The Asian Invasion of Ecuador: Lares Trek and Machu Picchu

This girl was so cute

the local kids would come up to us wanting candy, we ran out

June 3rd, 8am: leave Galapagos hotel
June 4th, 8am: arrive at hotel in Cuzco, Peru
the 24 hours inbetween: 1 ferry ride, 2 bus rides, 4 flights, 4 taxi rides and a 6 hour layover in Lima airport

Liz and I left the Galapagos islands on June 3rd with a big travel day ahead. After traveling for 24 hours we arrived in Cuzco, Peru with the goal of trekking to Machu Picchu. After spending 12 days in the Galapagos at sea level, we traveled to an elevation of 11,200 feet within 24 hours. Yes we are originally from Colorado but its been over a month since we lived there so not sure if we still had that advantage.


Cuzco is at 11,000 feet and these steep steps were tough!

When we first arrived in Cuzco, we were short of breath even after walking up the steps in our hostel. We knew we needed time to acclimate so we were planning on spending a few days there before starting our hike. We decided not to book our trek ahead of time as I had been there 10 years ago and knew that there were 100´s of travel agents and that we could get a better price by booking in person. So after we arrived we talked to about a dozen of them however we had trouble finding the Lares trek departing on the day we wanted. Finally we found a trek but it was leaving at 4:30am the next morning and it was about 7pm the night before so we had to quickly pack and get ready for the hike!

the view of the plaza at cuzco

we were randomly joined by a stray lab on our hike
for like 2 hours, it was such a cute dog,
we named him Zorro, he followed us all the way
to our hostel and tried to get in

Sacaswayman ruins in Cuzco, we didnt pay to go in

I hiked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu 10 years ago. It was a tough 3 day hike but a great experience with a great reward of seeing Machu Picchu on day 4. Sure you can take a train there but many people decide to take the challenge and hike there using a variety of routes lasting from 2-7 days. The Inca trail is the most famous but it books up months in advance since they only allow 500 people on the trail per day. Originally we had our sights set on the 5 day Salcantay hike, a longer and tougher hike then the Inca trail. It is a 4 day hike, 38 miles, and goes over a mountain pass with an elevation of 15,000 feet. Since we haven´t been hiking lately we decided on a easier hike, Lares trek.

start of our hike up a dirt road

The Lares trek is still a 4 day hike, with 3 days of hiking with the last day being spent at Machu Picchu. It is a 20 mile hike with the highest mountain pass at 14,400 feet. This is advertised as a cultural hike as you hike through authentic mountain villages, unlike the other hikes. This was actually my favorite part of the hike as we spent the first 2 nights camping in the yard of local families in these villages. Along the trek we would see locals hearding llama and sheep, kids running up to us for candy and did I mention llama and sheep? These were indigenous people, still living off the land and wearing their bright textile clothing they are known for. They are expert weavers and make their own beautiful textiles, and as we approached their homes, they would run down to the road/trail with a supply of water, soda, and hand made hats, gloves, bracelets, etc. for sale. During the 1st night of camping, I watched one of the women of the house creating a textile, not sure whats its called but its liked a shawl and wrapped around the neck. She told me it would take her 2 months to weave it and then she would attempt to sell it for 150 soles, or $50. Since I can´t pull off a shawl, I bought 3 bracelets for 10 soles or $4.

The hike itself was actually a lot easier then I thought it would be. I had my watch with me which kept track of elevation gained/lost. The first day we were picked up in a mini-van at 4:30am and driven about 4 hours to the town of Lares to start our hike. The first thing we did wasn´t hike but to enjoy the hot springs for a few hours. It would have been much better at the end of the day but it was pretty nice. The hike itself was only about 3 hours with an elevation gain of 1,800 feet, camping at an elevation of 12,365 feet. When we were about 5 minutes from reaching our camping spot, a rock about a size of a grapefruit came rolling down the hill and hit me on the shoulder. Luckily I wasn´t hurt but I didn´t see it coming at all... kind of scary.

end of our first day of hiking

enjoying a roadside chica morada - corn beer

The second day was our tough day with a hike up to the summit at 14,400 feet. We actually breezed to the summit reaching it in only 3 hours and not really gasping that much for air. We had a little bit of freezing rain near the summit but the temperature wasn´t that cold, probably right around freezing. Unlike the mountains in Colorado, there wasn´t snow on the ground except for the freezing rain/snow that was just coming. The rest of the day was hiking downhill to an elevation of 12,350 feet. An 8 hour day but with a 2 hour lunch break

on the top of the pass our 2nd day at 14,400 feet

The third day was the least interesting as most of the day was spent actually walking down a dirt road. The scenery was still nice as we were in a valley with a river. It was a 5 hour downhill walk (elevation loss of 3,100 feet) to the town of Ollantaytambo where we would have to spend about 7 hours before catching our 2 hour train ride to the town of Aguas Calientes, at the base of Machu Picchu. We finally arrived at our hostel after 9pm, took a quick shower, packed for the next day and set
our alarm for 4am.

The last day, we started our hike up to Machu Picchu at 4:30am with headlamps. You can take a bus up there but we were on a treking trip and wanted to earn it. It was a tough and steep hike in the dark taking an hour and 20 minutes. But when we arrived the sun was just about to rise and we caught the sunrise. We spent the next 2 hours or so receiving a tour from our guide learning about the history. The rest of the day we spent resting and exploring around the ruins taking 100´s of photos. After about 7 hours there we were ready to leave and we had 2 options. Hike back town 1,400 feet down steps or pay for a very overpriced ($9) bus ride back into town. We hiked down. And of course now we have to wait around for 6 more hours till our train back to Ollantaytambo and then catch a bus for the 1.5 hour bus ride back to Cuzco, arriving sometime around 1am. Its lots of time sitting around but hey, I´m on vacation and I don´t have to work so I can´t complain.