Lares Trek to Machu Picchu 4D/3N

The Lares Trek, also called the Lares Trail, is a 4-day route in Peru to Machu Picchu through the Quechua villages and high valleys north of the Sacred Valley. You hike three days from Pumahuanca over Sicllakasa Pass to Cuncani and Lares, with two nights camping, then take the train to Aguas Calientes and tour Machu Picchu with your guide on Day 4. Our full guide to the 4-day Lares Trek has more detail.

Choose the Lares Trek for quiet trails, Quechua villages and high mountain scenery, with no permit needed and departures any day. The Classic Inca Trail follows original Inca paths and ruins and enters Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate, but needs a permit booked months ahead. Our Lares Trek vs. Inca Trail guide compares them side by side.

Both are high-mountain treks with camping and no permit. The Lares Trek is shorter and more cultural, with farming villages, weaving traditions and hot springs, and you reach Aguas Calientes by train. The Salkantay Trek is wilder, passes Humantay Lake and the Salkantay glacier at 15,190 ft (4,630 m) and goes down into the cloud forest.

Yes. Our 5-day Lares Trek and Short Inca Trail adds a day on the Inca Trail, so you enter Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate after the Lares villages. For a shorter mix of Inca sites and trail, see the Huchuy Qosqo and Short Inca Trail.

You hike about 19.3 mi (31 km) in three days: 6.8 mi (11 km) on Day 1, 7.5 mi (12 km) on Day 2 and 5 mi (8 km) on Day 3. On Day 4, you walk around Machu Picchu with your guide. The drives and the train between Lares and Aguas Calientes aren't counted as hiking.

The highest point is Sicllakasa Pass, at 15,846 ft (4,830 m), on Day 2. You sleep at Puyoc (13,615 ft / 4,150 m) and Cuncani (12,467 ft / 3,800 m), and the trek ends in Lares at 10,499 ft (3,200 m). Read our Lares Trek elevation guide for the full profile.

The difficulty of the Lares Trek is moderate to challenging. Days 1 and 2 are the hardest, with a long climb to Puyoc and the crossing of Sicllakasa Pass at altitude; Day 3 is an easy downhill walk to Lares. You don't need technical skills, just good fitness and time in Cusco to acclimatize. See our guide on how hard the Lares Trek is.

Spend at least two days in Cusco before the trek, ideally three, walking at an easy pace and drinking plenty of water. On the trail, go slowly on the climbs, keep drinking and tell your guide right away about headache, nausea, dizziness or unusual tiredness. Your guide carries a first-aid kit and an emergency oxygen bottle, and will decide with you how to continue.

The best time is the dry season, from May to September, with clear skies, cold nights and the best mountain views. April and October are good shoulder months. From November to March, rain is more frequent and the valleys turn deep green. At Sicllakasa Pass, the weather can be cold and windy in any month, so pack warm layers and rain gear.

We pick you up from your hotel in Cusco early in the morning and drive to Pumahuanca, near Urubamba in the Sacred Valley, where the trek starts. The hike ends in the town of Lares on Day 3. From there, a private van takes you to Ollantaytambo and the train to Aguas Calientes; on Day 4, after Machu Picchu, we take you back to your hotel in Cusco.

Yes, but not on foot all the way. The trek ends in Lares, and you reach Aguas Calientes by van and train on Day 3. On Day 4, the bus takes you up to Machu Picchu for your guided tour. If you'd like to arrive on foot through the Sun Gate, look at the Lares Trek and Short Inca Trail combination.

You spend two nights camping, at Puyoc and Cuncani, in EUREKA or DOITE tents with Therm-a-Rest or REI sleeping mats, plus a dining tent and a portable toilet tent. The third night is in a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes, such as Golden Sunrise Machu Picchu or similar, with a hot shower before Machu Picchu. Nights at the camps are cold, so bring a warm sleeping bag or rent one from us.

The Lares valleys are home to Quechua-speaking farming families who grow native potatoes, herd llamas and alpacas and weave colorful textiles, as their grandparents did. Your guide will explain their crops and traditions and help you greet people respectfully. A few words of Quechua, like "allillanchu?" (how are you?), always bring a smile.

The stop at Lares Hot Springs is part of Day 3, and the entrance is paid on site if you'd like to go in. The warm pools are a great way to relax your legs after two days of hiking. Bring a swimsuit, a towel and some cash in soles.

You get three breakfasts, three lunches and three dinners, prepared by our trekking cooks at camp and served at your hotel in Aguas Calientes. Every afternoon there's a happy hour, our afternoon tea time with hot drinks and snacks, and in the mornings you wake up to coca tea at your tent. Breakfast on Day 1 and lunch and dinner on Day 4 are on your own.

Yes. From lunch on Day 1 until the end of the trek, our cooks boil and cool drinking water for you to refill your bottle at every meal. For the first hours of Day 1, bring a full bottle from Cusco.

Yes. Vegetarian, vegan and other special menus are available at no extra cost; tell us when you book. If you have a food allergy, let us know how severe it is so our cooks can plan your meals, and carry any emergency medication you need, as camp kitchens in the mountains are simple.

Yes. Our muleteers and mules carry the camping gear and the duffel bag we give you, with up to 15.4 lb (7 kg) of your clothes and sleeping bag, from Pumahuanca to Lares. Your guide will help you pack it at the briefing. During the day, you carry only a daypack with water, layers, rain gear, sunscreen and your passport.

Yes. You can rent a 5-season sleeping bag and trekking poles from us; see Extra Services for the prices. Poles are a big help on the climb to Puyoc and the descent from Sicllakasa Pass, and at Machu Picchu they're allowed only with rubber tips.

Pack warm layers for the cold camps (thermal base layers, fleece, a warm jacket, hat and gloves), a waterproof jacket, broken-in hiking boots, sun protection, a swimsuit for the hot springs and your original passport. Your duffel bag holds up to 15.4 lb (7 kg), so pack light. See the Packing List tab for the full Lares Trek packing list.

Most hotels in Cusco will keep your luggage while you trek. If yours can't, you can leave it at our office in Cusco. Keep your passport, valuables and medication with you on the trek.

Yes. Your Machu Picchu entrance ticket and guided tour are included on Day 4. We try to book Circuit 2 whenever it's available for your date, and we'll confirm your circuit before the trek. Your guide will lead you through the citadel on the circuit confirmed with your ticket.

Yes, you can add the Huayna Picchu ticket or the Machu Picchu Mountain ticket for US$85 each, subject to availability and an entry time that fits your tour. Both climbs are steep, so plan an extra two to three hours. Tickets sell out early in the dry season, so let us know when you book.

We include the round-trip train between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes, on Expedition by PeruRail or Voyager by Inca Rail, plus the Machu Picchu buses both ways and all road transport. You can take the Vistadome for US$50 per person on your train back, or US$120 on both train journeys, subject to availability.

Our Lares Trek groups have 2 to 10 travelers, with a bilingual guide, an assistant guide when there are more than nine, cooks and muleteers. Departures run daily with a minimum of two travelers.

There's no electricity at the camps, so bring a charged power bank and spare batteries for your headlamp and camera. You can charge everything at your hotel in Aguas Calientes. Phone signal is weak or absent in the high valleys and comes back near Lares and in Aguas Calientes.

See the Prices tab for the current rates and discounts. The price includes the guide and trekking team, camping gear, meals, the train, the Machu Picchu buses and ticket, and your hotel in Aguas Calientes. Optional extras such as a sleeping bag, poles, Vistadome or a mountain ticket are paid separately.

Choose your preferred date using the booking button or contact our reservations team. We will confirm availability, the selected service, applicable group rate and any extras before payment. A 40% deposit is required to secure the reservation; we will confirm your final total and payment conditions before you complete the booking.

Your guide meets you at your hotel in Cusco to go over each day of the trek, the altitude, the weather, what goes in your duffel bag and daypack, and your pickup time. It's also the moment to ask about your Machu Picchu ticket, the train and the hot springs.

You can read real reviews from travelers who have done the Lares Trek and our other treks on Waman Adventures on TripAdvisor.