Lares Valley to macchu Piccu

I arrived back in Cusco last night from a wonderful 4 days of trekking through the Lares Valley. We were between 3350 and 4450m so nights, and days going over the passes, were cold. But it was a truly wonderful experience.

The Lares trek is an alternative route to Macchu Piccu, much less travelled and much more interaction with local villagers and their customs. At our first campsite we were woken at 4am by preparations for Sunday market day - or barter day as our guide, Jose described it, when people from surrounding communities bring their crops to trade with others.

It´s not all work though - we came across this women´s soccer match (teams in full-skirted indigenous dress of course), as we entered the village of Patacancha - our second campsite.We ended the journey at Macchu Piccu in time for a wonderful meditation session in the Temple of the Condor looking out over Macchu Piccu mountain.