Machu Picchu Day Trip

[jow623]

I booked a HAL cruise for March, 2020, which has a 2 day stay in Callao. I thought I would be able to book a day trip to Machu Picchu, but in doing some research it looks like any trips would take off before the cruise is in port. Is this trip too much for one day?

[kapitch]

We did a whirlwind trip to Machu Picchu last October from the Zaandam. We flew out of the Salaverry (Trujillo) Peru airport early in the morning to Lima. From Lima, we flew to Cusco, Peru where we were greeted by our tour guide who drove us by van to Ollantratambo. After spending a few hours there, we boarded the train to Machu Picchu city or Aguas Caliente (the village below and closest to Machu Picchu). We spent the night in Aguas Caliente and entered the line to be bussed to Machu Picchu early the next morning. Our tour guide met up with us again in the morning, and accompanied us on the bus and escorted us throughout the ruins, which are amazing. We spent 4 hours high in the Andes, then retraced our travels but returning to the ship which was now docked in Lima. We left Salaverry at 5:00am and returned to the ship in Lima at midnight the next night.

 

The cost was half of what the HAL excursion cost and we had a great time. It was tiring and we were exhausted the next day, but it was so worth it. With careful planning, it can be done on your own, but cannot be done in one day. Two days minimum due to geographical logistics. A former tour guide who was on our roll call organized the trip and she did a wonderful job working out all the details.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Kathy

[OlsSalt]

I booked a HAL cruise for March, 2020, which has a 2 day stay in Callao. I thought I would be able to book a day trip to Machu Picchu, but in doing some research it looks like any trips would take off before the cruise is in port. Is this trip too much for one day?

 

Not possible to do in one day - there has to be timing coordination between the trains to the intermediate station at Agua Caliente from Cuzco and then buses or hikes to Machu Pichu itself. There are timed entries to the site itself. However for the price of the several day ship excursion you could come back and do a Peru tour on its own, including Machu Pichu.

 

We did the ship tour - left the ship in Saliverry and rejoined the ship in Callao - coordinating trips to the airports, flights, overnights in Cuzco and then the one day train trip to Machu Pichu. We opted for the "deluxe" version - special hotel, trains and timing when the earlier regular train passage crowds were down. Then it was a Pisco Sour train ride back to Cuzco before the next morning departure back to Lima and a very short tour of the city.

 

Glad we did it. Glad we are now also going back to these same ports and don't have to do it. This time we can see the other very important sites we missed in this part of the world devoted to other early Peru civilizations on that first pass by devoted only to the late comer Incas.

[Jade13]

I booked a HAL cruise for March, 2020, which has a 2 day stay in Callao. I thought I would be able to book a day trip to Machu Picchu, but in doing some research it looks like any trips would take off before the cruise is in port. Is this trip too much for one day?

 

 

 

Yes, we privately left the ship for 4 days / 3 nights and met back up in Ecuador.

 

 

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[Langoustine]

In addition, you need to be sure you can handle the altitude: Cusco is a little over 11,000 feet, Machu Picchu is close to 8,000 feet. This does not seem to have been an issue for the previous posters. Take a look at this article: https://www.whereverwriter.com/prevent-altitude-sickness-cusco-machu-picchu/

[Krazy Kruizers]

I would never try to do this tour in 1 day. Too many things can go wrong and you could miss the ship.

Allow 3 - 4 days.

[Floridiana]

It is too much for one day, maybe 2. You need to fly from Callao to Cuzco, then take a bus or taxi or private transfer to Ollantaytambo, then catch a train to Agua Caliente. If this works out with reservations made beforehand, you might be able to catch the shuttle bus up to the entrance of Machu Picchu. Stay overnight in the hotel there. Go in when the site opens. Return the same way.

 

I don't know if the timing would even work out with 2 days.

[hurricane18]

impossible to do in one day. To truly experience all Cusco/ Machu Picchu has to offer, you need 3-4 days and then an additional day or two in Lima. If I were you, I would experience Lima and Trujillo and come back on a seperate trip to Cusco (or plan it before/after the cruise)! Peru is very reasonably priced imho

[drlee]

It is virtually impossible to do this in one day. So much can go wrong. You almost certainly have to leave the ship in one port and return in the next, depending on your itinerary. We used the ship's excursion, and while twice the price of independent travel, it provided the guarantee of recovery from missed connections, late trains or air, etc. The trip to Cusco and Machu Pichu itself is worth a lot. The tour includes other sites, some meals, and guided transportation. On our particular journey, an elderly passenger passed away, after visiting the site, and the tour company handled arrangements. (this was a lifetime goal to visit the site). However you decide to proceed, we highly recommend the visit. It is truly spectacular,

[jow623]

Thank you all for your imput. It looks like I will have to break tradition and book the ship's tour....too many things may go wrong if I don't.

Any other advice on ports would also be appreciated!

[cruising cockroach]

For the price of the ship's tour, you may be able to get a second trip to Peru in BC and still come out ahead.

[0bnxshs]

Thank you all for your imput. It looks like I will have to break tradition and book the ship's tour....too many things may go wrong if I don't.

Any other advice on ports would also be appreciated!

 

My FIL and I are doing the ship's tour this October. We often do private excursions and looked at a few options but in this case we want the peace of mind of knowing that HAL will get us back to the ship if any of the many pieces of this puzzle just don't turn out as expected. Can let you know how it goes if you like; we are looking forward to this cruise and this side trip.

[jow623]

Thanks, Rich..Have a wonderful cruise! Look forward to hearing from you! Jo

[0bnxshs]

Thanks, Rich..Have a wonderful cruise! Look forward to hearing from you! Jo

 

Let me know what other ports you are interested in hearing about. We are embarking in Seattle on Zaandam in September, going down the west coast of the US, Central and South America and ending up in Rio 40 days later. We have done many of the ports we will be calling at before so don't have a busy schedule planned but do have a mixture of private and HAL tours booked. I am considering doing a sort of "live from" thread here in a compact manner. I can at least try to answer questions as we go along.

[OHCruiser]

I'd do this as a pre or post cruise tour and allow several days for it. It's such a wonderful part of the world, with so much to see & experience--it really should be more than just a cruise stop appetizer.

 

We flew from Lima to Cuzco. We stayed 2 days there, enjoying the sites, food, etc. Then we splurged and took the Hiram Bingham train to Machu Picchu. We stayed at the Inkaterra resort at the base next to the train station--INCREDIBLE. Tours and education and food included in the price. We did a guided tour up Machu Picchu one day--it took most of the day to see it and it was tiring--and then went back at dawn the next morning just to see the sunrise through the Sun Gate. We had time to visit with hundreds of hummingbirds at the resort, take a guided nature walk, etc., before taking a regular train back to Cusco.

Another night there, and then back to Lima. We went on from there to a cruise in the Galapagos. One of our best trips ever.

 

 

A side note is that there are lots of local remedies for altitude sickness. I can't take the local medication available over the counter at the pharmacies because I'm allergic to sulpha drugs. My husband used it and it worked great [and it was cheap]. I used a combination of a low dose of aspirin and caffeine pills. We both hated the coca tea option. I never had one second of discomfort from altitude.

[0bnxshs]

{SNIP}...

 

 

A side note is that there are lots of local remedies for altitude sickness. I can't take the local medication available over the counter at the pharmacies because I'm allergic to sulpha drugs. My husband used it and it worked great [and it was cheap]. I used a combination of a low dose of aspirin and caffeine pills. We both hated the coca tea option. I never had one second of discomfort from altitude.

 

Interesting you mention the coca tea option. A friend of ours flew to Cuzco from Santiago and found she suffered headaches from the altitude. Their guide gave them the coca tea which helped some. On the way back, passing through the airport at Lima to get home to Santiago, a drug dog went nuts on her carry-on bag. Turns out, she had a bit of the tea left and she had to catch a later flight home.

[cruising cockroach]

Interesting you mention the coca tea option. A friend of ours flew to Cuzco from Santiago and found she suffered headaches from the altitude. Their guide gave them the coca tea which helped some. On the way back, passing through the airport at Lima to get home to Santiago, a drug dog went nuts on her carry-on bag. Turns out, she had a bit of the tea left and she had to catch a later flight home.

 

When I arrived in CUZ a few years ago, the airport was offering hot coca tea in the arrivals area.

[MexicoLiving]

Let me know what other ports you are interested in hearing about. We are embarking in Seattle on Zaandam in September, going down the west coast of the US, Central and South America and ending up in Rio 40 days later. We have done many of the ports we will be calling at before so don't have a busy schedule planned but do have a mixture of private and HAL tours booked. I am considering doing a sort of "live from" thread here in a compact manner. I can at least try to answer questions as we go along.

 

 

What is the best way to see and do the Puerto Montt stop. Gabriele

[MexicoLiving]

Thank you all for your imput. It looks like I will have to break tradition and book the ship's tour....too many things may go wrong if I don't.

Any other advice on ports would also be appreciated!

 

 

Doing the Machu Pichu trip on our own-leaving ship in Lima and returning in Santiago. We've seen all the ports in between already on a previous cruise.

[OHCruiser]

The pharmacologically active ingredient of coca is the cocaine alkaloid, which is found in the amount of about 0.3 to 1.5%, averaging 0.8%, in fresh leaves. ... Due to its alkaloid content and non-addictive properties, coca has been suggested as a method to help recovering cocaine addicts to wean off the drug.

 

Coca tea is legal in Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, and Chile. However, its use is being discouraged in part by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. Coca tea is illegal in the United States unless it is decocainized.

 

 

No wonder the poor drug dog at Customs went crazy!

 

 

 

I'm extremely susceptible to all medications. I always start with half of the therapeutic dose of ANYTHING, from Tylenol to

Crestor. A single cup of ordinary coffee makes me jumpy, sweaty, and talkative, so you can imagine WHY I didn't even bother to try the coca tea. I don't know why, but the caffeine pills didn't affect me this way, and the aspirin does several things--preventive headache remedy, thinner blood carrying oxygen a bit faster. The caffeine acts to synergize the aspirin.

 

 

https://thepointsguy.com/2017/10/altitude-sickness-while-traveling/

[0bnxshs]

What is the best way to see and do the Puerto Montt stop. Gabriele

 

Of course, HAL has several tours here and it's really difficult to choose in that there are so many lovely places to visit.

 

If you want to try to see the most, I would suggest you contact a private tour operator and try to work out a personal tour that takes you to your points of interest. Everything from horseback riding, river rafting, waterfalls, Mt Osorno stops (the view from here is unparalleled), "The City of Roses" Puerto Varas, national parks.... you name it, it's all beautiful. Last we were there we stopped and had a terrific lunch in a small hotel between a Mt Osorno stop and Puerto Varas. There's so much to do here.