From the beginning our Liaison with Apus Sarah has been informative , attentive and patient. We had planned the Lares trek for number of reason and she gave us great suggestions on which trek and supported our decisions. We arrived in Cusco and our guide Arturo provided us with details about the trek but also the need for some flexibility. The first day we met our driver , Eder and drop Arturo and us off at the trailhead. The team was there to meet us. The cook Edgar, and the team who managed the horses and our camping gear. A few hours into the hike they set up a spot for lunch though it was misty and wet we were very comfortable and the lunch was amazing. We headed off to where we were spending the night in family stay. The had a sort cabin area for guest. It was warm and dry and family was welcoming and interesting. Edgar did his magic again and the meals were lovely . The second day was much more of a demanding day and one horse had emergency equipment following behind us with his driver. We ran into some challenging weather with flooding. Arturo navigated us through this very safely and team had our camp set up , we had a late lunch and a nap and followed by early light dinner and in for the night. The next day was a descent to hot springs, very manageable and enjoyable. After our time in hot spring we met up with Eder again and he expertly drove us through the mountain roads to the train station, which was to take us to Aguas Calientes where we spent the night before the trip to Machu Picchu. The train ride was frankly disturbing. The diesel from the engine was pouring into our cabin to the point we were seeing particulate in the air. The train staff were not managing the situation and Arturo was advocating for the all of us in the cabin, gently advising the staff they are responsible for our safety. After much panic from passengers we were allowed into the the end of train that was first class area . It was all very shocking . We were led to the Hotel in Aguas Calientes which was an upgrade but didn't quite feel like that . Very tired looking place and with the smell of diesel from trains hovering in the air. . The next day was not raining and some sun peeking out . Perfect for our tour around the Machu Piccu site. Arturo again was a consummate professional, full of information about the site. We spent 2 hours there, lovely view and not very crowded. We followed up with lunch on the site which was lovely and took the bus down. Then we took the more luxurious Vistadome. I have to say still feeling a bit anxious about getting on the train again. This time just a whiff of diesel. Eder met up with us in Aguas Calientes and again safely got us back to Cusco to our hotel. We unfortunately dropped a wallet somewhere outside the hotel . We contacted Sarah by email and she immediately contacted Eder who check around the van and also brought the van back in the morning for us to check. We fortunate nothing too valuable . But was very impressed with efficiency and attentiveness. Over all the experience was more that we could have hoped for. Five stars