Lares Trek

The Lares route is not one trail but several variants through the high country north of the Sacred Valley, generally three or four days at altitudes between about 3,500 and 4,600 metres, crossing passes between valleys where Quechua-speaking communities farm potatoes and herd alpaca and llama. What distinguishes it from Salkantay and the Inca Trail is that it has almost no archaeology and rather more people - the villages along it are lived in, weaving is done for use as well as sale, and the walk passes through working agricultural country rather than around it. That also raises the question of how the communities are engaged, which varies sharply by operator: some pay for homestays and buy textiles fairly, others hand out sweets to children, which local organisations discourage. Hot springs at Lares are the traditional finish. Most itineraries then take a train to Aguas Calientes for Machu Picchu.

What you actually see

• The weaving villages - Quechua communities working textiles and herding at altitude.
• The passes - crossings between valleys at up to about 4,600 metres.
• The hot springs - the thermal baths at Lares at the end of the route.
• The absence of ruins - a walk through living country rather than archaeology.

When to go

May to September for dry weather. The route is high and cold at night year-round. Acclimatise in Cusco before starting.

Honest expectations

High altitude with cold nights - proper gear matters. Operator practice toward the communities varies widely; handing sweets or gifts to children is discouraged locally. Little archaeology, which disappoints people expecting an Inca Trail substitute.

Nearby

The Sacred Valley and Calca are south; Machu Picchu is reached by train from Ollantaytambo.