Peruvian Unrest. Machu Picchu tour looking unlikely

[KarlGermany]

Trk_koa: glad (and jealous 😉 ) you made it to Machu Picchu, even more glad that you made back in time before railroads are closed again.

hope you’ll be able to enjoy the remainder of your trip as well.

We others can just sit and wait how things develop over the next weeks.

with the increasing numbers of the new Covid Variety XBB.1.5 in the US there are more clouds coming up. Let’s hope this will not bring up new travel restrictions for travels from the U.S. to Peru or (for us) to Ecuador/ Galapagos.  

[psygist]

6 hours ago, Mercruiser said:

 

You have significantly misinterpreted the travel advisory. 

 

You state, "The US State Dept lists Cusco as DO NOT TRAVEL." You are implying that the city of Cusco is in the do not travel category. That is not correct.

 

Actually, what they say is "Do not travel to: ... The Valley of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM), including areas within the Departments of Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, and Junin, due to crime and terrorism."

 

Firstly, the Department of Cusco is not the same as the city Cusco. The Department of Cusco is large area analogous to a US state or Canadian province. The city Cusco is the capital city of the Department of Cusco, analogous to Oklahoma City being the capital of the state of Oklahoma.

 

Secondly, the State Department do not travel warning applies to the VRAEM area, which is no where near the city of Cusco. VRAEM is an area approximately midway between Lima and Cusco city. See map.

 

Your explanation is absolutely correct.
Many fail to understand the nuance of the situation, geography, or Peru’s fragile politics.

The State Dept Level 4 Do Not Travel warning applies to a longstanding problem with terrorists and drug traffickers; not the recent civil unrest. The VRAEM is an area in which no tourists would have reason to visit (unless they were interested in how cocaine is produced).

[trk_koa]

On 1/3/2023 at 8:19 AM, psygist said:

A website of interest to those traveling to Peru, Cusco, and Machu Picchu:

 

https://perunewsandlinks.blogspot.com/2023/01/cusco-truce-of-social-organizations-in.html?m=1

Thank for this link. It’s very useful. 
 

-Nancy 

[kathynorth]

13 hours ago, trk_koa said:

 

Beautiful photos! Thanks for posting these. Great that you were able to visit Machu Pichu. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip without disruptions. Peru is a beautiful country that we hope to visit again in future years.

Edited January 4, 2023 by kathynorth

[trk_koa]

Today, due to the blocked roads near the Sacred Valley, our tour group just did some walking to some sites near the hotel this morning. We decided to give our old bodies and knees a rest and didn’t join them. We gathered for lunch and we were told that there was no sign of any protests during their walk.  The understanding is that the airport is functioning as normal. We are to fly on Friday morning. 
 

If the Sacred Valley area is still having roads blocked tomorrow, our guides have assured us that there will be a plan B. 

[FlaMariner]

More unrest....Cusco is referenced.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/peru-protests-over-castillos-ouster-185019946.html

 

 

[FlaMariner]

15 hours ago, Mercruiser said:

 

You have significantly misinterpreted the travel advisory. 

 

You state, "The US State Dept lists Cusco as DO NOT TRAVEL." You are implying that the city of Cusco is in the do not travel category. That is not correct.

 

Actually, what they say is "Do not travel to: ... The Valley of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM), including areas within the Departments of Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, and Junin, due to crime and terrorism."

 

Firstly, the Department of Cusco is not the same as the city Cusco. The Department of Cusco is large area analogous to a US state or Canadian province. The city Cusco is the capital city of the Department of Cusco, analogous to Oklahoma City being the capital of the state of Oklahoma.

 

Secondly, the State Department do not travel warning applies to the VRAEM area, which is no where near the city of Cusco. VRAEM is an area approximately midway between Lima and Cusco city. See map.

 

 

Thanks for setting me straight.....I thought Cusco meant Cusco....but understand now that Cusco is not Cusco.  LOL.  

[Mercruiser]

1 hour ago, FlaMariner said:

More unrest....Cusco is referenced.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/peru-protests-over-castillos-ouster-185019946.html

 

 

Unfortunately, the Yahoo version of the article omits the location of the photos showing protestors throwing rocks and setting fires on an airport runway, leaving some to assume it's at the Cusco city airport.

 

If we read the article at it's original source, Reuters, we see the caption identifying the photo location as Ayacucho. This runway photo is taken no where near the city of Cusco, or anywhere else a tourist would go.

 

Reuters Caption: "Demonstrators stand on an airport tarmac amid violent protests following the ouster of former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo, in Ayacucho,"

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/peru-protests-over-castillos-ouster-resume-with-partial-blockades-2023-01-04/

 

 

If Ayacucho seems vaguely familiar, you may have seen it on the map of the VRAEM. It's name is right inside the red circle. I would say the travel advisory is very correct, VRAEM and the Ayacucho airport are definitely a "Do not travel" area.  

 

[trk_koa]

January 5, the day after strikes were called and we have seen very little unrest. There were police in riot gear standing in a line in front of a government building in Cusco. We saw one abandoned boulder near Huaypo Lake in the Sacred Valley and a few rocks and burned tree stumps with no people or protests in two other places. These were easy to go around. Probably left over from yesterday. 
 

Our guides and driver have stayed in contact with other guides and tour companies all day to make sure we stayed away from trouble spots. There was word of continued road blocks in Urubamba. Machu Picchu remains closed and those trains are not running. 
 

We are currently driving back to Cusco at 3 pm local time after a visit to the ruins at Moray. 
 

I don’t think it would be a good idea to try to come here on your own but our reputable tour company has been on top of everything and have changed the order of seeing things a bit. Their contacts have been so valuable. 

[trk_koa]

I spoke too soon. After I posted, we came to an area with more and more rocks or logs across the road. It was enough that there were quite a few trucks stuck that couldn’t fit around so essentially the roadway was blocked. We have had to back track and go a different way. We just made it into the outskirts of Cusco on our way to our hotel about an hour or so late. 

[FlaMariner]

2 hours ago, trk_koa said:

I spoke too soon. After I posted, we came to an area with more and more rocks or logs across the road. It was enough that there were quite a few trucks stuck that couldn’t fit around so essentially the roadway was blocked. We have had to back track and go a different way. We just made it into the outskirts of Cusco on our way to our hotel about an hour or so late. 

 

I appreciate your eyewitness reports but please be careful.  Perhaps you should get out of there?

 

 

[FlaMariner]

Here's an article about the obviously negative impact this is having on tourism.......Sad.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/perus-tourism-sector-hurt-protests-185240608.html

 

We are still scheduled for March to Machu Picchu......We are thinking we will make the go/no go decision 30 days prior to wheels up.  

 

Luckily the flights are with points and can be refunded.  Hotel has no deposit required.  Tours not booked but looking like lots of empty seats.

 

 

[trk_koa]

Thanks all. We are flying out in the morning early and our guide will be with us the whole way from Cusco to Lima to Buenos Aires. Fingers crossed it goes like clockwork. 

[koolforkatz]

4 minutes ago, trk_koa said:

Thanks all. We are flying out in the morning early and our guide will be with us the whole way from Cusco to Lima to Buenos Aires. Fingers crossed it goes like clockwork. 

 

Thanks for all your posts. Sounds like you are in good hands. Did your tour end up being as many days as it was supposed to be? 

 

Safe travels to Buenos Aires. 

[trk_koa]

1 hour ago, koolforkatz said:

 

Thanks for all your posts. Sounds like you are in good hands. Did your tour end up being as many days as it was supposed to be? 

 

Safe travels to Buenos Aires. 

We are the right number of days but switched a night in Lima/Callao for an extra night in Cusco. Last minute change so we could go  to MP on the 3rd instead of the 4th. Our flight to Buenos Aires was and still is scheduled for the 6th.
 

We got to see what we were supposed to see, but there’s that extra stress of it all that I still think Azamara should have let us cancel and get a refund. 

[trk_koa]

We have landed in Buenos Aires and are on our tour van transport to our hotel. 
 

We did enjoy what we saw and the food (OMG, so good) in Peru. I have to admit I am much more relaxed now already. 

[koolforkatz]

We were just informed by Princess this morning that our pre-cruise tour has been cancelled. It was to start January 14th. 

[trk_koa]

@koolforkatz I think it’s for the best. Although we enjoyed ourselves, there was more stress than a vacation should have.

[Suzez]

On 1/4/2023 at 4:00 AM, trk_koa said:

Trains are all leaving Aguas Calientes tonight. Due to the called strike for tomorrow, MP will be closed. No guests are allowed to stay at the Belmond so they were all scrambling to rebook trains and hotels in Cusco. Cusco roads will be closed tomorrow also. We are meeting our guides at 8:45 am in our hotel lobby and we should know more about what we can do or see then.
 

I am so glad our tour company flew us to Cusco a day early and we got to see Machu Picchu today. The skies were over cast but bright with the occasional sprinkle. So not too hot, not too cold, not too wet. We got some great photos and the Hiram Bingham folks fed us too well. 
 

 

😮 wow

[koolforkatz]

8 minutes ago, trk_koa said:

@koolforkatz I think it’s for the best. Although we enjoyed ourselves, there was more stress than a vacation should have.

 

Thanks. And enjoy your time in BA. It's a fabulous city.

[Suzez]

I’m just reading through as we are booked with Princess to do the MP pre cruise tour in 2024. I’m sure the prices have dropped now. We have a while before we pay fully. I’m wondering if we should just cancel and try for 2025. 

[claudiaYVR]

20 hours ago, koolforkatz said:

We were just informed by Princess this morning that our pre-cruise tour has been cancelled. It was to start January 14th. 

Hi there, have you received anything else since? We received the opposite notification from Princess yesterday regarding ours (same as yours), it reads: "Currently we do not anticipate modifications to your Machu Picchu Explorer tour. Should travel to Machu Picchu become unavailable, we will update your land tour itinerary and provide appropriate compensation. We will advise you should any changes be made, but otherwise please plan for your tour to proceed as scheduled."

 

Thanks!

[Mercruiser]

As of Sunday, Jan 8, the trains to Machu Picchu trains are running again. Puno trains are still stopped.

 

Source: https://www.facebook.com/FerrocarrilTransandino/

 

In case you are not aware, January - Feb is off-season. During the off-season, trains only run between Ollantaytambo and Machupicchu. Later in the year, the MP trains run all the way between Cusco and Machupicchu.

 

Here is a translation from the Spanish original:

 

FTSA

Cusco, January 8, 2023.

COMMUNICATE

Ferrocarril Transandino S.A., concessionaire of the railway in the south and southeast of the

country, informs the railway operators and the community in general that:

Today, Sunday, January 8, starting at 4:00 p.m., we proceed to authorize

railway operations in the section: Ollantaytambo - Machupicchu - Hidroeléctrica, of

the south-eastern railway.

This announcement is possible, after having verified the good condition of the railway

and confirming the security conditions with the corresponding authorities.

We also inform that the railway operations in the section: Cusco - Juliaca - Puno,

of the southern railway; They will continue to be suspended due to the protests that

take place in these sectors.

We appreciate the understanding of the railway operators and the community in general in

the face of the suspension in previous days of railway operations on the route to Machupichu,

a measure we adopted to guarantee the safety of people.

Any change in this measure will be communicated in a timely manner.

Sincerely,

Ferrocarril Transandino S.A.

 

[paf225]

On 1/7/2023 at 10:38 AM, claudiaYVR said:

Hi there, have you received anything else since? We received the opposite notification from Princess yesterday regarding ours (same as yours), it reads: "Currently we do not anticipate modifications to your Machu Picchu Explorer tour. Should travel to Machu Picchu become unavailable, we will update your land tour itinerary and provide appropriate compensation. We will advise you should any changes be made, but otherwise please plan for your tour to proceed as scheduled."

 

Thanks!

Hi Claudia, I’m scheduled to go on an independent Machu Picchu/Sacred Valley tour prior to my Azamara cruise departing Lima on February 12, 2023.  I’ve just noticed the travel.gc.ca website now warns against non-essential travel to Cusco and Machu Picchu.  My emergency medical and trip interruption insurance is voided if I travel to a location subject to a GoC “Avoid all travel” or “Avoid non-essential travel” advisory.  If your tour goes ahead you may want to confirm how the advisory could impact your travel insurance coverage.  I’ll be monitoring the situation but may have to adjust my pre-cruise time in Peru to a 6 day stay in Lima.  Regards, Paul

[claudiaYVR]

@paf225thank you very much for the info. Princess is not being very forthcoming at the moment.