Disembarking at Valparaiso and traveling to Machu Picchu

We would like to extend our trip after our cruise. I would appreciate any help you could give me on how you got to Machu Picchu, any tour operators you might have used, how many days one would need, other sights not to miss in that area, or how you made connections on your own. Thank-you

Most of this information is from (Gina) greatam, who frequently posts to this board.

Buy your train tickets in advance online at PeruRail.com

I would NOT try to get to Machu Picchu in basically ONE day-fly to Cusco on the 24th, trip to MP on the 25th, fly back to Lima on the 26th. Just tooooo much too soon and a very good chance of getting AMS-altitude sickness (unless you live above 5000 feet) with all the rushing around.

First day-arrive Cusco-take my advice about the coca tea to prevent altitude sickness. RELAX and go slow unless you are used to the altitude (11,000 feet). Maybe dinner at Norton's Rat Tavern on the South side of the Plaza de Armas. Good old fashioned USA hamburgers (they also have lots of other things). Run by an old time hippie biker who ended up in Cusco years ago. Nice little balcony to watch all the going's on in the Plaza.

Hotels in Cusco are VERY good about arranging taxis everywhere. They are cheap. BE CAREFUL just hailing a cab off the street. There are a lot of coked up "gypsy" drivers who INSIST you go to THEIR hotel/THEIR tour. Best to allow your hotel to arrange transport to/from train station, etc. etc.

Second day Tour to Pisac, Chincheros and ruins in the Sacred Valley. The BEST tour, IMHO, is sold out of the travel agency/tour office UPSTAIRS on the North side of Plaza de Armas, towards the end of the block east of the Inka Grill. Tour should be about $20-25.00 WITHOUT lunch ($12.00 for a VERY good buffet in Urubamba). There will be LOTS of kids trying to sell you tours. Buy from a reputable agency. And while you are buying your tour tickets, buy a good guidebook for MP (if you haven't already bought one)

Third day-Up VERY early-the bus/train leaves very early for Machu Picchu. The train tracks between Cusco and most of the way to Machu Picchu were washed out last January, so you will need to take a bus to Piscacucho, where you will transfer to the train to MP. You DO NOT need a tour guide unless you just want one. I find it MUCH easier to just wander around, guide book in hand and EXPLORE things I want to see, NOT what the tour guide wants you to see. The resident llamas live in the middle of the ruins-I find it VERY peaceful to just sit and watch them. The tours don't allow you the time. And if you REALLY see something you would like more info about, just stand at the back of one of many tours and listen.

You may wish to pack a lunch as the buffet at MP was US$32 for mediocre fare. Also rain wear. We had unseasonably warm temperatures in the high 70's and sun in the morning, then it rained for two plus hours around noon and then cleared up again.

Every hotel EXCEPT the Sanctuary is at the bottom of the hill. You are totally dependent upon the bus to get up the hill to the ruins. And the bus doesn't start running very early, so you miss the sunrise. IMHO, unless you really think you need two days at the ruins, I see no need to spend the night unless you stay at the Sanctuary.

An alternative itinerary would be to arrive in Cusco, stay in the Sacred Valley, and then travel to Machu Picchu on the bus/train from Ollanta.

We used Adventure Life and went on a 7 day tour

http://www.adventure-life.com/tours/machu-picchu-by-train-tour-354

There are several tour operators that provide similar services.

Thank you for the information on Machu Picchu. This is the information I was looking for- an organized tour vs doing it on your own. I was wondering how you arranged airfare? Frommers mentions purchasing an airpass. Since we are also flying to Iguazu Falls, I was wondering if this is a worthwhile thing for all our flights or did you purchase separate tickets each time?

Thank you for the information on Machu Picchu. This is the information I was looking for- an organized tour vs doing it on your own. I was wondering how you arranged airfare? Frommers mentions purchasing an airpass. Since we are also flying to Iguazu Falls, I was wondering if this is a worthwhile thing for all our flights or did you purchase separate tickets each time?

We did Iguazu Falls from BA for just 1 night seeing it only from the Argentine side. We flew home from Santiago. Flights were frequent flyer mileage bookings. We had a Travel agent in BA book our city tours and stay and the excursion to Iguazu and the package worked out well for us. Details in my trip notes.

We did Machu Picchu and Galapagos as a separate trip in 2008. If I were to do it again, I would use Ecoventura for both. We used for Galapagos only. We booked our own flights US to Lima and Quito back to US. We let Adventure Life handle all the flights within South America. Letting them be responsible was worth the slightly higher cost compared to booking on our own.

Hi Dileep,

Any particular reason why you said you would go with Ecoventura rather than Adventure Life? I have contacted both places. I am going to weigh their costs against doing it all on our own.

Thank-you for your prompt information! Cruise Critic is the best!

Hi Dileep,

 

Any particular reason why you said you would go with Ecoventura rather than Adventure Life? I have contacted both places. I am going to weigh their costs against doing it all on our own.

 

Thank-you for your prompt information! Cruise Critic is the best!

the hotels that Ecoventura offered looked better. Originally we were going to do both with Adventure Life, but we liked the ship and itinerary that Ecoventura had better. Adventure Life allowed allowed us to split the tours and essentially used Ecoventura for Galapagos. We had a bad agent at first, but then when we dealt with the supervisor, he was good. The guide we had in Peru was great! If you are not planning to go the Galapagos also, Adventure Life is fine. we almost used them again for Antarctica but found a better deal elsewhere.

They all sub-contract the services out to a Peruvian partner anyway.

The LAN airpass is far cheaper than purchasing each ticket separately. You need to purchase at least three flight segments.

According to greatam in another post, a do-it-yourself trip to MP is about half the cost of booking it through a tour company. I haven't compared the cost, myself, but I hate tours, so I've booked everything myself in connection with a trip to Galapagos in June-July.

Thanks for the information =)

The LAN airpass is far cheaper than purchasing each ticket separately. You need to purchase at least three flight segments.

Please be aware that the South America Air Pass is ONLY available to those flying into SA on LAN, OneWorld airlines (AA/BA/Qantas), AeroMexico and South African Airways. If you fly in on Delta, US, UA, CO, TACA/LASCA, etc. etc. you are NOT eligible to purchase. Even if you are allowed to buy the Air Pass through some method, you will be checked for your inbound SA boarding pass before you are allowed on the plane with your air pass. If you cannot produce an inbound boarding pass for the airlines specified, your airpass will be invalidated.

You MUST purchase the airpass at least 14 days before you fly any LAN/OneWorld flights (including TO SA). And to further confuse the issue, there is also a OneWorld Visit South America pass. IF you are flying into AND out of SA on OneWorld airlines, this pass is generally cheaper. The price is based on mileage PER SECTOR flown. Departure taxes are NOT included and you will pay at each airport.

TAM also has a SA pass. TAM bases the price on TOTAL miles flown. Avianca and Mexicanna also sell their version of SA passes.

IF you fly into SA on a OneWorld airline, you can generally save a bit of money buying the airpass. SCL to LIM to CUZ to LIM will generally run about $750-850.00pp although prices are going up and on some flights considerably (SCL/LIM is up over $175.00 from 2009). With the pass-about $500.00.

According to greatam in another post, a do-it-yourself trip to MP is about half the cost of booking it through a tour company. I haven't compared the cost, myself, but I hate tours, so I've booked everything myself in connection with a trip to Galapagos in June-July.

Just curious which boat you finally picked for the Galapagos???

Not only are the "tours" way overpriced IMHO, but some of the "hotels" offered on standard tours are not much more than youth hostels. And I have yet to see a tour that does NOT drag you around Cusco, climbing through ruins and walking a lot, on the first day. A VERY good way to get altitude sickness. You need to chill out that first day and do nothing more than drink A LOT of coca tea, take a VERY leisurely walk to the Plaza, have dinner, and really, really take it easy. I see soooo many, many tourists sick from AMS and the main cause is they just tried to do tooo much the first day and did not allow their bodies to acclimate properly. The headache of AMS can be a killer (literally-the headache is the precursor to cerebral edema).

Not only are the "tours" way overpriced IMHO, but some of the "hotels" offered on standard tours are not much more than youth hostels. And I have yet to see a tour that does NOT drag you around Cusco, climbing through ruins and walking a lot, on the first day. A VERY good way to get altitude sickness. You need to chill out that first day and do nothing more than drink A LOT of coca tea, take a VERY leisurely walk to the Plaza, have dinner, and really, really take it easy.

We were part of a 10 person tour group with an excellent guide. He gave us an introductory briefing (sometimes too long) everywhere we went followed by free time to explore. We walked through the market and went to a museum the first afternoon. Doing less would have been better! I was not affected by altitude sickness but my wife was. we had pills which did not want to take. I did drink a lot of coca tea and we also used the oxygen that the hotel provided.

The hotels in Cusco and Ollantaytambo were both excellent, but the one in Machu Picchu was substandard.

I am not sure how overpriced the tour was. I thought it was good value and everything was taken care off including adjusting for a all day strike where the roads were blocked. The convenience was woth it to me. Obviously, tours are not for everyone.

I prefer doing tours in 3rd world countries except India where I grew up!

We were part of a 10 person tour group with an excellent guide. He gave us an introductory briefing (sometimes too long) everywhere we went followed by free time to explore. We walked through the market and went to a museum the first afternoon. Doing less would have been better! I was not affected by altitude sickness but my wife was. we had pills which did not want to take. I did drink a lot of coca tea and we also used the oxygen that the hotel provided.

 

The hotels in Cusco and Ollantaytambo were both excellent, but the one in Machu Picchu was substandard.

 

I am not sure how overpriced the tour was. I thought it was good value and everything was taken care off including adjusting for a all day strike where the roads were blocked. The convenience was woth it to me. Obviously, tours are not for everyone.

 

I prefer doing tours in 3rd world countries except India where I grew up!

A couple of things-staying in an oxygenated hotel is one of the worst things you can do-your body never adjusts. You walk outside into that thin air and whamo-you are gasping for breath. As many times as I have been in Cusco and Puno, the tourists I see struggling the most are those staying at the Monasterio. Casa Andina has now added oxygen to their suites (oxygen all the time-bad idea).

If you thought your trip was a good value, great. I have priced these trips out so many times for so many people and with most private tours, the savings is about $4-600pp-air from Lima, decent, 3* or better hotels (NOT the Monasterio or Sanctuary), transport to and from the LIM/CUZ airports, a tour to the Sacred Valley, train to MP.

The savings over the short 3 day ship tours (I think this is the BIGGEST waste of money) is well over $1300pp.

I RARELY take tours anyplace in the world other than maybe a day trip. In fact, I have never taken a "package tour" (where transport, hotels, guides, everything for a few days is in a package"). I just save so much money. Plus getting away from the tour guides is usually a blessing, IMHO. Wandering around areas half way lost is half the fun of traveling IMHO. And some things I have done (train almost the full length of Vietnam, overnight on a catamaran in the middle of Lake Titicaca, two days up in the mountains at the panda reserve in China, land border crossing in the back of a pickup in Poipet-Cambodia/Thai border) just aren't on anyone's tour. If people feel more comfortable on a tour, there are many out there.

We used oxygen for only 10 minutes once or twice during the day

Thanks for all this information! We are from Calgary, Alberta, Canada (similar altitude to Denver), but would have been gone from this area for three weeks before going to Machu Picchu. Do you think altitude sickness will be an issue for us?

My wife has a problem with altitude and I don't! I just get out of breath more easily. There a medications that can help.

Just curious which boat you finally picked for the Galapagos???

 

We are cruising on the Galapagos Explorer II for five days and four nights. And then we are staying two more nights on San Cristobal. The ship is quite expensive, but it's locked in now, so I'm trying not to think about the cost.

Hope you don't mind that I posted so many of your quotes from other threads, but I've been collecting them and had them handy to give to the OP on this thread.

We are going on the 6/20/10 Celebrity Xpediton to Galapagos and on to Cusco/Machu Picchu. Has anyone been recently to MP and is the train working? Thanks

Take a look at the following two threads for the latest information about MP and the trains.

Machu Picchu-Latest Information About Visiting

Machu Picchu to close for seven weeks!

QUOTE: We are cruising on the Galapagos Explorer II for five days and four nights. And then we are staying two more nights on San Cristobal. The ship is quite expensive, but it's locked in now, so I'm trying not to think about the cost.

We are going on a Smartour in July Manchu Picchu and the Galapagos Explorer II... We LOVED Smartours in India, great service, hotels, service, safety and service. So we are hoping this trip is as successful. Any boards "doing" this trip??

We are also booked so - just looking for information about this trip!!;)

linda

Hi I koontz. We'll be doing the same Smartours MP and Galapagos tour leaving 8/9/10. Our first tour with them. We'd love to hear your impressions. Have a great time.

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed on this thread. I have found it very useful as we are considering a side trip to Machu Picchu in 2011 or 2012. I have one other question that I am hoping someone can answer, please, so that I can fully understand what to expect.

I understand about the altitude issues but, other than that how strenuous are tours to the site? i.e. if the site was at sea level, how challenging would visiting be considered.

Many thanks.

Sue

We usually do all tours and trips without tour companies, but as the gentleman from India stated, the third world countries, those with problems, or issues - we have chosen to use a company.

53 countries and only 4 ORGANIZED tours... African Safari, Egypt, (could have done it on our own), India... now the Galapagos/MP.

India. We did India with Smartours. I could have never done what our tour guide was able to do. He was magic in a land of magic. Smartours and our guide, made our plane fly (others were not flying--not a safety issue), kept us safe, had us in the best hotels that were available. Many times our hotels were the very same as tours costing 2-3 times more, and those folks plane did not fly!

We are using Smartours this time because of, the relative short time (2 weeks), believing that if something goes wrong they will perform magic again. Also there is the altitude issue and the luggage, from small planes to small ship to hotels and back.

What I have figured out... altitude meds (from our doctor last week), we are carrying small, very small canisters of oxygen, from a website. Water shoes, long pants that dry quickly, water landings (must be long to stave off bug bites). 75% deet spray. Our regular medicine chest. We always carry motion sickness tablets, though I have never used them, antibiotics, antihistamine, (37 african bee stings and we were fine), bandages, pain pills, just in case.

We also carry a Costco size jar of nuts, just in case. We travel a lot, and I am somewhat adventurous, but I am very careful with what I eat and sometimes, Zebra is just not what I am craving! :-)

PLEASE if anyone has more information about this particular trip, have gone or are going let me/us in on the good stuff.

Any information, tips will be appreciated.