Classic & Lares Hike (4D/3N)

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival to Lima

Upon your arrival, our representative will meet you at the Lima airport to take you to your hotel in Lima. ** An extra day in Lima can be added upon request. Please ask our agent for activities in Lima

Day 2: Fly to Cusco & Afternoon City Tour (B)

After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transported to the airport in Lima, in order to catch your short, one-hour flight to Cusco, ancient capital of the Incas (located at 11,100 feet above sea level). You will be met upon arrival, and transferred to your hotel. You will have the remainder of the morning to rest and freshen up. It’s best to take it easy this morning to let your body adjust to the altitude. Some find enjoying a cup of hot coca tea a real help in adjusting to the high elevation, and that is what the locals traditionally use coca for. Lunch is on your own today, as there are so many choices available at reasonable price either in or near your hotel. * Depending on which domestic flight you choose you will have more or less time to rest.

After lunch you will set out on grand tour of Cusco, the former capital of the once vast Incan Empire. The city’s Spanish Colonial architecture both overlays and is interlaced with the earlier Incan architecture. We walk Cusco’s impressive Plaza de Armas and visit both the Spanish cathedral and Incan temple of the sun, Qoricancha. The Spanish conquistadores destroyed significant portions of the Inca civilization while leaving their mark on Cusco. Ornate cathedrals, adobe walls, carved balconies, hidden courtyards and cobblestone streets add to the historic richness of the ancient Incan capital.

Next, we set out to visit the ruins above the city that were considered an essential part of the ancient capital. We start with one of the most impressive of them all, Sacsayhuaman. This is where Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, is held during the Summer Solstice. Some of the stones used to build the site weigh up to 70 tons yet are fitted so precisely–without the use of mortar–that one cannot slide even the thinnest object between them. Some believe that the site forms the head of puma or jaguar and that the huge triangulated walls form its teeth, or symbolize lightening. Tambomachay, the Temple of the Sacred Waters, is another site we will visit and is a marvel of hydraulic engineering. Its waters still flow today. At Q´enqo we’ll see the remains of a ceremonial site used for fertility rites and for celebrations of the solstice and equinox. In the evening, you will be met at your hotel by one of our representatives, where you will receive a very brief, yet important informational briefing regarding the Lares Trail. The briefing will provide you with all the information you will need in order to be ready for tomorrow, such as what and how much you can bring, what times you will be picked up at, etc. *An extra day in Cusco can be arranged by request. Please let us know if you would like us to add additional activities or meals.

Day 3: Free Day in Cusco (B)

You will have the unique experience of enjoying the wonders of Cusco at your leisure. This will be your chance to explore at your own pace, the wonderful local markets, shops and café’s, or if you prefer, use the day for rest and relaxation prior to your Lares trail adventure. If you prefer to relax on your first day in Cuzco, you could use this day to do your city Tour.

Day 4: Lares Trail: Day 1- Cusco/ Calca/ Quiswarani/ Cuncani (B, L, D)

Early in the morning we pick you up from your hotel in our comfortable private bus and begin our exciting travel through the Sacred Valley for approximately 1½ hour until Calca town for a break to buy last minute things. Our trip by bus continues until Quiswarani village, where we meet our horsemen, cook and horses to begin the trek. We go up until the beautiful Queuña Qocha lagoon and then we arrive to Huillcapunku Pass (4400 m/14,435 ft), after this Pass we have lunch while we enjoy the beautiful scenery. Then we continue the hike until our first campsite in Cuncani Village.

Day 5: Lares Trail: Day 2- Cuncani/ Mantanay (B, L, D)

This is the difficult day and the most gratifying too. Early in the morning we wake up and have breakfast. Then our hike begins and we walk around 4 hours until Chaq chapata where we have lunch. After eating we continue the hike about 2 more hours until the Aruray Pass (4450/14,435 ft.), here we have wonderful scenery with snow-capped mountains and a nice lake. From this point we descend to walk near two lagoons and a Polylepis forest. There is a wide change in scenery before arriving at our beautiful campsite in Mantanay after approximately 2 hours.

Day 6: Lares Trail: Day 3- Mantanay/ Yanahuara/ Aguas Calientes (B, L, D)

After breakfast we descend to lower altitude until Yanahuara village that is part of the Sacred Valley, where we have lunch and meet our private transport to go to Ollantaytambo train station and take the train to the town of Aguas Calientes, where we enjoy dinner in a typical restaurant and spend the night in comfortable lodging.

Day 7: Lares Trail: Day 4– Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu/ Cusco (B)

Early in the morning after a delicious breakfast at our lodging, we take the bus to Machu Picchu; covering a distance of 8 kilometers and after 30 minutes we finally get the wonderful Sanctuary to start our guided tour for 2 hours approximately. Once we arrive, we will have free time to enjoy Machu Picchu by ourselves. At the conclusion of the day, you will start your journey back to Cusco, where once you arrive; you will be picked up and taken directly to your hotel in Cusco. * Please let us know if you like to add an extra day in Cusco.

Day 8: Return to Lima / Flights Home (B)

After you final breakfast at your hotel in Cusco, your journey to Peru winds to a close as we transfer you to the airport in Cusco for the flight back to Lima, and ultimately back to your point of origin. Flight time will depend on your flight time back home. * While in Lima, we highly recommend adding culinary activities such as cooking classes and tasting dinners in the best restaurants of Latin America, for more information check our Culinary site: taste-of-peru.com and ask our agents for more information. Please let us know if you like to add extra activities in Lima or a day hotel if your flight is late at night.

Not exactly what you want?

Remember that Magical focuses on providing the best available options and can work with you on customizing your tour to better fit your interests and budget, without compromising the quality of your tour. Just contact us with your questions and preferences and we can modify this tour based on your expectations and requests.

Important Notes:

About MachuPicchu Entrance Tickets

As the popularity of MachuPicchu has increased in the last few years, and in order to preserve the ancient paths of MachuPicchu, the Peruvian Cultural Institute (INC) has restricted the number of people that could enter MachuPicchu to 2,500 people per day. This means that, once the 2,500 tickets are sold out, no further entrance tickets will available. Also, please note that to avoid a secondary market for these tickets, all tickets are issued with the name of the passenger, his/her passport number, nationality and date of birth. Therefore, tickets are non refundable and non transferable.

About Huaynapichu Tickets

Entrance tickets to Huaynapichu are not longer free, entrance tickets are now US$12.00 per person. There are two scheduled visits per day, with a limit of 200 people per visit (Total of 400 per day). If you are interested in hiking the Huaynapichu, we will need you to let us know at the same time you book your trip since the Huaynapichu tickets need to be purchased in conjunction to the MachuPicchu tickets.

Price

This tour (*) is available from:

USD$799.90 per person – Group with Private Transfers

For single supplement and prices in a private service, please contact us!

* Based on double occupancy, 4 people, Budget Accommodations

IMPORTANT: As price depends on each passenger choices, please contact us to send you an updated price based on your specific request. Please send us the following information and we will respond within 24 hours with your updated price.

• Number of people in your party
• Level of accommodation (3, 4, 5*). Please see options
• Choosing a Private or Group Tour?
• Train choice. Please see options
• Adding options: if you like to add day tours, extra days, meals, etc
• Need domestic or international flights?
• Have a special request (ie: special diet, wheelchair, children, senior, etc)

What’s Included?

• Expedition Train from Ollanta to Aguas Calientes & from Aguas Calientes to Poroy (Cusco). Upgrade to Vistadome and Hiram Bingham upon request.
• Bus to Machu Picchu roundtrip
• Expert leadership / guides & support personnel
• Accommodations: 1 night in Lima, 3 nights in Cuzco, 2 nights Camping, 1 night in Aguas Calientes.
• Meals as noted (B = Breakfast, S = Snack, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, T = Tea Time Snack). Plentiful, nutritious meals during the trail (Vegetarian option available). We can add any meals upon request
• Land excursions as noted including entrance fees (BTG, Cathedral, Qoricancha and MachuPicchu)
• Private Transportation: Lima Airport/Lima Hotel, Lima Hotel/Lima Airport, Cusco Airport/Cusco Hotel, Cusco Hotel/Calca (Start Point of the Trail), Yanahuara/Ollanta Train Station, Poroy Train Station/Cusco Hotel, Cusco Hotel/Cusco Airport.
• Cook  (In charge of meal preparation)
• Group porters & Horses to carry camping equipment and food
• 1 extra Horse in case of emergency
• Porters to carry your backpack (6 kilos/12 pounds) 2 people in each 3-person-capacity tent
• Mattress (sleeping pad)
• Dinner tent, special biodegradable bathroom tent, kitchen tent, tables and chairs, table settings, first Aid kit, including emergency oxygen bottle.

What’s Not Included?

• Airport taxes: Local ($5-6) and International ($31) departure tax of payable in local currency by each passenger at Lima International Airport upon departure (if applicable)
• International and domestic airfares, usually quoted separately
• Excess baggage charges
• Insurance of any kind: mandatory evacuation insurance; suggested cancellation insurance, interruption, baggage loss, damage and delay
• Visas. Please be advised that some citizens other than Canadians and US may need visa to travel to Peru. Please advise us of your nationality to help you or check with the Peruvian Consulate
• Tipping & Gratuities (Guides $4 per person per day / Drivers $1 per person per day)
• Excess baggage charges
• Medical immunizations
• Items of a personal nature (clothing, sodas, liquor, snacks, laundry, etc.
• Feather sleeping bag US$6 per day
• Synthetic sleeping bag US$5 per day
• 1 Extra porter (12 kilos) US$95
• 1/2 Extra porter (6 kilos) US$55

Important Notes for Trekkers

We suggest for the Lares Trail

• Drinking lots of liquids
• Personal sleeping bag
• Warm Jacket or sweater, raingear (specially from November to April)
• T-shirts, shorts, long pants, layers.
• Back pack, Day pack, trekking shoes, sandals
• Sun hat, wool hat, sunglasses
• Water bottle, flash light
• Insect repellent /Sunscreen
• Water Purification Tablets (optional)
• Hand Towel, toilet paper
• Extra US$50 changed in soles for any emergency and for tipping the porters

Domestic Tickets

Lima/Cusco/Lima: From US $190 per person. This is an example price. Prices depend on date and time of booking