Lares Trek to Machu Picchu

Peruvian cuisine is loved for its flavours and originality; it’s well worth digging into the local delicacies. Among these are: ceviche, seafood or fish marinated in lime juice; lomo saltado, a Peruvian take on a beef stir-fry; and various hearty soups, including the delicious quinoa soup. Other dishes include roasted cuy (guinea pig) and alpaca steak. To drink, there’s pisco sour, the national beverage. Drinking water is included throughout the trip as the tap water in Peru is not safe to drink; boiled and filtered drinking water is provided on the trek; elsewhere your leader buys large water containers from which you can refill your bottle. Hotel breakfasts are normally simple buffets, usually including bread/toast, preserves, cereal, sometimes eggs or cooked dishes, sometimes fruit, tea/coffee and fruit juice. Regrettably, we cannot guarantee that wheat-free or gluten-free products are available for breakfast in all locations – if you have an intolerance you may wish to bring your own breakfast food. During the hike, hearty breakfasts are served and good-quality cooked lunches and dinners are provided. They usually consist of soup to start, a main course with meat/fish and some carbohydrates, followed by a dessert. Between meals, snacks are also provided. Tea/coffee is brought to your tent each morning and juice or hot drinks are provided with all meals during the trek.

The diverse geography of Peru results in a very varied climate between different regions. Cuzco and the Andes have a temperate climate. December to March is the rainy season in Cuzco/the Andes. April to November is the dry season, which is characterised by clear skies and strong sunshine in the mornings, sometimes clouding over as the day progresses.

Daytime temperatures are usually pleasant (20C/68F on average) but nights are lower (7C/44F), except for May, June, July and August when days are cooler and nights are often close to, or a few degrees below, freezing. In the Andes, however, anything is possible at any time of year, including cloud, rain or even snow, with rapid and unexpected changes.

Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu are in the cloud forest and experience large amounts of precipitation all year as clouds move up from the Amazon Basin. Rain here can be heavy but is seldom prolonged. Cold fronts sometimes occur from July to August.

Peru is affected by El Niño, a weather phenomenon where warming of Pacific Ocean surface water off South America drives a shift in the atmospheric circulation, resulting in abnormally high levels of rainfall over parts of South America. These events occur at irregular intervals of two to seven years, and last nine months to two years.

This trip is graded Activity Level 4 (Moderate & Challenging). For more information on our trip gradings, visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us.

Suitability: Though strenuous in parts, this trek is possible for anyone with good health and fitness, though we would not recommend this trip to someone with no previous walking experience. There are three days of point-to-point walking with full porterage.

Maximum altitude: 15,175ft (4,625m)

Maximum sleeping altitude: 12,695ft (3,870m)

If you are not a regular walker, you should put in physical preparation beforehand. The trek is not suitable for those with bad knees due to the number of steep and uneven steps. The use of trekking poles will reduce strain on the knees.

Walking hours stated within the itinerary are given as approximates only. Timings stated include lunch and photo stops and vary depending on the group’s pace.

Delays: Protest action/strikes are not uncommon in Peru; while these are generally peaceful, they can involve roadblocks and cause disruption to travel. Occasionally, your leader may have to adapt your itinerary in response to this.

Machu Picchu ticket availability: Access to Machu Picchu is strictly limited, and we purchase the requisite Machu Picchu ticket on your behalf. Tickets are issued on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis; to avoid stockpiling; individual traveller passport details are required at the time of booking, so we can only apply for these once you book with us. For these reasons, we highly recommend you book your trip as far in advance as possible.

Therefore, while a specific departure date may show as ‘Guaranteed’ on our website, Machu Picchu remains subject to availability, and we cannot guarantee the tickets will be available on any given date. Machu Picchu tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable, at a cost of US$55.

In the event tickets are sold out for the departure you are looking at, we will discuss alternative options such as a different travel date, alternative circuits or a refund of any monies paid. We highly recommend you do not book any non-refundable flights until your place and tickets are secured.

Booking your flights through us means we take care of all of this for you, giving you full peace of mind over your travel arrangements. For more details on booking flights with us, see our flights page.

Please note, it is essential you read the Machu Picchu regulations in the Important Information section of the Trip Notes before you book this trip.