South American cruisetours - Which one?

My husband and I have decided that next winter is the time to check south America off our bucket list. But which one? Machu Picchu or Iguazu Falls? I am a little concerned about altitude sickness. How strenuous are these tours? How many people are on the tours and what is the age range? What about luggage? I assume you are only allowed one bag a per person. Can we send a bag or two home after the cruise but before the tour? Most of the flights leaving south America are overnight flights. The tours end at 6am.What did you do the last day after the tour is over? I really don't want to spend 12+ hours in an airport. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Both Machu Picchu & Iguazu Falls are world class attractions, but can be visited on your own with a minimum of research and considerable savings. I have not been to Machu Picchu, but we did visit Iguazu Falls in 2007 from Buenos Aires and it was very easy to visit. It is spectacular, to say the least.

We did the 6 day Machu Picchu tour in March prior to our cruise. It was wonderful. We did so much more than Machu Picchu though MP was the highlight. There were somewhere around 100 of us in all (age range - 60's and 70's for the most part. We were split into several busses. We stayed with that bus and that guide for the whole trip. There were 14 of us on the bus and we al got to know each other quite well. I am not going to say MP is easy. We had 3 hours there the first day and another 3 the second day if we chose to go in (we did not). We climbed several steps upon entering to get to a look out point. That was my main objective. All of MP was in front of me. It was spectacular. But the climb took just about everything out of me. We then proceeded through the main gate into the citadel. We walked through some of the residential area and then found a staircase leading to the exit. It took me about 30 or 40 minutes to get to the vantage point and another 30 minutes to walk down the 50 or so stairs which were very uneven. By time I got to the exit I was DONE.

 

Now with all that said there is an easier route into the ruins. Instead of going up you can go down into the ruins and see quite a bit. I understand that is not as difficult.

 

As far as altitude sickness goes, I heard of only one person that needed oxygen and that was while we were in the Sacred Valley not MP. We were at altitudes as high as 14,000 in the Sacred Valley while MP is only in the 8,000 range. Personally, I had the most trouble in Cusco. I don't know if the air was a bit polluted there but I had the hardest time walking, even a little bit. It is worth the effort though because it is a nice city.

 

As I said before, we did the tour first and then the cruise. It will probably not match what happens when you do the tour after the cruise but I will describe it for you anyway. Princess handled all our luggage. We had to leave one piece in Lima before flying to Cusco. The next time we saw that piece of luggage was when we were in Santiago Chile. We also had to give u some more luggage before taking the train to MP. We were reunited with those pieces once we were back in Cusco.

 

Whatever you decide to do - ENJOY!!

My husband and I have decided that next winter is the time to check south America off our bucket list. But which one? Machu Picchu or Iguazu Falls?

 

We have done both, at separate times, each arranged independently and each before the start of a Princess cruise.

 

For the falls we arranged it all ourselves before a cruise that started in Rio. We booked a flight from Rio to the Falls on the Brazil side and stayed at a hotel in view of the falls. We were there for two nights and had a personal guide for our entire time there, from pickup at the airport to drop off at the same airport two days later. The first afternoon we visited the Brazil side with the guide. The second day the guide brought us to the Argentina side (you need to see it from both countries, don't just see it from one) and after returning to the Brazil side we took a Zodiac which went under one of the falls.

 

For M.P., we were in a group of five and had an excellent five day tour including an afternoon and a morning at M.P. before our cruise that started in Valparaiso. None of the five of us had any problem with altitude. Yes, getting around and climbing around at M.P. is strenuous. A collapsible walking stick purchased before we actually went to the site was a necessity.

 

Can't pick which one was better. Both were spectacular. Both well worth seeing.

We have done both, at separate times, each arranged independently and each before the start of a Princess cruise.

 

For the falls we arranged it all ourselves before a cruise that started in Rio. We booked a flight from Rio to the Falls on the Brazil side and stayed at a hotel in view of the falls. We were there for two nights and had a personal guide for our entire time there, from pickup at the airport to drop off at the same airport two days later. The first afternoon we visited the Brazil side with the guide. The second day the guide brought us to the Argentina side (you need to see it from both countries, don't just see it from one) and after returning to the Brazil side we took a Zodiac which went under one of the falls.

 

For M.P., we were in a group of five and had an excellent five day tour including an afternoon and a morning at M.P. before our cruise that started in Valparaiso. None of the five of us had any problem with altitude. Yes, getting around and climbing around at M.P. is strenuous. A collapsible walking stick purchased before we actually went to the site was a necessity.

 

Can't pick which one was better. Both were spectacular. Both well worth seeing.

 

Sounds wonderful --which guide and tour companies did you use?

Sounds wonderful --which guide and tour companies did you use?

 

Can't give the one for the falls as it was through a travel agent and we cannot give TA names here.

 

For M.P., http://www.adiosadventuretravel.com/

Can't give the one for the falls as it was through a travel agent and we cannot give TA names here.

 

For M.P., http://www.adiosadventuretravel.com/

Thanks so much.

We used Trafalgar tours for a Peruvian Amazon and Cusco and Macchu Pichu. The tour prices were very reasonable, and we were taken care of from as soon as we landed until time to catch our next flight. The knowledge of the guides was amazing. They were very attentive and polite.

 

As for altitude sickness, we used a Rx that our travel doctor gave us, plus used oxygen several times. The hotels and tour buses all had it available. If you want to walk all over Machu Pichu it is rather strenuous, but since I had succumbed to another attack of gravity and cracked some ribs I just sat in a shaded spot and soaked it up. Lots of uneven stairs with no railings.

 

Iguazu falls on the Argentinian side is breathtaking. That tour was arranged by our TA as a precruise trip. It is a bit of a walk out to see the falls. If you want to ride on the Zodiac up close, there is a long stairway, 150 or so steps, with no railing. Hubs did it, but I was on the injured and cranky list due to a random attack of gravity.

For M.P., http://www.adiosadventuretravel.com/

We used Jacquie Whitt's Adios Adventure Travel for ourGalapagos pre-cruise tour three years ago. One couple in our group of 6 did her Machu Pichu tour before joining us in Galapagos and they loved their tour. We booked a tour with her in Lima on our cruise so we met her in person along with her main MP guide. Can't remember his name but he was an excellent guide. I would recommend Jacquie. :) Edited May 28, 2015 by Pam in CA

We did Iguassu Falls before our S. America trip 2 years ago, we flew from Rio, but I would suggest flying from Argentina as there is less hassle crossing the border to get to the park. We stayed at the only hotel in the park, it was expensive but well worth it.It is a very easy trip to arrange yourself.

We booked a tour with her in Lima on our cruise so we met her in person along with her main MP guide. Can't remember his name but he was an excellent guide.

 

Was it Vidal?