Ultimate Lares Trek

The team will pick you up from your hotel at around 4:30 am (depending on location) and drive you through the beautiful countryside of the Sacred Valley of the Incas to the famous Lares Hot Springs, arriving at around 8:00 am. We jump straight into the medicinal pools, which are set at different temperatures. The water is excellent for your bones, muscles, stress, and headaches, so this is the perfect way to prepare for your TreXperience! After soaking our bodies, we will enjoy breakfast in a beautiful setting surrounded by the majestic Andean mountains.

After breakfast, we will drive 30 minutes to the trailhead and start a 2-hour hike to the village of Kiswarani, where our chef will be waiting for a well-deserved lunch. The second part of the day is another 2-hour hike to the campsite on the shores of the Blue Lagoon at 3900m. We pass picturesque landscapes, potato farms, and fantastic waterfalls.

In the Lares region, the villagers make their living from growing potatoes and raising llamas and alpacas. When we reach our campsite, your tents and a hot cup of tea await you. This is the perfect place to relax, watch the stars, and learn about Inca astronomy.

We will wake you up early with a hot coffee or coca tea. This is our longest and most challenging day, and after breakfast, we begin a 4-hour hike up to the Condor Pass at 4750m - the highest point of the trek. Along the way, we enjoy beautiful lakes where wallatas (Andean geese or "love birds") swim in the crystal clear waters and pass the imposing Andean mountains of Pitusiray, Sawasiray, and Qolquecruz, all over 5400m. At the summit of the Condor Pass, you will be served a well-deserved cup of coca tea and have time to rest while your guide performs a spiritual offering ceremony to the sacred mountains.

Then it is a 3-hour descent through breathtaking scenery to the second campsite. Along the way, you can see lagoons, exotic birds, llamas, alpacas, vizcachas (which look a lot like rabbits), and wallatas.

Our campsite is at Canchacancha (3750m) - the only village in the Lares Valley completely isolated from modern technology. This includes no sewage system, computers, internet connection, or mobile phone service. The only language spoken here is Quechua - the ancient language of the Incas. You will have time in Canchacancha to meet and interact with the locals, visit their school, and help teach and play with the children.

The villagers welcome any donations of food, school supplies, or anything else you would like to give to support the health and education of this remote community. In the late afternoon, you and your guide will visit one of the family's homes. Here you will be able to experience their traditional lifestyle handed down from the Incas, taste some of their typical dishes, and see how they raise guinea pigs, llamas, and alpacas. Our chef will prepare dinner for you to enjoy together before retiring for the night.