Salkantay Trekking have studied the Lares trail in order to improve the route for tourists

At Salkantay Trekking, we feel driven to discover new routes and amplify our range of services for the satisfaction of our travelers. Before being offered to the international market, all of our treks in Cusco have been evaluated in detail by our team of specialists. For this reason, February 6-7 more than 30 tourism guides from our agency hiked the Lares route to do a meticulous study with the goal of offering it to tourists in 2020.

The trek started at 5:00 am in the plaza of Tupac Amaru. For a little more than an hour, we made our way to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We had a short stop in the Calca market to recharge with the delicious food sold there. We continued our path toward the hot springs of Lares where we enjoyed a relaxing dip in the waters and strengthened our friendships. This touristic complex has various pools of different temperatures. At some moments, the heat seems unbearable, but it’s worth it. Since these waters contain calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, sulfates, bicarbonates, iron, maganese, zinc, boron and copper, they’re excellent for pain from rheumatoid, arthritis, muscles, fractures, etc. Health and pleasure in one place.

The rain started falling just as we had all decided to get out of the pools. We got on our bus and went a few minutes more until we crossed a river whose flow was quite high. There, in the rain, we started to get ready for the day’s hike, which would be about 5 to 6 hours of complete beauty.

The route is dominated by bodies of water: roaring rivers, impressive lagoons and tall waterfalls. All of this is situated among powerful mountains. Besides that, this trail is characterized by different countryside communities found along almost the whole path: Cachín, Rosaspata, Choquecancha among others. The majority prefer to continue using traditional dress in which the color red really stands out. You can also see immense stables that the people living there use to raise herds of llamas in high places.

We spent the night in the campsite of Quishuarani kept up by the people of the community. There, we could dry our wet clothing and cook. This place is ideal to put up tents and spend a night comfortably. Apart from that, there were also bathrooms, which is certainly a relief. Spending the night here also helps out the countryside communities who, sadly, live in poverty. You can also rent blankets and horses if you need to. The rain continued falling all night long.

The next day, we woke up to continue hiking uphill for 3 hours to the impressive Pachacutec Pass (4,400 MASL / 14,432 FASL) from which there’s an exceptional view of the valley. Next, we went downhill for 5 hours and arrived to a point in the road where there were vehicles waiting to pick us up.

It was an unforgettable experience that not only served to strengthen relationships between coworkers but, above all, to study the details of how to make this route a preferred option for many tourists in 2020.
Article Reference: http://www.salkantaytrekking.com/blog/specialists-of-salkantay-trekking-have-studied-the-lares-trail-in-order-to-improve-the-route-for-tourists-in-2020/

Know about the Famed Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

Nestled high in the Andes at an altitude of 2350m, and overshadowed by a 3000m peak, lies an Old Mountain. For years, the morning mists settled on this ancient site keeping the complex beneath shrouded in mystery.

While the ruins of Machu Picchu can be accessed by train and a quick bus trip, the best way to arrive to the ruins is along the famed, Inca trail.

Covered in forested area and overgrown with dense vegetation, it remained hidden from the outside world until 1911, when archaeologists named Hiram Bingham, 'officially' discovered the site. "Old Mountain" was home to the ancient Inca Fortress better known today as Machu Picchu.

Such is the ancient tradition of dedicated worship of the Quechan people of this region, carrying forward a tradition that was entrenched in the life of the Inca Civilization that occupied this region.

Built by the Inca's in about 500AD, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu covers only a small section of the ancient road system, which once spanned 23000km's and connected over three million km of territory. The Inca trail trek was built block by block along the spine of the Andes, linking southern Ecuador to central Chile.

Shortly after heading up the first of several passes one looks down onto the ruins of Llactapata, or the Town on the Hillside. Rumor has it that the walls of these ruins contain the secret to the whereabouts of a stash of buried gold.

Winding alongside the Urubamba river, through deep valleys and up high passes, the trail heads through some of the most picturesque scenery; hillsides covered in red splashes of bromeliads, trees covered in bright purple fuchsia, endless expanses of Puna Grassland and a myriad of hummingbirds darting about drawing off the sweet nectar of the bright orange flowers that adorn the shrubs along the paths.

Perhaps it is the way the sunlight plays with the golden grasslands as it shines through the clouds, or simply the lure of the mystery, but many a trekker stands mesmerized as they peer down upon this ancient fortress.