The trip leaves
from the Hotel by van and heads out of the Sacred
Valley to the town of Lares. The one and a half hour ride takes
us past Calca and over the Vilcanota mountain range. We have spectacular
views of several glaciers and lagoons.
Lares is an
ancient colonial town, with 5000 inhabitants. Here we meet our porters
and cook. As soon as they have prepared our equipment we take off
from the Plaza de Armas in the direction of the Huacawasi community
on a small ascending path. The hike to this community takes about
two hours. The lifestyle in Huacwasi is very basic. The houses are
made of stone and adobe and the roofs are made of straw. The local
women weave typical indigenous colorful blankets. We have lunch
here.
After lunch
we continue our route up the hill. The landscape changes. Due to
the altitude, the vegetation becomes sparse and the temperature
drops. Once in Cuncani, our porters set up camp and the cook starts
preparing our dinner.
DAY 2 Route
1
The next day
we have our breakfast and get ready to climb the steep pass of the
Pumahuaca mountain (4800 masl). We see lagoons and waterfalls and
pass by a glacier. Lunch is served on the shore of one of the mountain
lakes.
Walking on,
we reach the top of the Pumahuanca pass and start our decent on
the rocky far side. Again we pass by several lagoons before entering
a small forest of typical Andean trees.
Camp is set
up near a couple of small waterfalls. We have dinner and crawl into
our sleeping bags.
DAY 3 Route
1
We leave after
breakfast and descend into the Pumahuanca gorge. The path leads
through an area with trees and bushes and follows the river that
orginates in the glaciers above. We come to a forest and pass a
trout farm. From here it is about an hour's walk back to the hotel,
where lunch awaits us.
DAY 2 Route
2
The next day
we have our breakfast and get ready to walk on to Patacancha. We
have to cross a pass of 4600 masl where there is little vegetation
but abundant and magnificent views. There are no houses as far as
the eye can see. This is Llama territory and these high altitude
animals are not very hard to spot. We have lunch before crossing
over the pass and descending to Patacancha. The lifestyle of the
inhabitants of Patacancha is very basic. It is a community of self-sustaining
farmers. Many of the men in this town are also porters for the Inca
Trail.
Camp is set
up on the outskirts the community. We have dinner and crawl into
our sleeping bags.
DAY 3 Route
2
After breakfast
we visit Patacancha where can see the women weave typical Andean
cloth. We may be invited inside one of the local homesteads to see
how the people live.
We start walking
towards Huilloc, a larger and more developed community. Upon arrival
we have lunch, after which we visit this community of weavers. Our
transport picks us up and takes us back to the hotel.
Group Sizes
Minimum 2 pax
Price includes
All taxes, transport, first-aid box, refresments (crackers, fruits
and drinks) Breakfast, lunch and dinner Bilingual guides (English,
Spanish, German or French). Camping equipment It does not include
transportation from Cusco to Urubamba.
