- Duration4 days / 3 nights: two in tents (lake camp 3,900 m, village 3,750 m), one in a hotel in Aguas Calientes
- AltitudeCondor Pass 4,750 m on day two – higher than Salkantay (4,630) and Inca Trail (4,215)
- PriceUSD 698 list price, with Machu Picchu entry, bus both ways, Vistadome and hotel night
- PermitNone. Only the Machu Picchu ticket is personal
- ExtrasLares hot springs, Maras salt pans, Calca market, weaving cooperative – all in the itinerary and the price
- ReservationOnly one checked product; emergency kit (oxygen) not mentioned; non-refundable
Who the Lares suits – and who it does not
The Lares has fewer trekkers than any other route to Machu Picchu, no quotas and the shortest walking distance: two real hiking days, around 33 km. What it has is altitude. Condor Pass sits at 4,750 m, 120 above the Salkantay Pass and more than 500 above Dead Woman's Pass. Both camps lie above 3,700 m. If you still have a headache after two nights in Cusco, the Inca Trail or the Salkantay, which descends into the cloud forest, is the safer choice.
The second difference is character. On the Lares there are no ruins along the way and no Sun Gate; there are villages, weavers, alpaca herds and a night beside the houses of Canchacancha. If you are looking for the cultural side, this is it; if you want Inca architecture, walk the Inca Trail.
The checked product
We went through the Lares tours on Viator and GetYourGuide; the TreXperience product is the only one with a complete inclusions list, a list price through the API and an itinerary that confirms the inclusions. A comparison with one product is no comparison – so the inclusions table below sits next to the Salkantay and Inca Trail products of the same price class, and we will add more as soon as a second operator passes the check.
TreXperience – Lares Trek 4 days
Machu Picchu entry, Lares hot springs, Maras salt pans, horses for the duffel, two camp nights, hotel night in Aguas Calientes, bus both ways, Vistadome to Ollantaytambo and private transfer to Cusco. Sleeping bag, mat and poles for rent.
Main limitation: Non-refundable. Sleeping bag, mat and poles are rental gear. Only Lares product in the comparison – no second independent operator checked.
Check on Viator →Affiliate links to Viator: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Converted at Viator's rate on 23 September 2026; Viator converts at the day's rate at checkout.
