Lares Trek to Machu Picchu

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Peru Travel Insights

Lima, Cusco & Lares Trek to Machu Picchu - 6 Days
Map of Lima, Cusco & Lares Trek to Machu Picchu - 6 Days
Lima, Cusco & Lares Trek to Machu Picchu - 6 Days

A shorter alternative to the Inca Trail, the Lares Trek offers an experience just as stunning. Despite the high altitudes, this trek follows a less rigorous route through local communities, making it ideal for those who are looking for something accessible, unique, and immersive.

Beautiful Andean landscape
Map of Lares Lodge-to-Lodge Trek to Machu Picchu - 5 Days
Lares Lodge-to-Lodge Trek to Machu Picchu - 5 Days

The five-day Lares Trek takes you high up in the Andes, hiking during the day and overnighting in luxurious lodges along the way. Providing impressive views of snow-capped peaks and glacial lakes, it’s a relatively demanding hike that will test your fitness.

Girl walking home in the Lares Valley
Map of Lares Valley Trek & Short Inca Trail - 8 Days
Lares Valley Trek & Short Inca Trail - 8 Days

Trek through the Lares Valley, where you'll pass between glacier-capped mountains where llamas and alpacas graze in the surrounding hills. You'll visit the town of Lares, a colourful traditional town in the heart of the valley. Combined with the Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, this is a trek that combines two wonderful valleys & mountain ranges with very different ecologies & landscapes.

View from the Santa Cruz trek in Peru
Map of Best 10 Treks in Peru
Best 10 Treks in Peru

Peru — a nation with abundant natural diversity, from coast, to mountains, to jungle — has long attracted lovers of the Great Outdoors. The Peruvian Andes, running like a backbone down the centre of the country, contain mesmerizing variations in landscape that make for some of the best trekking in the world. Cloud forests, 5000m+ cordilleras (mountain ranges), the world’s deepest canyon and the striking remains of ancient civilizations all await.

Making a pilgrimage to Machu Picchu on one of these two treks makes your arrival even more spectacular
Salkantay Trek vs the Inca Trail: Which is Right for You?

Trekking to Machu Picchu is a dream for many travelers—but there's more than one way to get there. The classic Inca Trail lets trekkers walk in the steps of the Incas, while the more remote Salkantay route offers solitude and wildlife. Compare your options for getting to Peru's most famous place on foot, from distance and cost to overnight options.

Huchuy Qosqo
Map of Best Day Hikes in the Sacred Valley near Cusco
Best Day Hikes in the Sacred Valley near Cusco

Peru is famous for the Inca Trail and other multi-day hikes, but if you are short on time, there are plenty of excellent day hikes throughout the Sacred Valley. These hikes are a great way to visit some of the rural communities and lesser-visited ruins throughout the Valley.

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Meet our Local Travel Specialists

Experienced travel agents with a passion for Peru
Travel specialist Liz Karen L. Jihuallanca
active 1 day ago

Liz Karen L. Jihuallanca

Peruvian food, culture, and history aren’t just things I love—they’re a part of who I am. As a proud Cusqueñian, I carry my roots with pride and love sharing my culture with others. I've lived...

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Travel specialist Jimena Salazar
active 2 days ago

Jimena Salazar

For me, traveling is about much more than just visiting places. It’s about opening new paths in your life—through the people you meet, the flavors you try, and the landscapes that take your breath...

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Travel specialist Io Gillhuber
active 1 day ago

Io Gillhuber

Growing up in Germany, I was lucky to spend several vacations in different places in Europe. When I finished school, I started exploring the world on my own, and I couldn’t get enough of it....

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Travel specialist Hilda Aguinaga Sara
active 1 day ago

Hilda Aguinaga Sara

I design personalized travel experiences with a thoughtful, human approach. My focus is on creating meaningful, well-balanced trips, especially for couples and families, by listening closely,...

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Trip Reviews for Peru

The latest reviews by travelers who booked their trip on kimkim

Unforgettable Trip!
Peru | Jun 26 - Jul 6, 2026

J
Jennifer T.
Boston, MA | Reviewed on Jul 12, 2026
Our family of 5 had an unforgettable trip to Peru! Anne was very helpful and informative in the planning and booking stages of our trip. She was available during our trip as well to answer any questions or to help things run smoothly.
We had a great time at the Explorer's Inn. The accommodations were very nice and the staff was all very helpful and happy to share their beautiful home with us. Raul was a terrific guide. We really enjoyed our rainforest walks, visiting the tower, night...
Read more

Our family of 5 had an unforgettable trip to Peru! Anne was very helpful and informative in the planning and booking stages of our trip. She was available during our trip as well to answer any questions or to help things run smoothly.
We had a great time at the Explorer's Inn. The accommodations were very nice and the staff was all very helpful and happy to share their beautiful home with us. Raul was a terrific guide. We really enjoyed our rainforest walks, visiting the tower, night walks, the clay lick and seeing Giant River Otters at the lake.
We were next in the Sacred Valley where we met Edwar and Guido. They took great care of us exploring the Sacred Valley and Macchu Picchu. Guido was a great driver both in the busy towns and on the winding roads of the valley. Edwar has an amazing amount of knowledge that he openly shared with us. The pace of our days was perfect. It was nice to have such an awesome guide to help navigate the train and 1 day hike on the Inca trail. We also went on a beautiful hike in the Colca Valley and saw Andean Condors. Edwar was the perfect guide both on the nature aspects and historical aspects of our trip.
He has a great energy and was a lot of fun to explore with. Edward and Guido make a great team.
Thank you to all the members of Peruvian Soul and the KimKim team!

Hotel Reviews
Casa San Blas Boutique
Cusco

This boutique hotel was such a nice spot. The staff were very welcoming and friendly. The rooms were unique with plenty of room. It was very comfortable and the location was great.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
El Mapi by Inkaterra
Cusco

Macchu Picchu town was so fun! The El Mapi was a very nice hotel right in the middle of town with plenty of shops and restaurants to explore. The staff was very welcoming and both dinner and breakfast were very good.

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Ava Valle Sagrado Spot
Urubamba

This hotel was a fun surprise. Although hidden from the main road, as you drive up its a little garden oasis. The rooms were very nice and spacious. The staff was nice and helpful.

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Explorer's Inn Tambopata

We had a great time at the Explorer's Inn. The rooms were very comfortable and spacious. The lodge was a nice place to relax. The food was delicious and the staff were all friendly and helpful. We loved the boat ride to get to the Inn. Our guide Raul kept us busy exploring the rainforest and the surrounding area. Everything was well planned and organized.

Authenticity & Character
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Crowne Plaza
Lima

The location in Miraflores was perfect. We were able to walk and explore. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Breakfast was very good .

Authenticity & Character
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Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Anne Godoy

Fantastic trip to Peru arranged by Io
Peru | Jun 19 - Jul 4, 2026

Rebecca
Rebecca C.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Jul 12, 2026
Io helped us plan a fantastic trip to Peru. We requested several iterations of the proposed itinerary across messages and a video call, which Io happily took on board. She also incorporated enabling our group of 4 to do two different activities on one day and then reunite to visit Machu Picchu. Once the trip was booked and paid for, Io was still very helpful with all the various questions we had about details of our itinerary.
As for the actual trip, it was great and all went very smoothly,...
Read more

Io helped us plan a fantastic trip to Peru. We requested several iterations of the proposed itinerary across messages and a video call, which Io happily took on board. She also incorporated enabling our group of 4 to do two different activities on one day and then reunite to visit Machu Picchu. Once the trip was booked and paid for, Io was still very helpful with all the various questions we had about details of our itinerary.
As for the actual trip, it was great and all went very smoothly, we had great guides and drivers and stayed in some extremely nice hotels. The only activity I felt less comfortable about was dressing in traditional local clothes to walk around the lagoon when we visited the Urpis de Antaquillka community in Chinchero. The people were charming, but I just wasn’t sure about the dressing up element of this activity.

Hotel Reviews
Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica
Puerto Maldonado

This place was great - it’s an eco lodge in the jungle and they have done a great job laying on the activities and meals and providing airy accommodation. They do need to make sure the torches they provide work better than the ones we had, which were not good enough for the night walk we went on. We changed to our phone torches instead, and even those aren’t that strong.

Authenticity & Character
All the rooms and restaurants have net walls to keep them airy and free of mosquitoes. There were also mosquito nets over the beds which were lowered while we were out for the evening activities. I liked the addition of the kerosene lantern in the toilet each night so you could find your way to it in the dark, once the electricity went off for the night
Location
Staff
The staff made a huge effort to ensure we were looked after and knew what activities were planned
Cleanliness & Comfort
We appreciated touches like the kerosene lamp mentioned above, and the flip flops - provided while we were at dinner on the first night, after I asked about them.
Costa del Sol Wyndham Cusco
Cusco

This is another well located hotel in the heart of Cusco, with a lovely courtyard. Strangely you had to walk through the restaurant to reach the rooms, which made the restaurant feel a bit like a corridor. The rooms were spacious, but did not feel quite as lovely as the ones we’d already had at the hotels in Colca and the Sacred Valley. It’s inevitable when you stay in a number of hotels during a trip that some feel a bit more special than others. This place was good, but we’d already been spoiled by the hotels just before!

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Sonesta Posada del Inca
Urubamba

This place was stunning! We could have easily stayed here longer, everything about it was lovely. The rooms were very comfortable, the gardens were beautiful, the location and surrounding scenery was great. The bar and restaurants were also very good - we had one of the best pisco sours of the trip here!

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La Hostería Boutique Hotel
Arequipa

This hotel is in a great central location and is quite charming. Our room had a bath sunk in the floor in the room, which actually seemed a bit of a hazard, especially if you get up to use the toilet in the middle of the night. The other element of this hotel which slightly disappointed us was the way the breakfast buffet was laid out in the courtyard - it was very cold first thing in the morning so everything was freezing to touch, particularly the plates, so all food ended up very cold

Authenticity & Character
Lovely buildings and courtyard
Location
Very central
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hatun Inti Boutique Machupicchu
Machu Picchu

We were only here for one night to visit Machu Picchu, but it was an extremely nice hotel and we had amazing views from the window over the river

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Very helpful staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Aranwa Sacred Valley
Urubamba

Beautiful hotel with a tranquil spa. We also enjoyed the scenic grounds and seeing the humming birds, parakeets and alpacas in the gardens. The element that could be improved is the restaurant used for evening meals as it felt rather large and lacking in character and atmosphere

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Colca Lodge
Yanque

Fabulous hotel in amazing location. We thoroughly enjoyed using the thermal baths

Authenticity & Character
Location
Beautiful setting in the Colca valley
Staff
All very friendly and helpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Shared Short Inca Trail Trek 2/2: Machu Picchu +Private Guide+Bus RT+Upgrate Oservatory Train
Shared Short Inca Trail Trek 2/2: Machu Picchu +Private Guide+Bus RT+Upgrate Oservatory Train
Peru

Seeing Machu Picchu was incredible. We were blessed with a beautiful clear day with blue skies and sunshine and it all looked amazing. Our guide was brilliant, he told us so much and he was great at taking photos and videos of us!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Private 02-Days Colca Canyon Tour 1/2
Private 02-Days Colca Canyon Tour 1/2
Peru

This was a fantastic trip. Mariel was our guide again and she was great, as was Fernando our driver

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Our car had an issue on the way and we had to wait an hour at a roadside shop for a replacement. These things happen and it can’t be helped, but the delay slightly changed the plans for the day. However Mariel managed it all well
Private Arequipa City tour
Private Arequipa City tour
Arequipa

Mariel was a great guide, and we really enjoyed this city tour

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Io Gillhuber

Our tour guides and driver were very friendly...
Peru | Jun 29 - Jul 4, 2026

Agnieszka
Agnieszka G.
Los Angeles, CA | Reviewed on Jul 11, 2026
Our tour guides and driver were very friendly and personal. We felt well taken care of, our guide Esmeralda in Cusco and Roy in Macchu Pichu were very knowledgeable, great for helping with family pictures. Our driver Ramiro was very helpful and friendly. Read more

Our tour guides and driver were very friendly and personal. We felt well taken care of, our guide Esmeralda in Cusco and Roy in Macchu Pichu were very knowledgeable, great for helping with family pictures. Our driver Ramiro was very helpful and friendly.

Hotel Reviews
Casa Andina Standard Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu, Cusco

Nothing to mention about this hotel. It’s just a place to get some sleep before heading to Macchu Pichu. Our room was above train tracks, noisy, hot, no air conditioning. Bathroom are not properly ventilated so they smell moldy.

Sol y Luna Hotel (Relais & Chateaux)
Urubamba

This hotel was amazing ! Grounds are beautiful full of trees and flowers! Staff goes above and beyond to make you feel welcome. Great customer service and frendly staff, Coleen and Sector were our hosts. Thank you for helping our son with his altitude sickness.

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Abittare Hotels
Cusco

Hotel location is spot on, in the center of the city, very walkable. However hotel is an old building, our room had no windows, heating is not great so it gets chilly.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Center of city and easy to walk
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Johanna Fabian

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