Lares Trek to Machu Picchu 4-Day Adventure

I want to share my experience on the 4-day Lares Trek with TreXperience. From the briefing with our guide Antony the day before the tour until the return to our hotel, everything was organized in detail. From the very first moment, we had a very good connection with Antony. He has the talent of turning historical data into interesting stories, often with a touch of humor, which made every explanation very entertaining. Furthermore, he has great knowledge about the flora and fauna of the region and, thanks to the fact that he speaks Quechua, we were able to communicate with the people of the Andean communities. It was a unique experience to visit an Andean home and learn a little about what life is like isolated in the mountains. During a large part of the tour, we were accompanied by chefs Oscar and Julio, who performed true miracles with every meal. They surprised us with typical dishes prepared with fresh, local ingredients. The variety was incredible: not a single dish or drink was repeated during the entire trek. They even prepared a cake for us for the last breakfast. We ate as if in a gourmet restaurant, but under a tent and surrounded by the beautiful Andean landscapes. For those who enjoy nature, contact with wildlife and local people, and prefer to avoid tourist crowds, I recommend the Lares Trek without a doubt. Many thanks to TreXperience, to Antony, to Oscar, to Julio, and to Víctor for giving us an experience that we will never forget.

Filio was an amazing guide. Friendly, approachable, and knowledgeable. Pleasure to work with. Luis Alberto, our chef was amazing and so much good. He and Elder, his assistant were great. The TreXperience office staff was a different story. Changing plans with little notice, misinformation, not following through with what they said they would do. That was disappointing.

Absolute 100/10 experience. We were 2 women travelling and it ended up being a private tour of just us, we felt completely safe and beyond comfortable — truly we received a princess treatment for 4 full days. Our guide, Elias, is the best guide I’ve ever gotten on hikes — very knowledgeable and supportive through the hike and during rest times, if you happen to get him, truly a gem. The food was UNBELIEVABLE, our cook Fredy (with his assistant Léon) was so talented and provided huge portions of some of the best food I’ve ever had (also they are extremely accomplished in vegetarian alternatives!). Our horseman Toribio was so speedy and got us the best campsites every single night (because yes they race between companies haha! We were super glad to be with TreXperience every night!) The entire team set up everything and had all aspects of this trip so well planed and thought through it allowed us to just enjoy the hike. Which on that note, the Lares Trek offered the most beautiful sights I have ever witnessed from my own eyes, and I’ve hiked and traveled a lot. The breaks in the little villages were peaceful and allowed us to be emerged in Lares/Peruvian culture, and there weren’t as many people as other treks. Overall, incredible experience, would redo exactly the same with this team any day! Thank you so much to the 4 of them!

We completed the combined 5 days/4 nights Lares Trek + Short Inca Trail. The Lares Trek was run by guide, David, who was positive, knowledgeable and full of good energy. The chefs, Augusto and Alex, cooked amazing food, including producing a cake on the third morning (I don't know how they did it!). Then we moved onto the Short Inca Trail where we had the privilege of spending time with guide Thoni (or Tony, or Thony, or Tony Montana) who was probably the best guide we've ever had in all of our travels. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the trail and Machu Picchu. Rather than just listing a bunch of facts, Thoni went deep into the connections between Incan society, culture, and spirituality. He embodied the knowledge and was deeply passionate about the area. All of the other guides knew Thoni and he appears to be highly respected amongst his peers. He was also great company at dinner on the night of Day 1. We felt privileged to be in the presence of Thoni, an authentic and kind person, generous with his knowledge. While many tour guides are like AI robots, Thoni is the real deal. We miss you already Thoni!

It was a fantastic experience that we will never forget. We were 2 and my wife and I and had a fantastic crew of 4 men at our disposal, unforgettable.