The Inca trail remains one of the most popular hikes into Machu Picchu, and for good reason. It’s gorgeous, but what if you wanted to trail that offered a bit more solitude?
If you would like a little more alone time and you don’t mind having a local bush double as a toilet, you might try an alternative path to the citadel, such as the Lares Trek.
It most certainly counts as an off-the-beat path, but it’s not a runner up to the Inca Trail by any means. The Lares is an amazing trek unto itself. Here are 4 things about the Lares worth appreciating.
1. Quite possibly the best of Inca history and local culture
Though the Lares Trek may not include as many of the Inca ruins as some of the other treks in the region, you’re more than compensated for it with a close-up look at local life and stellar scenery. Before the hike officially begins, there’s a day tour made up of some of the most famous Inca sites in the sacred valley.
The mind-boggling agricultural terraces and Inca fortresses above the village of Pisac and in the town of Ollantaytambo provide a fascinating window into how farming was used to the fullest. Having history and hiking separated can help someone take the time to appreciate and understand the importance of the Inca empire.
2. This isn’t a runner-up trail
If you want one of the meager 500 daily permits issued for the Inca Trail, you really have to be a forward thinker and plan ahead. But compared to the Inca Trail, the Lares Trek is relatively undiscovered.
It won’t do you any favors to compare the two trails, nor is it a fair comparison. Both treks offer up incredible and memorable experiences. But the focus of each one is different.
If you’re looking to see what the wild has to offer, perhaps experience local living in Peru and still get the workout of a wilderness hike, the Lares Trek may be what you’re looking for.
And somewhere along the way there’s the option to take a train to Machu Picchu. What better way to prepare for your entry into the citadel by getting a warm shower and some good sleep in a real bed?
When you’re not sleeping, this particular train path is among the most stunning. The Inca Trail hikes directly into the lost city of Machu Picchu, so depending on how clean and comfortable you want to be for that once-in-a-lifetime experience, you might prefer the Lares Trek.
3. It feels like the Andes are all yours
One tourist commented that on a three-day hike, he could count on just one hand how many other tourists were hiking on the same trail. The remoteness of the Lares Trek adds to the magical and spiritual vibe that you start to feel as soon as you arrive in Cusco.
It might be one of the few chances you have in this life to experience complete and total silence without the aid of earplugs. It’s the silence of the wilderness, soundproofed by mountain peaks that tower more than 5,000 m tall. I don’t know about you, but that can be hard to take in if you have a bunch of people around you.
4. It’s an unprecedented chance to live and learn local
The Inca empire may be a thing of the past but its people are very much alive and present. Peru’s native Quechua residents are an important part of the country’s cultural fabric.
While on your hike, your tour group might visit a local family and learn about weaving, how to dye alpaca wool, and a number of cultural traditions. Did you know that a Quechua girl must skin a guinea pig to prove she’s ready for marriage? You’re not going to learn that on the Inca Trail.
There truly is more than one way to experience Machu Picchu, and all it takes is a conversation with TOUR IN PERU to secure your place in the Inca citadel!
