Machu Pichu_Private Tours_Off HAL

[donaldsc]

We are thinking of doing the HAL cruise that spends 2 nights in Peru and using the 2 nights to do Machu Pichu. HAL offers a tour and while I have not yet checked the price, I am sure that it is very expensive.

 

Two Questions -

 

1) Is it insane to try to do Machu Pichu on this schedule? Will we be so rushed that it will not be worth the time and cost?

 

2) There have to be private tours that offer the same trip that HAL does at a much lower price. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

DON

[bubbachief]

We are thinking of doing the HAL cruise that spends 2 nights in Peru and using the 2 nights to do Machu Pichu. HAL offers a tour and while I have not yet checked the price, I am sure that it is very expensive.

 

Two Questions -

 

1) Is it insane to try to do Machu Pichu on this schedule? Will we be so rushed that it will not be worth the time and cost?

 

2) There have to be private tours that offer the same trip that HAL does at a much lower price. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

DON

 

IMO, two days is not enought. You will be rushed and will not do MP justice. I'm sure others will give more info.Is it possible to do MP after you get off the ship? There is a lot to see in and around Cusco as well and you plan the trip on your own easily.

[j2ink]

You should do a search on this board. Before I went last summer, I copied about five or six pages of advice off several threads on this board.

 

BTW, everyone who posted here advised against trying to do a two day trip to Machu Picchu from Lima or somewhere on the coast, and most said the cost of a cruise tour is about double what it costs to do it yourself.

[dileep]

IMO, two days is not enought. You will be rushed and will not do MP justice. I'm sure others will give more info.Is it possible to do MP after you get off the ship? There is a lot to see in and around Cusco as well and you plan the trip on your own easily.

 

 

I agree that it will be too rushed. Take more time after your cruise ends. Or plan another trip to South America combining Machu Picchu and Galapagos Islands.

[dfb]

Don, I have done a short RSSC ship-sponsored 2 night overland Machu Picchu excursion. I know everyone advises against that and that if you want to go to MP that you need to make a devoted trip of it, but that was not in the cards for us. Only you know if you have the time, money and inclination to make a return trip to Peru for the sole purpose of an MP visit. That said, if you decide to go from your HAL cruise, please consider the money that the ship charges as well worth it should there be any problems at all. And it seems that things go wrong frequently and phenomenally and transportation in SA can be difficult and unreliable. For me, it was not worth the risk of trouble to save the difference in price between the ship's tour and independent travel. For examples, see the attached blogs of ours in 2008 and another on the same ship this year. In both cases, if we had not been on a ship-sponsored tour I cringe to imagine what would have happend... but I can guarantee that we would not have been patting ourselves on the backs for the money we had saved! Good luck whatever your choice, Debbie

 

 

http://circle-south-america-2008-aboard.blogspot.com/2008/01/day-12-13-14-january-15-16-17-machu.html

http://circlesacruiseupdate.blogspot.com/2010/01/machu-pichu-adventure.html

[donaldsc]

Don, I have done a short RSSC ship-sponsored 2 night overland Machu Picchu excursion. I know everyone advises against that and that if you want to go to MP that you need to make a devoted trip of it, but that was not in the cards for us. Only you know if you have the time, money and inclination to make a return trip to Peru for the sole purpose of an MP visit. That said, if you decide to go from your HAL cruise, please consider the money that the ship charges as well worth it should there be any problems at all. And it seems that things go wrong frequently and phenomenally and transportation in SA can be difficult and unreliable. For me, it was not worth the risk of trouble to save the difference in price between the ship's tour and independent travel. For examples, see the attached blogs of ours in 2008 and another on the same ship this year. In both cases, if we had not been on a ship-sponsored tour I cringe to imagine what would have happend... but I can guarantee that we would not have been patting ourselves on the backs for the money we had saved! Good luck whatever your choice, Debbie

 

 

http://circle-south-america-2008-aboard.blogspot.com/2008/01/day-12-13-14-january-15-16-17-machu.html

http://circlesacruiseupdate.blogspot.com/2010/01/machu-pichu-adventure.html

 

I guess that what you and everyone else is saying is that my idea of doing it by myself is really dumb. Now I have to decide if I want to hold off on the Machu Picchu trip until I can do it justice or bite the bullet and pay HAL's high price.

 

DON

[bcnvcanada]

If you want to take a private tour in would suggest Condor Tours. They might suggest that you stay off the ship another night or so and catch up with the ship. They are a big company in Peru, Equador, and Chile and do a lot of the ship tours. They will do a group tour of two persons. Have a 800 number good in Canada as well as the U.S. They are not the cheapest, but are very realiable. We have used them several times and in several countries.

[bubbachief]

I guess that what you and everyone else is saying is that my idea of doing it by myself is really dumb. Now I have to decide if I want to hold off on the Machu Picchu trip until I can do it justice or bite the bullet and pay HAL's high price.

 

DON

 

Where do you get off the ship? If it's Santiago, you can plan your own trip to MP from there and spend the extra time to enjoy both Cuzco and MP.