A day of relaxation

The second day of our tour we pushed a little farther ahead so we could sleep at the hot springs. This meant that day three really was super relaxing. I am still putting the day three itinerary on here but we actually did all of the walking on day two. Day three we hiked around our camp site a little bit but spent most of the day on the bus and the train, which riding on the bus in Peru is an adventure in itself. One lane roads with 4,000ft drops right on the edge. The bus ride was probably the scariest thing about Peru.

Day 3: Cuncani Campsite – Lares Hot Springs- Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes

Morning to relax, before our final leg of our trek, so you can sleep until late 7:00 am. Breakfast. At this little village we have the chance to visit the house of our arriero who will share with us how they live in a simple way in deep connection with nature, preserving traditional customs in agriculture, weavings, showing their textile skills from generations past, use of medicinal plants etc. Then 4 hours of easy downhill walk to reach the Lares village, once we arrive to the pools, we can soak in the springs. The village is known for its medicinal hot springs, After our lunch, 3.5 to 4 hours drive in our private transport to Ollantaytambo town, 2-hours train to the town of Aguas Calientes Overnight, Dinner.

Meals: BLD

Accommodation: Hostel Viajeros Aguas Calientes or upgrade option as requested

Maximum Altitude: 3750m/12303ft

Minimum Altitude: 2750m /9022ft

Distance Travelled: approx 6km

Approximate Walking Time: 3-4 hours

My favorite picture from the trip. This is a mom that was working with her child on her back. We saw these moms everywhere. When the baby fell asleep she just turned her sideways on her back and covered her. 

We walked the four miles the day before. We were actually kind of bored hanging around camp all morning. We went on a short little hike that looked down on our camp so we could get some pictures. It was a steep climb on the edge of a very steep cliff. The views were amazing though.

 Looking across the valley there was a dwelling built on the side of the mountain. It looked really cool. I wish we could have actually explored it.

 The view of the valley. The evening before it was so foggy we couldn't see where we had hiked from.

 The last lunch our chef made for us. I was feeling a little better and could actually handle sitting in the food tent. I even tried some of the fried rice.

 This meal had vegetables with eggs, fried rice, potatoes stuffed with beef, fried potatoes, and chicked shish kabobs.

 This is where we ate all our meals. it was nice to have shelter the few times it was rainy. The mornings were also nice because the tent was so warm.

This is a picture of almost our entire trekking group with the porters, chef and our guide. We are missing the female porter who was tending to the mules.

 After our last group picture we loaded the bus and started our journey to the train. The bus ride was through the most amazing valleys. the scenery was gorgeous the side of the cliff was SCARY! We finally made it to the train station.

 The train was really nice. It was comfortable and had lots of windows so we could enjoy Peru.

 Aguas Calientes was our final destination for the night. This is a city that was built specifically for tourists visiting Machu Picchu. It is very small and very crowded. We stayed in a hostel, not a very nice one. Thankfully we had our sleeping bags. The saving grace was that the hostel had warm showers. It felt great to actually wash with soap and be clean.