"The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases." ~William Hazlitt
The Lares trek to Machu Picchu
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The Lares Trek is different from the Inca Trail. It’s two days of hiking through valleys and high mountain passes, and includes more villages and native people (and llamas!). It’s also completely uncrowded and an absolutely beautiful way to get to know Peru.
After two days of hiking and two nights of camping in tents in villages, we had a day of train travel and a night in a hotel. Then we spent the fourth day at Machu Picchu, having a tour and then exploring the site on our own.
I was determined not to bore you with a hundred photos, so I’m just sharing a film-roll worth (remember those?) Here are the highlights from our trek and our visit to Machu Picchu.
Our trek began at the Hot Springs at Lares. I still can’t believe we got in this water!
The first group of children who came to meet us at the trail. They know trekkers bring little toys for them.
At our first campsite, some Quechua women set up a trade blanket. Craig is negotiating prices with a woman in traditional Quechua clothing.
Our first campsite. The tent is our ‘restaurant’ where a delicious meal is being prepared. We are on a villager’s property and got to use their Turkish toilet outhouse for the night.
Our crew (l-r) Ignacio, our horseman. Diego, our waiter. Eliseo, our chef. Me & Craig. (our guide Richard took the pic). Yes, there were more of them than us on this trek!
We got to see and meet a lot of Quechua people in the villages we passed through. These women are working on a project to bring running water and toilets to their village. They wear traditional skirts with their hard hats, and work with babies tied to their backs.
A little Quechua boy. We met a lot of young children, usually wandering and playing in small groups with no adults on the mountainsides.
After two days of trekking and sleeping in tents, we get to ride a train part of the way!
After spending a night in a real bed and having a real shower, we got up at 5am to ride the bus the rest of the way to Machu Picchu.
This is the Temple of the Condor at Machu Picchu. Mummies were placed in notches above the stone ‘wings’ for an eternal life ceremony.
The Temple of the Sun. Windows are placed exactly to catch the sunrise on the solstices and cast light on the stone altar.
Agricultural terracing and storage buildings at Machu Picchu.
The morning mist was part of the magic.
Our guide, Richard, finishes our tour of the site and says goodbye.
Machu Picchu is a magnificent city of stone, where you walk around in THE SKY!!!
My favorite view of the terraces.
We decided to hike up to the Sun Gate, where we got fabulous views of Machu Picchu.
The entire trail, built by the Incas, is laid with stone.
Getting higher above the site.
Stony mountains rise out of the mist in the background. We are SO high up, the dropoff is thousands of feet down to the river below.
Mist, mountains, and wild foliage.
Wild orchids in bloom! I leaned so far over the edge to get a shot of them that Craig grabbed the waist of my pants & hung on to me!
Standing on the edge of the world.
Finally we reached the Sun Gate, where hikers coming in on the Inca Trail are resting up and enjoying the view.
The view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate.
After our hike, I found a secluded corner and spent some time meditating while Craig explored the ruins.
This chinchilla was also exploring the ruins!
Published by Lauren
I'm a nomadic freelance writer, out enjoying the world!
What a wonderful trip you guys had! The pictures are fabulous. Bet taking the time for some meditation there was a really spiritual experience! Love knowing what is happening on your adventure!
Sue Guetterman
October 2, 2013 at 6:19 pmFabulous photos, Lauren!!! What a wonderful experience. Thanks so much for sharing.
Sue
Lauren
October 3, 2013 at 8:52 amIt was beautiful!
Kristy
October 2, 2013 at 10:19 pmWhat a wonderful trip you guys had! The pictures are fabulous. Bet taking the time for some meditation there was a really spiritual experience! Love knowing what is happening on your adventure!
Lauren
October 3, 2013 at 8:51 amThe meditation was lovely, although I was continually distracted by people walking through. And, at one point, two llamas came around the corner!
Pete Smith
October 3, 2013 at 6:08 amWonderful set of pictures. I always marvel at the engineering skills of these civilizations. Sadly, our ancestors put an end to most of that!!
Lauren
October 3, 2013 at 8:51 amYou’re so right. It’s amazing to see first-hand how advanced these civilizations really were!