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Lares Andean Trek - Southern Peru
The next morning we will rise early, have a hot breakfast, pack out camp and head out for the pass.The pass looms over us and we must hike up a great wall towards the sky.
The pass sit at about 4600 meters above sea-level or about 15,000 feet. From there we can view giant snow capped mountains, ice fields and glaciers. Some of the mountain, or Apus (Quechua for Mountain Spirits) rise above 6000 meters and are among the highest mountains in the Americas. Descending from the pass the ecosystems are similar to what we saw coming up but in reverse. After 3-4 more hours of walking we arrive at the road and are taken by car/van to the Andean town of Lares. In Lares we will bath in the hot springs and soothe our tired bodies in the warm medicinal waters of the nature hot springs. The water is said to contain dissolved minerals that relax the mind and heal the body. After a nice dinner we will sleep in the hostel located in the hot spring or camp on a small hill overlooking the hot springs. We will sleep near the hot springs, and because of this we can use them all night and the next morning. After breakfast, a quick dip and a rinse in the morning we take the car/van back to Cusco, arriving around mid-day.
The Trek to Lares near Cusco to Peru is one of our favorite hikes in all the Andes.
We start early leaving out of Cusco and head to the Sacred Valley of the Incas passing the picturesque city of Pisac.
We begin our trek by the road side in a tiny Andean village about 1 hour from Cusco. We pass through small "chakras" of corn (maize) and as we climb higher, potatoes. The valley is filled with trees, pristine rivers and wildlife. Birds chirp as we pass. We then begin to enter the endangered K'unya (Polyepis) forest, which is one of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth.As the forest begins to thin we are left in a high, barren valley at the village of Chancha-Chancha, a place where the pre-Colombian language of Quechua is spoken more than Spanish.We will sleep in the high flat valley in tents near this small Quechua village.
~~~Expedition Info~~~
All food and water are provided
This is a moderate difficulty trek, you must be in decent shape and able to carry 25 pounds of gear.
3D/2N- three days and two nights.
Please contact us for more information or to reserve your spot on an adventure at info@EthnoCO.com!
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