Pre-cruise Machu Picchu excursion

Has anyone taken this? I would like to read some feedback. Is there a lot o f walking? How are the meals? What time to you arrive at the ruins? Any info would be appreciated.

Haven't done silversea's tour there, but I have been there so can answer your question regarding walking.

To see the site, you are going to have to be able to walk a bit and to walk on uneven surfaces with some steps and stairs. Machu pichu is very old, and therefore not ADA compliant at all. We saw some people there who were not very fit or able to get around. They basically had to sit at the entrance which is a shame, because they paid a high price to see very little.

The walking isn't particularly strenuous unless you want it to be, but it definitely not level. I think a person using a cane could do it if they were otherwise fit, but any kind of walker or wheelchair would be impossible.

Also take into consideration that it is a very high altitude. We had a week to acclimate prior to our visit there, spending time at lake titicaca and Cuzco. You will not have that option with silversea precruise, so you need to be sure you can handle a quick change to a high altitude. No lung or heart problems for sure, but Even young people can get altitude sickness.

i have a can which i used to use. would it be beneficial to take it along?

I took a hiking pole and found it very useful.

whoops! spelling error it is a CANE i have. maybe i should bring it along

We did the tour thru Regent in 2005 post cruise. You will fly into Cuzco, which is higher than Machu Picchu(@11,000 ft), whereas Machu Picchu is @ 9500 ft. We stayed at the Monesterio hotel in Cuzco for a night( book a room with oxygen if you want to sleep without getting a headache ), then rode the Orient Express train to Machu Picchu. You should be OK with a cane or walking poles. The train ride back and forth takes @ 2-3 hours. Keep in mind that there is no instrument approach into Cuzco and flights between there and Lima are often delayed as much as a full day. If you're doing the trip pre-cruise plan accordingly.

thank you so much! I feel better now and will bring my cane just in case. The airport thing worries me though. Does not landing happen often? i hope not. or maybe by now they do have instrument landing.

We did the tour mid-cruise with Silversea. We spent two nights in Cuzco and took the Hiram Bingham train to Machu Picchu from a station somewhere about 90 minutes away from Cuzco since the rail line was washed out.

There can be a lot of walking if you choose to do it, so by all means take a cane or hiking poles. The day we arrived in Machu Picchu, we toured around Cuzco and took the train the following day.

We took medicine to prevent altitude sickness and apart from being a bit tired, we had no problems even though we did drink several pisco sours! I don't mean to scare you, but several passengers on our excursion were not well when they left the ship, and one landed in the hospital in Cuzco and another couple turned right around at the airport and went back to Lima. All three left the cruise and went home. I would check with a doctor before going if you think you have any health issues that might worsen on the trip.

Having said all that, it was a bucket list trip and I'm very glad we did it.

Thank you! I have gotten my perscription for altitude sickness and i plan on chewing the tea leaves if necessary! You bet this is a bucket list item - and i hope to get thru it!. The help I have been receiving on these boards is truly great. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to steer me in the right direction!. I didn't realize the trip would be that long by train. sounds like a full day of travel to me! Lima to Cuzco to MP wow! The cane will come with me, the ill fitting wetsuit will stay home, I have requested an oxygenated room in Cuzco. Anything else I should know?? Still contemplating the crocs but i think they might win out!!

Unless you're staying at the lodge in Machu Picchu, which is very expensive, you will overnight in Cuzco before the train ride to Machu Picchu. The train leaves very early in the morning and returns fairly late at night with meals each way on the train. Then you'll spend another night in Cuzco. No flights out of Cuzco after dark. Doubt they will ever have an instrument approach into Cuzco due to the terrain. Flight delays into and out of Cuzco are not unusual.

yes we do have one night at Sanctuary Lodge. I am sure that is what makes our tour so pricey!! however, i will get to see (I hope) the clouds and mists rising over MP at 5AM before heading again for Cuzco. The return train is the Vistadome, the one to the ruins is the HB.

The Sanctuary Lodge is absolutely worth it for getting to see the early morning mist and being there before the crowds arrive. I definitely recommend. We did the vistadome both ways, and it was fine.

The Sanctuary Lodge is absolutely worth it for getting to see the early morning mist and being there before the crowds arrive. I definitely recommend. We did the vistadome both ways, and it was fine.

+1

MP Sanctuary Lodge - it's crazy expensive for the quality of the room and facilities, but it's all-inclusive which helps. The food and drink that they served while we there were actually quite tasty!

Plus it's worth many $ not to have to line up for the bus up and down from Aguas Calientes every time you want to visit the MP site. And, you can stay in the ruins until closing time - after the day trippers leave, the site is much less crowded. And it's beautiful early in the morning as well...

We did the Vistadome from Cusco to AC, and took the HB train back. The Vistadome is fine; we did the HB back simply because it left later in the evening, so we had more time at the site. Ppiew, your schedule will probably get you there 2 hours later, and make you leave a little earlier. Still, it's much better to spend the night vs. doing a day-trip! So glad that SS is doing this as part of the MP visit.

One note - if you're going soon (next 4-5 months) it's not really a train from Cusco to AC. You have to bus from Cusco to a halfway point, then get on the train in Sacred Valley for the rest of the trip to AC. That's supposed to be fixed by June...

GRRRR. I was hoping for a looong ride on the HB and it will be shortened. We are on the Feb 1 sailing so whatever is being fixed will still be in process! oh well. Abercrombie is the land carrier hired by SS to handle this portion so I feel we will be in competent hands.

ppiew - don't sweat it. If you look at the current timetables for Perurail here: http://www.perurail.com/destination-machu-picchu it seems that you'll have over 2.5h on the HB after you transfer from the bus. That should be plenty... from what I remember of our HB trip.

And the bus uses a station that's closer to Cusco than the train used - een when the train went "all the way" to/from Cusco, it really operated from Poroy, which was a good 20 minutes out of town. I just looked at a map of Cusco and it seems like the bus station is a mile from the center of the city. So that part may be more convenient for you.

Regardless, MP is worth the hassle to get there. Hope you enjoy it at least half as much as we did! Please let us know how the tour worked out for you.

Do I take it we fly from Lima to Cusco, bus to train station, train to close to MP and then bus again to the site? wow!

Do I take it we fly from Lima to Cusco, bus to train station, train to close to MP and then bus again to the site? wow!

Getting to MP is difficult, yes. We did it on our own, but only after a ton of research into how to do so. I don't know SS's exact itinerary and methods, but their website does list a fairly detailed itinerary.

MP is located on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. There is a walking trail up the mountain, and one road up the mountain that has about 20 switchbacks. The only access to that road is from the village of Aquas Calientes (AC), which is situated in the valley below the MP site. The sole purpose of AC is to visit MP. Well, that's not 100% true; AC means hot water, and there are some hot springs that some visitors enjoy, I hear.

THERE ARE NO ROADS to AC. The only way to AC is by train. Or you could walk one of the various Inca trails to MP and then down to AC, if you had the time and inclination. Unless you have a week to spare, you need to get there by train from either Cusco, or from a few other train stops in the Sacred Valley.

You cannot easily get from Lima to MP in a single day because of the logistics of coordinating a plane, train, and bus trip. All of the "trains" from Cusco to MP leave by 8AM. There are no flights into Cusco that arrive that early. I suppose (if you were insane) you could fly to Cusco early morning, drive to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley (about 1.5 - 2h, IIRC) and then jump on an afternoon train to MP. Very hectic, and you'd probably have to overnight in AC because the buses up to MP stop running in the evening...

So the only sane way to do this is fly from Lima to Cusco, spend the day in either Cusco or SV depending on where you want to sightsee, and take the train out to MP the next morning. Here is a link to one of SS's MP extensions - is this what you're doing? If so, that's how they do it.

http://www.silversea.com/expeditions/destinations/plan-expedition/?&excursion=03PSTGYEMG&type=Land%20Program

You CAN come home from MP to Lima in the same day if you're lucky - early train out of MP, afternoon flight out of Cusco. We didn't try it, because we wanted to stay in MP longer, and I've heard that afternoon flights in/out of Cusco are more susceptible to being canceled due to fog.

Your included hotels are awesome - Miraflores Park in Lima, Monasterio in Cusco... Gorgeous! We stayed in all of them when we did this. The pics1 link in my signature below, in the line about the Galapagos has some hotel pictures if you want a preview. Enjoy!

this is the excursion we are taking: looks like Lima to MP IS the same day!!

very hectic!!!! I would think that with Abercrombie as the vender of this excursion they would have a big of mercy on us older folks!!

DAY 1 - LIMA

Upon arrival in Lima, you are met and transferred from the airport to the Country Club Hotel, After check-in, the remainder of the day and evening are at your leisure. Lunch and dinner are on your own. (we get there at 1AM, so we are staying an extra day here)

Overnight Lima, Peru

DAY 2 - LIMA/MACHU PICCHU

A very early departure from the hotel takes you to the airport for your flight to Cusco. Once there, transfer directly to the train station in the Sacred Valley where the Hiram Bingham awaits.

Brunch is served en route. Upon arrival at the site, commence a guided tour of the marvellous Citadel, then take a stroll through this impressive archaeological site on your own. Explore the famous "Lost City of the Incas" and feel its pulse while visualizing the lives of the priests, craftsmen, and servants who lived in this seemingly incredible site. Excavations have only added to the mystery, revealing the skeletons of 173 people along with artifacts and woolen clothing, though no gold.

Afterward, relax with afternoon tea at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, the only hotel located within the very grounds of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary citadel. Dinner is served at the Lodge.

Overnight at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge

DAY 3 - MACHU PICCHU/CUSCO

After an early-morning breakfast at the lodge, depart for an opportunity to witness an incomparable sight (weather permitting); the sun rising over Machu Picchu. Due to the proximity of the hotel to the site, overnight guests have time in the morning to enjoy the citadel with very few other visitors around.

Later in the morning, transfer to the Aguas Calientes Station and board Peru Rail's Vistadome train for the return trip to Cusco. A box lunch is provided.

Transfer to the Hotel Monasterio in Cuzco. This afternoon you are free to explore the area. Dinner this evening is served at a local restaurant.

Overnight at the Monasterio Hotel - Cuzco, Peru

DAY 4 - QUITO

Depart for the airport this morning for the flights to Quito. A late lunch is served upon your arrival at the hotel. The balance of the afternoon is at your leisure. The local Silversea representative will have several Optional Excursions on offer, or you are free to explore the area on your own.

Overnight at the Hilton Colon - Quito, Ecuador

DAY 5 - GALÁPAGOS

After breakfast at the hotel, return to the airport for the onward flight to the Galápagos. Bon voyage!

That is a lot of travelling in one day. You will be getting VERY early in Lima to do the flight the same day as the train. Try to sleep some on the train or flight!

I have personally stayed all these hotels, and they are very nice.

DAY 2 - LIMA/MACHU PICCHU

 

A very early departure from the hotel takes you to the airport for your flight to Cusco. Once there, transfer directly to the train station in the Sacred Valley where the Hiram Bingham awaits.

Brunch is served en route. Upon arrival at the site, commence a guided tour of the marvellous Citadel, then take a stroll through this impressive archaeological site on your own. Explore the famous "Lost City of the Incas" and feel its pulse while visualizing the lives of the priests, craftsmen, and servants who lived in this seemingly incredible site. Excavations have only added to the mystery, revealing the skeletons of 173 people along with artifacts and woolen clothing, though no gold.

 

Afterward, relax with afternoon tea at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, the only hotel located within the very grounds of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary citadel. Dinner is served at the Lodge.

 

Overnight at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge

 

That is a crazy day for sure. Guess they do have earlier flights from Lima to Cusco - just checked LAN, and they now have flights leaving as early as 5AM! Yikes!

The Miraflores Park Hotel is almost an hour from the airport, but traffic may be somewhat lighter at such an early hour... Maybe 45 minutes? You'll have to leave the hotel at least 2.5 hours, maybe 3, before your flight. Won't do the math for you, but we had a 9AM flight from Lima, and still had to leave so early that we missed the hotel's buffet breakfast. They gave us complimentary room service to make up for it, but it was painfully early. Maybe a late dinner will suffice for you? ;)

If you take such an early flight, though, you'll arrive in Cusco early enough to catch the morning train to MP - either in Pachar or Ollantaytambo. It's the only way to make it there in a single day.

You will definitely want to relax with "tea" at the MP Sanctuary lounge in the afternoon though!

One advantage of this itinerary is that you go from sea level (Lima) to MP to Cusco - MP is at a lower altitude than Cusco, so you have a better chance of adapting to the altitude. :)

We, too, have stayed in all of those hotels and found them to be excellent, except that the Country Club Hotel is not in an area that is convenient to walk about. If SS/A&K offers the Miraflores Park as an alternative hotel, that might be a better option, since it is located in a lovely neighborhood.

It is good to be taking a morning flight to Cuzco, even if it's painful to get to the airport so early, as many afternoon flights are cancelled because of fog.

In my opinion, it's better to take the Vistadome to MP and the HB train back, since it will be dark when you return from MP. The Vistadome has better viewing windows than the HB, although the HB is a gorgeous old train and great fun to take. Thus, it's fun to be in the HB when it's dark and the view doesn't matter much. Either way, it's a marvelous train ride each way.

Sanctuary Lodge is (again, in my opinion) the only place to stay when visiting MP. Being right at the ruins is (in the words of the MasterCard commercial) "priceless". The restaurant for the evening (included) dinner (as opposed to the big buffet restaurant used for the noon meal, open to both SL and non-SL guests) is of high quality, with an imaginative menu and very good service.

Just to keep things a bit real, you should know that, contrary to the marketing spiel of the Sanctuary Lodge which suggests that "overnight guests have time in the morning to enjoy the citadel with very few other visitors around", the ruins are not opened to SL guests any earlier than other visitors. In fact, several buses from AC arrive at MP prior to the opening of the gates to the ruins, resulting in a line of a couple of hundred other tourists (including the dozens of whacky backpackers who hike up to the ruins from AC early in the morning from AC) waiting for the opening of the gates into the ruins. Fortunately, compared to later in the morning when a zillion buses come, the line clears very quickly and many of the crazy backpackers race across the ruins to be get tickets to go up to Huayna Picchu. Thus, the ruins are, in fact, while not by any means empty in the early morning, quite modestly populated. My suggestion is to let the first line of scruffy and smelly backpackers go through the entrance gates as soon as they open and then go through at your leisure. On our second day (after learning that lesson - think of standing in a line with a large group of people who had had only the most passing interaction with soap and water in the previous few days), we simply watched the entrance line from our room and went down when the first group had cleared.

Finally, if you are having any symptoms whatever of AMS (acute mountain sickness), it is definitely worthwhile to pay the $40 supplement at the lovely Monestario Hotel to have an oxygenated room. Another note regarding the Monestario Hotel - even if they offer room service breakfast, you should consider having breakfast in the magnificent hall in which it is served at the hotel. The breakfast is very good; and the hall is simply gorgeous.

Cheers, Fred

Absolutely agree with all of Fred's recommendations as that is exactly our experience! We had a lovely dinner at the sanctuary lodge, very high end. The lunch buffet is actually pretty good, but very chaotic. And agree about the hotel in Lima. Not a great area for walking, but fine for overnight. The miraflores area is much better if you want to be able to walk around on your own. We stayed at the doubletree there, and it was fine.

Wow, with your itinerary I would strongly recommend that you take acetazolamide (Diamox) for three days before the flight from Lima to Cuzco and continue until returning to low altitude, IF you are not allergic or sensitive to sulfa drugs. Flying from sea level to 11,000 feet in two hours is a huge change with no time to acclimate, and you go straight to Machu Picchu with no time in your oxygenated hotel room. Machu Picchu is at lower altitude than Cuzco, but it's still high. And I doubt that your hotel at Machu Picchu has oxygenated rooms. Coca tea is a poor substitute and often produces insomnia.

I have posted on this topic before. When we did this trip as a SS pre-cruise in 2004 we were able to acclimate a day in the Cuzco hotel before going to Machu Picchu, were premedicated, and had no problem. Several other passengers had real altitude problems (including the ship's doctor!)

Please consult your doctor to make sure the medications are safe for you and to make sure you are fit for altitude. That's my disclaimer, since I actually am a doctor.

thank you thank you thank you! good advice and good info. some i cannot take for various reasons: original hotel in Lima was in the Miraflores area but it is closed until March for renovations. This is a SS excursion and they have hired A&K to handle this tour so the details and hotel choices were up to them and we need to conform. we did add a day at the beginning of the tour because we leave from Michigan at 5:45AM (yes that is AM) and don't arrive in Lima until 11PM. and i certainly didn't want to leave at 4AM for the airport again to fly to Cuzco. Also felt if i was going to be in Lima I would hope to see something if only for 1 day!! I would guess A&K would have suggestions for local tours etc. A&K also booked the HB to MP in the AM and the Vistadome on the return. I really appreciate the info abt the AM visit to the ruins. I did not realize that the hordes would be there b4 we would be able to get in. Well so much for seeing the sunrise! will take your advice and wait for the great unwashed to pass and then hobble to the ruins ourselves. Dinner at SL will be great and is in our tour pkg. thanks again for all of your trouble to write. and yes, we do have oxygenated rooms at the Hotel Monastario. will take your advice for brkfst too! thanks again (do agree the the MP at the END of the tour would be better - seems very congested with this itinerary - glad A&K is handling it!!)

I really appreciate the info abt the AM visit to the ruins. I did not realize that the hordes would be there b4 we would be able to get in. Well so much for seeing the sunrise! will take your advice and wait for the great unwashed to pass and then hobble to the ruins ourselves.

We too heard about the hordes of backpackers lining up early to crash the gate at opening time. Our room was at the end of the Sanctuary Hotel, directly facing the gate, so yes, we heard them lining up by 5-something to get in exactly at the 6AM opening time. And the buses do start up from AC early as well; the first busload or two arrive by by 6, I think, and some of the more ambitious ones walk up from AC to get on line early.

But it wasn't a major issue; the line clears fast and we were able to get through the gate pretty quickly. The early-morning crush may have become less prominent since they started selling the Huayna Picchu tickets online. In the past, the only way to climb HP was to get to MP early, crash the gate, and be one of the first 400 to the HP gate to get your MP ticket stamped, therefore allowing you to climb the mountain.

So, everyone and their brother used to crash the gate to try and do this... It was supposedly crazy, as freddie described - but this isn't the way they do it any longer. It was not a crazy mob scene when we were there.

Now, you buy your HP ticket online in combination with your MP entry ticket, so there is no need to crash the gate in order to climb HP. We were not particularly bothered by crowds early in the morning, and we were in the site by 6:30. It is still WAY better to be there early, than to wait until mid-day.

Suggestion: go bright and early, enjoy the sights for 1-2 hours, then come back for a late breakfast as the crowd builds up. You shouldn't get trampled by the hordes...