Lares Valley Trek, Peru

(see map) - mike: There are three ways to reach Machu Picchu:

1. Hike the extremely popular Inca Trail, 3 to 4 days
2. Take one of the "alternate" hikes, 3 to 7 days
3. Via a bus to Ollantaytambo, train to Aguas Calientes, then bus to the entrance (no hiking)

All three options can be booked in packages either ahead of time from home or from Cusco. We read it is cheaper to book once in Peru although we did not price it to compare.

The Inca Trail appealed to us because it is the only option to hike directly to Machu Picchu without stopping for a night hoteling in Aguas Calientes as required on alternate treks. The downside (upside for some) is that the trail is often fully booked with a max of 500 people (including guides and porters) starting the trail each day leaving the campgrounds swarming with people. It often books up months ahead which was the case while we were there so we opted for one of the alternates called Lares Valley Trek through Qente Adventure Trips.

Our group included a bilingual guide, Miguel, 2 cooks, 2 horseman, 3 horses, us and 2 other guests (Amy and Patti, see link on right side) from Canada. Being our first guided trip, we looked forward to the pampering it would include: a prepared breakfast, lunch, and dinner, dining tent, bathroom tent, and not having to carry our packs.

Day 1: Bus from Cusco to Lares Valley stopping at a local market for provisions and a hot springs for a dip in chocolate colored water where our gleaming white bods definitely turned locals heads. Then off on a mild hike meandering up Lares Valley past small villages living off the land in small stone houses and still relying on primarily barter to obtain needed items. At camp an industrious gal from the village laid out a blanket with a variety of drinks including a nice cool beer I enjoyed.

Stack of cheese at the market

Chips and guacamole for our first course at lunch. Check out the real metal silverware! Amy and Patti shared the dining tent with us and coincidentally were also on a year trip so we had a great time chatting about past experiences and future plans.



High altitude football

Our stuff on horseback quickly passes us

Throughout the whole trip kids would run from their homes and ask us for candy. Our book suggested to avoid this practice as it creates bad habits (and bad teeth) though Trin found them hard to resist particularly when they sprinted a quarter mile for a "dulce". One disappointed kid I said no to actually let me start to walk away and chucked a small rock at me!

Day 2: The most grueling day of the hike up over a 4300 meter or ~14k feet. Thankfully we were well enough acclimated and didn't have much trouble with the altitude.

Church we passed before the climb

This baby llama (maybe alpaca?) was crying for his/her mom and almost followed us. These guys roam freely but Miguel mentioned they are not wild and provide wool and meat to nearby villagers.

Miguel's watch photoed while resting from the top of Condor Pass.

Another shot on the pass looking back the way we came up.

Shot of a local villager and her wares along with our gear passing us on the second day.

Example of rock houses and walls sporadically built in the valleys.

This little tent had a makeshift toilet for our convenience. Worked great except for the one time in the middle of the night I staggered over to the tent to find the toilet gone (stowed because of dogs) and settled for the nearby bushes.

Day 3: Another mild hike down to a village called Willoq, where it was market day. Nearly everyone was decked out in bright orange and red ponchos, skirts, and tops. The market seemed to be the primary social gathering and including all ages chatting, flirting, snacking and buying goods. Soon we were loaded onto a bus to Aguas Calientes.

Technorati Tags:peru travel, peru, machu picchu, inca trail, trek machu picchu, lares valley, lares valley trek