Trek Lares Trek Peru 2025
LARES TREK TO MACHU PICCHU 2025
The Lares Trek is probably the third-best alternative trek along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and comes in several versions, from a 3-day tour to a 5-day trek. Instead of entering Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate, these Lares treks end in the Sacred Valley of Ollantaytambo, where tourists board trains to Aguas Calientes, the town below Machu Picchu. Here’s a must-read travel guide if you ever make this trek, so here we go.
Things to know about the Lares trek
Explore Wakawasi to Lares and Patacancha
Lares is the only safe trek in the rainy season to avoid landslides. But you have to wear a proper rain jacket.
There are many routes to the Lares trek. We recommend the Huaran to Kiswarani route or vice versa because it is the only place to see the glacier from very close range.
While trekking, children will approach you and ask for candy. Bring school supplies; candy is not for their teeth.
Best time to trek from Lares to Machu Picchu
The best time to trek from Lares to Machu Picchu is during the dry season, from April to August. Also, the trail does not crowd with tourists or large groups of people and much more in the rainy season from December to March. While the days are often sunny from September through November, sometimes it just gets cloudy, threatening rain, but it rains or fades; overall, it is still a good season.
Who should choose the Lares trek?
Take the Lares Trek to experience the mountain life of the Peruvian Andes. You will witness a more authentic way of life of the Quechua people living in this part of Cusco and learn about their wisdom, religion, and philosophy. In addition to the mountain villages and local culture, enjoy the clear blue lakes, the valleys inhabited by alpacas, the seductive mountain peaks, and the many wonders this trek still offers.
Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness can affect some people, so be prepared and carry appropriate medication. Most guides have first aid kits and an oxygen bottle because headaches and nausea can be unpleasant. Also, depending on the season, altitude and rain can make the climbs even more difficult, but you will never be so sick that you can’t appreciate the views.
What physical condition do you need to be in?
Anyone with difficulty with altitude sickness and not in good physical shape may not make it up the high-altitude mountain passes. If not, try to do cardio exercises and plan enough time to acclimate to Cusco’s altitude. After that, there will be nothing you can’t handle.
Lares to Machu Picchu trekking weather.
From May to August, expect cold temperatures at night and in the early winter hours, but these are advisable months to do the trek (temperatures can drop below freezing). The summer months are warmer from December to March, followed by showers. The rest of the year is mild.
Is it necessary to book the trip to Lares in advance?
Booking the tour months in advance is unnecessary, as it receives unlimited tour groups throughout the year. Find a reliable tour operator and ask about the excursion; they will start organizing the hike. There is always availability.
Are there any age restrictions?
This hike has no age restrictions, but a few things to remember: First, older people must know how their bodies respond to a mountain hike. If going with children, the key is to stay hydrated, have snacks, and take breaks. It depends on whether the child has previous experience, so route 02 would be recommended for children aged eight and older.
Do you need hiking poles?
If you are used to hiking with poles, take them; they will be worth it. You will use them to avoid nasty falls on the descent and to keep your ankles and knees safe on the mountain trail.
Is there internet on the trek from Lares to Machu Picchu?
No, for most of the hike, there is no internet on route 02 up to the town of Ollantaytambo, or if there is, there will be a slow and broken internet connection.
Is there potable water?
No, the streams along the route are unreliable, so bring bottled water or fill your camel bag with boiled water before leaving camp.
What about medications?
This information is a reminder because not everyone can take the same medications. According to specialists and pharmacists, having some Paracetamol and ibuprofen as painkillers is essential. The next thing that can be annoying on a trek is diarrhea, so to help stop it, consider taking Imodium tablets and Acetazolamide for altitude sickness.
No guide or tour agent can prescribe any prescriptions or pills. They carry a basic first aid kit with pharmacy medicines, and if the tourist agrees to take it because it is the same as the doctor’s suggestion, he takes it.
Mountain villages and local people
You will surely see the local people concentrated on their daily tasks. Most of them are dedicated to agriculture and are llama herders, dressed in their traditional clothes as they were supposed to be in Inca times. They live in adobe huts plastered with mud and secure their llamas and alpacas in stone or fences woven with wire in the summer months.
Camping establishments
Camping sites are less crowded because they are less busy and have several versions. There are only outside toilets, so be prepared for them. The water may not be safe, so purify it as well. Showering will depend on the time and weather conditions. Generally, the temperature is cold, so you can hardly bathe.
Hot springs
Most Lares treks pass through the town of Lares so you can soak in the hot springs. It is a lovely place to relax, but before starting the walk, ask your tour operator if there will be time since, as mentioned on Route 3, the hike begins far from Lares Trek.
Hiking in Lares without a guide
Hiking Lares on your own is possible. However, it will depend on your experience doing solo treks above 13,000 feet and the time spent acclimatizing in Cusco before heading to Lares. As you know, the Lares trek is not just one trail; it is more than one, and each presents a different difficulty level.
Do you still want to do it on your own? Well, let’s talk a little more. The changeable mountain weather makes it difficult, especially in the rainy season. Sometimes, heavy snow covers all signs of the trail. Unless there is a guided group, you can follow them; although the locals are friendly, they will not speak English, so Spanish or Quechua is a handy resource to communicate. It would help if you were also careful with the dogs in the countryside, which are sometimes aggressive.
Distance of the Lares trek
The most common Lares trek covers a 37-km trail, starting at the Lares Hot Springs and continuing through the Quiswarani campground to the hamlet of Huaran in the Sacred Valley. This adventure lasts three days and ends with a magical visit to Machu Picchu Park on the fourth day.
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The highest point of Lares trekking
The highest point reached during the standard Lares to Machu Picchu trek is the 15 400 ft (4 700 m) mountain pass, a Pachakuteq pass. This mountain hike is completed on the second day of trekking, then on the third day is the entrance into the Sacred Valley of Ollantaytambo and, subsequently, the train ride to Aguas Calientes.
The difficulty of the trek from Lares
Because it is a multi-day trek, it varies each day, but depending on the route you choose, here is a general estimate:
Lares Routes Options
1 Lares, Quiswarani, Huaran
Tour groups drive the road to the town of Calca in the sacred valley, where they can stock up on some recommended essentials if needed, then turn into another valley road up and down on the other side to the Lares Valley. This adventure is the most common trekking route from Lares to Machu Picchu, starting at the Lares Hot Springs. The trail goes up to 4,700 m in the next few days, the Pachakuteq pass. It is a 37-kilometer hike over three days, and Machu Picchu does visit on the fourth day, so this is a 4D/3N Lares trekking package. Some other tour companies do the same route but start on the opposite side; it’s like Huaran-Quiswarani-Lares. Don’t be surprised!
2 Lares, Huacahuasi, Patacancha
As in Route 1, travelers arrive in the town of Lares and set off for Huacahuasi, an Andean village northwest of Lares. Then, for the next couple of days, the trail climbs to the Ipsaycocha pass, reaching 4,400 m, and again descends to the villages of Patacancha and Huilloc on the last day of hiking, almost approaching Ollantaytambo. This is about a 35 km hike that requires three days of trekking plus the visit to Machu Picchu on the fourth day.
3 Quishuarani, Huacahuasi and Patacancha
Unfortunately, there is no way to visit the hot springs of Lares because the hike starts in the village of Quiswarani, before the town of Lares. Then, the trail ascends to the Huilquijasa pass at 4,200 m to reach the Andean city of Cuncani for the night. It continues to Huacahuasi and the Ipsaycocha pass as in Route 2. Then, through the Patacancha Valley, to Ollantaytambo. This hiking adventure is a three-day trek with a distance of 39 km, plus a visit to Machu Picchu on the fourth day.
4 Quishuarani, Huacahuasi and Yanahuara
This route follows Route 03 up to Huacahuasi. From Huacahuasi, it takes a different path, crossing the Huacahuasijasa pass at 4,500 m. and then descending to the village of Yanahuara in the sacred valley near Ollantaytambo. It covers a length of 45 km, and this is a less-traveled road.
5 Huaran, Huacahuasi and Yanahuara
Another route that is not popular among the ways is its strenuous trekking, which is well suited to more experienced hikers. Beginning in a small hamlet called Huaran in the sacred valley, tourists ascend to the Cancha Cancha camp before the Pachacuteq pass at 4,700 m. The next day begins the descent behind the mountain pass while seeing some lagoons in that magical valley of Lares, approaching the village of Quiswarani. In the following days, the trail reaches the towns of Cuncani and Huacahuasi to camp and continues to the Huacahuasijasa pass as in route 4. The trek ends in the village of Yanahuara, near Ollantaytambo, in the sacred valley, before taking the train. This outdoor hike is a four-day trek plus a visit to Machu Picchu on the fifth day, in this case.
