lares trek to machu picchu

  This is a review for the 4 day / 3 night Inca Trail trek that ends in Machu Picchu.

WOW what a life changing experience. You read a lot... read more of hyperbole on this site about how much of an impact this trek can have on you... believe the hype! SAM Travel makes sure you are comfortable, educated, well fed, and that your safety is looked after every step of the way.

Our guide was Rolando, and let me tell you - this man's knowledge of the sacred valley and the Quechua people is encyclopedic. Our group of 6 constantly peppered him with questions about the flora, fauna, and history of the valley, and he never failed to respond with thoughtful and insightful answers. He's also just a fun guy!

The porters are super-human. Not only do they carry all the food, tents, and your extra supplies, but they do it about 3x as fast as you hike the trail, so everything is ready by the time you reach the campground. It was my wife's birthday on the 3rd day, and the chef sourced ingredients from other porters on the trail and BAKED MY WIFE A CAKE in the middle of the Peruvian wilderness! Incredible!

One recommendation I would make is to aim for the dry season. We did the "shoulder" season (when the wet season ends / dry season begins), and honestly it rained every day, for the majority of the time. It was a wet 4 days. That said, it was TOTALLY worth every minute.

Thank you to Rolando, our porters, and SAM Travel!

  I had the best time with our travel guide Davit. I did the short Inca trail and he was very knowledgeable about history and botany. I went with dad who... read more got sick from altitude and the company were very kind to help him with checking in early and we were able to go to Machu Pichu together.

  The whole trek and especially our guide Jorge was just fantastic and made this experience as awesome as it could get.

  During the last week of April I completed the 4 night, 5 day Inca Trail trip. I’d give a higher rating to the crew and our guide, Lenin, if possible!... read more EVERY detail from transportation to briefings to food and other comforts was arranged and executed without flaws. Lenin provided thorough information about the history of Peru and Incan culture along with his vast knowledge of the natural wildlife and flora in the region. The chef, Fortunato, was excellent! 4-5 course meals for lunch and dinner were routine and the food was delicious. Hot teas and refreshing drinks were always provided and ongoing briefings by Lenin during dinner were always helpful to get us oriented to what the next day would bring on this strenuous trip. Saul and his travel company put together an A+ experience for us on this trip. Highly recommend!

  Trip was really good. Johnny is knowledgeable and explained everything well. He was with us all the time and took beautiful pictures of us. His humorous way of explaining is... read more a plus. Gregory also was a tour guide, who took good videos of us in a creative way.

  Excellent!! Had an excellent time with Sam Travel! They were very organized and had everything taken care of. They even walked to our hotel to pick us up because the... read more van couldn’t fit in the street.

Our guide, Liz, was fantastic. Very knowledgeable, kind, took tons of photos for us and shared her traditions with us. Sam Travel is lucky to have her! 5 out 5 stars. Book with Sam if you want to have a great experience!

  We had Ray as a tour guide and I can say that he was by far the best guide I've ever had. Super informative, very fun to be around. ... read more He had a vast knowledge of not only the history of the Inca but the vegetation and animals as well. He was SUPER attentive and went out of his way to make sure everything went smoothly and was efficient for our time. I can't recommend him enough! Easily one of the best guides and trips I've been on.

  Peru has been a bucket list destination for years and it was an absolute delight to have Ray as our guide as our group explored Sacred Valley/Inca Trail/Machu Picchu. He... read more was incredibly knowledgeable, emphatic, and obviously loves his job. Ray made the entire tour very enjoyable by setting a good pace, ensuring we had good picture opportunities, all while providing fascinating explanations of the sites we were able to experience. I highly recommend this tour and Ray as a guide!

  I did the 4 days 3 nights Inca trail trek with Jean Pierre as our guide. I had an excellent time, despite an initial hiccup with a delay on the... read more first day due to three porters not showing up (seems to be out of the company’s control). Jean Pierre did the best with the situation and managed to come to a solution and get us on the trail.

Jean Pierre is a very knowledgeable and personable guide. He went above and beyond as a guide and really made the experience a positive one. He made sure we were all okay, and was very professional throughout the trek. I’ve learned so much about Inca, Quechua, and Peruvian culture thanks to Jean Pierre.

Other things:

The food was very good. The tents are very comfortable. We had a smallish group (5 people), which made for a more intimate experience.

  Lenin was extremely knowledgeable about the culture, history and geography surrounding the Incan trail. I enjoyed his good sense of humor and ability to raise morale during strenuous times of... read more the hike. I am extremely happy we had him as a guide. I would recommend him to any of my family and friends. The memories of this beautiful trek will forever be in my life. Thank you for making this a great experience.

  We did a two day trip to visit Salkantay mountain and Humantay glacier. It was unreal. All the people who we interacted with, from the bookings team to the crew,... read more really made our experience fantastic. Whilst at first we thought the price for a two day trip was a bit excessive, we quickly realised all the people that are involved to make our experience unique, so we were very happy with it.

Our guide, Jhonatan, was knowledgeable and patient. He had a lot of stories to tell and had a lot of experience too. It’s absolutely priceless when you get a good guide that is really passionate about what they do and about the history of their country and people.

The chef, Fortunato, was outstanding and also gets a special mention. It makes such a huge difference to do a long walk and then be welcomed by delicious traditional food to warm your stomach.

The trip in itself was a total of 20 kilometers: 14 on the first day and then 6 the next day to visit the glacier. The views are breathtaking no wonder the Incas called this place a Sacred Valley.

Finally, the bookings team at SAM travels were also great. The information they provided us with was clear and accurate also worth mentioning they made it possible for us to bring our small dog to the hike too, so we’re very grateful for that!

Highly recommended!

  Ray and Juan were our guides and they are pretty professional and patient during the whole trip. Without their supports, I cannot make it! Overall speaking, I feel lucky... read more to have them. The views are gorgeous and definitely worth every step.

  What a great experience it was! All thanks to David and Christian, our guides. I found the trek challenging but they took care of us very well and guided us... read more all the way through. Definitely recommend them to anyone..they were the best!

  We booked with SAM travel due to reading a lot of reviews and chatting with the team before booking. The main reason I picked SAM travel was about hearing the... read more story of the owner, who used to work the trail and reading that he paid fair wages to the porters. This proved to be beneficial based on our adventures, as we had some glitches along the way, but the SAM travel team did everything they could to make sure we had a great experience and worked their contacts to make sure it all worked out.
Overall, we had a wonderful trip and a little different than what we signed up for.
A big part of the magic of the tour and our experience was our guide, JP. He was such a nice person and tried at every step of the way to make our experience work out well and be special. I give a huge amount of credit to JP and hope that everyone can have him, as their guide or someone as interesting, knowledgeable and kind, as him.
Some practical highlights:
-Saul, the owner is very kind and if something comes up or you need hum, he'll be there
-JP, our guide, was amazing from moral support to humor to knowledge of the inkas
-Food, is excellent and every meal was great, even for vegetarians like us
-Porters, were kind and helpful throughout
-Trail, was so special and exceeded expectations - scenery, cleanliness, history and views were stunning all the way to Machu Picchu
-Machu Picchu, is really incredible and we highly recommend everyone go and try and trek there, as it is so magical and rewarding to this way
-Train back, despite a train strike, we made it on our train back from aguas calientes, and it was a stunning, upscale, scenic experience going back through the mountains with full view in windows up and beside you

  My girlfriend and I did the Short Inca Trail with Sam Travel Peru and had an amazing time. Our guide Carlos was kind, patient and made sure that we were... read more taken care of the entire time. We had a blast and cannot recommend doing the 2 day trek enough!

  The people with Sam’s are superior! Our guide, David, had the feel of a lifelong friend or family member with incredible positivity and knowledge of the trail. The... read more “engines” (or porters) are superhumans with hearts. This trek is incredibly difficult, but made enjoyable by the intense beauty of this slice of heaven and (can’t say this enough) that great guide and amazing engines—Family. You will never believe the quality and quantity of food provided! How do they do it?? Please be sure to consider this locally owned operation over the big corporations. You will thank me.

  I signed up for the 6 day, 5 night Ausangate trek in May 2022 with Sam Travel. First, I would like to thank Saul and the rest of the Sam... read more Travel team for working with me for 2 years during covid to book and re-book my trip multiple times. Everyone I communicated with was super responsive, friendly, and accommodating.

Because this would be the longest multi-day trek I had ever done, and because I was a solo female, I was a little nervous and wondered if I made the wrong choice by signing up! However, as soon as I met our guide Liz Montesinos, I felt so much better. A special thanks goes out to Liz: she helped and encouraged me when I was struggling with the altitude and moving slower than the rest of the group; she modified our entire itinerary after we arrived due to a flooded and impassable river; and she also facilitated relationship building and camaraderie among all team members and staff, which made the nearly week-long trek that much more enjoyable (Team Chaskis!).

The food served by our head chef Nerio and assistant chef Felix was incredible. I still have no idea how they were able to make such diverse and flavorful dishes in the middle of the high Andes in a small kitchen tent. From guacamole starters, so many different types of soup, fresh trout caught from a river, and best of all - an alpaca bought from a farmer and roasted in a traditional Andean oven built by our chefs and horsemen to celebrate our last night! I will never forget the celebratory cake they made for us or the fact that I ate an omelet overlooking Rainbow Mountain on the last day with not a single other tourist around.

Last but not least, our horsemen Jesus and Javier - from sourcing the alpaca for our celebration dinner, to teaching us how to make the Andean oven, to celebrating with us around the bonfire on the last night - they were both fantastic. A special thanks to both of them for providing and leading the “emergency” horse. This horse was a lifesaver for me when I was struggling with the altitude and it allowed me to continue the trek.

As for the trek itself, this is arguably some of the finest alpine scenery in South America. Several high passes, huge glaciated peaks, valleys filled with colorful lakes and thousands of alpacas, and amazing stargazing opportunities at every campsite. It was an unforgettable experience and I highly recommend booking this trip with Sam Travel!

  My friends and I decided to go on a trip to Peru and wanted to check out all of the key spots during our short trip. Because of the number... read more of items we wanted to check out, we decided to try a travel agency. After some searching, we came across SAM Travel Peru. Though we didn't know what to expect going in, the overall trip experience exceeded our expectations. We had a fantastic time exploring Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Rainbow Mountain, to name a few places. We were especially impressed with our guide, Rolo, who not only was incredibly knowledgeable, but super personable and very fun to be around. He made our experience as memorable and seamless as it really could have been (from having to make makeshift plans to even having connections that gave us better access to photo spots). Overall, I would highly recommend scheduling a tour with SAM Travel Peru...I would definitely recommend asking about putting in an ATV tour (super fun in rural Peru) as well as do the Machu Picchu 7 mile hike and tour in one day (for efficiency). Definitely will be recommending SAM Travel Peru to anyone who is looking to go to Peru.

  I took part in the 6 day Ausangate Trek in May 2022 and can fully recommend this hike from A to Z. The trek itself and the scenery are absolutely... read more breathtaking. Hiking along icey peaks, green and flourishing mountains, among clear and blue lakes, as well as through astonishing valleys: this trek has it all.

Besides the amazing views, our guide Liz did an incredible job in planning, re-planning, and taking care of all our inquiries. Due to a river flooding right on the first day of our trek, she quickly replanned the whole route taking care of all of our requests. She quickly understood our team dynamics and managed to form a true team out of the participants and staff in no time,leading to card game nights, a football game, fishing, and a bonfire getogether.

Nerio, our chef, as well as Felix, his assistant, went way beyond of what was expected and what was in the description of the tour by providing different foods on a daily basis with very high quality. They even managed to catch fresh trout, baked a cake, and gave us a short cooking class in how to bbq Alpaka on a self-made oven.

Last but not least, our two horsemen, Jesus and Javier, went above and beyond to make our trek memorable and help us with all inquiries in a polite and always cheerful manner. They were always happy to teach us about living in the high Andes, which led to many great conversations as well as to a memorable football game in the dark between Peru and Germany.... The score was forgotten though.. ;)

All in all, I can highly recommend this trek and will never forget our bonfire drinks on the last night at the base of rainbow mountain. A big "thank you" to the full team!

  We did our tour with Rolo and couldn't have asked for a better experience! Everything was handled professionally and they made everything easy! I also enjoyed being able to do... read more the trail at our own pace. Some went along ahead and some behind. Total of 6 people which was perfect. Had a tougher time with our airbnb in Aguas Callentes but Rolo helped and our bag was secure the entire time. The included food was way better then expected. Rolo also took great pictures in each spot. Very friendly, great explanations and detailed answers to our questions.

  Wow!! Completely surpassed any expectations I had!!! The trip itself and the beauty of the mountains and communities and surroundings were magical in and of itself. But then you top... read more all that off with these incredible group of human beings that make some AMAZING meals (and I mean COURSES for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!!) and guides and people that share their beautiful culture with you.

The cooks would wake you up with coca tea or coffee and hot water to wash your hands and face, they set up all the tents for us before we got there, they even gave us hot water bags for the night to warm our feet inside the sleeping bags. Super nice and very genuinely detailed.

The days are typically wake up early, pack your items for the day, have breakfast, go to the bathroom, and trek through the magical mountains. We would be accompanied by a local with a donkey in case of emergencies. He was a great companion who, along with our guide, taught us about the mountain names, the traditions with the coca leaves, the different communities and what they did or had. They would point out animals we would come across or introduce us to people in the communities. By the time we got to camp, the cooks were already waiting for us with our tents set up and food ready. We would EAT incredible food! Makes you think you are glamping instead of camping! Then we would take a nap and come back for dinner and talk / mingle with our guide and learn more from him and the crew.
Machu Picchu was something else. It’s great to have a guide that is literally your guide for all the wonders of Machu Picchu and KNOWS the area he knew the BEST places to take a picture all while still telling us all about the history of every corner. And by this point, he’s become your friend too so we’re all having a great time on what we know is going to be our last day. Bitter sweet but so beautiful

Need to thank Jean-Pierre, our guide and wonderful friend for everything he did! He was not only our guide and friend, but our amazing photographer, teacher who took time to teach me some Quechwa, and teach us overall history and stories of these communities and mountains. Then we had “Magic Mario” who cooked magic in those campsites - amazing!!! With his helpers Cesar and Nerio and, of course, can’t forget Albert, who was our guide and companion through the trek and model for most of our pictures with his gentle donkey, Cholo. They all made us feel so welcome and so happy to share their culture with us ️ I will forever remember this as one of the most special and amazing experiences of my life. Hard to describe what you feel in those mountains with the communities and how grateful I am for these people that gave us a little glimpse of their world. Thank you!! ️

  One of the best experiences of my trip was with Sam’s travel. We did a 3 day excursion and had the most amazing tour guide who became our friend by... read more end of the trip. David was an amazing guide with so much knowledge, humor and patience with all levels of hikers. Great sense of humor and an exceptional human. David truly made the 3 day hike an amazing experience!!

  Had a great experience trekking the Classic Inca Trail with SAM travel. It was a tough trek, but our guide Ray pulled us through! Even though I am vegetarian, the... read more food was amazing - great chef. Everything arranged smoothly by the porters. Also easy to blend in with group as a solo traveller.

  We did the 3 day 2 night Sacred Valley tour, short Inca trail, and Machu Picchu along with a 1 day tour of Lake Humantay. Our guides were Armando (Sacred... read more Valley / Inca Trail / Machu Picchu) and Junior (Lake Humantay). Both guides were first class, extremely knowledgeable about local history and cultures, and amazing representatives of Peru. We had an excellent experience and highly recommend using Sam Travel. As a note, Sam Travel does a great job of leaving early so that we could arrive at remarkable places before the crowds.