Four days through Andean villages and over a pass above 4,500 m, then the train to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu.
The short answer
The Lares trek is a four-day route through farming villages north of the Sacred Valley, with hot springs, two nights in tents and a pass above 4,500 m on day two. It ends at the road, not at Machu Picchu: you take the train to Aguas Calientes on day three and visit the citadel on day four.
Alpaca Expeditions and TreXperience start at the hot springs, SAM Travel Peru and Nig Adventures at Huaran. Only SAM Travel Peru offers a refund if you cancel.
Every Lares tour here has two nights camping, a hotel night in Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu on the last morning. The differences are the direction, the train class and what the listing says about the Machu Picchu entry.
Tap a column header to re-sort. The entry column repeats what each listing names under inclusions.
| Photo | Tour | Direction | Nights | Train | Machu Picchu entry (listing) | Group | Cancellation | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Lares valley trek with hot spring Alpaca Expeditions | Hot springs first, ends at Huaran | 2 nights camping, 1 hotel night | Expedition both ways | Included, Circuit 2, 3 or 1 by availability | Up to 14; listing asks for at least 2 per booking | All sales final | ★ 5.0 (711) | $650 per person | Book now |
|
Lares trek with hot springs SAM Travel Peru | Starts at Huaran, ends in Lares | 2 nights camping, 1 hotel night | Expedition both ways | Included, private guided tour | Up to 8 | Full refund 6 days before, 50% from 2 days | ★ 5.0 (552) | $703 per person | Book now |
|
Lares trek with panoramic train TreXperience | Hot springs first, ends at Huaran | 2 nights camping, 3-star hotel | Vistadome back | Included, with Maras and the hot springs | Up to 16 | All sales final | ★ 5.0 (341) | $698 per person | Book now |
|
Lares trek in 4 days Nig Adventures | Starts at Huaran, hot springs on day 3 | 2 nights camping, 1 hotel night | Round trip; Vistadome upgrade extra | Included | Up to 15 | All sales final | ★ 4.9 (104) | $750 per person | Book now |
Prices and ratings are loaded from GetYourGuide and Viator once a day; on treks the price shown is the cheapest option, which may leave out the sleeping bag, the hiking poles or the return train class you want.
Pick the day you want to go, or the first and last day you are in Cusco. We read the booking calendar of each tour and show the ones that still take bookings. For Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, book early: entry tickets, trains and trail permits are limited.
In the next 7 days, all 4 tours on this page still have places.
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Open a card for the itinerary, the pickup, what is included and what is not, as the operator gives them.
Porters, a llama ceremony with the herders, Maras on day three, Expedition train both ways.
After hotel pickup in Cusco the hike begins with 2 hours uphill to the village of Kiswarani, where the horsemen hold a llama ceremony, and camp is next to a small lagoon. Day two starts around 5 a.m. with a 3 to 4 hour climb to Pachacutec (Condor) Pass and about 3 hours down to Cancha Cancha for a second camp. Day three is 4 hours downhill past farms into the Sacred Valley; the day's heading also names Huaran, the Maras salt mines and Ollantaytambo, before the train to Aguas Calientes and a hotel night. On day four a 25-minute bus takes you up for a guided tour of about 2 hours, followed by the train to Ollantaytambo and a drive to your hotel in Cusco.
The inclusions name all entrance fees for the Lares Valley and Machu Picchu, with Circuit 2, 3 or 1 depending on availability, and the Expedition train in both directions. The title mentions a hot spring and the day-one heading says thermal baths, but the itinerary text does not describe a stop there. A personal porter carries up to 7 kg. Sleeping bag, trekking poles and air mattress are not included but can be rented.
Pickup from your hotel in Cusco; tell the operator where you stay after booking. Briefing at the operator's office at 6:00 p.m. the evening before.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Groups of up to 8, mules and an emergency horse, ends at the Lares springs; refund up to six days before.
Pickup at 6 a.m. and a private bus to Huaran in the Sacred Valley (2,840 m), where you meet the horsemen and walk up beside the Cancha Cancha River to the village of Cancha Cancha (3,800 m) for the night. Day two climbs to Pachacutec Pass (4,758 m), with views of Pachacutec Lake and Pitusiray, then descends past glacial lakes to camp by the lake at Quishuarani (3,700 m). On day three you walk down to Lares, soak in the open-air thermal springs, have lunch around 1 p.m. and take the bus to Ollantaytambo and the train to a hotel in Aguas Calientes. Day four is a guided tour of Machu Picchu with free time afterwards, then the train back to Ollantaytambo and a private bus to Cusco.
The Expedition train is listed for both legs and the Machu Picchu tour is private; the itinerary marks Machu Picchu admission as included. Two options add the Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain climb. Tents are 4-person igloos shared by 2 trekkers, mules carry up to 7 kg of your things, and a horse is on hand for emergencies. The last lunch and dinner on day 4 are not included. The day-two text gives the pass as 4,758 m and also says the day reaches 4,550 m.
Hotel pickup in Cusco at 6 a.m. (the guide meets you in the lobby), or at the airport with a sign. Ends with a private bus from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Calca market, Puya Raimondi plants and a weaving cooperative on day one, Vistadome train back.
Pickup is early in Cusco or in the Sacred Valley near Pisac. Day one is mostly by vehicle at first: Calca market, the Inca site of Ancashmarca, the Puyas de Raimondi plants and the Lares thermal baths with breakfast, plus a women-led weaving cooperative. After lunch in Kiswarani you hike past the Kiswarani waterfall to the Blue Lagoon campsite at 3,900 m. Day two crosses Condor Pass (4,750 m), the highest point, with an offering to the Apus, and ends at a camp in Canchacancha (3,750 m). Day three descends 4 hours to Huaran (2,700 m), then continues by vehicle to the Maras salt mines and Ollantaytambo before the evening train to a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes. Day four is a 2 to 3 hour guided tour of Machu Picchu, free time for lunch and the Vistadome train to Ollantaytambo with a transfer to Cusco.
The inclusions name entrance tickets for Machu Picchu, the Maras salt mines and the Lares hot spring, the Machu Picchu bus both ways and a Vistadome ticket for the return; the class of the evening train out is not stated. Horses and muleteers carry food and gear. Mattress, sleeping bag and trekking poles are optional extras, and Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain tickets are not included.
Hotel pickup in Cusco's historic center, including Airbnb, or in the Sacred Valley near Pisac. Ends with a transfer from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Starts at Huaran, two hours at the Lares springs on day three; sleeping gear not included.
Departure from Cusco at 5:00 a.m. to Huaran for breakfast, then a 3-hour hike with muleteers and horses to Cancha Cancha (3,900 m), where you spend the afternoon with a local family and camp. Day two is a 7-hour hike over Pachacutec Pass (4,500 m) to the community of Quiswarani (3,700 m). On day three a vehicle takes you to the Lares hot springs for about 2 hours, then to Urubamba for a buffet lunch, the Maras salt mines and Ollantaytambo, followed by dinner and the train to a hotel in Aguas Calientes. Day four is an early bus up, a guided tour of about 2 hours, free time in town and the Expedition train to Ollantaytambo with a transfer to Cusco.
The inclusions name the Machu Picchu entrance ticket, a round-trip train ticket and a guide in Machu Picchu. The itinerary names the Expedition train for the return; an upgrade to Vistadome for the return is listed as not included. Camps have toilet facilities, but sleeping bag, inflatable mattress, trekking poles and a single tent are not included.
Pickup at your hotel in Cusco or at the airport; staff wear the company uniform.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
The Lares trek crosses the mountains north of the Sacred Valley between the hot springs of Lares and the village of Huaran near Urubamba. It walks through farming communities where families still herd llamas and alpacas: Cancha Cancha, Quishuarani (also written Kiswarani) and the high lakes between them. Unlike the Inca Trail, it does not walk to Machu Picchu. After the trek you take the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, sleep there and visit the citadel on the fourth morning.
The operators walk it in opposite directions. SAM Travel Peru and Nig Adventures start at Huaran, around 2,700 to 2,840 m, climb to Cancha Cancha at about 3,800 to 3,900 m on the first day and cross the pass on the second. SAM Travel Peru ends at the hot springs and the town of Lares, at 3,100 m; Nig Adventures drives to the springs on day three. Alpaca Expeditions and TreXperience begin at the hot springs, camp at the lakes near Quishuarani (TreXperience's Blue Lagoon camp is at 3,900 m) and walk down to Huaran on day three, with a stop at the Maras salt pans on the drive to Ollantaytambo.
The highest point is the Pachacútec or Condor Pass, crossed on day two. The listings do not agree on its height: TreXperience gives 4,750 m, SAM Travel Peru 4,758 m and Nig Adventures 4,500 m. Either way it is a long climb of several hours, followed by a descent of about three hours, and the camps sit between about 3,700 and 3,900 m. That is close to the height of the Salkantay trek, with fewer days of walking. Spend a few days in Cusco or the Sacred Valley first; the page on altitude has the details.
On SAM Travel Peru, TreXperience and Nig Adventures, horses and mules carry the camp and up to 7 kg of your things; SAM Travel Peru also brings a horse for emergencies. Alpaca Expeditions uses porters with the same 7 kg limit. SAM Travel Peru puts two people in a four-person tent with foam mattresses. Nig Adventures lists sleeping bag, mattress, poles and even a "personal tent" as not included, so check what you have to bring before you book.
Alpaca Expeditions and SAM Travel Peru include the Expedition train both ways between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes, TreXperience the Vistadome on the way back, and Nig Adventures a round trip with the Vistadome as an upgrade. Alpaca Expeditions, TreXperience and Nig Adventures list Machu Picchu entry under inclusions. SAM Travel Peru marks the entry in its itinerary for the Machu Picchu day, with a private guided tour. Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain are options at SAM Travel Peru and have to be booked with the trek.
Lares is the trek for travelers who care more about the villages and weaving than about Inca ruins on the trail, and for those whose Inca Trail dates are gone; more alternatives to a sold-out Inca Trail. Nig Adventures and SAM Travel Peru ask for a high level of fitness, Alpaca Expeditions and TreXperience for a moderate one, and all listings rule out travelers with spinal injuries, heart problems and pregnant travelers. If you want the Sacred Valley without the trek, the Sacred Valley day tours cover Maras and Moray in a day. For the other routes see treks to Machu Picchu compared.
SAM Travel Peru refunds in full up to six days before and half between two and six days before. The Lares treks by Alpaca Expeditions, TreXperience and Nig Adventures are final sales without refund.
No. The trek ends near the Sacred Valley; you take the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, sleep there and visit Machu Picchu on the fourth morning.
The pass on day two is given as 4,500 m by Nig Adventures and about 4,750 m by TreXperience and SAM Travel Peru. The camps are between about 3,700 and 3,900 m.
Lares is a day shorter and passes through inhabited villages, with hot springs. Salkantay crosses a higher pass and descends into cloud forest before Aguas Calientes.
SAM Travel Peru refunds in full up to six days before and half from two to six days. The other Lares treks on this page are final sales.
A higher pass and a descent into cloud forest, five days.
The permit route from Km 82 through the Sun Gate.
Lares, Salkantay and the Quarry Trail as alternatives.
The valley at the end of the trek as a day trip from Cusco.
Days, highest point, nights and the way back for every route.
Two questions, and the finder suggests a tour from Cusco with two alternatives.
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