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 Day 3: Cancha Cancha – Huaran – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes Your adventure continues as you begin the most relaxing day yet! After breakfast, you’ll have time to explore the village and visit the local elementary school, where the ancient Inca language, Quechua, is still taught. Once you are ready, you’ll begin the last leg of your Lares trek. It will be about 3 hours of walking gradually downhill, along a lovely river, where you will see even more llamas and alpacas. We’ll pass by farms where they still cultivate potatoes, fava beans, and many other traditional tubers, in the traditional Incan style. This is a great opportunity to learn about Peruvian agriculture because people still farm by hand with traditional, Inca farming tools. Now, we will be descending to the warmer area, the Sacred Valley. You will begin to feel the micro-climate changes and start seeing crops that are different from in the high mountains. Finally, we arrive to Huaran, where we will say goodbye to our chef, horsemen, and horses, as they will be going back to their homes in the highland villages. From Huaran, our driver will meet us with our private van and take us through the Sacred Valley on our way to Ollantaytambo where you will be welcomed at our exclusive Veronica View Hotel. You will enjoy a gourmet lunch and relax in our private swimming pool and sauna. Your view of the snow covered Veronica Mountain from the swimming pool is spectacular! Take advantage of the beautiful gardens of native flowers and wildlife. After a relaxing afternoon, enjoy another gourmet dinner at the Veronica View and take the evening train to Aguas Calientes where you will spend the night at your hotel. Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner 2* Accommodation: In Hotel Distance: 9kms / 6 miles Time: 4 hrs approximately Difficulty: Moderate Day 4: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco This is the day you’ve been waiting for! We take the early bus to Machu Picchu archeological site to be there at sunrise, making sure we tour every nook and cranny of this New Wonder of the World and UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The Citadel of the Incas, Machu Picchu, what an unforgettable experience. On your 2.5 hours private tour, your guide will expertly direct you through the enigmatic ruins and its most important sites. You will see the Temple of the Sun, Temple of the Condor, Temple of Three Windows, Sun Dial, Quarry, the House of the Inca, the urban areas, agricultural terraces and many different types of architecture. You may wish to indulge in a few of the following activities on your own (not included in the price): Climb up Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain to appreciate the beauty and magnificence of Machu Picchu from above (US$75 per person) You will be given some time to walk to the Sun Gate or Inti Punku (For free ) Other optional activities in Aguas Calientes include a visit to the local museum or to the hot springs. When you are ready, you will descend to Aguas Calientes, have a leisurely lunch on your own, and later on board the train which departs at 14:55pm for the return trip to Cusco. From the Ollantaytambo Train Station, you will take our private van back to Cusco and arrive at your hotel around 7pm. Meal: Breakfast Difficulty: Easy