sickness (also known as 'soroche').
The best way to combat this disease is acclimatizing to the city of Cusco a few days before the trek.
Another option is to drink plenty of water. Coca tea, for example, is a drink based on coca leaf that effectively fights the ailments and symptoms of soroche.
The Incas, as well as the inhabitants of the Andes to this day, chew coca leaves as a remedy for this and other ailments.
Is it possible to do the Lares Trek on your own?
There is no restriction for a visitor to be encouraged to do the Lares Trek on their own. However, unlike other hikes like the Salkantay Trek or the Choquequirao Trek, the trails are not well signposted, making it difficult to stay on course.
To do the Lares Trek on your own you must understand the route to follow. For this, a good map would be effective. Furthermore, the inhabitants that inhabit this region are mainly Quechua speakers.
What to bring to the Lares Trek?
The tour services that lead to the Lares Trek include the basic implements such as tents, food and a pack horse.
In addition, it is recommended to bring the following:

1. Sleeping bag.
2. Trekking poles.
3. Hat or cap.
4. Sunscreen.
5. Warm clothes during the nights.
6. Light clothing during the day.
7. Poncho for rains.
8. Bottle with water
9. Hiking shoes.
10. Bath clothes (for Lares thermo-medicinal baths).
11. Snacks
12. Photographic camera.
13. Extra money.

Recommendations during the Lares Trek
The Lares Trek is the route that crosses high-altitude landscapes until you reach Machu Picchu. On the route you can see the beautiful landscapes and indigenous peoples with ancestral traditions.
For a perfect trip it is recommended:
Acclimatize to the city of Cusco before doing the trek. Thus, the symptoms of altitude sickness will be avoided.
It is not necessary to be in optimal physical shape to perform the Lares Trek. However, a little pre-workout before the hike would do.
Chewing coca leaf during the tour (as the Incas did hundreds of years ago). Another alternative is to take a pill against soroche before starting the trek.
The Lares Trek is a great opportunity to learn about the way of life of the peoples that inhabit the Andes.
These people offer their products made from alpaca fiber at lower prices than the stores in Lima, Cusco or other countries.

INCA JUNGLE

What is the Inca Jungle at Machu Picchu?
The Inca Jungle tour is a tour that departs from the City of Cusco and ends in Machu Picchu, after 4 days and 3 nights after performing a series of adventure sports such as: cycling, trekking, canoeing and zip line.
The Inca Jungle is one of the most popular tours in Peru.
What is the weather like during the Inca Jungle?
The climate during the Inca Jungle is varied.
The coldest point is in Abra Málaga (average temperature of 9ºC during the day). Then we descend to the tropical climate of the jungle eyebrow.
The warmest point is in the town of Santa Teresa (day temperature up to 26ºC).
What is the flora and fauna like during the Inca Jungle?
The Inca Jungle is characterized by the beautiful landscapes during the tour.
Along the way you can see vizcachas, llamas, spectacled bears, cock of the rocks and a wide variety of orchids.
In addition, plantations of bananas, mangoes, oranges and more are crossed.
Does 4 days seem too long for the Inca Jungle? There is another 3-day service, which accelerates the pace of the walks to reach Machu Picchu earlier. However, the most popular Inca Jungle tour is the one that lasts 4 days.
What sports does the Inca Jungle include?
The Inca Jungle includes the following adventure sports:

1. Cycling (included).
2. Hike (included).
3. Canoeing (not included).
4. Zipline (not included).

Who can do the Inca Jungle?
The Inca Jungle is available for tourists of all ages.
However, the tour is recommended for tourists in good physical shape.
Older adults should consult their doctor before the tour.
Minors must be accustomed to physical efforts and take the tour in the company of their parents.

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LARES TREK INFORMATION

LARES TREK TO MACHU PICCHU ITINERARY

DAY 1: CUSCO – LARES – KISHUARANI
We will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco shortly after 5 a.m. to go by private van to Lares. Our staff will organize all the equipment there. While they are preparing our horses, we will have time to enjoy the beautiful hot springs in Lares. After a great meal, we will begin our hike to Kishuarani, our destination for the day. There we will camp and have some time to visit the families who area living in this area. If you have extra energy maybe we can share time with them and see how they work in their farms. Then we will have a delicious warm dinner in the evening. Your tents will be ready to welcome you into a good night’s sleep.
DAY 2: KISHUARANI – PACHACUTEC PASS – CANCHA CANCHA
We will start our day with a gentle wake up with coca tea delivered to your tent, after which you’ll have time to organize your belongings. Then we will enjoy a delicious and hearty breakfast, just what we need for the day ahead. On this day we will hike about 17 km or 7 hours. The first challenge of our trek will be the climb over Pachacutec pass at 4700 meters. We will celebrate the climb with a lunch near the top. Afterward we have another easy 2 hours approx. to reach our campsite in Cancha Cancha. There we will meet the local people again and learn more about their way of life. This day if we are blessed with clear skies we will see beautiful landscapes and snow-capped mountains the whole day long, and perhaps some condors flying over our heads. At the end of this beautiful day we will have a nice dinner and happy hour before a well-earned rest.
DAY 3: CANCHA CANCHA – HUARAN – OLLANTAYTAMBO – AGUAS CALIENTES
After some hot chocolate, coffee, bread and pancakes we will start our easy day. After going both up and down for a time, we begin a basically downhill trek until Huaran where we are going to spend some time with people living there. Your guide will explain how these people live and work and keep happiness in their families. If we are lucky we will pass by a typical local bar called a “chicheria”. If it is open we will have a chance to see how they make a local corn beer “chicha” from the local corn. Chicha was a sacred drink in the time of the Incas. Then we will meet our vehicle which will take us from Huaran to Ollantaytambo at the bottom of the valley. Then we will board our train and travel 1:45 hours from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes. Our guide will meet you and you take to your hotel and let you know where to have dinner. He will also give you all the information you will need for your next day in Machu Picchu.
DAY 4: MACHU PICCHU SANCTUARY – OLLANTAYTAMBO – CUSCO
Our tour guides and company recommend going to Machu Picchu early in order to be one of the first ones there. It is magical with fewer people and you can have the chance to enjoy the sunrise. Breakfast will be served in your hotel. Then you’ll be taken to catch one of the buses going to Machu Picchu. There your guide will share with you the knowledge and history about Machu Picchu sanctuary in a w tour for approximately 2 hours. You will have some time to explore on your own before you will have to return to Aguas Calientes to catch your train to Ollantaytambo. Our driver or transfer will be waiting for you there with private transportation to take you back to Cusco and your hotel.

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