The adventure begins at 6:00 AM with a pick-up from your hotel in Cusco. We will travel by tourist transportation to the town of Lares, arriving around midday. There, we will enjoy the thermal baths and savor a delicious lunch while taking in the beautiful scenery.
Later, we will start our 4-hour uphill trek to our first campsite. Along the way, you'll enjoy magnificent views of mountains, waterfalls, the Lares River, and various Andean communities that still maintain their ancestral customs and traditions. Finally, we'll reach Huacawasi, a typical community located at 3,800 meters above sea level, which offers some comforts without losing its authenticity. This is the perfect time to explore this small village, where locals wear traditional clothing. We will have dinner and spend the night camping here.
Get ready for a day full of adventures!
Start your day with a gentle wake-up call and a hot cup of tea. You will have enough time to freshen up and prepare your backpack before heading to the dining area for a delicious breakfast.
Afterwards, your guide will take you to visit a local school (don't forget to bring some toys or school supplies) and a family, where you will learn about rural life. We will continue our hike through farms and spectacular mountainous landscapes, with llamas and alpacas grazing along the trail.
The trail will lead us to the highest point, Ipsay Pass (4,400 meters / 14,435 feet), where you will be rewarded with breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains and lagoons. From there, we will descend for two hours to the shores of Ipsay Lake, where we will set up our second campsite. Be prepared for a cold night and a frosty morning; we recommend bringing warm clothing.
After a hearty breakfast at the campsite, we will start our exciting hike. We will descend through the valley, observing native crops such as potatoes, quinoa, beans, and oxalis. We will reach the community of Patacancha, where we will visit a local school and learn about the education system in the Peruvian highlands, where students speak Quechua, the language of the Incas.
We will continue our route towards Ollantaytambo, passing through the communities of Willoc and Pumamarka, and visiting the Inca site of Pumamarka. After five hours of hiking, we will arrive in the picturesque town of Ollantaytambo, where we will have lunch at a local restaurant. You can rest or explore this charming place, known as the only living Inca town, with its streets, terraces, aqueducts, storage buildings, and temples preserving Inca architecture.
In the afternoon, subject to availability, we will take a two-hour train ride through the Urubamba Valley to the town of Aguas Calientes. There, you will enjoy a delicious dinner and accommodation in a comfortable hotel.
Today we reach the long-awaited finale of our trek: Machu Picchu, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage site! We will rise early to enjoy the serenity of Machu Picchu in the gentle morning light before the crowds arrive. The entrance checkpoint is open from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and we can either walk to the Inca Citadel or take a bus for $12.00.
We will enjoy a guided tour of this amazing ancient city, exploring temples, terraces, palaces, priest houses, the sundial, the industrial sector, and the fields. We will admire the ingenuity of the Incas, who built this sustainable and beautiful community on the mountainside, even bringing water through channels in their streets.
You will savor the magic of Machu Picchu before returning to Aguas Calientes to take the 6:20 PM train (subject to availability) back to Ollantaytambo. From there, a private bus will take us back to Cusco, arriving around 9:30 PM. We assure you that your heart will continue to beat with excitement for weeks and years to come!
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Starting point of route |
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End of route |
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