Patakancha Lares Trek Patakancha to Lares…with llamas!. 2 days / 1 nights camping trek. Grade: Easy Highlight: Villages Distance Covered: 20 Km or 12.43 mi. Max. Altitude: 4700m or 15419.95 ft (see Trek Map )

This short trek will take you to one of the most traditional areas where people live very much like their Inca ancestors, in stone and adobe homes with thatch roofs, weave much of their clothing and work the land with foot ploughs. Very enjoyable hot springs are a welcome reward after the walk.

Day 1 | 2

Day 1
Patakancha (3900m) - Ipsay Cocha (4600m)

You will be collected by your guide and drive on an unpaved road for approximately 1 1/2 hours (from Urubamba) until you reach the community of Patakancha (3900m).

Once in Patakancha, you will meet your trekking crew, your kit will be loaded, and start your hike. You will cross the football ground and pass right by the school, and head straight uphill. Patakancha is a traditional Community made up of small stone and mud huts with thatched roofs. There are some houses, including the school, which have been recently roofed with tiles. There is no electricity (yet) in Patakancha but it is meant to arrive soon. Local peoples live off their llama and alpacas and supplement their income working as porters.

The porters we hire for our treks come from this community. That is the reason why several years ago, we established an aid programme with the community which is working very well. You can visit our First Aid Medical cabinet at Eusebio Quispe’s home. Donations will be welcome.

As you leave the village, you will enjoy views of Alpaca and llama herds grazing along the trail. The scenery is typical of the high Andes with “ichu” or high altitude grass as well as some polylepis trees. Approximately after 1 1⁄2 hours of ascent the trail flattens you reach “Ipsay Cocha”, a beautiful small lagoon near which you will camp (4200m) (Total distance today 8 km- 4 hours). L, D.

Day 2
Ipsay Cocha (4600m) - Lares (3400m) – Urubamba (2600m)

After breakfast you will begin your ascent for about 1 hour until you reach the Itsa pass at 4600m. This is your highest point on the trek and a good place to observe Condors. After the pass, the rest of your hike will be downhill. You begin to descend for about 3 hours until you reach the community of Huacahuasi, another traditional village where people live close to the land, farming the same way their Inca ancestors did: using foot ploughs and other traditional techniques.

Today the scenery will be dramatically different from yesterday: potato, barley, quinoa and corn fields abound. A further walk of 2-3 hours will take you to the hot springs near the colonial village of Lares (3400m). After a dip in the thermal baths you will meet your
vehicle and drive to your hotel in Urubamba (1 1⁄2 hours drive).
(Total distance today 12 km- 6 hours). B, L.