3-Day Lares Trek to Machu Picchu

We will start at 6:00 a.m., picking you up directly from your hotel and driving 2 hours to the town of Huaran (Punta Carretera 3250 m) located in the Sacred Valley between Pisac and Urubamba. Before starting your hike, you will meet your horses and horsemen (arrieros), then you will start the trek. The first 4.5 hours will be gradually uphill until lunch. After lunch, we will continue leaving the Sacred Valley behind us, heading north following a path that climbs gently alongside a small river for 2 hours to reach our destination (Accopata 4125) – the small village of Cancha Cancha where we’ll spend the night. Cancha Cancha doesn’t have modern technology and people still practice real Inca traditions. In this Inca town, 85 percent of the houses are still made up of original, old buildings, made of stone, with thatched roofs. Unlike any other town in the Lares Valley, this town has no electricity or cars. Your porters will set up your tents while you have time to meet the local people.

In the evening, relax with hot drinks and a freshly prepared dinner before an early night. If conditions allow, enjoy an unforgettable stargazing experience beneath the crystal-clear Andean sky and the brilliance of the Milky Way.

As part of our True Impact Experience, your guide will take you to a local family home, where you’ll connect with the living culture of the Andes.

Learn how families raise guinea pigs, discover the traditions behind handwoven textiles made from llama and alpaca wool, and enjoy a genuine cultural exchange.

Through our True Impact Project, we support educational initiatives for local children. Read more.

This is not a performance—it’s a real connection that creates a positive impact.

Without a doubt, one of the most meaningful highlights of your journey.

Leaving Cancha Cancha, we continue northeast through the valley, passing small stone houses with thatched roofs. After approximately one hour of gradual ascent, the trail levels out briefly before a steep three-hour climb to the highest pass, Paso de Pachacutec (4,685 m).

From here, you will be rewarded with magnificent views of Lake Pachacutec and the snow-capped peaks of Pitusiray. After taking time to soak in the scenery, we continue for another three hours, passing beautiful lakes and waterfalls, before reaching the village of Quishuarani (3,870 m) for lunch.

After lunch, enjoy a private transfer to Ollantaytambo, followed by a scenic train journey of under two hours to Aguas Calientes, where you will check in to your hotel.

Breakfast will be at 5:00 a.m. in the hotel, and then we will line up to take one of the first buses to Machu Picchu, the bus takes 25 minutes to reach Machu Picchu (which opens its doors at 6:00 a.m.). Be sure to bring your original passport, the same one you used to book your trip because park rangers will ask for it. Your guide will help you find the perfect places to get the best photos of Machu Picchu (which will immediately become your Facebook profile photo!) and you can enjoy the sunrise if the weather is good. Then you will have your 2-hour guided tour and some extra time to explore the site on your own. If you have booked Huayanpicchu or Machupicchu Mountain, your guide will show you where to start this trek. Huaynapicchu takes 2 hours and Machupicchu Mountain 3 hours round trip. Once you’re done exploring, you can return to the buses and head to Aguas Calientes for lunch (not included). After lunch, you will take the train back to Ollantaytambo and we will transfer you back to your hotel in Cusco.