I want to go to Peru but will be gutted if I don't get to hike to Manchu Picchu. I was told that permits to Manchu Picchu are definitely sold out. Will we get the same/equal experience if we do the Lares Trail instead?
Reply to this Hi Casey, I saw your question and had to join, there probably wont be too many people who have done both however I have done the Lares Trail and thought it was amazing, we stayed in tents, stopping at villages along the way, the beauty of this was actually staying in a comunity and of course the endless entertainment of the little kids who live there.
The other bonus is that it's not over crowded, my group was myself and 4 others 1 guide 2 porters and 2 horses, there was another 3 people with another company, so as you can imagine being one of only a couple of people in this gorgeous place was as experiance I'll never forget.
The only critisim I have is that you don't actually hike to Machu Picchu, you end up in Cuzco where you take the train to Agua Caliente then the bus to the carpark of Machu Picchu, and from their well it's through the gates to the most amazing place I have ever seen...
Copy and Paste this link to see some photos I took while in Lares Valley, keep in mind my camera is rubbish and wouldn't allow me to change any settings
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cameronbarr/sets/72157602982127499/with/1894978440/
Hope this helps
Cam
Reply to this None of the trails end at Machu Picchu, except the Inca Trail. Most end at Aguas Calientes (8km from the MP entrance), where you spend the night before going to Machu Picchu on the early bus next day. I think you'll still have a great experience on the alternate trails. Salkantay is the one I emailed you about and I'd highly recommend it.
Reply to this I forgot to add, this is an excellent site to compare the various treks
http://www.apus-peru.com/trek_comparisons.htm
Reply to this Hey Casey,
We have just completed the Inca trail yesterday!
We took a GAP tour for 4 days which we booked 4 months in advance. There were people on our tour however who did the Lares trek rather than the Inca trek. If you can´t get on the Inca trail, there are lots of alternatives. The Inca´s actually had over 40,000 kms of treks! If you don´t do the actual tour of 4 days, the Lares is a great alternative, or you can do a 1 day Inca hike to Winay Wayna campsite, then the hike to MP the next day. If you do the Lares treck you will likely be at MP before the Inca hikers as you will get a bus up from Aguas Calientes about 6am, whereas the hikers will only get to the site around 7.30...... Be aware the Lares trek is at a higher altitude than Inca trail but does not have as many steps!!
Happy hiking
Mike and Sarah
Reply to this hi
don't be too gutted on missing out on the inca trail, there are many different benefits from doing one of the alternative trails...
you might find this page useful
http://www.apus-peru.com/lares_salkantay_comparison.htm
lares is more cultural and less touristed.
salkantay has got more beautiful scenery, more tourists and less culture.
that apus peru website has got good pics and descriptions and so you can see a lot of info that will help you make your decision there.
Reply to this im confused about this: so i know that the Inca Hikes are all booked up.... but does that also include taking the bus/train there as well?
im planning on doing one of the other hikes/trecks but would still like to see machupicchu (by bus)
is this possible?
do i need to brebook anything?
Reply to this THere is no limit on taking the bus or tain to MP...or on entering MP itself. The only limit is on the Inca Trail, which is the only trail you need to book in advance. You can book the others in advance but you will get a far better price if you wait till you arrive in Cusco.
I've written blogs on the
Salkantay trail and
Choquequirao trail if you want more details. Visiting MP is included on the Salkantay trail tours, which is a fantastic trek. However, the Choquequirao trek is even better, in my opinion, plus you get to see more ruins.
Reply to this I didn´t do the Inka nor the Lares cuz quite frankly, they were both way out of budget range. In my opinion, the Inka trail is way overrated and overused. The reason I say this is because there are a number of different inka trails that lead to Machu Picchu. So it is mainly a tourist grab to do THE Inka Trail. I was going to do the Lares (I heard it was great from a few ppl) but changed my mind once I got in Cuzco. I ended up doing a 4 day trek that was much cheaper and sooooo much fun. It is quite easy compared to the 2 mentioned above but so be it....it also saved me money. 😉 The first day was all mountain biking...from about 4300m to 1250m by the end of the day. Second day is a 23km trek on A Inka Trail...ending at a hot spring which is such a treat. The third day is another 23 km hike which ends in Aguas Calientes. You stay the night there and then can bus it up the next morning to Machu Picchu ($6US) or you can hike up the stairs...takes about 1 hour...starting at about 4:30am. You then have the entire day at Machu Picchu (tour included for the first 2 hours or so) and then catch the train at 6pm....getting back to Cusco that night. Every night is in a hostel with showers and you are fed very good home cooked meals. The entire thing, from start to finish, cost me $140. I think this is a steal of a deal and can´t recommend it enough. It was a great experience and the tour small...only 9 of us. And you only have to pack a day pack rather than camping gear, etc. Up to you what you want to do....this is just another idea thrown into the mix. happy trekking! 😊
Reply to this Hi,
Meakah did you just arrive in cuzco and book it there? was there a problem with availability at all?
Reply to this Hi Ktutts,
Yes, I booked it when I arrived in Cusco. I was able to book for the following day, however....that was the first week of March so perhaps it is more booked now? A few have asked me what company I went with....if I remember correctly, it was Puma Tours. They are affiliated with Julia Tours which is the bigger company. Hope that helps! 😊
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