Lares trek
Encyclopedia
The Lares trek is a two or three day high altitude hike in Cusco
Cusco
Cusco , often spelled Cuzco , is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cuzco Province. In 2007, the city had a population of 358,935 which was triple the figure of 20 years ago...

 Peru starting near the village of Lares, approximately 40 miles north of Cusco and 35 miles east of Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for...

. The Lares Valley lies to the east of the Urubamba range, traversing part of the Sacred Valley
Sacred Valley
The Sacred Valley of the Incas or Urubamba Valley is a valley in the Andes of Peru, close to the Inca capital of Cusco and below the ancient sacred city of Machu Picchu...

. Reaching the start of the trek requires a bus or van trip of approximately 5 hours from the village of Lares. The Lares trek route transverses typical beautiful, pristine Peruvian Andean mountain areas.

The Lares Valley is one of the most picturesque in the southern part of Cusco, home of many traditional weavers and farmers. The people live day to day, growing and knitting what they eat and wear. Each day is reasonably paced with ample time to enjoy the scenery, the walk is difficult but this is compensated by the landscape, lunch alongside cascading waterfalls, and appreciation of the life of the Andean farmer. The indigenous people of this area speak Spanish and Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...

.

The Lares trek is one of the main alternatives to the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
The Inca trail to Machu Picchu consists of three overlapping trails: Mollepata, Classic and One Day. Mollepata is the longest of the three routes with the highest mountain pass and intersects with the Classic route before crossing "Dead Woman's Pass"...

. The Lares trek is slightly shorter and higher in altitude than the Inca Trail; it is accessible from Cusco.

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Peru°N date=December 2010°W
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