Lares Trek & Royal Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

Day 1 - Fly London to Cuzco.

Depart London on your overnight flight to Cuzco.

Overnight: In flight

Day 2 - Arrive Cuzco. Group transfer to hotel. Walking tour and leisure time.

On arrival in Cuzco you will be met and transferred to your hotel. You are at 3,353m/11,483ft here so for the rest of the day you will need to take it easy to help your body acclimatise to the thin air at this altitude.

Cuzco is a fascinating city. It was formerly the capital of the extensive Inca Empire which stretched from Ecuador through to Chile. Today there are still reminders of this Inca city with many foundations and walls of Inca buildings still visible, even when overlaid today by Spanish architecture. Much fine Inca stonework has survived the ravages of centuries of earthquake and Spanish colonialism. Your hotel is located in the attractive San Blas area of Cuzco, formerly the artisans' quarter and located not far from the central square - the Plaza de Armas. There are plenty of excellent little cafés on the main square and in nearby streets, some with balconies overlooking gardens, fountains and cobbled streets.

To help get your bearings, you will have a gentle walking tour of the historic city centre. The elegant Plaza de Armas is dominated by the majestic cathedral and surrounded by fine colonial buildings. There are also impressive Inca remains and you will continue to the splendid Inca Temple of the Sun, the Coricancha, one of the most important and sacred temples in the whole of the Inca empire.

You can rest at your hotel in afternoon, and in the evening you may like to eat in one of the many good restaurants in the area, where really excellent food from a wide range of national cuisines is available. You may find you have the added bonus of sitting alongside a finely worked Inca wall while you eat your dinner.

Overnight: Quinta San Blas Or Similar, Cuzco

Day 3 - Full day to visit Cuzco’s outlying ruins including Sacsayhuaman and Tambo Machay and drive to the Sacred Valley.

After breakfast you will travel up to visit Inca sites above Cuzco including two of the most celebrated of all, Sacsayhuaman and Tambo Machay. Firstly Sacsayhuaman, the most impressive of these sites, with its magnificent Inca walls built from huge rocks fitted together with such precision that not even a piece of paper will fit between them. The site was originally thought to be a fortress but more recent theories suggest a great temple to the Sun with evidence of an altar and seats cut into the rock. From Sacsayhuaman you can enjoy the fantastic views over Cuzco. Not far from Sacsayhuaman lie the ruins of Tambo Machay. These ceremonial Inca springs or baths are still in excellent condition and comprise several water fountains on three different levels and a rock pool which is ingeniously filled via a hidden channel. This is a very atmospheric spot.

You continue over the hills and descend into the Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley, known as Vilcamayo by the Incas, is a beautiful, fertile valley carved by the Urubamba River which flows from the high Andes all the way to the Amazon Jungle. High above the valley, snow peaks glisten in the sun while in the fertile fields below local people harvest crops such as maize, quinoa and many kinds of potato - this valley was the breadbasket of the Inca Empire. Everywhere there is evidence of earlier Inca settlement with a host of terraces, walls, temples and burial towers in varying states of repair. And marking the opposite ends of the Sacred Valley stand the two remarkable Inca citadels of Pisac and Ollantaytambo.

Overnight: Villa Urubamba or Similar, Urubamba

Day 4 - Explore Pisac town and market and acclimatisation walk from Moray to Salinas.

This morning you will head along the Sacred Valley to the town of Pisac, which lies at the eastern end of the Valley. Here, situated above the town is found an extensive Inca hilltop complex clinging to the mountain top. The citadel at Pisac was originally positioned on a major Inca route into the Sacred Valley and controlled access to the eastern jungle. The ruins are set high above the valley floor and have tremendous views. Terraces, water ducts and steps are cut out of solid rock, and in the upper sector of the ruins, the main Intihuatana is equal to any of the Inca structures at Machu Picchu. Above the temple lie still more ruins, mostly unexcavated, and among the higher crevices and rocky overhangs several ancient burial sites are hidden. Pisac town itself dates back to colonial times and has an interesting artisan market where you can check out the local handicrafts and test your bartering skills. Ask you guide to show you the guinea pig 'castle' located in one of the town's bakeries!

Later you drive out of the valley and across the grassy plain to the extraordinary Inca earthworks of Moray. There is no other Inca site quite like Moray - three crater like depressions are lined with a series of concentric circular terraces disappearing down into the earth. Some think that this may have been the site of sophisticated Inca agricultural experiments with each terrace representing an altitude zone. It is thought that the terraces' containing walls were filled with fertile earth and watered by complex irrigation systems which enabled the Incas to grow more than 250 plant species. From Moray you then follow an old mule trail the short distance to the ancient town of Maras with its vast church and outstanding colonial Spanish door arches. Maras was formerly famous for its spies, due to its strategic location above the Sacred Valley enabling the local inhabitants to keep track of the movement of all travellers in and out of the valley. From Maras you will then walk back down into the Sacred Valley, a descent of a couple of hours. En route you will walk through the shimmering terraced salt-pans of Salinas where salt has been harvested since pre-Inca times. The salt pans cover the whole hillside and in sunny weather you will be dazzled by the white of the pools.

Overnight: Villa Urubamba or Similar, Urubamba

Day 5 - Transfer to Totora for the start of the Lares trek. Trek and then transfer to Quishuarari.

A scenic two hour drive through the Sacred Valley of the Incas takes you to the start of your trek at the small village of Totora. From here you start walking following an ancient Inca Trail into a narrow canyon where you will find Inca tombs perched high up in the cliffs. Emerging from the canyon you pass through tiny rural communities where it seems time has stood still before reaching a lovely spot where you will have a picnic lunch. After lunch you are transferred by vehicle to the small and very traditional community of Quishuarari, 3,700m/12,139ft, where you will be camping overnight.

Overnight: Camp

Day 6 - Trek to Cuncani via the Huchayccasa Pass, 4,450m/14,600ft. Bus to camp at Chancachaca, 3,440m/11,286ft.

This is a stunning day's trekking. You leave camp behind and climb past colourfully dressed locals, and up towards the native forests that our partners, Amazonas Explorer, have been heavily involved in re-planting. These forests harbour Andean deer, vizcachas and several rare species of birds and are essential to the future of this area.

A further push and you reach the stunning views from your highest pass of the trek, the Huchayccasa Pass, 4,450 m/14,600 ft. A chain of emerald blue lakes fills the hillside below you, and in the distance rise the snow clad Urubamba mountains. Descending through hand turned potato fields you come to the upper reaches of the ancient community of Cuncani at, 3,800m/12,4600 ft. From here our bus takes you twenty minutes to your camp at Chancachaca, 3,440m/11,286ft. There is an option to visit the Lares hot springs after lunch.

Overnight: Camp

Day 7 - Trek to the Patacancha Valley via the Ipsaycocha Pass, 4,200m/13,780ft. End trek and transfer to hotel.

This is a day filled with encounters with locals. Men head off to work in the potato fields, wooden ploughs slung over their shoulder. Women sit, legs outstretched weaving their traditional clothes on wooden looms. And small children sit motionless guarding herds of alpaca and llama, their ever faithful dog by their side.

You start your trek this morning fifteen minute's drive from camp to begin towards the final pass. Lying at 4,200m/13,780ft the Ipsaycocha Pass marks the border between Lares and the Patacancha Valley. You start gently and then climb one final steep section to gain the summit. If you are lucky, you will have spectacular views of Mount Veronica. You take lunch by the beautiful Ipsay Lake then follow an ancient trail to the Patacancha Valley and the village of Patacancha where the trek ends. A vehicle takes down the valley and to your hotel for the night.

Overnight: Hotel Pakaritampu or Similar

Day 8 - Transfer by train to Km104 and trek the Royal Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

From the station at Ollantaytambo you catch a train to km104, the starting point for those taking the short Inca trail to Machu Picchu. Your trek starts by visiting the recently restored ruins of Chachabamba before gradually ascending through tropical cloud forest up towards the base of the spectacularly situated Inca ruins called Wiñay Wayna (Forever Young). Here you climb more steeply on old Inca stairways through beautiful terraces, stopping to explore the various buildings and water features.

After a picnic lunch you continue on perhaps the loveliest part of the whole Inca Trail. Lush vegetation flanks you on either side, the scent of wild orchids fills the air, and brightly coloured tropical birds fill your ears with song. Soon you will reach a final set of stairs to arrive at Inti Punku, the gateway of the Sun. As you step through the old stone gate-way, Machu Picchu appears laid out before your eyes. A truly magical sight. After plenty of photos you carry on along the trail and then through the incredible ruins to catch the bus down to the lively town of Aguas Calientes, also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo.

Overnight: El Mapi Hotel Or Similar, Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town)

Day 9 - Return to Machu Picchu for a guided tour. Return to Cuzco by train and car.

After an early breakfast, you drive the short distance back up the zigzag road to Machu Picchu to get there before the main crowds and also when the light is better for those all-important photos. Machu Picchu is a place that really lives up to expectations; the setting is breath-taking and the ruins themselves are sensational.

For years it was lost to the jungle. Rediscovered in 1911 by the Yale professor Hiram Bingham, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, Machu Picchu exceeds all expectations.

You will enjoy a guided tour lasting around two hours covering all the main points of interest such as the Temple of the Sun, the Royal Tomb, the Sacred Plaza and Intihuatana - 'the hitching post of the sun'. Before the tour you have a few hours free to wander amongst the old Inca walls and just sit and take in the scale of the place on your own.

Eventually the time comes to catch the bus down to Aguas Calientes and board your train back along the Urubamba River. The scenery is beautiful and the train jolts softly along, allowing you to sit, stare out the window and reflect on a wonderful adventure. You alight from the train and make the final stretch of the journey back to Cuzco by car.

Overnight: Quinta San Blas Or Similar, Cuzco

Day 10 - Morning free in Cuzco. Group transfer to airport for return flight to UK.

This morning is free to enjoy a final wander through the streets of Cuzco and perhaps buy some souvenirs to take home. In the afternoon you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight to the UK.

Overnight: In flight

Day 11 - Arrive UK.