Lares Trek to Machu Picchu

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Peru Travel Insights

Lima, Cusco & Lares Trek to Machu Picchu - 6 Days
Map of Lima, Cusco & Lares Trek to Machu Picchu - 6 Days
Lima, Cusco & Lares Trek to Machu Picchu - 6 Days

A shorter alternative to the Inca Trail, the Lares Trek offers an experience just as stunning. Despite the high altitudes, this trek follows a less rigorous route through local communities, making it ideal for those who are looking for something accessible, unique, and immersive.

Beautiful Andean landscape
Map of Lares Lodge-to-Lodge Trek to Machu Picchu - 5 Days
Lares Lodge-to-Lodge Trek to Machu Picchu - 5 Days

The five-day Lares Trek takes you high up in the Andes, hiking during the day and overnighting in luxurious lodges along the way. Providing impressive views of snow-capped peaks and glacial lakes, it’s a relatively demanding hike that will test your fitness.

Girl walking home in the Lares Valley
Map of Lares Valley Trek & Short Inca Trail - 8 Days
Lares Valley Trek & Short Inca Trail - 8 Days

Trek through the Lares Valley, where you'll pass between glacier-capped mountains where llamas and alpacas graze in the surrounding hills. You'll visit the town of Lares, a colourful traditional town in the heart of the valley. Combined with the Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, this is a trek that combines two wonderful valleys & mountain ranges with very different ecologies & landscapes.

View from the Santa Cruz trek in Peru
Map of Best 10 Treks in Peru
Best 10 Treks in Peru

Peru — a nation with abundant natural diversity, from coast, to mountains, to jungle — has long attracted lovers of the Great Outdoors. The Peruvian Andes, running like a backbone down the centre of the country, contain mesmerizing variations in landscape that make for some of the best trekking in the world. Cloud forests, 5000m+ cordilleras (mountain ranges), the world’s deepest canyon and the striking remains of ancient civilizations all await.

Making a pilgrimage to Machu Picchu on one of these two treks makes your arrival even more spectacular
Salkantay Trek vs the Inca Trail: Which is Right for You?

Trekking to Machu Picchu is a dream for many travelers—but there's more than one way to get there. The classic Inca Trail lets trekkers walk in the steps of the Incas, while the more remote Salkantay route offers solitude and wildlife. Compare your options for getting to Peru's most famous place on foot, from distance and cost to overnight options.

Huchuy Qosqo
Map of Best Day Hikes in the Sacred Valley near Cusco
Best Day Hikes in the Sacred Valley near Cusco

Peru is famous for the Inca Trail and other multi-day hikes, but if you are short on time, there are plenty of excellent day hikes throughout the Sacred Valley. These hikes are a great way to visit some of the rural communities and lesser-visited ruins throughout the Valley.

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Meet our Local Travel Specialists

Experienced travel agents with a passion for Peru
Travel specialist Liz Karen L. Jihuallanca
active 10 hours ago

Liz Karen L. Jihuallanca

Peruvian delicious food, unique culture, and fascinating history are part of me! And as a good cusqueñian, I am very proud of my culture and heritage. I have lived and worked in the USA and made...

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Travel specialist Kristy Tizon
active 4 hours ago

Kristy Tizon

Kristy, a Peruvian-American originally from Los Angeles but now based in Lima, Peru, has a deep passion for travel. She founded Miski Travels, a travel agency that offers customized trips to...

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Travel specialist Johanna Fabian
active 4 hours ago

Johanna Fabian

I enjoy slow travel, ideally being in one country for a month where I can really get to know the local people, their way of life and of course their food! I am Peruvian-American and have traveled...

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Travel specialist Anne Godoy
active 5 hours ago

Anne Godoy

I fell in love with Peru's landscapes, culture, food, and people—not only because of what I learned in college but also because of what I had seen and lived my whole life. That passion and love...

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Trip Reviews for Peru

The latest reviews by travelers who booked their trip on kimkim

Awesome experience!
Peru | Nov 19 - Dec 5, 2024

K
Kimberly D.
Dallas, TX | Reviewed on Dec 12, 2024
Everything was amazing!
Liz Karen was extremely responsive to our desires and changing needs and put together a wonderful itinerary which worked without a glitch!
Read more

Everything was amazing!
Liz Karen was extremely responsive to our desires and changing needs and put together a wonderful itinerary which worked without a glitch!

Hotel Reviews
Posada Amazonas Lodge
Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios

A great adventure! Wonderful staff and delicious meals. Really appreciated the borrowing of rubber boots! Special note to our guide at Posada Amazonas Lodge who had an awesome knowledge of every animal and their sound from monkeys and macaws to frogs and ants (and could find them in the undergrowth) and every leaf or fruit and their use, taste and growth cycle.

Authenticity & Character
A jungle experience with all the comforts of home
Location
Loved seeing and hearing all the animals!
Staff
Our guide, Josemel, was absolutely amazing! He was very informative on flora and fauna and culture. There was no question he couldn’t answer right down to Latin nomenclature!
Cleanliness & Comfort
Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba
Urubamba

Very nice cottage and main building with excellent dining

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hatun Inti Boutique Machupicchu
Machu Picchu

Good location. Big jacuzzi tub but jets didn’t work. Great breakfast

Authenticity & Character
Location
Loved overlooking the river
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Antigua Casona San Blas
Cusco

Great hotel with excellent bar, restaurant breakfast buffet and bagged breakfast

Authenticity & Character
Wonderful decor and displays. Courtyard with fireplace
Location
Fun area to walk around
Staff
Very helpful with all our questions on local amenities
Cleanliness & Comfort
GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca Puno
Lago Titicaca, Puno
Authenticity & Character
Location
Nice location overlooking reed marsh, not close to town
Staff
Helpful when needed
Cleanliness & Comfort
Pullman Lima Miraflores
Miraflores, Lima
Authenticity & Character
Modern character
Location
Good location for walking around
Staff
Very helpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Liz Karen L. Jihuallanca
Liz Karen
Liz Karen L. Jihuallanca
Local specialist in Cusco | Replied on Dec 18, 2024

Hi Kimberly,
Thanks so much for your kind words. It was a pleasure to organize a trip for you 😊.
I hope you left with wonderful memories of Peru and that we will see you back soon! :)
Happy New Year and Merry Christmas! 🎄
Liz.

What an amazing, flawless, and fabulous trip!...
Peru | Nov 19 - Dec 5, 2024

Kathy
Kathy S.
Seattle, WA | Reviewed on Dec 11, 2024
What an amazing, flawless, and fabulous trip! Thanks to Karen for helping us plan an exciting adventure. And thanks to Lisbeth for providing quick responses to any and all questions during our trip. We all fell in love with Peru and would definitely travel with KimKim again. Thank you for helping us create so many wonderful memories! Read more

What an amazing, flawless, and fabulous trip! Thanks to Karen for helping us plan an exciting adventure. And thanks to Lisbeth for providing quick responses to any and all questions during our trip. We all fell in love with Peru and would definitely travel with KimKim again. Thank you for helping us create so many wonderful memories!

Hotel Reviews
Pullman Lima Miraflores
Miraflores, Lima
Authenticity & Character
Location
Conveniently located. Nice amenities.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Posada Amazonas Lodge
Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios

Amazing food. Loved the open wall in the room to the jungle. Incredible guides and activities!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Le
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Liz Karen L. Jihuallanca
Liz Karen
Liz Karen L. Jihuallanca
Local specialist in Cusco | Replied on Dec 18, 2024

Hi Kathy,
Happy to hear you had such an amazing experience in Peru!
I wish you all the best for this new year 2025 😊
Please take care and let me know if we can help you somehow in the future!
Liz.

100% recommended! Would book again!
Peru | Nov 29 - Dec 6, 2024

Anna Mae
Anna Mae R.
Chicago, IL | Reviewed on Dec 08, 2024
Everything was really good and fun, very organized. The tour guides also speaks good english and very knowledgeable with history of Peru, they are also patient with us. The hotels we stayed at were also really good and very unique! Overall, I would recommend Kimkim to my friends next time they travel. We would definitely book again for our future trips to kimkim seeing as they also provide travel guides to other countries! Read more

Everything was really good and fun, very organized. The tour guides also speaks good english and very knowledgeable with history of Peru, they are also patient with us. The hotels we stayed at were also really good and very unique! Overall, I would recommend Kimkim to my friends next time they travel. We would definitely book again for our future trips to kimkim seeing as they also provide travel guides to other countries!

Hotel Reviews
Quinta San Blas by Ananay Hotels
Cusco

This hotel’s location is in the heart of Cusco with the old city feeling. They also provide good service and good breakfast!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Tierra Viva Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu

The staff were good and kind! Great breakfast food, the hotel is clean and organized. It’s also close to the bus and train.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Antigua Miraflores
Lima

Very cute! They also have really good services and good food in the restuarant.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Discovering the Treasures of Machu Picchu
Discovering the Treasures of Machu Picchu
Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

The very reason I booked a trip to Peru! It didn’t dissapoint! The Machu Picchu is very charming and amazing, our tour guides, Emilia is also very knowledgeable with the history and patient with us and provided us with ample amounts of rest breaks especially with the stairs part!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Rainbow Mountain Trek
Rainbow Mountain Trek
Peru

Breathtaking literally and figuratively.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Johanna Fabian
Johanna
Johanna Fabian
Local specialist in Lima, Peru | Replied on Dec 13, 2024

Anna Mae,
I’m so glad to hear you had a great time in Peru. I look forward to helping you out with any future trips to South America.

Best,
Johanna