Machu point

Having spent weeks examining my packing list, complete with deep critical analysis of water bottles and hiking socks, it's fair to say I was keen to be prepared for my three-day hike to Machu Picchu.

- 

HAPPY CAMPERS Living the high life on trek

Rather than join the backpacking masses on the Inca Trail, G Adventures also offers an alternative, lesser-known Lares Trek option.

While it isn’t the exact route of the Incas, the Lares Trek takes in spectacular scenery and weaves through remote Andean communities.

And this is the best bit - no one else was there...

Mostly alone in this incredible landscape - unless you count alpacas, llamas and the odd sheep - we barely saw another human, let alone a backpacker. And which tourist wants to see another tourist? Not me.

Hiking past misty mountains, lagoons, valleys, waterfalls and glaciers, with falcons and condors flying overhead, this spectacular 20.5-mile trek is a hidden gem.

Only me and Aussie traveller Biljana had chosen the Lares Trek, so for a few days it was just us and our guide Paulo - a man with the patience of a saint.

"How many miles to go, Paulo? Please can you adjust my walking poles? Can we stop for another photo? Is it lunch time yet..." Ad infinitum.

Setting off from Ollantaytambo, the trek is shorter than the Inca Trail, but much higher, reaching the Pachacutec pass at 15,350ft on day two.

You can't help but feel the altitude, which makes the steep ascents even more challenging (the word breathtaking takes on a whole new meaning). But it's worth the slow and steady climb to admire the snowy peak of Colquecruz at the top. Reaching the Lares Hot Springs at the end of the final day was a heavenly incentive - medicinal, mineral waters for those aching muscles.