Lares

"Lares was my last discovery in Cusco before I left the province. It is not a common destination for tourists, and many Peruvians couldn't give me straight information about the trek. After talking to many locals and asking agencies about the possibility of doing this trek, I got a clear idea about the best way to do it. Lares is a village in the Sacred Valley, and there are many ways to explore the area. The best way I found was a three-day trek from Lares to Ollantaytambo. The highlight of this trek is the chance to get into the Andean culture while hiking. There are a couple of villages along the way where you can interact with the locals and spend time with them. If you want to extend your adventure, you can visit Machu Picchu after the trek. This option could be good for those who have already done the Salkantay trek but haven't visited Machu Picchu yet. However, the difference here is that you would take transportation from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and, after that, visit Machu Picchu. 🏅 ACTIVITIES The main activities in this place are trekking and interacting with the local villages to learn about Andean culture. The views from the surrounding mountains are beautiful, so take your time and appreciate the nature around you during this experience. 🚶‍♀️HIKING My suggested route is to start trekking in Lares, sleeping the previous night in Pisac, Calca or Urubamba. The first day is easy, where you will hike around 10km from Lares to Huacahuasi. The elevation gain is around 647m. On the second day, the difficulty increases with an 18-km hike from Huacahuasi to Huilloc Alto. The elevation gain on this day is around 1009m. The third day is mostly flat and slow, descending toward Ollantaytambo. The elevation gain is around 468m, and the distance is around 12km. 🚃 TRANSPORTATION In Cusco, you can find colectivos to bring you to Urubamba or Pisac, the main towns in the Sacred Valley. You must take another colectivo to Calca from one of these towns and, lastly, a third colectivo to Lares. My recommendation is to spend the night before the trek in Urubamba, Pisac, or Calca. The next day, in the morning, you can quickly arrive in Lares and start the trek early. 🏡 ACCOMMODATION You need to bring your own tent and camp around Huacahuasi and Huilloc. There is one lodge in Huacahuasi, but I found its prices very high. The link to contact the lodge is in the links section. Lares is not a very popular destination for tourists, which is why there's a lack of infrastructure for adventures in the area. However, you will find small shops in Huilloc and Huacahuasi where you can buy supplies and refreshments. "

"The jewel of Lares is its hot springs because the town is very small. "