Peru & Machu Picchu: Comfortable Camping on the Lares Trek

The air is a bit thinner when you step off of the plane and you can immediately sense the magic of Cusco as you make your way to the city centre along the cobblestone streets past grand buildings and ancient Inca stonework. We welcome you to Peru, a diverse land of natural beauty and traditional cultures and we invite you to open yourself to curiosity and wonder as you embark on this adventure up in the Andes. Arrive to Cusco at any time and transfer to the hotel. Meet your fellow group members at the welcome meeting in the evening and get all the important information about the adventure ahead. Afterwards, head to a nearby restaurant for a delicious welcome dinner with new friends.

Included Experiences

• Arrival Transfer: You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.
• Meet Your CEO and Group: Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.

The Sacred Valley is aptly named for its importance to the people who have lived there and it is also stunningly beautiful with mountain scenery and colourful farmland along the Urubamba River. You'll see the massive ruins of Pisaq perched up above the town as you approach and you'll get to spend time with a local community on the way up to the site. Lunch is an experience unto itself at a community-run restaurant, using locally-grown ingredients for a delicious and traditional meal. Back at the hotel for dinner, feast on a traditional pachamanca meal consisting of various types of meat, potatoes and vegetables cooked for hours in the ground under hot stones. Travel from Cusco into the Sacred Valley. Visit the Cuyo Chico community for a snack and to learn about their traditional ceramics and adobe before taking a guided tour of Pisaq archaeological site. Continue to the hotel after lunch. In the evening enjoy a pachamanca dinner.

Included Experiences

• Cuyo Chico Visit: In the rural village of Cuyo Chico in the Sacred Valley, a group of families joined together to create a small business based on their traditional adobe ceramic crafts. Visit this community learn about the ceramics process and partake in an empanada making demonstration. Learn to make Peruvian-style empanadas from scratch using local ingredients. The experience typically involves a hands-on session preparing the dough and filling, cooking the empanadas in a traditional outdoor oven (horno), and enjoying the meal you helped create. This activity allows you to connect with local life and learn about the community's traditional cooking methods, directly supporting their economic well-being and preservation of Andean customs.
• Pisac Ruins Guided Tour: Tour the fascinating hilltop citadel of Pisac, an Incan ruin with plunging gorges, a ceremonial centre, and winding agriculture terracing that's still in use today. Be captivated by this truly amazing site sitting amid sweeping green valleys and mountain peaks. Explore the back of the site to see a pocketed cliff across Kitamayo Gorge, which once contained hundreds of Inca tombs.
• Parwa Community Restaurant the Sacred Valley: Contribute to sustainable tourism in Huchuy Qosqo, a small village of 65 families in the Sacred Valley, by eating at the Parwa Community Restaurant. Learn how the resident-run restaurant was kickstarted by G Adventures and the Multilateral Investment Fund, to become a successful farm-to-table program that boosts the local economy and several spin-off microenterprises.
• Traditional Pachamanca Dinner: The thousand year-old tradition of Pachamanca involves baking an assortment of meat and vegetables in an oven of hot stones, earth, and grass. Meat is usually seasoned with local spices and wrapped in a banana leaf before it’s placed on the hot stones and can include lamb, pork, chicken or guinea pig. Savour this traditional meal prepared by an experienced chef.

Sitting at a slightly lower altitude than Cusco, spending time in the Sacred Valley helps to get you used the altitude in these parts. Choose from a scenic acclimatization hike to a waterfall or get the adrenaline flowing by scaling a via ferrata network of rungs and ladders for lunch with a view. Choice of activity in the morning, both options including lunch.

Included Experiences

• Hike to Perilnilloq Waterfall or Via Ferrata: Option 1: Start the day with an acclimatization hike to Perilnilloq waterfall. Follow a meandering trail through the mountains to the gorgeous waterfall, and to the Inca ruins of Raqaypata that lie just beyond. Option 2: Get the adrenaline flowing and scale a via ferrata for epic views. Test your fear of heights as you climb the rungs and ladders and enjoy lunch with a view.
• Free Time: Enjoy free time back at the hotel this afternoon and evening before your group dinner.

The Lares Trek will take you to new heights both literally and figuratively, with high mountain passes to tackle and majestic Andean scenery. Setting off from Ollantaytambo you'll head up the valley with porters and pack animals to help carry the gear, who will accompany you for the next few days. Let the cool mountain air fill you with energy as you head off into the mountains. Depart Ollantaytambo on foot. Porters and pack animals will carry the majority of your gear and you'll be able to focus more squarely on the task at hand with included trekking poles and a more comfortable camping experience at night, sleeping on cots with air mattresses and blankets.

Included Experiences

• Lares Trek Day 1: Start early and drive to Yanahuara where the hike will begin with a leisurely pace following the Cancha Cancha River, where you will see different farming lands and walk through the polylepis forests, home to many varieties of birds. Hike for about 3 hours before reaching the lunch spot Minaspata, where your chef will have a delicious meal prepared. Afterwards, hike for another hour before reaching the Cancha Cancha Campsite at (3800m/12,467ft). Everything will already be set up for you there and dinner will be prepared by the group chef in the early evening. Trek Distance: 7km (4.35 miles) Trek Duration: 5-6 hours Trek Elevation: 2850m – 3800m (9,350 ft - 12,467 ft)

Awake at the mountain campsite and enjoy a cup of tea and a warm shower. The morning mist and the joviality amongst the porters make for a homely atmosphere as you get ready for the day and prepare your things to walk. Conquer a mountain pass today and enjoy the incredible mountain views. Arrive to camp in the afternoon and kick off the hiking shoes to relax for the rest of the evening.

Included Experiences

• Lares Trek Day 2: The second day is considered the most challenging because the group will reach the highest point of the trek, but the outstanding views of the rugged landscape's lagoons, valleys, and Andes Mountains will keep you entertained through the steeper sections of the trail. Begin with a relatively flat walk before ascending for about 3 hours to the high pass of Pachacutec (4 680 meters/15 354 feet). From here, admire the snowy peak of Colquecruz (5,700 meters/18,700 feet). Then, descend for about 2 hours to the lunch spot called Qoyalay. Here, you will have the chance to see llamas, alpacas, falcons, Andean flickers, and condors as you enjoy your delicious meal. Hike downhill for about 2 hours to the Quiswarani Campsite, passing waterfalls along the way. Trek Distance: 11km (6.8 miles) Trek Duration: 8-9 hours Trek Elevation: 3800m – 4680m (12,467ft - 15,354ft)

Open your tent to the cool air and see some warm washing water and a cup of tea waiting for you. You'll get wafts of something delicious being cooked and the increasing murmur of the cooks and porters going about their morning. Savour the moment and be present to your surroundings. Continue hiking from Quiswarani to the G Adventures-supported community of Cuncani for lunch. Carry on walking to the town of Lares and soak in the local hot springs to relax the legs. Camp will be set up nearby for the last night along the trail.

Included Experiences

• Lares Trek Day 3: Rise early with a cup of hot coca tea. Begin the hike along one of the trails used more than 500 years ago by the Incas and still used today by farmers who are descendants of them. It will be a steep uphill climb for about 3.5 hours until reaching Uchuykasa Pass (4400 meters/14 435 feet). Enjoy the views from up above the clouds with the surrounding mountains. Travel downwards for about 2 hours with views of farmlands to Cuncani, the lunch spot for today. Carry on to the final campsite and the Lares Hot Springs where the group will have time to enjoy soaking in the medicinal, mineral waters for a chance to ease the soreness on your muscles after 3 days of trekking. Trek Distance: 15km (9.2 miles) Trek Duration: 8-9 hours Trek Elevation: 3300m – 4400m (10,826ft - 14,435ft)
• Lunch at Cuncani Community Campsite: Have lunch at a Lares Community campsite, owned and managed by the 71 families that belong to the Cuncani community. The earnings from the campsite are allocated for investment in social projects such as health, education, nutrition, and infrastructure improvements to water and electricity.
• Lares Hot Springs: Alternate between the pools of varying temperatures, rich in minerals with healing properties and many health benefits, soak them in while enjoying the Andean scenery.

The sense of achievement you feel for completing the hike is one of the biggest rewards for your efforts, and the best is yet to come as Machu Picchu awaits you. Looking out at the mountains from the train as you wind along the Urubamba River makes it feel that much sweeter for the time spent walking the trails and through the remote Andean communities that you visited. After a leisurely morning at the Lares campsite, drive to Ollantaytambo to catch the train to Aguas Calientes, at the foot of Machu Picchu. Enjoy a free evening with an optional visit to the local hot springs.

Included Experiences

• Train: Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.
• Free Time: Spend a free evening in Aguas Calientes and perhaps enjoy a soak in the local hot springs.

Exploring the mountaintop Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is a magical experience, no matter how many pictures you may have seen of it. The history of the ancient Inca that you've heard in the days leading up to this moment seem to all come together as you wander the site's temples and terraces. Relive the memories and take in the views as you return by train on the way back to Cusco. Take an early bus up to Machu Picchu for a guided tour of the ruins followed by lunch at Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge. Return by train and bus to Cusco and enjoy a farewell dinner in the evening.

Included Experiences

• Local Bus: Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.
• Machu Picchu Guided Tour: Rise and shine – the best time to see the Lost City of the Incas is in the early morning light. Follow the local guide to Machu Picchu to learn about its history at a leisurely pace. Gain local insight into the Inti Mach’ay cave, Inti Watana, the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Water, the Temple of the Condor, and the Room of the Three Windows. Take time to sit and feel the energy of this 15th-century site, now both a UNESCO World Heritage site and voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World (in a worldwide Internet poll). Transport to and from Aguas Calientes is provided with the tour.
• Train: Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.

Your adventure comes to an end, and you can depart at any time. Depart at any time.