Guided tour to Maachu Picchu?

[Seabreeze8]

Hi, we are interested in going to Maachu Picchu. Since we are travelling a long way, we thought we might as well see the surrounding areas and look for a guided tour to Cuzco, Lake Titicaca, Colca Canyon, Puno and Arequipa but have not been able to find any guided tour that covers all these areas. Has anybody been to these areas and can recommend a tour company? We would love to hear about your experiences. Thanks very much and don't worry about bending our ears! :)

[dixiechick]

We are doing a guided tour with Ker & Downey. So far we have been very happy with what they have planned. I think they can put together just about anything you want.

[greatam]

Hi, we are interested in going to Maachu Picchu. Since we are travelling a long way, we thought we might as well see the surrounding areas and look for a guided tour to Cuzco, Lake Titicaca, Colca Canyon, Puno and Arequipa but have not been able to find any guided tour that covers all these areas. Has anybody been to these areas and can recommend a tour company? We would love to hear about your experiences. Thanks very much and don't worry about bending our ears! :)

 

I don't have time to write a lot (I am currently in the MidEast and it is 4:30 in the morning and I have to be at the convoy assembly area in an hour), but you DON'T need a guided tour. You can easily book all this yourself. Search through this forum for all kinds of info on MP, Cusco, Lake Titicaca, etc and how to do it yourself. Very easy to fly around, but I highly recommend the train from Cusco to Puno, which is bookable online via PeruRail. A regular poster booked all their own tour for just about what you want to do and IIRC correctly, they saved over $1000 over a packaged tour, are staying in THE BEST hotels and doing EXACTLY what they want to do. I spend a lot of time in Peru for business. I HIGHLY recommend DIY. The tours are too fast paced and you may get altitude sickness. I will write more in two/three days when I get back from Iraq.

[Seabreeze8]

We are doing a guided tour with Ker & Downey. So far we have been very happy with what they have planned. I think they can put together just about anything you want.

 

Hi Dixiechick, looks like they are focused more on South Africa than South America. What make you decide to go with them? Love to hear more about your experience with them.

[Seabreeze8]

I don't have time to write a lot (I am currently in the MidEast and it is 4:30 in the morning and I have to be at the convoy assembly area in an hour), but you DON'T need a guided tour. You can easily book all this yourself. Search through this forum for all kinds of info on MP, Cusco, Lake Titicaca, etc and how to do it yourself. Very easy to fly around, but I highly recommend the train from Cusco to Puno, which is bookable online via PeruRail. A regular poster booked all their own tour for just about what you want to do and IIRC correctly, they saved over $1000 over a packaged tour, are staying in THE BEST hotels and doing EXACTLY what they want to do. I spend a lot of time in Peru for business. I HIGHLY recommend DIY. The tours are too fast paced and you may get altitude sickness. I will write more in two/three days when I get back from Iraq.

 

Hi Greatam!

Thanks so much for your help with our Buenos Aires flight. We are now set for our Antarctica cruise. Your suggestions were fantastic! Thanks a million.

 

Now regarding MP and the surrounding area, we don't know Spanish and worried that it would be quite confusing to get from one place to another, especially from one town to another. The last thing we want is to be lost while hauling our luggage around. We appreciate hearing any suggestions you have. Thanks in advance!

[dixiechick]

Hi SSN

Ker & Downey came highly recommended by our TA who has used them extensively in South Africa. They also are highly rated in travel magazine surveys. I'm sure you can do this much more cheaply on your own, but we were also skiddish about doing ourselves with being in a foreign country that we have never been to before. They have arranged everything for us. We have private english speaking guides who will meet us at the airport and get us everywhere, including the ship. They have taken care of all transfers and they also have arranged luggage storage in Lima as you are limited in the amount of luggage you can have on the plane/train to MP. All the hotels appear to be first class and they have provided us with a beautiful description (including pictures) of our 4 day pre-cruise trip. They were very accommodating in doing anything we wanted. We are doing the Sacred Valley, Cusco, MP, Pisac ruin site/market and Oilantaytambo, San Blas walking, a 4 course gourmet dinner on the return train ride (I hope I have all of that straight!). The tour also includes some meals as what looks like some beautiful restaurants. Anyway, it all looks wonderful and we can't wait. Our tour is just for the two of us, but others on our cruise our doing it in a group. It is not cheap, but we consider this a once in a lifetime experience. Hope this helps.

[Seabreeze8]

Hi Dixiechick:

Your tour sounds wonderful! I think you'll have a wonderful trip and worth every penny of it. Thanks so much for sharing details of your trip. It would help us in our planning as we like to see more places but may have to cut down the places to make it affordable. Are others on your cruise doing it as a group also using Ker & Downey? Same itinerary or different itinerary? What is the weight limit for domestic flights or trains? Thanks again! :)

[dixiechick]

Yes, there are others on our cruise doing the tour except they wanted to stay in Lima for a day and are staying at some different hotels. Good luck in your planning!

[freddie]

SSN - We, too, have had excellent experience with Ker & Downey in Peru. They work with Lima Tours, the oldest travel agency in Peru. You could work directly with Lima Tours; but I don't think you would save any $$ doing so. Our private tour in Peru in May, organized by K&D, was superb. We stayed at the best hotels in the country (i.e. Monasterio in Cusco and Sanctuary Lodge at MP) and had great drivers and guides at each stop. It was not cheap but was in the same ballpark as if we'd organized it ourselves, which would not have included the wonderful private drivers and guides we had everywhere.

 

Gina (Greatam) has been the source of loads of invaluable advice to any of us who have traveled to South America. However, she speaks Spanish and is deeply familiar with travel there. For people without those advantages, it is at least worthwhile to consider using an agency to organize a private tour. Gina has suggested that, "The tours are too fast paced and you may get altitude sickness." I would emphatically agree with her regarding group tours. However, if you are on a private tour, the pace is entirely up to you. In our case, that turned out to be paramount, since we discovered that my partner is extremely subject to altitude sickness. Being on a private tour, we were able to tailor the activity each day to his level of strength. That would not have worked on a group tour and would have been very difficult if we'd been on our own, using taxis, etc., each day.

 

Cheers, Fred

[greatam]

SSN - We, too, have had excellent experience with Ker & Downey in Peru. They work with Lima Tours, the oldest travel agency in Peru. You could work directly with Lima Tours; but I don't think you would save any $$ doing so. Our private tour in Peru in May, organized by K&D, was superb. We stayed at the best hotels in the country (i.e. Monasterio in Cusco and Sanctuary Lodge at MP) and had great drivers and guides at each stop. It was not cheap but was in the same ballpark as if we'd organized it ourselves, which would not have included the wonderful private drivers and guides we had everywhere.

 

Gina (Greatam) has been the source of loads of invaluable advice to any of us who have traveled to South America. However, she speaks Spanish and is deeply familiar with travel there. For people without those advantages, it is at least worthwhile to consider using an agency to organize a private tour. Gina has suggested that, "The tours are too fast paced and you may get altitude sickness." I would emphatically agree with her regarding group tours. However, if you are on a private tour, the pace is entirely up to you. In our case, that turned out to be paramount, since we discovered that my partner is extremely subject to altitude sickness. Being on a private tour, we were able to tailor the activity each day to his level of strength. That would not have worked on a group tour and would have been very difficult if we'd been on our own, using taxis, etc., each day.

 

Cheers, Fred

 

I rarely speak Spanish in/around Cusco except in the Pisac market or factories when I am spending $1000's for export merchandise. And I have rarely run into a situation where I have needed it, even in the factories or markets. I do use it on the docks in various SA ports trying to get my fruit and wine loaded, but other than that, I don't use it much. I still think an organized tour is a BAD way to go. Too fast, too expensive, too much info that most people find VERY boring. Standing around in a group trying to hear the guide in MP who is going on and on about this and that is just plain boring unless you are an archaeologist. Very little info that the guides give you that you can't read in a GOOD guide book, walking at your own pace.

 

To each his own, but it is much more an experience to DIY. I am in the Middle East on business so can't post much, but as I suggested at the top of this thread, read through the MP posts. Marazul has planned an absolutely perfect trip-everything they wanted at a LARGE cost saving. All hotels have drivers. Almost all hotels have organized day tours with English speaking guides and drivers. And DON'T spend the money for the Hiram Bingham train. It is NOT worth about $350pp MORE than the Vistadome train. You get a 4 course meal and a little fancier seats-whoop ti do. NOT worth the money.

 

PS-one reason soooo many people get altitude sickness-they stay at the Monasterio. Absolutely lovely hotel-the best in Cusco. BUT they have oxygen pumped into the rooms. So you never REALLY acclimate to the altitude. You feel fine in the hotel UNTIL you go outside to do something. Then it HITS you-your body NEEDS that extra oxygen and it is NOT available. Stay at a hotel that has oxygen AVAILABLE just in case you get a horribly bad case of AMS (all the better hotels have doctors on call and oxygen available). But staying at a hotel that has constant oxygen in the room is a very good way to get AMS. Drink the coca tea the MINUTE you get off the plane (they have little kiosks in the back of the parking lot), keep drinking it about every 2 hours. Do NOTHING that first day except maybe an easy walk to dinner around the Plaza de Armas. Dinner at Norton's Rat Tavern on the Plaza (second floor) is a good place to watch all the goings on in the Plaza WITHOUT over exerting yourself. Best hamburgers in South America (they have lots of other things), good old rock and roll and a fun atmosphere.

[Seabreeze8]

Thank you, everybody, for taking time to post your comments. We will definitely look into it more thoroughly. We have to compare the pros and cons of going with a group tour, private tour or DIY, including the amount of time involved. Our biggest concern right now is the logistics, getting from one town to another and to and from the airport/train station. Is there an air pass available in Peru that would save some money?

 

Freddie, when were you at MP? How was the weather then? Would love to hear more about your trip.

 

Gina, thanks for the tip about altitude sickness. Do you have any local tour company that you can recommend?

 

Thanks again, everybody! Please keep them coming. :)

[marazul]

As greatam says (and in large part due to her suggestions) we just got reservations for ten days in Peru including the Sanctuary Lodge, Casa Andina Private Collection hotels, internal air, trains to MP and Puno for a little over $2000 pp.

 

How: Go to Orient Express website to book the Sanctuary lodge. (Do that first because due to low availability you will have to plan your other stays around it.) Call the hotel (Casa Andina or Sonesta) reservation desk directly and book all the stays with the same chain. They'll give you a discount. Then book internal flights with LAN South American airpass (LAN.com). Go to Peru rail website to book trains. It all costs a little over $2000. Add another $500 for tours and restaurants and that's it!

 

The train from Cusco to Puno or viceversa runs on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. From April to October they also run on Fridays.

 

I checked the Ker & Downey website and they would cost at least $5,000 more per person. Other tour agencies could be a little less, but still a lot more than what I am paying. They would all be staying at the same hotels I reserved and taking the same flights.

 

Also, the four day extension from my Galapagos cruise would cost $3500. I'm paying $2500 for ten days.

[freddie]

SSN - We were in MP for three days/two nights in early May of this year. The weather was perfect. No rain or fog - just a few high clouds that made the photos look more interesting.

 

As I mentioned in my earlier post, there is a huge difference between a group tour and a private tour with respect to pace. I agree with Gina that it is quite boring to listen to a guide drone on and on and that the pace of most group tours is too fast. However, neither of those issues is a problem with a private guide, in our experience.

 

Cheers, Fred

[Seabreeze8]

As greatam says (and in large part due to her suggestions) we just got reservations for ten days in Peru including the Sanctuary Lodge, Casa Andina Private Collection hotels, internal air, trains to MP and Puno for a little over $2000 pp.

 

How: Go to Orient Express website to book the Sanctuary lodge. (Do that first because due to low availability you will have to plan your other stays around it.) Call the hotel (Casa Andina or Sonesta) reservation desk directly and book all the stays with the same chain. They'll give you a discount. Then book internal flights with LAN South American airpass (LAN.com). Go to Peru rail website to book trains. It all costs a little over $2000. Add another $500 for tours and restaurants and that's it!

 

The train from Cusco to Puno or viceversa runs on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. From April to October they also run on Fridays.

 

I checked the Ker & Downey website and they would cost at least $5,000 more per person. Other tour agencies could be a little less, but still a lot more than what I am paying. They would all be staying at the same hotels I reserved and taking the same flights.

 

Also, the four day extension from my Galapagos cruise would cost $3500. I'm paying $2500 for ten days.

 

Hi Marazul: Thanks for the wonderful tips, I'm taking notes as I go. Would love to go to Galapagos too but will have to save it for another trip. Need to save money and vacation days first. When did you go to MP? and how was the weather? Did you go to Arequipa? How did you get to Puno from there? Just looked at the LAN routes and there isn't one from Arequipa to Puno. How was the train from Cusco to Puno? Was it an overnight train? How far ahead did you book the air and the hotels? Sorry for the loads of questions...hope you don't mind. :o

[Seabreeze8]

SSN - We were in MP for three days/two nights in early May of this year. The weather was perfect. No rain or fog - just a few high clouds that made the photos look more interesting.

 

As I mentioned in my earlier post, there is a huge difference between a group tour and a private tour with respect to pace. I agree with Gina that it is quite boring to listen to a guide drone on and on and that the pace of most group tours is too fast. However, neither of those issues is a problem with a private guide, in our experience.

 

Cheers, Fred

 

Hi Fred, good to hear that you have wonderful weather in May as we were thinking about April or May. In the past, if we could manage it ourselves, we would. Otherwise we would join a tour. Since we haven't been to Peru before, we thought it may be better to join a tour since we heard that most people don't speak English there and we don't know Spanish. Did you have any communication problem while there? :)

[marazul]

SSN,

we haven't been yet. We are not going to Arequipa. Instead we are spending an extra couple of days in Cusco. We are taking the train from Cusco to Puno and flying back to Lima.

 

And do reserve soon. Both the Sanctuary lodge and air pass have gone up in price since I reserved. Hotels are all booked. All hotel reservations can be canceled or changed if need be. Make sure you get emails confirming them. All hotels pick you up at the airport or train and include breakfast.

 

M

[greatam]

Hi Marazul: Thanks for the wonderful tips, I'm taking notes as I go. Would love to go to Galapagos too but will have to save it for another trip. Need to save money and vacation days first. When did you go to MP? and how was the weather? Did you go to Arequipa? How did you get to Puno from there? Just looked at the LAN routes and there isn't one from Arequipa to Puno. How was the train from Cusco to Puno? Was it an overnight train? How far ahead did you book the air and the hotels? Sorry for the loads of questions...hope you don't mind. :o

Just a outline of an itinerary.

 

Fly Lima to Cusco. Don't book a flight after 9:30AM or you MAY have to go back to Lima due to NOT being able to land in Cusco when the clouds come in. Easily bookable on LAN or get a LAN pass.

 

Pick a hotel As Marazul pointed out, Casa Andina and Sonesta are chain hotels in SA and offer discounts if you book more than one hotel. The Sonesta in Cusco offers a suite room which overlooks the Plaza and is one of the better rooms in Cusco, IMHO. TAKE IT EASY that first day-no jumping on and off tour buses, etc.

 

Second day-this is where it depends on whether you want to stay in MP overnight or just take the day trip. I always recommend to my friends to take the day trip to the Pisac market (only open Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday) and Sacred Valley if the days work out right.

 

Third day-again this is my personal recommendation and can be rearranged as you want. Train to MP, overnight if preferred.

 

Fourth day-train back to Cusco

 

Fifth day (if the timing works out properly)-train to Puno-all day train trip-spectacular scenery

 

Sixth day-at least a tour to the Uros Islands. Depending on time available, you may want to spend the night on a catamaran in the middle of Lake Titicaca, visit Sun Island or even stay on Suasi Island.

 

Seventh/eighth day (Depending on how much you want to do in Puno)-fly from JULIACA (airport from Puno) to Arequipa. One nonstop per day at 3:25PM. You can stay at the Colca Lodge (hot springs and spa) or stay at one of the Casa Andina hotels-two in Arequippa (private collection is the better hotel) and one in Colca. The main reason to go to Arequippa is to go to Colca Canyon to see the Andean condors. MANY, MANY ways to get a tour up to the Canyon. You can even stay in Chivay which is a rustic lodge IN the Canyon.

 

After you are done touring, another LAN flight from Arequippa to Lima and you are either on your way home or to where ever. 8 nonstops per day to Lima from 7:00AM to 9:15PM.

 

All bookable on line, via email or phone. MOST people involved in the tourist industry in Peru speak English-trains, hotels, tours. The only people who do not speak English well that I run into are taxi drivers. But you DO NOT hail a taxi off the street. You get the hotel, restaurant, shop, etc. either get you a taxi or provide you a car and driver. While the driver may not speak fluent English, he has been told where to take you and what you need by the person making arrangements.

 

If this is still too overwhelming, send me an email. greatam.az@gmail.com I have been doing some itinerary planning and booking for others. Remember, I am in the Middle East in the war zone, so will respond as I have internet access.

[Seabreeze8]

Thank you Gina! This is a big help to us. It's beginning to look doable as DIY. Do most hotels pick up at the airport? or just Casa Andina & Sonesta? In your opinion are there any other worthwhile sights to see or visit in Arequipa? We'll have to look in detail at each place and plan it all out before any booking. We like to stay at least in each place for 2 or 3 nights so we can use it as a base to go sightseeing before having to change hotels. Thanks again. Hope you are safe wherever you are and wherever you are going. God Bless! :)

[Seabreeze8]

SSN,

we haven't been yet. We are not going to Arequipa. Instead we are spending an extra couple of days in Cusco. We are taking the train from Cusco to Puno and flying back to Lima.

 

And do reserve soon. Both the Sanctuary lodge and air pass have gone up in price since I reserved. Hotels are all booked. All hotel reservations can be canceled or changed if need be. Make sure you get emails confirming them. All hotels pick you up at the airport or train and include breakfast.

 

M

 

Hi Marazul, when is your trip to MP? and when did you book your hotels? We are still in the planning stage and looking into the cost for everything. Still have lots of research to do to plan out the entire itinerary. Not sure if we can make it for 2010 as we have an Antarctica cruise, will have to wait and see. Thanks again for all your helpful tips!

[marazul]

SSN,

I reserved in March/April. we are not going until next May. The only thing pending to reserve are the train tickets because next year is not on the website yet. But that should be no problem.

 

We are skipping Arequipa because you really need three nights in that area to see the canyon. We have seen enough canyons, so we chose extra time in Cusco to also see the South area of Tipon and Andahuaylillas.

 

If I were you, I would reserve the Sanctuary Lodge now - there is no charge to reserve. You can always cancel or change the date later on, but at least you have something sure (some dates are completely sold out to groups). Keep looking from time to time then to see if the price comes down. We got it at $850 and it is over $1000 now for the same date. If you want to stay there, all your other reservations have to be made around that. If you don't want to stay there, then you have time.

 

Anything else, ask.

M

[freddie]

SSN - I may not have been clear in my earlier posts regarding a tour. We did not join a group tour. Rather, we arranged a private tour just for the two of us so that we could control the pace. We, too, usually arrange everything on land trips for ourselves, except for difficult destinations such as China. In the case of our trip to Peru in May, we made an exception to our DIY practice because we found that the total cost of the private tour was quite similar to the cost of our booking the same hotels and trains on our own.

 

Language is not a big problem in the tourist areas of Cusco or MP. Certainly the hotel and train staffs speak English reasonably well; and most shopkeepers in Cusco (other than the three pharmacies, in only one of which there appeared to be someone who spoke English) can manage enough English to sell you something. When I was not with a guide, I managed fine with the handful of phrases I'd learned from the Berlitz Latin American Spanish CD.

 

I concur with Marazul regarding booking Sanctuary Lodge as soon as you have a good idea of your travel dates. Even in this dreadful economy, that hotel sells out well in advance for many dates, as it is simply the right (although hideously expensive) hotel at the right (remarkably wonderful) location.

 

Have fun planning your adventure. Cheers, Fred

[Seabreeze8]

SSN,

I reserved in March/April. we are not going until next May. The only thing pending to reserve are the train tickets because next year is not on the website yet. But that should be no problem.

 

We are skipping Arequipa because you really need three nights in that area to see the canyon. We have seen enough canyons, so we chose extra time in Cusco to also see the South area of Tipon and Andahuaylillas.

 

If I were you, I would reserve the Sanctuary Lodge now - there is no charge to reserve. You can always cancel or change the date later on, but at least you have something sure (some dates are completely sold out to groups). Keep looking from time to time then to see if the price comes down. We got it at $850 and it is over $1000 now for the same date. If you want to stay there, all your other reservations have to be made around that. If you don't want to stay there, then you have time.

 

Anything else, ask.

M

 

Wow, that's over a year ahead of time! Didn't think any hotel would accept bookings that far ahead of time. Will look more into it now instead of later. Will you be paying for the hotels ahead of time with a credit card or do you need to pay cash when you get there? Haven't heard about Tipon and Andahuaylillas, what do you plan to see in those places? Did you book local tours ahead of time as well, or are you waiting until you get there? Just wondering how much cash would we need to take with us for this trip. Thanks a million!

[Seabreeze8]

Language is not a big problem in the tourist areas of Cusco or MP. Certainly the hotel and train staffs speak English reasonably well; and most shopkeepers in Cusco (other than the three pharmacies, in only one of which there appeared to be someone who spoke English) can manage enough English to sell you something. When I was not with a guide, I managed fine with the handful of phrases I'd learned from the Berlitz Latin American Spanish CD.

 

Have fun planning your adventure. Cheers, Fred

 

Freddie, did you visit other places such as Puno and Arequipa? I'm wondering if the people there could speak English as much as the people in Cusco and MP area. Thanks for the tip about the CD, I'll have to start learning Spanish soon. :D

[marazul]

Wow, that's over a year ahead of time! Didn't think any hotel would accept bookings that far ahead of time. Will look more into it now instead of later. Will you be paying for the hotels ahead of time with a credit card or do you need to pay cash when you get there? Haven't heard about Tipon and Andahuaylillas, what do you plan to see in those places? Did you book local tours ahead of time as well, or are you waiting until you get there? Just wondering how much cash would we need to take with us for this trip. Thanks a million!

 

Reservations are like in the US. You give a credit card number when you reserve to hold it, but no charge is made to your account. You pay when you check out using that or a different credit card. Sanctuary lodge you can cancel without penalty up to 45 (?) days before. At casa Andina and other hotels, you can cancel up to a day before. So, there is no reason not to get your reservations as soon as you have an idea of what you are doing. You can always change them, add a day, cancel, etc.

 

By the way Sanctuary only has 28 rooms. That's another reason why it is hard to get in exactly when you want to. It is expensive, but it is also all-inclusive - meals, liquor, etc. You do have to pay admission to the ruins and a guide if you wish.

 

No need to book tours this far out. Look at this website http://www.cuscoperu.com/index.php It's the official Cusco tourist board. They list all tour agencies, train info, etc. There are plenty of agencies and you can get in touch with them when you are ready. I do intend to book private tours for the four of us. (I can't stand bus tours.) Plus we can see places that are not included in standard tours. For example, you shouldn't miss Moray and Maras near Urubamba. Most day tours to the valley skip them.

 

We are also going to Puno, taking the train from Cusco and flying back from Juliaca. For tours there look at http://intikillaencounter.com/index.php There are several other agencies as well. Again, no need to book way out, but this will give you an idea of available tours and prices. Including the catamaran on the lake.

 

You can pay all tour agencies and most restaurants with your credit card. Greatam has advice in several posts on $ and ATMs.

 

I do advise you to buy a guide book for Peru. I like the DK Eyewitness guides and the National Geographic guide - just go to your book store and pick one you like. That will help you decide how much time to spend in each place.

 

As soon as you decide when you are going, book your flights. Use kayak.com to send you price alerts on the trip from the US. But give preference to LAN so you can buy the South America airpass from them.

[dixiechick]

For those of you who have done this trip to MP, any advise on money exchange?