Lares Sexi Lama Trek To Machupicchu | 7D/6N

The Lares Trek is considered a moderate hike. It’s not a technical hike but the altitude may affect some individuals.

We recommend purchasing a walking stick while in Peru as it will help with your balance and reduce the load on your knees.

We ask that you not use a metal tipped walking stick as it can harm the fragile environment along the trail.

The Lares Trek to Machu Picchu is 33 kms (20.5miles) long and depending on which campsites are used the approximate hours hiked per day are: 

• Day 1: 5 hours aprox
• Day 2: 8 hours aprox
• Day 3: 5 hours aprox

Is altitude sickness common? And how high is the Lares Trek?

It’s impossible to predict who will be affected by altitude. Your ability to adapt to high altitude is determined by your genetic makeup and has little to do with fitness or health. Most people will have no problems as long as they take the time to acclimatize properly. A full day spent in Cusco (3400m), taking it easy and drinking plenty of water, is usually enough for most people.  The highest point you will reach while hiking the Lares Trek is 4600 meters. You will sleep at 3600 meters for one or two nights.

Sleeping bags are not included and so we recommend bringing a compact three-season sleeping bag. If travelling between May and October a 4-season sleeping bag is recommended. These can be rented in our Ofice for US$ 20 for the entire trek. Foam mats are provided however some travellers also bring their own self-inflating.

Yes, we will give you safe drinking water at every meal and in the morning when you wake up.  In addition, there are small streams and mountain springs along the way. The water here is clean, but to be safe, you should drop in a water purification pill. Most pharmacies in Cuzco sell them.

Our fabulous South American Exclusive Tours Peru  Cooks Prepare… Delicious and abundant Buffet style meals, Peruvian and international Cuisine are prepared by our professional and dedicated cooks from a mixture of local and exotic products. We also cater for vegetarians and special diets. “The cook Fabian conjured delicious food at every stop, how that wonderful food came out of a kitchen tent on the side of a mountain we´ll never know,… The food served at lunch and dinner was awesome, I’ll never forget my first taste of quinoa and all of the different varieties of corn and potato.  Looking at other groups on the Inca Trail, I knew we definitely had the best service! I would recommend South American Exclusive Tours Peru  to anybody without a doubt,… The food was absolutely perfect -I have never had such a good food on any trek! ,… I am so impressed with the porters and kitchen crew… how they managed to bake and decorate a cake in the middle of no where.

We supply the sleeping tents (Alps Mountaineering Taurus Outfitter 4 person tents for two travelers/ Alps Mountaineering Taurus Outfitter 2 person tents for single travelers), Eureka dining tents, tables, chairs, toilet tents, cooking equipment, water purifiers, Therma-rest inflatable sleeping pads, and other camping equipment. Our outfitter purchases the highest quality equipment in Peru and older equipment is evaluated and replaced on a regular basis.

Huacawasi, Patacancha, Cuncani, Canchacancha campsites have almost the same temperature because they are at the same altitude and at same type of geography. These places are at 3800m 12120ft this areas are the highest and coldest campsites of the whole Lares trek. From June to August the temperature is -1°C = 30ºF to -5°C = 23ºF during the night, during the day is warm. From September to May the temperature is 2°C = 35ºF to 7°C = 44ºF during the night, during the day is warm.  Yanahuara, huaran are usually the second campsite is located in tropical areas full of vegetation. These camps are 1000m 3280ft lower than the others campsites Yanahuara and huaran are around 2900m 9514ft approximately the weather is warm all year, is little rainy from December to March.

Original Passport,  you must take it with you to the trek, your  ISIC student card 1 small backpack. 20 liters recommended. 2 pants comfortable for hiking. 2 moisture wicking t-shirts. 3 pair of socks. 1 pair of tennis shoes 1 pair of flip flops or river shoes. 1 pair of hiking shoes. 1 waterproof and windbreaker jacket. 1 warm jacket. 2 fleece sweaters. 2 long sleeve t-shirts. 1 Reusable water bottle. 1 small towel 1 bathing suit and underwear 1 flashlight (head lamps recommended) 1 sleeping bag. If you have your own bring it but if you do not have it.  You can rent it from us. Wool Hat or beanie Gloves sunglasses Rain gear such as rain jacket, rain pants, rain covers for your daypack or rain ponchos. Sunscreen 30 SPF or more mosquito repellent Toilet paper Batteries, memory cards, chap-stick with UV protection Shampoo, deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, anti-bacterial gel, body lotion,   optionals 1 pair of thermal pants Neck warmer. Optional Trekking poles. (We recommended to the people who have bad knees or ankles) you can bring your own. If you do not have you can rent from us the professional trekking poles for U$D 20 per one pair. 1 set of pijamas. Remember!!! That we are going provide you with a duffle bag to put 7 kilos = 13 pounds to pack your personal belongings. The duffle bags to be carried by the horses. Basically you are going to hike just with your small daypack.

This questions is little hard to answer because the weather in the mountains is unpredictably but Obviously in the Andes there is only two season dry season and rainy season.  Dry season is from April to November. This mean the temperature changes drastically from the day to the night. During the day is hot especially when the sun is out but sometimes the sun is in the clouds in this case the temperature is chilly. After the sunset the temperature changes very fast to cold some nights the temperature is below zero Celsius degrees in the camps who are over 3300m. So! Dry season is perfect time to hike Lares trek. For the coldest camping site we provide you with good camping gear.  Rainy season is from December to March but the rainiest months are January and February. The rain starts little by little at the end of November and we have a little more of rain on December in this two months is still possible to do the trek because there is not too much rain and the landscape changes to greener. We got to see more vegetation, more flowers, etc. January and February are the rainiest months is watery the rivers grow more, there are many water falls. But it does not rain everyday some days in the week we might get sunny days. If you do not have time to do the treks in the dry season we can do it in the rainy season with good rain gear. There is no bad weather; there is bad dress hiker for the weather conditions.

Most of the people when they get to cusco feels slight headache, nausea, dizzy, a little heavier, those symptoms are normal when you are to 3400m which is the altitude of cusco after few days in cusco and drinking coca tea, water and resting a little bit the symptoms no longer feel But very rare times some people feel strong headache, high fever, throwing up, bleeding from the nose. these is a serious problem you have to rest all the time but the best way to avoid the altitude sickness is to get to lower elevations or you may go to see the doctor. But this happens very weird times. If you have any medication for altitude sickness such as Diamox you have to start taking a couple days in advance before to start the trek in order to avoid the altitude sickness during the hike. Because if you start to take the medications when you get altitude sickness, the medications sometimes does not work, if they work just for little while that is why that you have to start taking in advance. It does not mean that you have to take the medication this is just to ensure your welfare especially if you come from see level and once in cusco you start feeling some altitude sickness is better cure the altitude sickness before to start the trek. Once on the hike you get altitude sickness which is happens very few times. What do we do? If you do not have a serious problem, you have to rest drink a lot of water and chewing the coca leafs. It will help you. But if you have a serious altitude sickness, we take you to the lowest possible place sometimes by horse. Seldom people go back to cusco of altitude sickness.

Max 08 people, if we have more than 08 people we split the group in two for better experience. But if you have a group of friends or a family with more than 08 members we provide two guides for the group. We considerate 08 people are a good size for better communication and attention with the guide.

Aguas Calientes town is the base town of machupicchu. Aguas calientes is a very touristy town there are many touristy services such as hotel, restaurants, bank, ATMs, café-internet, markets, shops, etc. there are different type of hotels. But South American Exclusive Tours Peru work with 3 stars Hotel which are close to the train stations in aguas calientes. If you want to book a hotel in Aguas Calientes by yourselves, you get a discount from the company. If you want to upgrade the hotel in Aguas Calientes let us to know what kind of hotel you would like to book.

Yes you can but it depends on the availability of the train. If you decide to stay in Aguas Calientes one night more days before you start the trek will be easier to change the ticket train, but if you decide to change your ticket train at the last moment will be difficult and you must pay the extra expenses to change your train tickets. This is because the train company is a monopoly, they do whatever they want, and that is why we book the tren well in advance.  Our dedicated staffs are always waiting to answer any questions that you might decide to change on your trek. Please email us to: info@samextoursperu.com to get started.

We use different type of transportations such as van, bus, train etc. when the transportation service is responsibility of LARES TREK Company all transportations are private only for our groups.

You will get sporadic phone coverage during the trek and there will not be anywhere whilst trekking to charge your phone.

One of the trek leaders will be carrying a satellite phone. However this is emergency use only.

You do not need a trek permission to do the Lares trek. Literally you show up in Cusco and decide to do the trek with days in advance  But we highly recommended booking the trek at least 1 month in advance because is complicated to book train ticket, Machu Picchu ticket at the last moment. And also if you are thinking to climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain you have to book 4 months in advance to ensure to get the tickets for those mountains because there is a limitation of people number for Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain. For Huayna Picchu mountain 400 people per day usually you have to book 4 months in advance. For Machu Picchu Mountain 500 people per day usually you have to book 4 weeks in advance.

We recommend to make your reservation in advance and we will guarantee your Spaces for this hike. Each reservation needs 30% of deposit as first payment. The final balance (70%) will be paid in Cusco (Briefing Day). About Payment you must choose where would you like to make the deposit:

Payment system online ,  Paypal by Debit or Credit Card

Western Union, Money Gram

Peruvian Banking Account

We use the money from your deposit to make several important purchases, the entrance fee to Machu Picchu, bus tickets, and train tickets. In addition, making a deposit assures us that you will be coming on the trek, and are unlikely to cancel at the last minute. This helps us with knowing how much food to buy, how many of our guides to use for the trek, etc. The deposit is non-refundable once we receive it, because we will immediately use it to purchase the tickets mentioned above.

First, we will send you an email to confirm your payment. Then we will contact you to offer you different hotel or hostel options in Cuzco, as well as inform you of other tours you might be interested in.  Two weeks before your tour date, we will contact you by email to request the final payment. We will also ask you where you will be staying in Cuzco, to be able to pick you up on the day of your hike. After we receive the final payment, we will send you an email confirming your tour date and informing you of important contact information for our tour agency, as well as some final tips to prepare for the trek.

We prefer and kindly ask you to bring cash, if you are willing to pay with credit card, then consider to pay the commissions tax and fee increases in about 10%. If you do not want to bring cash, we have alternate systems that does not charge much.

Walking boots are recommended as they provide support to the ankle which reduces the risk of injury especially when trekking in the wet season (December – March). However it is important that your boots are comfortable and well worn-in and not brand new. Many people prefer to trek in tennis shoes but extra care should be taken since they do not support the ankle. We do not recommend trekking in sandals or using new boots or hiring boots prior to the trek. Make sure the shoes are sturdy enough for the duration of the trek and will not fall apart.

Many people like to hike with trekking poles or walking sticks. This is fine as long as the poles will not cause damage to the stone paving along the Inca Trail. If the trekking poles have metal spikes then these must be protected by rubber tips. We recommend bringing some spare rubber tips with you. Rubber protectors can also be bought in several shops in Cusco. Metal trekking poles can also be hired in many equipment hire shops in Cusco for about US$20 for the 4 day trek. Samextoursperu often have poles for hire in our office.

We employ a number of qualified leaders. All of them speak English. They will also be a first aid qualified medical officer. They will ultimately be responsible for the running of the itinerary and the safety of your group. The itinerary is there as a guide and may change due to unusual weather patterns, the strength of the group and so on. We will do our very best to keep to the set itinerary. However we cannot be held responsible for any last minute changes that might occur. In all such circumstances, your challenge leader will have the final say.

Yes, you will need to bring (or hire) a warm sleeping bag (four season or three season with silk or fleece liner) And the mat is included.

We’d love to hear from you! Thank you so much for your interest in having a personalized travel experience in Peru. Contact us using the form below and one of South American Exclusive Tours Perú experts planners will reply within one business day to arrange your private experiences in Perú.  For all other inquiries please do not hesitate to contact us, we are happy to help with everything. Feel free to reach us via email at info@samextoursperu.com or by calling us directly by Whatsapp at +51 958192161