Lares - Yanahuara - Machupicchu 4 Days / 3 Nigths

A trek through dramatic high Andean scenery, visiting highland villages where life goes on much as it did centuries ago and local inhabitants continue the ancient textile traditions of their ancestors. From these high, open spaces we descend into the lush forests around Machu Picchu, where our trip ends.

BOOK THIS TOUR

ITINERARY:

Day 1 Lares – Huacahuasi
After an early departure from Cusco or Ollantaytambo you will be driven to Calca, and then climb to the highest point of this road at 4265 meters, and from there we will be able to see the mountains of Sawasiray and Pitusiray before descending into the warm valley of Lares at an altitude of 3207 meters, this is a typical colonial village with a church, a main plaza and narrow streets. Here we will meet your porters, we will take the lunch and the trek begins. Our trail ascends towards the community of Huacawasi (first camp site) located at 3600 m.a.s.l., a charming little community of small houses built from mud brick and thatch. We will walk a distance of 6 to 7 kilometers, (3.72 miles).
Meals: Lunch. Dinner.

Day 2 Huacahuasi - Yanahuara
After taking a nourishing breakfast, we leave the camp site by 8:00, we make a brief ascent to the Huahuaqasa pass at 4500 meters (highest point of the trek) before descending to Aruraycocha and Yuraccoha lakes, which are formed by the melt waters of the Pumahuanca and Kiswarani snow peaks. Nearby these lakes we will take the lunch. This is a spectacular day’s trekking, through the Urubamba Mountain Range, you will have ample opportunity to spot a number of Andean birds, including condors. The campsite is at 1 hour and 30 minutes from the lunch point near the village of Mantanay located at 3800 m.a.s.l. We will walk a distance of 10 kilometers, (7 miles).
Meals: FB.

Day 3 Yanahuara – Ollantaytambo – Machu Picchu
We descend through the Yanahuara gully towards the farmers community for almost 3 hours with a distance of 9 kilometers, (6 miles) and its agreeable climate at an altitude of 2950 meters, the tiny hamlet of Yanahuara is located in the Urubamba Valley, for the Incas, the fertile Sacred Valley, it is the breadbasket of Cusco, with its terraced slopes sown with corn and watered by the glaciers of the great snow peaks and the river, which they worshipped as the “Wilkamayu” or “Holy River”. Then a 20 minutes bus ride to Ollantaytambo to take the lunch in the Miski Unu restaurant and catch the train to go to the lost city of Machu Picchu
Meals: BL

Day 4 Machu Picchu full day
Full day visit to Machu Picchu
We will get up early to visit this “lost city” hours before most other tourists arrive on the morning train from Cusco, in the company of those trekkers arriving from the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Standing at the top of a steep, forested hill overlooking the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu was hidden by dense vegetation for centuries until the historian Hiram Bingham began to clear the site. Today the city has been restored and even if it has lost some of its mystery it still remains an unforgettable sight. Our tour includes a visit to the temples, plazas, palaces, watercourses and residential areas and will also leave you time to explore the ruins on your own.
In the afternoon: Return to Cusco by train, transfer to hotel.
Meals: B.

IMPORTANT:
- Your passport number
- If you have any special diet ( ex. Vegetarian)
- The hotel and address you stay at
If you have any special dieses that we should be aware of (you are responsible to bring your own medicine). We will provide basic first ad kid and oxygen.
For the tour we provide a duffle bag (normal sports bag), where you can put in your personal belongings and sleeping back that you don’t want to carry at the trek, but still have with you on the tour. You are allowed to fill the bag with 7 kg, which the mules on the trek will carry. To get this duffle bag you go to TARA TOUR OPERATOR. The office is located in Urbanizacion Ttio U-16 in Cusco.

Included
• Transport to the beginning point of the trek
• Briefing - Duffleback
• Professional bilingual guide (English and Spanish), in the trek 2 guides for groups of over 8 people.
• Accommodation on the trek is camping (2 nights). Tents are set up by the porters.
• Accommodation at Machu Picchu Tourist class hotel for 1 night
• Mules and wranglers for carrying equipment and personal gear
• Meals described in the program (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner, FB=Full board), in the trek the meals are prepared by the trek cook and also includes: daily morning snack, daily tea service except last day, vegetarian or special menus are available at no extra cost.
• Camping equipment: Personal tents (2 people in each 4-people capacity tent, they are 3 season and highly maintained), mattresses, kitchen tent, dining tent with tables and chairs, toilet tent, household items.
• Accommodation for all our staff
• Chef and cooking equipment
• Hot water every morning to clean up and boiled water to fill in your canteen every morning or night.
• First aid kit and emergency oxygen supply
• Bag for the gear you will need during the trek
• Machu Picchu entrance fee
• Round trip bus ticket to Machu Picchu
• Train ticket Ollantaytambo - Aguas Calientes / Aguas Calientes - Ollantaytambo
• Transfer from the train station to the hotel in Cusco
• All the garbage produced during the trek will be returned to the city of Cusco

Not included
• Meals not included in the itinerary
• Alcohol drinks
• Extras expenses
• Tips to guides and staff
• Sleeping bag..

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What time will we be picked up from my hotel?
Your guide will pick you up around 6:30am. It deepens on witch hotel you stay at.

How do you know witch hotel I am staying at?
You are responsible to give message about this at least one day before departure, and better if you do it advance. You can send an email or make a call to TARA TOUR OPERATOR.

What about breakfast the first day?
Many hotels in Cusco, do not offer breakfast as early in the morning. Ask when your hotel starts having breakfast in the morning. Otherwise buy bread and juice in a store the night before.
Is it possible to buy necessaries like cloth, walking stick and snacks in Cusco, and where?
It is possible to buy all necessaries near Plaza de Armas in Cusco. If you want exact information about a specific thing, then ask TARA TOUR OPERATOR.

If I don’t have my own sleeping bag, where can I rent one?
It is possible to rent a sleeping bag in Cusco for a recently price. If you want help, then contact TARA TOUR OPERATOR.

What kind of nationality are the other people from my group?
There can be all kinds of nationalities in the group, but mostly all of them are English speakers. If some are only Spanish speakers, the guide will be guiding in both Spanish and English. We run the tour trough the company “TARA TOUR OPERATOR”, and also other companies can have costumers at this trek.

How cold does it get on the tour, and does it rain?
The weather in the Andes can change very quickly, and depend on the altitude. It will always be cold if there is over clouded as you in the high altitude don’t get the warm from the coast. As higher you get, as more cold would it be. At night especially the temperature gets down. Expect that nights can be down at 5- to 5+ degrees. During the day it can be really warm if the sun is shining, and remember to have a very good sun cream with you.

How do I supply myself with water during the tour?
There will be 1 litre of boiled water available every day, except day one. Remember the night before to tell your guide that you would like to have water, because the boiled water will cool of during the night. You can also ad purifying tablets to your water and supply yourself during the trek, or by water on bottles.

Why should I bring my original passport?
You need to show your passport to enter the trains. You can if you want get a staple in your passport at Machu Picchu.

How do I know if I have altitude sickness, and is it dangerous?
Altitude sickness occurs by the minor amount of oxygen in the high altitudes and is simply because you body is used to get a larger amount of oxygen by breathing normally. By having a little head egg or felling a bit uncomfortable the first couple of days in Cusco is very normal, but remember to be aware if it gets worse. It is also normal to fell a bit tired, simply because your body works harder to get the same amount of oxygen in the altitudes. Altitude Sickness can be dangerous, but being aware of your reaction of your body, minimizes the risk. If you start having serious head egg, throwing up or fell very uncomfortable then make sure to contact your guide medially. The guide will on all treks have oxygen and basic first kid ad with him, and he is educated to help you. Altitude sickness is something you need to take seriously, but be aware that thoughts about it can be big effect.

Is the trek hard physically?
Trekking in the Andes is a physically hard sport, where you suppose not to fell too easy when you are walking. It means that you need to be in a good physically health to make the trek. On this trek you are walking in very high altitudes, but be in mind the good feeling you will have by making the top knowing that you did it.

Can I take a shower under the way, and how do I go on toilet?
There will be a possibility to get a COLD shower at every camp, and you will also be able to use the toilet or nature. If you are in a need of a toilet during the trek, there is plenty of space in the nature for such things.

I am a vegetarian, what do we get to eat?
You will get plenty of healthy food during the trek. If you are a vegetarian (not eating meat), then you must contact TARA TOUR OPERATOR at least the day before departure.

I am worried about, that the other people in the group are in better condition than me and I will slow them down?
The guide will always follow the people who are walking back in the group, and if there is more that 8 people on the trek, there will be 1 or 2 assistance guides. There will be many brakes during the day, and trekking should be both hard and fun, so remember to enjoy the day.

What are we doing while we do not walk?
It is up to you: Bring a book, listen to music, take pictures, eating, take a shower or sleep.

What will happen if someone gets seriously sick?
If the person can walk, a guide or assistance guide will follow the person to the nearest place to get help. The only way to get around is by walking. If the person can’t walk and need emergent assistance, then the guide will call for a helicopter.

Can I recharge batteries during the trek?
There will be a possibility in Lares and Aguas Calientes

I don’t fell well, and don’t know if I am able to walk the trek – what am I during?
You contact TARA TOUR OPERATOR travel expeditions by mail or phone. Then you will have a talk together and discuss the options there will be.

Are there any extra costs that I should be aware of?
Breakfast the first day and lunch/dinner the last day. Entrance fee for the hot springs in Lares. Tip for guide/cook and porters. Snacks (ex. Chocolate)

I will like to have more information about the trek?
You get in contact with TARA TOUR OPERATOR.