In reply to edunn:
I did it and wrote a short blog post about it. Unfortunately (unless you speak Spanish) it was back when I was learning Spanish so I wrote it to practice, hence it's also pretty simple:
https://isitanexpedition.wordpress.com/2015/11/21/huaran-a-lares/
You don't need to book in advance if you want a guide, there are loads of options in Cusco. There is no accommodation on the way that I'm aware of. The village it makes sense to stay in is very poor with just some adobe houses and what I thought was a community centre, I got the impression most of them didn't speak Spanish. If you go with a group you will be staying in their tents, if not then then the village charges quite a lot to camp their in your own tent, which is perfectly fair enough given the poverty they are living in. I would encourage getting a guide, despite the fact that we didn't, if you can find a responsible company, it would make the trek more interesting and the way over the pass is not so obvious.
it's a nice trek and the hot springs at the end are very welcome but the fact that it does not finish at Machu Picchu doesn't make it very helpful for actually visiting the site, it's good for getting away from the crowds though. If you want an alternative to the Inca trail that finishes at Machu Picchu and takes in more impressive scenery then the Salkantay is probably the better bet, we didn't do it but plenty of friends enjoyed it.
Post edited at 17:27
