Lares Hot Springs After Camping

Option 1: Serious trekking + camping at a very special spot in the Andes.

Sacred Valley-Quiswarani Road

We depart from Pisac and travel through the Sacred Valley toward Calca. In Calca, we stop briefly to see beautiful Mount Pitusiray and visit Calca Market, one of the nicest in the valley. Then we climb to the Lares Mountain Pass [4,450 m]. This pass is a transition point between the Andes and the Amazon side and offers a beautiful view of Sahuasiray Mountain [5,750 m]. The light is wonderful here, and we take a break. Circling around Sahuasiray, we turn into a side valley shortly before reaching Lares.

After turning toward Quiswarani, the landscape becomes very remote, with only a few people living in scattered spots. Once we reach the community, we leave the vehicle and start hiking with our backpacks.

Lares is the entrance to the Yanatile Valley, which runs parallel to the Sacred Valley and is locally called simply “the Valley.” Many tropical products from the Cusco region—including coca, coffee, and cacao—come from this valley.

The distance from Pisac to Quiswarani is 75 km, about 2 hours. The road is fully paved except for the final 30-minute ascent to Quiswarani.

Trekking: Quiswarani- Quellacocha Lakes [3,820–4,400–4,150 m]

From Quiswarani [3,820 m], we have a 4 km trek to the lakes. During the hike we cross a mountain pass at 4,400 m and, after about 2–3 hours, reach the Quellacocha Lakes.

Camping: Quellacocha Lakes (1 Night)

There are three lakes right next to each other. We set up camp in a wonderfully silent area far from even the nearest community. We spend a dreamlike night here. After breakfast the next morning, we walk down to Lares: an 11 km, 4–5 hour downhill trek [4,150–3,250 m], arriving at Lares.

Option 2: Camping in the Amazon Among Waterfalls

In this option, we descend from the Lares Mountain Pass into the Yanatile Valley and suddenly find ourselves in the Amazon: lush green everywhere, waterfalls, trees, warm air, and clouds…

There is no difficult trekking in this option—only as many light walks as you want. We camp at a beautiful spot inside the rainforest.

Option 3: Camping in the Sacred Valley among ruins or by a lake

We camp at one of the two Route 8 locations. We make a fire with the wood we bring.

Option 4: Camping or simple rooms at the Lares thermal waters

We can visit Cancan Lake and/or Huchuy Q’osqo during the day, arrive in Lares in the afternoon, and spend the night and the next day at the hot springs. We can set up a tent right beside the pools. You can be warm in the springs and then slip straight into your sleeping bag. Simple rooms are also available if you prefer.

Lares Hot Springs:

Click for drone footage of Lares Hot Springs

Lares has some of the best and most organized natural hot springs in Cusco. There are multiple pools at different temperatures, and a powerful river runs right alongside the springs. The hot springs are about 10 minutes by car from Lares town and are generally not crowded on weekdays (Sundays tend to be busy).

Lares-Sacred Valley Route:

We return the same way back home.