Day 1: Cusco – Lares – Cuncani – Quiswarani

The excitement of your Lares trek to Machu Picchu will help you rise early for your pickup at 5:00am from your Cusco hotel. First we go to Pisac to visit the archeological site in the peaceful early morning dawn. You will have the Pisac Incan site all to yourself, then you will go to a private guesthouse in Pisac where your trail chefs will serve a lavish breakfast.

The first part of our journey is a drive of about 2.5 hours to the Cuncani community. We will stop along the way at the traditional Calca market to buy some provisions and to give you the opportunity to buy anything you might want to gift to the highland children you will meet along your trek. Breakfast is served high in the mountains, admiring the waterfalls, mountain peaks and awesome views of the valleys. Time to get our packs ready, put our boots on and begin our first 3 hours ascending to Willqaqasa Pass (4,200m/13,779ft).

You will enjoy the amazing views of rugged Andean peaks, glacial lakes, valleys and much more. Afterwards, we will relish our gourmet lunch prepared by our trekking chef. Two hours descending to the next valley, we have completed our first trekking day and have arrived at our campsite. Our campsite is at the Quiswarani community, which is still very traditional and follows ancient agricultural practices. It’s time to enjoy afternoon tea with amazing views of the frozen Andean peaks and seven waterfalls.

You will also have an opportunity to meet some of the villagers. It would be appreciated if you were able to share some toys, old useful clothes, notebooks, fruit or any items with the locals. After dinner, our guide will show you the Inca’s constellations on which they depended on for their agricultural guidance and still do to this day. Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Afternoon Tea Time – Dinner Accommodation: Camping facilities with bathroom building Distance: 12kms / 7 miles Time: 6hrs approximately Difficulty: Challenging

Day 2: Quiswarani – Pachaqutec Pass -Cancha Cancha

We wake up to begin our second day feeling refreshed after a good sleep and another delicious breakfast. We begin our 4 hour hike southwest, an intense walk accomplishing high passes to the highest point of our trek called Pachacutec Pass (4,700 m / 15,420 ft).

Embrace the feeling of total exhilaration and self-achievement for making the summit. Motivating you along the intense hike are spectacular glaciers, alpine lakes, llama herds, rugged valleys and undulating farmlands. After a time to enjoy the 360º views, we descend for 30 minutes, having lunch with great views of glaciers and with its picturesque views of the Lares Valley with herds of llamas and alpacas. After some time to rest, we descend for 2 hours until we reach our campsite located by the Cancha Cancha community, (3,700m /12,139ft). We take isolated trails, walking pas llama and alpaca herds. The local indigenous people will shyly welcome you and interact with you in the Quechua language (the Inca language).

Your guide will act as your interpreter to translate and teach you some Quechua language. Cancha Cancha is one of the most isolated and traditional mountain communities. There is no road to the village and they were only connected to electricity in December, 2019. You will have the opportunity to meet with a local family to learn about their Andean lives. Depending on the time you arrive in Cancha Cancha you may have the opportunity to visit the school also. At the campsite, everything will be ready. Enjoy afternoon tea time and dinner then snuggle in for a comfortable night sleep. Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Afternoon Tea Time – Dinner Accommodation: Camping facilities with bathroom building Distance: 14kms / 10.3 miles Time: 7 to 8hrs approximately Difficulty: Challenging