Lares Trek to Machu Picchu

You will meet your Bucket List Leaders at the airport and fly out as a group for Bucket Lister + Trips. If you have booked a Bucket Lister Trip we will see you in Peru soon!

If you have transfers with us we will take you to the hotel. For those making their own way, we will see you in Lima.

Welcome Briefing: Your welcome briefing will be at 6 pm at the hotel.

After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel for your morning tour of Lima. You’ll start in Huaca Pucllana, a huge archaeological site in Miraflores, one of Lima’s most popular districts. You’ll visit Barranco and Plaza San Martín, and explore the historic buildings of Lima’s main square – the beautiful Plaza de Armas. After visiting the catacombs of San Francisco, you’ll be dropped back at your hotel. You have the afternoon free to explore further.

You will be picked up from the hotel very early and taken to the airport for your flight to the Inca capital of Cusco, followed by a transfer to your hotel. You’ll have some free time to relax and acclimatise (Cusco is 3350m above sea level), then you will be taken on a walking tour of the city (around 2 – 3 hours). The tour will visit Koriancha and Cusco’s main square, the most famous original Inca street and the Palace of Inca Roca.

After breakfast you will be picked up from your hotel and taken to the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, where you will see some of the finest examples of Inca stonework and construction, including massive rocks carefully cut and perfectly fitted together to form the walls. You’ll also have beautiful panoramic views of Cusco. Your tour will then continue to Qenqo, Puca Pucara and finally Tambomachay.

Important Information: There will be a trek briefing at the hotel at 5pm with your guides.

It’s an early-morning pick up today for the drive to the start of the trek. You’ll travel through the Sacred Valley of the Incas (around 90 minutes) to the town of Ollantaytambo, where we will make a brief stop to have breakfast and buy any last-minute snacks and some presents for people local to the land we’ll pass through. Our drive then continues to Patacancha (3,750m/12,377ft), where we will start trekking. A moderate uphill trek takes us to Ipsaycocha Lake, where we will stop for lunch. We’ll continue uphill to the highest point of our trek: Ipsay Pass (4,550m/15,017ft). Finally, the first camp will be outside the small Quechua-speaking community of Huacawesi.

Trekking Distance: 14 km / 8 miles
Estimated walking time: 6 – 7 hours
Starting Altitude: 3,750m / 12,377 ft
Maximum Altitude: 4,550m / 15,017 ft
Campsite Altitude: 3,900m / 12,790 ft

Our trek today begins with an easy walk past groups of typical houses of the Huacawasi community. Local children always come out to meet us here. We descend into Huacahuasi Valley, where the scenery is strikingly different; fields of potato, barley, quinoa, and corn are abundant here. We’ll stop for lunch, then continue to our camp at the hot springs of Lares. The temperature of these springs ranges between 36°C and 44°C, and the water is rich in minerals.

Trekking Distance: 14 km / 8 miles
Estimated walking time: 5 hours
Maximum Altitude: 3,900m /12,790 ft
Campsite Altitude: 3,250m /10,660 ft

You have the first part of the morning to relax, before our final trekking day; you can have a lie-in (until 7:00 am!) or have an early-morning soak in the hot springs.
After breakfast, we’ll drive for 1.5 hours to catch and hike the remains of the original Inca trail passing through the Totora canyon until lunch (approximately 3-hour walk).
We will then drive for 2 hours to Ollantaytambo train station to board the train to the town of Aguas Calientes, which sits at the foot of Machu Picchu. We’ll be staying in Aguas Calientes for the night, so we’ll check into our accommodation, take a warm shower, then refuel with a delicious dinner and a good night’s sleep before Machu Picchu.

Starting Altitude: 3,250m / 10,660 ft
Accommodation Altitude: 2,000m / 6,000 ft

o best appreciate Machu Picchu, we’ll wake up early to get to the citadel in good time. You’ll have time for breakfast before we walk to the bus departure point for the short but zigzagging ascent up the road to Machu Picchu. Once we’ve passed through the gates into the Machu Picchu archaeological site you’ll begin your guided walking tour with an experienced and highly knowledgeable guide. Our tour of Machu Picchu will last about two hours, taking you to all the most famous and spectacular parts of the extensive archaeological complex. After the guided tour, you’ll have time to explore Machu Picchu as you please, perhaps walking to some less-visited parts such as the Inca Bridge. Once we’ve finished our tour of Machu Picchu, we’ll take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes where you can relax and have lunch before we board the train back to the Sacred Valley. You’ll then be transferred privately to your accommodation in Cusco.

Cusco, the foremost city of the Inca Empire, is now the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, as well as being the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city. You have a free day here to relax, explore and have a chance for last-minute shopping! Whether you wander around the plazas, visit a salsa bar, get a massage or just drink some fantastic coffee, today is a chance to recharge before returning home.

Or you might choose to book an add-on and head out to Rainbow Mountain today.

After breakfast enjoy your last day at leisure before transferring to the airport for your return flight home via Lima. 

Please note – if you are booking your international flights yourself you must book a late evening flight from Lima, to allow for the internal flight from Cusco.