Peru - Day 7: Lares Trek Day 3: Quiswarani to Lares Hot Springs to Aguas Calientes

On Wednesday, June 19, 2024, we traveled from Quiswarani to Ollantaytambo and then on to Aguas Calientes, with a stop at the Lares Hot Springs along the way.

Quiswarani to Lares

That morning, two of my friends continued hiking toward Willqaqasa Pass before descending for about two hours to the Cuncani community. From Cuncani, they met a driver who took them to the Lares Hot Springs.

Tiffany and I decided to skip that portion of the hike and go directly to the hot springs. We were both a little slower than our other two friends, and since the hot springs were also part of the day’s itinerary, we didn’t want to hold them back or cut into the amount of time everyone would have there.

We left camp around 8:00am and had one of the drivers take us to the Lares Hot Springs, arriving around 8:30am. 

Lares Hot Springs

Unfortunately, the weather was a little rainy and overcast that morning, so we weren’t quite ready to change into our swimsuits and get into the pools. Instead, we spent some time wandering around the grounds while we waited for our friends to arrive. While walking around, we also came across the most adorable dog! We assumed he belonged to someone who lived or worked nearby.

Our friends joined us around 1:00pm, and our guides set up lunch shortly after they arrived. Once we were finished eating, we changed into our swimsuits and finally spent some time relaxing in the hot springs.

The Lares Hot Springs are located in a mountainous setting in the Sacred Valley and feature several naturally heated thermal pools with different water temperatures. The pools were clean and well maintained, and the surrounding mountains made it a really peaceful place to relax after several days of hiking.

Lares to Ollantaytambo

We left the hot springs around 3:00pm and drove almost two hours back to Ollantaytambo, where we stopped for an early dinner at The Huatakay Restaurant. After dinner, we spent a little more time walking around Ollantaytambo before heading to the train station.

Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes

When we were ready to leave, we took a tuk-tuk from the restaurant to the PeruRail station and boarded our 7:00pm train to Aguas Calientes. Once we arrived, we walked to Inti Punku MachuPicchu Hotel & Suites, where we would stay before visiting Machu Picchu the following morning. We arrived at the hotel around 9:30pm.

After checking in, we all headed to bed in preparation for an early morning at Machu Picchu!