Cusco – Lares Hot Springs – Cuncani

Your Llama adventure starts very early in the morning at 3:00 am in Cusco City, where we will pick you up from your hotel and then start our car ride through the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We pass the colourful town of Calca and then ride up to the right side to the Lares hot springs, arriving at the perfect time to dip ourselves in the natural hot baths.
Our team will prepare a great breakfast for you, while you will get ready to meet the Llamas which will carry the gear and food that we will need during the trek. They will be your faithful companions during the whole trek. Hiking with these cute animals and their breeders, you will get engaged with them and have a great insight into life far away from civilization.
On this first day, we will start hiking around 10:00 am in the direction of Cuncani, a Llama breeder community. The hike will take approximately 3 hours, and we will reach Cuncani for lunch. During the ascending hike, you will see many changes in the flora, according to the different climates. Your tour guide will give you information about the area, habits and culture. We will have a few minutes of rest before continuing our hike.
We go uphill for approximately 1.5 hours until we reach the highest point of the day at 4400 meters, where we will have a breathtaking view over 3 beautiful blue lagoons, formed by the melting water of the snow carpets. You will enjoy the scenery and return to our campsite in Cuncani. Here, you will have your Andean dinner waiting for you and enjoy your camping night.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
Accommodation: Camping
Maximum Altitude: 4400 m./714476ft
Distance Travelled: approx. 15 km.
Approximate Walking Time: 5-6 hours

Cuncani – Huarcahuasi – Ipsaycocha Lagoon

We wake up very early that morning to be ready to enjoy the sunrise in the middle of the Andes, which is one of the most beautiful natural wonders in South America. A cup of Peruvian coffee will help us to wake up in the meantime. That’s when our crew will prepare a delicious breakfast for you. Afterwards, we get ourselves and the carrier llamas ready for an amazing day of hiking!
We will start our journey to the left upper part of the Cuncany community, passing by a beautiful lagoon on top of the mountain between Cuncany and Huarcahuasy. In this area, you will meet many other Llama breeders and see large packs of llamas, alpacas and even a few sheep. The Llama shepherds dress in very colourful clothing, most of them in red colours; therefore it is easy to spot them from a great distance. We will hike at a modest speed, according to your fitness. Normally our crew will go ahead to prepare our lunch.
We reach Huarcahuasi around noon and enjoy our most delicious lunch, then have a good rest and continue our hike in the afternoon. The paths lead us uphill, where we will reach the highest point of the trek, the Ipsay pass. From here you will have a stunning view over the Lares Valley and the surrounding snow peaks and take a first sight of the Ipsaycocha Lagoon and the Patacancha Valley as well. We finish our day’s hike and reach our camp for the night. We enjoy our Peruvian dinner and the beautiful evening sky, before falling asleep under the milky way.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks

Accommodation: Camping
Maximum Altitude: 4500 m./12134 ft.
Distance Travelled: approx. 16 km
Approximate Walking Time: 7-8 hours

Ipsaycocha Lagoon – Patacancha – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes

We begin our third day with a delicious breakfast, get together the carrier Llamas, load the gear and start to descend for approximately 3 hours until Patacancha town. Here we will say goodbye to our carrier Llamas.
During our trek, we will have an awesome view over the Patacancha Valley and one of the main mountains of the Inca religion, Apu Huanacaure (a legendary mountain where the Inca rulers were born). We will reach Patacancha town, say goodbye to our carrier Llamas and catch our transport to the Pumamarca archaeological site. This place is one of the first known Inca settlements, it will impress you for sure!
After visiting the site Pumamarca, we will have a quick lunch and then hike to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We will continue on the original Inca Trail that connects Ollantaytambo and Pumamarca, During this short hike, we will have the great opportunity to observe one of the first Inca terraces at the side of the Patacancha Valley.
After a full day’s hike and adventure, we will take a transport to Ollantaytambo (the last living Inca town) from where we take our train to Aguas Calientes at 04:36 pm.
In Aguas Calientes, you will be picked up from the train station and brought to your hotel. Having a rest in your hotel room, make sure to recharge your camera and other devices in order to enjoy Machu Picchu at its fullest the next day! In the later afternoon, you have the opportunity to explore Aguas Calientes and enjoy a dip in the local hot springs (not included).

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hostel New Day  (Machu Picchu town)
Maximum Altitude: 3900 m./12831ft
Distance Travelled: approx. 12 km.
Approximate Walking Time: 4 hours

Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Ollantaytambo – Cusco

You will take your breakfast very early in the morning. Then we start our last day, climbing up the hill to the famous Inca citadel Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. Avoiding the crowds, you will be one of the first visitors of the day. Your tour guide will take you around the vast ruins for about 3 hours, comprehensively explaining their historical significance and place in the Inca Empire. After this, you have some free time to wander around.
Machu Picchu is the best-known of all the archaeological Incas sites, as it is recognized worldwide! Experts believe that the citadel was constructed around the mid-15th century by the Inca Pachacuteq and was then rediscovered by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911.
The guided tour of this fascinating place will be an unforgettable experience! You will visit the Main Square, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Circular Towers, the Sacred Sun Dial and the Burial Grounds. After the guided tour, you are free to hike up Huayna Picchu (the mountain behind Machu Picchu), where you will enjoy stunning views over the whole complex! However, there are only 400 entrance tickets available every day; therefore you must let us know in advance if you want to do the hike so we can reserve your ticket at an extra cost of US$ 15.00. Due to Huayna Picchu being very fast oversold, we offer Machu Picchu Mountain as a second optional climb. The advantage of this hike is that it will be less crowded, but not less beautiful! The cost for this hike is also US$ 15.00 per person.
Having one of these two additional entrance tickets to hike one of the mountains, you can afterwards go on an unguided walk to Inti Punku, the SUN GATE, which is the traditional end of the Inca Trail (a hike of 3 hours) or you can visit the beautiful Inca Bridge (a hike of 1 hour). Otherwise, you can simply relax and take in the awe-inspiring atmosphere, as well as take many breathtaking pictures.
After time in the sanctuary, we take one of the frequent buses back down to Aguas Calientes for a late lunch. In case you don’t want to take the bus, feel free to walk down through the beautiful jungle which will take you 45 minutes. In the late afternoon at 7:00 pm, you take the train back to Ollantaytambo and from there the tourist transport to Cusco. If you want to return to Cusco in the early afternoon, please let us know so we can book an early train at 2:30 pm

Meals: Breakfast