Our Lares trek via Pumahuanca is one of the most beautiful routes that includes beautiful scenery along the way and a demanding hike. Where there are not many people, however, start near Urubamba in the Sacred Valley of the Incas through the Pumahuanca Valley, Puma Pass, Cuncani and finish the trek with a relaxing bath in the thermal baths of Lares. During the trek you will pass through small villages that offer a rare and fascinating glimpse of traditional Andean life, beautiful green valleys, turquoise lagoons, herds of Llamas and Alpacas, view of the snow-capped mountains, local people dressed in their typical and colorful costumes, see the ancestral agricultural customs and amazing Andean textiles.

DAY 1: CUSCO - URUBAMBA - PUMAHUANCA - CUYOC

We pick you up at your hotel at 05.30am for a panoramic drive through the Sacred Valley, passing through Chincheros and stop in the town of Urubamba, for a short rest and clean up. Possibility to buy any last minute snacks, water, etc. Here a small breakfast in a local restaurant. Leaving Urubamba around 07:20am, we will travel another 25 minutes by bus to the entrance of the Pumahuanca valley, famous for its white corn crops and chicha (traditional beer of the Incas). This is the place where we will meet our horses and muleteers. We begin our trek through this beautiful valley where the forests of UNKA and QUEUÑAS prevail, with a gentle zigzag ascent, with stunning views of the valley and surrounding mountains. 3-4 hours walk to the archaeological complex of CHUPANI, after exploring this complex we will have our first Andean novo-style lunch. Time to relax or take a nap, then we will continue hiking into the QUEUÑAS forest until we reach the Andean community of Paccha, where spectacular mountain scenery, herds of llamas, sheep and alpacas await us. Two more hours of trekking to be able to appreciate a great quantity of small waterfalls and to arrive to our campsites (4010masl) called Cuyoc.

Meals: B, A, C - Snacks.

Lodging: Camping

Maximum altitude: 4,010m

Minimum altitude: 2,810m

Distance covered: 13,5 kilometers approx

Approximate walking time: 6-7 hours 

DAY 2: CUYOC - PUMAHUANCA PASS - CUNCANI

Wake up at 06:00 am with a cup of coca leaf tea, after a good breakfast with quinoa pancakes. At 07:30 am. Begin our hike with panoramic views of the snowy Chicon, San Juan and Veronica (La llorona). Surrounded by a native forest, a challenging 5 hour adventure awaits us, climb along a path with stone stairs, in some parts there are zigzagging curves towards the Pumahuanca Pass located at 4780 masl ("Apachetas" are a series of stacked stones, made by travelers who passed through the pass as a symbol of gratitude and respect to the Apus), Once we reach the pass we honor the mountains with coca leaves as is the local custom. Enjoy the breathtaking views of a part of Moray, Maras and Salineras. Then we are ready to descend for an hour along a stone path with a nice view of both sides, arriving to enjoy lunch near the impressive lakes, where we can rest. After lunch we walk for 2 more hours, mainly downhill and on the way we will meet some local farmers in colorful costumes as it is traditional of all the villages that are around the Lares Valley, impressive views of landscapes, snowy mountains, herds of llamas and alpacas. Cuncani is the main community in the area. Camping in the community of Cuncani, located at 3900 masl where we will enjoy a delicious Novo Andean dinner and camping. Cuncani is also very famous for its textiles produced with ancestral weaving techniques; you will be able to buy handmade textile crafts made by the villagers of Cuncani / Lares.

Meals: B, L, snacks D

Lodging: Camping

Maximum altitude: 4780m

Minimum altitude: 3900m

Distance covered: 13 kilometers approx

Approximate walking time: 6-7 hours

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

DAY 3: CUNCANI - LARES - URUBAMBA

This day is the last stage of the trek in Lares, it will be easier, so you can sleep late, at 8:00 am breakfast. In this small village we have the opportunity to visit the house of our muleteer EXALTACION who will share with us the way they live in a simple way in deep connection with nature, preserving traditional customs in agriculture, weaving, showing their textile skills of past generations, the use of medicinal plants, etc.. After 4 hours of walking downhill to reach the town of Lares, once we arrive at the thermal baths of Lares and we can enjoy the medicinal waters. The town of Lares is known for its medicinal hot springs, After our lunch we will continue with the trip for 2 and a half hours in our private transportation to the town of URUBAMBA. Here we will rest and enjoy the sauna of our hotel.

Meals: BLD

Lodging: Hotel

Maximum altitude: 3740m

Minimum altitude: 2735m

Distance covered: approximately 6 kilometers

Approximate walking time: 3-4 hours

• Private transportation from Cusco to Pumahuanca (first day)
• Professional bilingual guide specialized in trekking
• Professional cook
• Cooking equipment, dining tent, dining tent, chairs and tables.
• Mountain tent (one 3-person tent for every 2 people)
• 5cm foam mattress for extra comfort
• Horses or Llamas to transport the equipment and 9 kilos of your personal belongings.
• Horseman responsible for the horses
• Meals (3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners and snack)
• Boiled water always at meals to refill your water bottle
• Private transportation: Lares - Urubamba (third day)
• First aid kit, emergency oxygen, radio communications.

• Trekking gear
• Backpack (30 or 50 liters), water bottle, trekking shoes, waterproof jacket.
• Useful items
• Passport, cash in soles (additional purchases).
• Gadgets and more
• Camera, charging cable, extra batteries.
• Clothing
• Rain poncho, t-shirts, wool hat, ear muffs, pants, shorts, swimwear, underwear, socks, sneakers, sandals, gloves, scarf.
• Health and Care
• Sunscreen, sunglasses, insect repellent, sun hat, small towel, personal medication.

• Sleeping bag
• Lunch on the last day
• Dinner on the third and last day
• Tips for the guide, cook and muleteers.

If you cancel with more than 48 hours notice we will refund 75% of the total cost. If you cancel with less time, arrive late or no-show, no refund will be offered.

Easy and simple booking

To make the reservation we need the full names and ID or passport numbers indicating the date of travel, type of food and send us an email to quechuaspeople@gmail.com, or via whatsapp to +51986824212.

To book a tour you have to make a payment of 40% of the total price of the tour At least, and the rest is paid upon arrival at the office in the city of Cusco.

Make a bank deposit to our account by sending 40% of the tour price, once the deposit is made send us a message with the scanned voucher, then we will process your deposit and within a period of no more than 24 hours we will send you a message confirming your reservation.

Payment via deposit from abroad to our company's account at INTERBANK Current Account: Account Code.

Interbank dollars: (CCI) 00342000300479070577 – QUECHUAS PEOPLE - SWIFT CODE: BINPPEPL - you must add U$60.00, which is the charge made by our bank to our account for international transfer and administrative expenses, you must also consult your Bank about the additional amount that will be charged.

Payment by VISA - MASTERCARD credit card with the WETRAVEL system, generating the payment order that we would send you from QuechuasPeople.com. If you accept this option you will have a surcharge of 4%.

Bank: INTERBANK

Soles Account Number: 4203004790692

Soles interbank account number (CCI): 003-420-003004790692-77

Dollar Account Number: 4203004790705

Dollars interbank account number (CCI): 003-420-003004790705-77

Account holder: QUECHUAS PEOPLE EXPERIENCE TRAVEL AND TOURS S.A.C