This great Lares Valley Tour is definitely an amazing short trek in the Peruvian Andes mountains and it gives you the opportunity to visit authentic villages. Suggested for those who want to explore the Lares Valley in a short period of time to see the real Peruvian culture in the remote Andean mountains. Lares Valley tour enables hikers to enjoy beautiful landscapes in the highlands as well surprising local culture. Hiking Lares Valley you will find some native people, who are descendants of the Incas. They also inherited all the weaving techniques from their ancestors. So they are amazing group of weavers in the region.
On the Lares Valley tour , it is very likely you will see some local women on the trail, llamas, alpacas and farmers wearing bright colorful traditional clothing, and depending on your trek option you might have a chance to watch or participate in the weaving activity. To the end of our Lares Valley tour trekkers will transported to the train station of Ollantaytambo.
At the beginning of Lares Valley tour, hikers will be picked up from the hotels in Cusco. We then drive through the Sacred Valley to arrive to the village of Huaran which is the trail-head of our Lares valley Tour. We’ll gently start hiking uphill following a beautiful valley, covering about 04 hours of hiking uphill until we reach the village of Cancha cancha. On our way up we’ll see stunning landscapes full of qeuña trees(polylepis racenosa) and we will have chance to learn about the native plants, flowers and birds that inhabit this region.
This particular trail for the Lares valley Tour is not commonly used by another groups of travelers. So we can enjoy the peace and tranquility of the valley without distractions or disturbance. Only a few travelers visit the area. So there is a good chance to see the wildlife (hummingbirds and Chinchillas). After lunch the trail lead us along the stream surrounded by potatoes farming fields, some herds of llamas and alpacas. Finally we will reach the campsite for the night, at Accopata (4100m / 13451ft); this will be the coldest night in the whole Lares valley Tour, sometimes you can expect snow and frost during the winter time. So warm clothes are definitely recommended.
Overnight at camping.
After a delicious breakfast we will set off from the campsite, 3 hours of slow hike will let to arrive to the highest point of our Lares Valley Tour , for many people this is the hardest section in the whole trip because the altitude but is the most spectacular day!. Once you reach the mountaintop, there will a good reason to feel proud of yourself because you survived one the highest passes on this mountain range. After we enjoy all the wonderful and scenic views it’s time to head down to the village of Quiswarani for approx. 2 hours.
As we make our way to Quishuarani we’ll see some snow capped peaks in front of us, beautiful lakes (Qoyalay – dark lake) and get to meet the local people dressed in their traditional bright red clothing. We will observe the real Peruvian country life style. The people in this region are descendants of the Incas so the culture is very different from any other place in Peru. In our way down from the pass your guide will teach you about their style of life. So you can learn something about those Quechua families.
After lunch our transport will pick us up and then we will have a ride of 3 hours to Ollantaytambo train station, in the evening we will catch the train to Aguas Calientes, at our arrival there will be 10 minutes walk to the hotel and rest.
Overnight at the hotel.
In the morning the guide will lead you to the bus station and then take one of the first buses running to the entrance of Machu Picchu. Travelers want to arrive earliest possible to this Majestic place. So they can see the Sun-rise especially in winter time. Once you enter to the citadel you will participate in a guided tour for 2 hours, visiting the most important structures as the Sun temple, three windows temple, main temple, royal palace, sun-dial and some other places. If you have booked any of the additional hikes talk to your guide. So he can explain you how do it.
In the afternoon at specific time travelers will take the bus down to Aguas Calientes and then start the return journey to Cusco.
Meals: breakfast.
