DAY 1: CUSCO - LARES HOT SPRING - HUACAWASI
We will take a bus from Cusco in the wee hours of the morning. While traveling through the Incas’ Sacred Valley, we will see several historical sites, small handicraft stores, and vast stretches of farmland. The Sacred Valley is home to some of the richest agricultural resources in all of South America, including the region’s primary export—maize.
We’ll enter and explore the province of Calca (elevation: 2,940 meters), halfway through the Sacred Valley, before switching routes and riding up to Huacacasi, the highest point of the adventure, at 4,400 meters. We’ll descend from this pass into the sparsely populated Lares Valley (at an altitude of 3,250 meters). In a short while, we will reach the Lares (3200m) hot medicinal springs. Here we may take our time relaxing in each of the baths, which range in temperature from 28 to 34 degrees Celsius and include unique natural charms. We will leave the hot springs after lunch and hike to the high-altitude campsite at HuacaWasi (3,600 m).
It will take us about 5 hours to get there by car. We’ll be out on the trail for perhaps three hours in the chilly weather.
- Meals: lunch/dinner
- Accommodations: Camping
- Maximum altitude: 3,956 m / 12,976 feet
- Minimum altitude: 3,000 m / 9,840 feet
- Walking distance: 12 km
- Approximate walking time: 6 hours.
DAY 2:HUACA WASI - ABRA ISPAY - PATACANCHA
The hardest part of the Lares walk occurs today when we begin our moderately steep ascent to Ipsay Pass (4,550m/15,017ft) after an early breakfast. From this vantage point, we can see snow-capped mountains, lakes, remote villages, natives of the Andes, llamas, and alpacas.
We take some time to admire the view, and then head down to Ipsay Lagoon for lunch. After that, keep going downhill until you reach the true Inca descendant. We made it to Patacancha (3,750 m / 12,377 ft), where we camped for the night.
- Meals: lunch/dinner
- Accommodations: Camping
- Maximum altitude: 3,956 m / 12,976 feet
- Minimum altitude: 3,000 m / 9,840 feet
- Walking distance: 12 km
- Approximate walking time: 6 hours.
DAY 3: PATACANCHA - WILLOQ - OLLANTAYTAMBO - AGUAS CALIENTES TOWN
The trail takes us through a number of tiny towns and villages today, including Willoq (3400m), Pumamarca (3200m), and many more. Traveling from Patacancha into the countryside and via these settlements, we get a taste of the customs our ancestors brought with them from the days of the Tahuatinsuyo Empire (Inca culture and customs).
Ollantaytambo (2850m), which we will reach after a couple of hours of hiking and seeing the land, tells a broad picture of Andean history and anthropology of these periods through its archaeological monuments. We will catch a train from Ollantaytambo and spend the night in the tourist town of Aguas Calientes (2050m), located just below the Machu Picchu citadel.
- Meals: lunch/dinner
- Accommodations: Camping
- Maximum altitude: 3,956 m / 12,976 feet
- Minimum altitude: 3,000 m / 9,840 feet
- Walking distance: 12 km
- Approximate walking time: 6 hours.
DAY 4: AGUAS CALIENTES - MACHU PICCHU - CUSCO
We will rise early and eat breakfast before catching the first bus to the Machu Picchu archaeological site (2,400 meters above sea level). A trained guide will lead us around this pristine Inca refuge shortly. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to explore the remains on your own after our two-hour tour… Huayna Picchu and the neighboring Temple of the Moon offer a challenge to the most daring of us. After that, we’ll all head back down to Aguas Calientes (2050m) to catch the train and bus back to Cusco.
