La Serena to Machu Picchu then back to ship?

Hi All,

Dad and I are doing 49 day with Princess in January. Shore excursions not out yet, but there is no way that Princess is going to be offering Machu Picchu, as the ship docks in Pisco one day then Lima the next.

So yes, we know it's a little nuts, but we are thinking about leaving the ship in La Serena, to take a private tour to Machu Picchu, then catching back up with the ship in either Pisco or Lima.

The ship docks in La Serena then has two sea days before it docks in Pisco one day, then Lima the next. Has anyone ever done this? I know it would have to be pre-approved with Princess and that we would be totally on our own if we missed the ship again.

But seriously, is this doable? Anyone ever taken the flight from La Serena to Cusco - if so how far away is the airport in La Serena from the ship? Even as I write this, I think the whole idea is nuts - lol. Any suggestions appreciated - Dad has been there but I haven't and he really wants to go back. Thanks

Tammy

La Serena is in Chile, so you would have to take an international flight to Lima, then another one from Lima to Cusco. Flights from La Serena probably go down to Santiago not up to Lima. You would need to find out.

We were on a HAL ship that offered a three day excursion to Machu Pichu. Start in Lima - Cusco, then train to Machu Pichu. They picked up the ship again in Ecuador. I suspect that it was a charter flight to Ecuador, but I am not sure.

We did our Cusco, Machu Pichu trip separately. It was wonderful and not rushed.

Thanks Floridiana,

After doing more research, I'm now getting a quote worked up for a private tour from Lima.

Cusco 3 nights (1 day Sacred Valley, 1 day Machu Picchu), then fly Cusco to San Jose, Costa Rica spend the night in Puntarenas and catch back up to the ship.

I should be getting the quote back tomorrow, it will be interesting to see what the private tour costs compared to Princess (If they even end up offering one - tours are not out yet).

Floridiana, can you please tell me what tour company you used? Or is that not allowed anymore - I can't remember (I seem to recall that you can only list a company name if someone asks for it).

Thanks,

Tammy

I know it does not work for everyone but we prefer to do things like that on the front or back of the cruise. One you are not as rushed, two you have paid something for the cruise and missing those days, that always bothers me.

I often plan sorta crazy trips and am not adverse to making "way too short" visits to unique places when it makes sense! But I am having a hard time with this one if you are saying you have just 3 total days -- that means Day 1 Lima-Cusco-modified (probably not all) Sacred Valley, Day 2 MP, Day 3 travel (it looks like there's only one daily non-stop Lima-San Jose (very pricey on my test date!), you'd have to leave Cusco very early AM to catch it, if that non-stop canceled for some reason, your Plan B would involve a really long air travel day, and once you get to San Jose, the drive out to P is roughly 2 hours). If you have 4 days, you can enjoy it more fully, but you will still be stuck with that last travel day. I hope neither of you suffers from altitude sickness--you will probably want to start taking something a few days before you reach Lima as a hopeful preventative. Good luck!

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I agree with a prior poster, it sounds rushed and doing a separate trip (as we did from Lima) makes alot of sense. First, you have to fly into Cusco where the altitude is about 11,000 ft. Altitude sickness can occur if you don't give you body some time to adjust. A tour in and around Cusco is worthwhile. Then you must take a 3 hour train ride to Machu Picchu, followed by about a 20 minute bus ride up the mountain. MP is only 8,700 ft so you should not have problems here. There are a few trains back to Cusco that I recall are later in the afternoon, thus, leaving you only a few hours on the mountain (with alot of day tourists unless you stay overnight & see the sunrise (magical). It is an amazing site.

Thanks Artemis and Dabear for your warnings/concerns.

Dad has done Machu Picchu before as well as world/longer cruises (off ship to go to Taj Majal for example). We both went to Tibet almost 7 years ago and he climbed to the top of the Potali Pal (sp?) at age 70.

I remember the altitude sickness very well in Tibet for the first night - despite Diamox/water/oxygen - lol, and would not have given up the experience of Tibet for ANYTHING. We are both "hardy" travelers, even if we are not in the best of health and can usually "keep on truckin".

I do think I would rather do this with Princess if they offer it, just trying to get our ducks in a row now. Fully aware of all the risks we are taking doing it "on our own".

Thanks,

Tammy

Thanks Artemis and Dabear for your warnings/concerns.

Dad has done Machu Picchu before as well as world/longer cruises (off ship to go to Taj Majal for example). We both went to Tibet almost 7 years ago and he climbed to the top of the Portola Palace (sp?) at age 70.

I remember the altitude sickness very well in Tibet for the first night - despite Diamox/water/oxygen - lol, and would not have given up the experience of Tibet for ANYTHING. We are both "hardy" travelers, even if we are not in the best of health and can usually "keep on truckin".

I do think I would rather do this with Princess if they offer it, just trying to get our ducks in a row now. Fully aware of all the risks we are taking doing it "on our own".

Thanks,

Tammy

I think it is totally doable. I, personally, would not want to risk any delays or issues returning to the ship on my own. Travel in Chile and Peru tends not to be so reliable. But if Princess doesn't offer this tour, and you don't think you'll be in that part of the world again, I say go for it. We did a Celebrity cruise last year that offered a 3-day excursion to Machu Picchu, where we left the ship in Lima and returned in Arica, Chile. It was an absolutely amazing tour. I was really disturbed by how many people opted not to do the tour and stayed on the ship (!!!!). Hopefully, as the day draws closer, Princess will be offering an option to do this.

Michael

Sorry for the double post earlier.

Thanks for the encouragement Michael. It will probably not be a place Dad ever goes to again, and this is my first S.A. trip - so who knows for me.

This is actually starting to be fun to plan and when all is said and done, we'll see how much savings there is on doing it on our own vs Princess.

Tammy

Sorry for the double post earlier.

 

Thanks for the encouragement Michael. It will probably not be a place Dad ever goes to again, and this is my first S.A. trip - so who knows for me.

 

This is actually starting to be fun to plan and when all is said and done, we'll see how much savings there is on doing it on our own vs Princess.

 

Tammy

Tammy, FYI, the Celebrity excursion cost us $6,000. You can definitely save money on your own. Have fun! MP is just amazing!

Michael

sprinkles,

With so little time, I would opt for an excursion arranged by the cruise line. Too many things can go wrong with timing, but they would be responsible for putting you back on the ship.

We did our tour with Escaped to Latin America. They were great and changed things around for us at least 5 times. It was a semi- private tour. They used Condor Travel as a local company. All guides were excellent! I had no altitude problems in Machu Pichu but in Cusco. The private CIMA Clinic put me back together again.

Unfortunately, my altitude sickness eliminates Bolivia and Chile's Atacama Desert from my travel plans. At least, I got to compare doctors in Peru (excellent!) and Tibet (did not speak English). Who else can say that? :p

Thanks for the info Floridiana,

As someone who has been to both places, can you confirm what I am thinking. That Machu Picchu will be a very similar experience to Tibet. I have been watching videos on-line of the "trek" to Machu Picchu and Dad keeps laughing when I say, I "know" exactly what this trip will be like.

The explorer in me really wants to go, I would not give up Tibet for anything. But all this talk of altitude sickness is reminding me of just how "tough" it was. The one good thing is that, the rest of our cruise is just one stop in Nicaragua and one stop in Puerto Vallarta, with lots of sea days getting to Los Angeles. So if Machu Picchu wipes us out, no biggie, lots of rest time on the ship. Vs in China, we still had a lot of traveling after Tibet, all by air/land.

Again, thanks for the thoughts info everybody.

Tammy

Tammy,

I answered at the other place where you posted.

Generally, the rule is to sleep low if you are at a high altitude during the day. Cusco is the highest place on this tour, not a good idea to spend several nights there for people who have already had altitude sickness. The city is fascinating, however, a few hours on the main plaza and in the cathedral are sufficient if you are strapped for time. You may want to stay overnight at a lower altitude close to Machu Pichu which is down the valley.