A friend and I just booked tickets for Peru in early September (ten days).

The two things we most wanted to hit were Machu Picchu (duh) and a jungle tour. I believe ten days should be plenty of time to hit up both of these things.

A few quick questions:

- Would you recommend using a tour operator for the Machu Picchu and jungle visits, or are they easily accessed on your own? If using a tour operator, do you have any recommendations?

- Are there any other side trips you would recommend? Lake Titicaca? Sacred Valley?

 

Ten days should be enough time. Give yourself one day to relax when you first get there to adjust to the altitude. I would recommend a day trip to the Secret Valley from Cuzco. There are good tour companies that are based at the airport in Cuzco which I would try and book your tours with.

Enjoy your trip it is an amazing part of the world ^

 

I would recommend the 4 day hike on the Inca Trail. These days you are require to be part of a group tour. Q'ente and Andean Life are two that I remember off the top of my head. There are a few others. Of course, if you aren't much of a hiker, you should just take the train. You take the early train there and the late train back for a full day at Machu Pichu, or stay at the luxury hotel overnight and be at Machu Pichu for the sunrise when no one else is around (except the hikers who hiked in that morning and the other hotel guests).

I also visited Arequipa and the Colca Canyon (so-so experience, only saw around 3 condors that morning). The Nazca lines are very interesting, took a small charter flight from Ica (very turbulent and dizzying because the plane rolls side to side to allow people on both sides of the plane to view the diagrams out their window). Next to Ica is Huacachina oasis, also a "been there done that" experience but not much to do or see there.

That reminds me, how do I record that Ica to Nazca lines flight on flightmemory? We did a fly over and returned to Ica, didn't actually land there...

 

Look into Iquitos you won't be disappointed.

 

Just returned from Peru and a trip to Machu Picchu. It was with an organized tour that had included the Galapagos Islands. We drove by bus from Cuszco through the Sacred Valley and picked up the train at a half way point between Machu Picchu and Cuszco. I think it would be fun to take the train the whole way and stay overnight in the village at the base. Although we stayed at the hotel at the site, it was my understanding you would not be able to book there unless you stayed at another Orient Express Hotel. Perhaps the train might qualify as it is owned by Orient Express. Anyway, there are many places to stay in the village at the base and from there you take a bus up in the morning returning in the afternoon. Might even be able to get a guide there if you wished to have someone explain everything to you.

 

I think that used to be the case but no such restrictions in place now. We are staying there at the end of August and not staying in another Orient Express hotel.

 

For Machu Picchu, you don't have to go with an organized tour, but I'd have to say it'll be more interesting. There are no signs, or anything, that will tell you what you're seeing. Getting to it from Cusco, via train, then with a bus transfer, and then a hike, would be a whole lot easier if you let someone else organize it for you. On the other hand, you might prefer just to wander and look, without the historic and cultural commentary - it's all a matter of individual preference. I'd also second, that if you're up for alot of walking, you take the 4-day Inca Trail walk, which does require that you go with a guide, and you'll see lots more than just Machu Picchu. The Sacred Valley, the historic sites around the city of Cusco like Sachsayhuaman, Pikilacta, Tipon, and others, are well worth the visit.

 

Ten days isn't much time for both. Machu Picchu and Cuzco should need 3 to 4 days and the jungle another 3 to 4 days. And 2 days Lima, the capital. So there is not much time for more.
Jungle should start in Iquitos. There are a lot of agencies around Plaza de Armas that have a programme for all needs. Alternatively you can hire a boat (as we did) and a native guide and go by your own. Here all depends on quality of guide and boat. The Amazonas is huge with many arms and diffucult in orientation.
Machu Picchu is easy. Tours every morning very early. You should visit Cuzco one or two days. And think about acclimatisation, its very high and you need your time to adopt to the poor oxigen.

 

If you're going to Cuzco and you want to see the rain forest, I wouldn't recommend doubling back through Lima to go to Iquitos. This is a lot of travel. You can get directly to Puerto Maldonado from Cuzco and from PM you can do an eco-tour up the R�o Tambopata. It's a very well-run eco-tourism company and there's a lot to see there, and all you really miss is the hugeness of the R�o Amazonas.

Lima is worth spending a couple of days in. Tour the old colonial center and the cathedrals including the "catacombas", and be sure to have your fill of seafood---the ceviche lunches are an experience not to be missed. My favorite cevicher�as: La Mar and Pescados Capitales on Av. La Mar in Miraflores; Francesco on the Malec�n in Miraflores; Alfresco in Miraflores near Parque Kennedy; Los Cavenecia behind the "Neopl�stico" hospital at Angamos and Aviaci�n in San Borja; also try the popular chains Punta Sal and Segundo Muelle, both with outlets throughout Lima.

If you have any extra time at all, try a couple of days in Arequipa. It's a fascinating city.

Enjoy!

 

I went to Peru last year with my sister. We spent two weeks.

First:
Iquitos/Amazon
We flew into Lima and spent the night in the airport, taking the 4 am flight to the rain forest. From there we took a boat to the resort. I believe it was called Chieba Tops (spelling). I believe the company is explorama. It was very affordable. It was right off the Amazon and the closest resort to Iquitos (about an hour boat time). The rooms had a/c and there was a pool. From there you can take day trips to their other resorts and do a canopy tour, go pirahana fishing, visit a local village, and several other things. The other resorts are more like camping. You sleep in mosquito nets and even though my sister and I are tough, it didn't look like fun for a week.

After spending a few days in the rain forest, which was AMAZING, especially seeing the sunrise on the Amazon. We had one night in Iquitos. Our first hotel looked like it was used as pimp house, so we upgraded to one of the nicest hotels in town. It was still only $70. Overall, Iquitos didn't look to be the best of cities. I think if you want the experience, one night should suffice.

Next:
Cuzco and the Inca Trail

After spending three days in the rain forest, it was time to head to the mountains. Our flight from Iquitos to Lima got diverted to the Chiclayo on the coast due to fog. Chiclayo looked like what I imagine Baghdad looks like in a dust storm. Just lots of dust. Landing in Cuzco and taking off is incredible at 10,000 feet surrounded by mountains. You'll need a day to adjust to the altitude. My sister didn't feel good the first night, but was fine the next day. Cuzco is a must if you go to Peru. We wandered the city and were lucky enough to get a tour from the nice lady who helped up set up our Inca trail excursion. We also took a tour w/ her through the Sacred Valley. Our hotel was one of the nicest ones in town. It's a four or five star chain, but I forget what it's called.

You'll need a tour guide or something for the sacred valley. It's pretty cheap as well.

After a few days of shopping and hiking around Cuzco and the Sacred Valley, we set out on the Inca Trail. Our trek was four days, and I think I cost around $400 a person. We were fortunate enough to procure two spots on the trail, and more lucky that our group only consisted of my sister and me, and two college girls from the UK who were traveling the world. If you can, I highly recommend taking the trek. The scenery is breath-taking and the experience seemed so much more rewarding than taking the train. You also get to see more ruins and summit a 14,000 foot pass. It'll get you into shape if you aren't already.

Machu Picchu
Spectacular. Aguascalientes, the surrounding city is neat because it looks as if the sides of the valley are going to cave in and destroy the city at any moment. We stayed at the Inka Terra resort. Our hotel had got all screwed up and we had little choice but to upgrade to the $400 a night resort. It was nice, especially after living in tents, but not worth it. There is a hotel at Machu Picchu, but it's so incredibly expensive that it doesn't seem worth it. For the price of that hotel you could hike the inca trail. After nearly two days in aquascalientes, we took the train back to cuzco, where we spent another day or two.

Finally,
Arequipa
We flew from Cuzco to Arequipa, after deciding Arequipa would be our final stop in Peru. Arequipa is known as the "White City" and has a much more Latin America meets far Western Europe feel compared to Cuzco. There is great two day hiking from the city, but we only felt like a day hike. It turned out to be a horrible hike and we had no idea what we had gotten ourselves into (literally a hike across the desert with no water and lots of bugs at 8,000 feet). The city was fun to explore, but I liked Cuzco better. We flew back through Lima.

We never left the airport in Lima, but I'd like to go back some day. Peru was amazing. We went from being in the middle of the rain forest to seeing snow capped mountains to seeing the beach (Lima) all in one trip. Also, it is possible to do most of the trip w/o an organized tour. My sister and I saw those tours and were glad we had the freedom. Day tours seemed to work better if you're more independent. Obviously there are times you want a guide, but it's also fun to be able to explore on your own. If you have any more specific questions feel free to PM me.

 

I am probably the only tourist in the world with the following opinion: I believe Machu Pichu is overrated.

Before going there, I went to:
Saqsayhuaman (pronounced more or less sexywoman). 30 minute walk from the city square of Cusco. It has much more fine rock work and the rocks are larger. By comparison, Machu Pichu has almost no rock wall worth looking at.

Pisaq - this is a site VERY similar to Machu Pichu, but, is a $1 to $2 public 1 hour bus ride from Cusco, then a $10-$20 cab ride to get to the site, or a very strenuous walk. I walked down. The "city" of Machu Pichu is larger, but the overall site and terracing as Pisaq is much larger.

At $400 for Machu Pichu - I think the Peru tourism industry is simply gouging the foreign toursists.

You can check out my pics at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronald.sercely

Just my thoughts.

 

Good point on MP, although it's not so much that it's over-rated but rather that there are so many other great sites to visit in Peru. Still, MP is an impressive place, not so much for the stone work as for the setting, and you don't have to spend $400 to get there. I'd recommend at least a day trip on the train from Cuzco, it's certainly worth that, and you'd probably have time left over to see other nearby sites.

 

Not at all - I think you're actually dead on. Machu Pichu, while fascinating, is overrun with tourist groups, expensive (though, we just went a couple of months ago and it wasn't anywhere near $400 - for two people it only cost us about $200 total), and time consuming to get to. On the other hand - it's one of those sort of once in a lifetime visits. But, I'd agree, some of the other areas are far more interesting - beyond the ones you mention, taking a guide and a cab ride out to places like Pikillacta and Tipon, where you'll be one of maybe half a dozen people visiting, and seeing things that are truly amazing, is well worth doing. Ollantaytambo is another large and amazingly beautiful spot,

 

Hi everybody,
does anyone have experience with the Inca trail from Cusco to Machu Picchu? I am planning to do this trip, but some things are not clear. When checking the websites of agencies, it looks like you have to book and pay 1 month in advance due to regulations. Is it just a way to make tourists pay more when they book the most expensive tour operators from abroad? Or I can go to Cusco and book there, like, 2 days in advance?
Does this apply to the Inca trail only, or every other visit to Machu Picchu, for example by train?
If I really have to book in advance, where would you recommend?
Thank you very much,
Neuromancer

 

For the Inca trail, I wouldn't be surprised if the advance notice is necessary. It used to be that you could hike it yourself, or with pretty much any guide you felt like hiring. You no longer can do that - you have to hire a certified guide for the trail, and there aren't a huge number of them, so they probably book up their groups well in advance, just to know what to plan on. The official guide fees are set fees, so if a particular tour operator is charging you more than another, they're just adding an extra fee for themselves - book through someone else.