The Lares trek is a 3-day, roughly 33 km walk through the Lares valley, north of the Sacred Valley, from the hot springs at Lares to Ollantaytambo, where you take the train to Machu Picchu. It crosses one high pass, the Ipsaycocha pass at about 4,450 m, and passes through Quechua farming and weaving villages such as Huacahuasi and Patacancha, where families still weave on backstrap looms. No permit is needed and it runs all year, including February when the Inca Trail is closed. The challenge is altitude, not distance: days are 4 to 7 hours, but you walk between 3,700 and 4,450 m.
This guide covers the main route and its variants, the day-by-day walk, how hard it is, the hot springs and the weaving villages, the best months, getting there, altitude and safety, and what our 7-day Lares trek to Machu Picchu includes. Distance and elevation data live on the Lares trail data page. Deciding between Lares and the Inca Trail? That question has its own page: Lares vs Inca Trail.
Lares trek quick facts
| Fact | Lares trek (classic route) |
|---|---|
| Start / end | Lares hot springs to Ollantaytambo (2,792 m), then train to Aguas Calientes |
| Distance | About 32–33 km over 3 walking days |
| Highest point | Ipsaycocha pass, about 4,450 m (the Condor Pass variant reaches about 4,750 m) |
| Camps | Huacahuasi (about 3,750–3,800 m) and Patacancha (about 3,700 m) |
| Permit | None; you need a Machu Picchu ticket and train seats if you continue there |
| Difficulty | Moderate, with one hard day at altitude |
| Season | All year; driest May to September |
| Our trip | 7 days Cusco to Cusco, from $999 per person |
What makes the Lares trek different
The Lares trek is a walk through a lived-in landscape rather than an archaeological one. The trail links herding and farming communities in the valleys east of the Urubamba range: stone houses with straw roofs, potato fields at 3,800 m, alpaca and llama herds on the puna, and glacial lakes under the snow peaks.
Three things set it apart from other routes to Machu Picchu: the soak in the Lares hot springs before you start walking, the weaving villages along the way, and the absence of a permit system, so you can book it a few weeks out. What it does not have is Inca ruins on the trail itself, apart from Pumamarca on the last morning and Ollantaytambo at the end. If ruins are the point of your trip, the head-to-head is in our Lares vs Inca Trail comparison.
Lares trek routes: which pass you cross
“The Lares trek” is a family of routes in the same valleys, and the one you book decides how high you go. Before comparing prices, ask which pass the itinerary crosses.
- Classic route via the Ipsaycocha pass (about 4,450 m). Lares, Huacahuasi, the pass, Ipsaycocha lake, Patacancha, then down the Patacancha valley past Pumamarca to Ollantaytambo. The most common version and the one we run; route summaries such as Wikipedia’s give the same 4,450 m for the pass and about 33 km in total.
- Condor Pass route (about 4,750 m). From the hot springs to camps near Kiswarani, over the Condor Pass and down through Cancha Cancha to Huarán in the Sacred Valley. About 300 m higher than the classic pass, with a longer, steeper second day.
- Lares plus the short Inca Trail, 4 days. About 33 km of Lares followed by about 12 km of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. It needs an Inca Trail permit, so it is subject to the same quota and the February closure. Check Inca Trail permit availability first, or see our 2-day Inca Trail to add it separately.
- Lodge-based versions. Some operators replace the camps with lodges or village homestays. Same valleys, higher price, warmer nights.
Day-by-day: the classic Lares trek
These are days 3 to 6 of our 7-day trip, which adds two Cusco days before the walk. Distances and times are from our itinerary; elevations differ by 50–100 m between sources, so treat them as approximate.
Day 1: Cusco to Lares hot springs and Huacahuasi (8 km, about 4 hours)
Leave Cusco at 6 a.m. and drive through the Sacred Valley to Calca, then over a high road pass and down to Lares, about three hours in all. Two hours at the hot springs, lunch, then an afternoon walk up the Trapiche valley through potato and quinoa fields to Huacahuasi (about 3,750–3,800 m). Camp in the village.
Day 2: Huacahuasi over the Ipsaycocha pass to Patacancha (14 km, about 7 hours)
The hard day. Three to four hours of steady climbing on open grassland, with herds and herders for company, to the Ipsaycocha pass at about 4,450 m, around 650–700 m above camp. On a clear day you see the glaciers of the Urubamba range. The descent passes Ipsaycocha lake (about 4,200 m) on the way to Patacancha (about 3,700 m), one of the valley’s best-known weaving communities, where we camp.
Day 3: Patacancha to Ollantaytambo and the train (10 km, about 4 hours)
An easier morning down the Patacancha valley past terraced fields to Pumamarca, a small Inca site with terraces and storehouses, then on to Ollantaytambo (2,792 m). In the afternoon the train runs down the Urubamba canyon to Aguas Calientes for the night.
Day 4: Machu Picchu
An early bus up to the citadel, a 2-hour guided visit on your ticketed circuit, and the train back to Ollantaytambo and road to Cusco in the afternoon. Our guide to the Machu Picchu circuits explains which route your ticket covers.
How hard is the Lares trek?
Moderate for most hikers, with one hard day. Distances are short (8, 14 and 10 km on our route) and the trail is mostly dirt and grass path. What makes it hard is that almost all of it is above 3,700 m, and day 2 climbs to about 4,450 m, higher than Dead Woman’s Pass on the Inca Trail (4,215 m).
- Day 2 is the test. About 650–700 m of climbing to the pass at a slow, steady pace, with frequent stops, then a long descent.
- Cold. Nights at the camps are around freezing in the dry season and can drop below it from June to August.
- Fitness needed: walking 4 to 7 hours with a light daypack for three days in a row. Horses carry the camping gear and your duffel.
- Good first multi-day trek for fit people who have never camped at altitude, as long as they acclimatize first.
If you want to prepare properly, the stair and hill sessions in our 12-week training plan suit Lares too; you can start it at week 5 if you already walk regularly. For a harder, lower-altitude alternative with deep canyon climbs, see our Choquequirao trek guide.
The Lares hot springs
The trek starts at the thermal baths just outside Lares village: open-air pools of different temperatures in a meadow under the mountains, fed by hot springs. Most groups stop for one to two hours on the drive in, before the first walk; on our trip it is two hours, and lunch is served next to the pools.
- Bring a swimsuit, a quick-dry towel and sandals in your daypack, not in the duffel that goes ahead on the horses.
- Take the hottest pool slowly if you have just arrived from Cusco: heat and altitude together can bring on a headache or dizziness.
- Entrance is paid at the gate in soles and is included on our trip. We could not confirm the current fee from an official source, so carry some small notes if you go on your own.
The weaving villages: Huacahuasi, Patacancha and Huilloc
The Lares valley is known across Cusco for its textiles. In Huacahuasi, Patacancha and Huilloc, weavers work on backstrap looms with alpaca and sheep wool coloured with natural plant dyes. You will usually see weaving at or near the camps and be offered pieces to buy, often by the person who made them.
How to visit well:
- Ask before you photograph anyone, children included. Your guide can ask in Quechua. If someone says no, that is the answer.
- Buy directly from the weaver when you can. A piece that took many hours on the loom is worth its price; haggling hard over a few soles costs you little and them a lot.
- Do not hand out sweets or money to children. If you want to bring something, school supplies given through the community or your guide are better.
- Learn two words: allillanchu (hello, how are you) and sulpayki (thank you).
More on travelling with a light footprint in the Andes is on our responsible travel page. Ollantaytambo itself, at the end of the trek, is covered in our Sacred Valley guide.
Best time to do the Lares trek
| Months | Conditions | What it means for Lares |
|---|---|---|
| May to September | Dry season | Clear skies and firm trails; coldest nights, at or below freezing at camp in June to August |
| April and October | Shoulder | Some showers, green valleys, fewer groups |
| November to March | Wet season | Afternoon rain and mud; the trek still runs, and in February it is one of the treks you can pair with Machu Picchu while the Inca Trail is closed |
Because there is no permit, Lares is also the usual answer when Inca Trail permits for your dates are sold out. For month-by-month weather in the region, see our Peru weather guide.
Getting to Lares and back
Lares is about three hours by road from Cusco, via Calca in the Sacred Valley and a high road pass. Guided groups use a private van from Cusco. The trek ends in Ollantaytambo, which has the station for the train to Aguas Calientes and road connections back to Cusco, so you never retrace your steps.
If you are continuing to Machu Picchu you need three bookings made in advance: the Machu Picchu entrance ticket (see our Machu Picchu ticket guide), the train to Aguas Calientes and the bus up to the site. A guided trip includes all three; on your own, book the ticket and train first, since both can sell out in high season.
Altitude and safety on the Lares trek
The good news about Lares is how high you sleep, not how high you walk. Cusco sits at about 3,400 m, and the two camps on our route are at about 3,750–3,800 m and 3,700 m. The CDC recommends raising your sleeping altitude by no more than 500 m a day above 3,000 m (CDC Yellow Book); Lares stays within that, and the 4,450 m pass is a day-time high you cross and descend from.
- Spend at least two nights in Cusco or the Sacred Valley before day 1. Our trip builds in two.
- Know the warning signs: a headache that does not lift, nausea, unusual breathlessness at rest, confusion or stumbling. Tell your guide at once; the cure is descent. Our altitude sickness guide covers symptoms and medication.
- Sun and cold on the same day: strong UV on the pass, frost at camp.
- Do not count on mobile signal between Lares and Patacancha. Make sure your insurance covers emergency evacuation from remote areas.
What our 7-day Lares trek to Machu Picchu includes
Our Lares Valley trek to Machu Picchu runs 7 days from Cusco: arrival and a free acclimatization day, three walking days with two nights of camping, a night in Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu on day 6 and departure on day 7. It departs any day. We are a Cusco-run operator and keep one guide for every six trekkers on every route.
| Hotel category (Cusco / Aguas Calientes) | Per person, double or triple | Per person, single |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | $999 | $1,095 |
| Standard | $1,119 | $1,345 |
| Premium | $1,319 | $1,775 |
| Luxury | $1,815 | $2,649 |
- Included: airport transfers, 3 nights in Cusco and 1 in Aguas Calientes, transport to Lares, an English and Spanish speaking licensed guide, cook, horses for the camping gear and 8 kg of your own gear, two-person tents, a toilet tent, foam sleeping pad, the hot springs entrance, all meals on the trek, the Machu Picchu ticket, bus and 2-hour guided tour, Expedition train both ways between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes, and the transfer back to Cusco.
- Not included: flights, travel insurance with evacuation cover (required), sleeping bag (rental $25), single tent ($25), an extra horse for up to 15 kg ($95), tips for the guide, cook and horsemen.
Questions about dates or the Condor Pass variant: info@incatrailreservations.com.
What to pack for the Lares trek
- A sleeping bag rated to about -10 °C for the dry-season camps (ours rents for $25).
- Warm layers: down or synthetic jacket, hat and gloves for the evenings and the pass.
- Rain jacket, even in the dry season.
- Swimsuit and towel for the hot springs, in your daypack.
- Sun protection: UV is strong above 4,000 m.
- Small soles notes for buying textiles in the villages.
The full checklist is in our Peru trekking packing list. For how Lares fits among Peru’s other routes, see the Peru trekking guide, and for the city where you acclimatize, the Cusco travel guide.
Plan your Lares trek
- Choose the route: the classic Ipsaycocha pass (about 4,450 m) or the higher Condor Pass (about 4,750 m), with or without the short Inca Trail.
- Choose the month: May to September for dry weather, any month if you can live with rain.
- Book Machu Picchu tickets and train seats for your dates, or let your operator do it.
- Plan two nights in Cusco or the Sacred Valley before day 1.
- Pack for frost and sun, plus a swimsuit for the hot springs.
Live departures are on our 7-day Lares trip page, and we answer route questions at info@incatrailreservations.com.
Prices, inclusions and altitude guidance were checked on 8 October 2026 against our tour page and the sources linked above.