The Lares Trek to Machu Picchu

The trek for people, not just stones

Most routes to Machu Picchu are sold on what they pass — Inca ruins, glaciered peaks, the Sun Gate at dawn. The Lares trek is sold on who you meet. It threads through the high valleys northeast of the Sacred Valley, a swathe of the Andes where Quechua-speaking families still herd llamas and alpacas, dye and weave wool by hand, and farm potatoes on terraces that predate the conquest. You walk past their homes and grazing land, share the trail with their animals, and — if you choose an operator who does it respectfully — meet the people whose lives have shaped this landscape for centuries.

That makes Lares the cultural counterweight to the Inca Trail's archaeology and the Salkantay's big-mountain drama. It is the quietest of the three, the easiest to arrange, and often the gentlest underfoot, which is why it appeals to families, to walkers who want the Andes without the high-altitude punishment of a 4,600-metre pass every day, and to anyone uneasy about the crowds on the classic trail. The romance here is human-scale: woodsmoke and bright textiles, a thermal bath under the stars, and children running out to walk a stretch of trail beside you.

At a glance

The shape of the decision before you commit. Lares has no single fixed itinerary — operators run several variants of two to four days, starting and ending at different villages — so treat these as the broad strokes and confirm the exact route, passes and inclusions with your operator before booking.

• Distance and duration: typically two to four days; many companies run it as a two- or three-day walk plus a train day to the citadel.
• Highest point: a glacial-lagoon pass usually around 4,400–4,800 m depending on the variant — higher than Cusco or Machu Picchu.
• Permit: none required, unlike the Inca Trail — it can be booked closer to your dates and runs in February when the Inca Trail is closed.
• Best season: the dry months, roughly May to September, for clear passes and firm trails; nights up high are cold year-round.
• Difficulty: moderate — real altitude on the passes, but generally shorter days and gentler grades than the Inca Trail or Salkantay.
• Signature stops: the Lares hot springs, high lagoons, and Quechua weaving and herding communities.
• Ends at: a transfer to Ollantaytambo for the train to Aguas Calientes — you arrive at the citadel by train, not on foot — verify the day's logistics.

No permit — and what that frees up

Lares shares the Salkantay's great practical advantage over the classic Inca Trail: it needs no capped, passport-named permit. There is no daily quota to disappear months in advance, no booking the trek before your flights, and no February shutdown — the route stays open year-round, and the dry season simply makes it more comfortable. If the four-day Inca Trail's permits are gone for your dates, or if the idea of committing months ahead doesn't suit your trip, Lares (like the Salkantay) is one of the standard fallbacks.

That freedom changes the planning order. With the Inca Trail you secure the permit first and build everything around it; with Lares you can lock the citadel's timed-entry ticket and train first, then slot the trek in. You still want a reputable operator and you still shouldn't leave it to the last week in high season — guides, mules and lodge space are finite — but the pressure is gentler. The one fixed piece is the Machu Picchu entry ticket itself, which runs on the same timed-entry, circuit-based system for trekkers as for everyone else.

• No trail permit, no daily cap, no February closure — far more flexible than the classic Inca Trail.
• Book your Machu Picchu entry ticket and return train first, then arrange the trek around them.
• Still use a reputable operator and book ahead in peak dry-season months — capacity is finite even without a permit.
• Your citadel visit follows the standard timed-entry circuit rules on arrival — verify the current system.

The route: lagoons, passes and weaving villages

Because there is no single official Lares trail, itineraries differ — but the character is consistent. You start from the Lares valley or a nearby village reached by road from Cusco or the Sacred Valley, climb through pastureland dotted with grazing alpaca and llama herds, and cross one or more high passes strung with cold, glass-clear glacial lagoons. Between the passes you drop into valleys where families live the year round, and many itineraries time the days to pass through or camp near weaving communities, where you can watch wool being dyed with plants and minerals and spun and woven on backstrap looms.

The walking tends to be shorter and less relentless than the Inca Trail or Salkantay — fewer of those endless Inca stone staircases, more open grassland trail — though the altitude on the passes is genuinely high and the weather can turn fast. Many versions of the trek either begin or end with the thermal pools at Lares town, a deeply welcome soak after a cold day on the heights. The final movement is not on foot into the citadel but by vehicle to Ollantaytambo and then the train down the gorge to Aguas Calientes for the next morning's visit to Machu Picchu.

• Starts from the Lares valley by road from Cusco or the Sacred Valley — no single fixed trailhead.
• High passes past glacial lagoons, with grassland trail rather than long Inca stairways.
• Camps or stops near Quechua herding and weaving communities — the route's defining feature.
• Ends with a transfer to Ollantaytambo and the train to Aguas Calientes for the citadel.

Altitude: gentler days, but high passes

It is tempting to read 'the easy trek' and relax about the air. Don't. Lares may have shorter, kinder days than the Inca Trail, but its passes sit around 4,400 to 4,800 metres — higher than Cusco (3,399 m) and far higher than Machu Picchu (2,430 m). The altitude, not the distance, is what catches people out here. As on every route to the citadel, the smart defence happens before you start walking: a couple of nights acclimatizing at altitude in Cusco or, better, the lower Sacred Valley, plenty of water, and easy first days.

On the trek itself, walk slowly and steadily, eat and drink through the day, and tell your guide early if you feel unwell — headaches, nausea and breathlessness are common at these heights, but worsening symptoms are a medical matter, not something to push through. Nights camping up high are cold whatever the season, so a warm sleeping bag and proper layers matter as much as your boots. The thermal springs at Lares are a real reward after the cold, but they are not a substitute for acclimatizing properly first.

Camping, lodges and what's carried for you

Like the Salkantay, Lares is run as a supported walk. On a camping itinerary a team handles the tents, the kitchen and a share of the gear, often with mules or horses carrying the loads across the high country rather than human porters; cooks turn out hot meals at camp, and a licensed guide leads the group, reads the landscape and watches everyone's health. You walk with a daypack and arrive to a pitched camp and a meal. Some operators run a lighter version with simpler community lodging or guesthouse stays along the way — worth asking about if camping at altitude isn't for you.

Because the route passes so close to people's homes and livelihoods, choosing your operator well matters more here than almost anywhere. The best companies work with the communities they walk through, pay fairly for the weaving demonstrations and any homestays, look after their crew and animals, and tread lightly. A trek sold purely on cheapness can come at the communities' expense. Buying textiles directly from the weavers — at a fair price, without haggling them down — and tipping your guide and crew at the end are part of walking Lares the way it should be walked.

When to walk it, and what to pack

Lares follows the same two Andean seasons as everything else here. The dry months — roughly May to September — give the clearest passes, the firmest trail and the best chance of the big mountain views, and the nights are cold and starry. The wet season turns the high ground muddy and the lagoons grey under cloud, though the valleys are at their greenest. Unlike the Inca Trail, Lares has no February closure, so it is a genuine option in the heart of the rains for walkers who don't mind weather.

Pack as you would for any high Andean trek: warm layers and a serious jacket for cold passes and colder camps, real waterproofs whatever the forecast, broken-in boots, sun and wind protection for the exposed heights, and a head torch. A warm sleeping bag is non-negotiable if you're camping — confirm whether your operator supplies one. Bring small notes in soles for buying textiles directly from the weavers, and swimwear for the Lares hot springs. Confirm exactly what your operator includes — tents, mats, meals, the entry ticket and the train — so you carry neither too much nor too little.

Common questions

Is the Lares trek easier than the Inca Trail? Generally yes — the days tend to be shorter and the grades gentler, with far less of the long Inca stone-stair climbing. But the passes are high, so it is 'easier' only in effort, not in altitude. Acclimatize the same way you would for any of the routes.

Do I need a permit for Lares? No. Unlike the classic Inca Trail, Lares needs no capped, passport-named permit, which is why it can be booked closer to your dates and walked in February when the Inca Trail is shut.

Do I walk into Machu Picchu on the Lares trek? No — Lares ends with a transfer to Ollantaytambo and the train to Aguas Calientes, so you arrive at the citadel by train and bus like most visitors, then enter on the standard timed-entry circuit system. Only the Inca Trail walks in through the Sun Gate.

Is Lares good for families or first-time trekkers? Often, yes — its shorter days, cultural focus and lack of a permit lottery make it a popular family and first-timer choice, provided everyone acclimatizes properly. Discuss your group's fitness and the day lengths with your operator.

Why choose Lares over Salkantay or the Inca Trail? Choose Lares for people and quiet over archaeology or big-mountain spectacle: living Quechua communities, weaving, hot springs and far fewer walkers. Choose the Inca Trail for the Sun Gate and ruins, or the Salkantay for the glaciers.