Recent Machu Picchu tour guide referral

[Carole_T]

We are planning a cruise to South America and would like a couple of referrals for guides/tour companies from people who have gone recently. We'll be doing Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, etc.

 

Thanks for any recommendations!

[Floridiana]

We used Escaped to Latin America. Great service via e-mail in English and fantastic local guides with excellent knowledge of the area and English.

[2552phxcrzr]

We spent two weeks in the Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu area, with a few days at Lake Titicaca. We organized everything through Vidal at Adventure Holidays Peru (now Adios Adventure Travel). This was in 2009, but we're still in touch with Vidal and would not hesitate to recommend him. Vidal traveled with us much of the time, which added immensely to our understanding and appreciation of the country and the culture. I wrote extensively about our trip in my blog.

[catergirl]

we used cusco transport and they picked us up from the airport, drove us down the valley, helped us get the train to aguas callientas, provided a personal guide for MP, later picked us up from the train, took us to our hotel in urabamba and took us for full day touring and finally the last day back to cusco to the airport. very reasonable. give them an email...:)

[Carole_T]

Thanks so much for the referrals~We're very excited about this trip so will look into each company! :D

[cruisingbarb]

We also used Escaped to Latin America and would highly recommend them. In response to my email, I got a very professional presentation. They subcontracted out to Condor Travel and I can't say enough good thing about them. If we're ever fortunate to make another trip to Peru, I would definitely use them. If they offer a farm visit and lunch in the SV, definitely do that. It was one of the top five highlights of our trip. Also, if you are spending the night in Aguas Calientes and want to upgrade to a nice hotel, look at Casa del Sol. We feel it was worth the money.

[KirkNC]

We will be using Kuoda in June. If you go to Trip Advisor you will find everyone raves about them. They have been very responsive to emails so far, we look forward to our trip.

[Carole_T]

Thanks Barbara for your reply. Would you book directly with Condor? I'm thinking the fewer companies involved, the less chance for errors.

[Carole_T]

We will be using Kuoda in June. If you go to Trip Advisor you will find everyone raves about them. They have been very responsive to emails so far, we look forward to our trip.

 

Hi Kirk, Do you mind me asking which package or how many days you are planning for June and what price they quoted you?

 

Thanks, Carole

[Floridiana]

Thanks Barbara for your reply. Would you book directly with Condor? I'm thinking the fewer companies involved, the less chance for errors.

 

We asked our Condor guide whether he recommended contacting them directly. He said no. He said that communication and response are better via Escaped to Latin America. I can only confirm that the one time I needed to contact Condor's office directly in Cuzco, they were slow. But all the guides were top notch and always on time or early. It looks like their best people are out in the field.

[Carole_T]

Thanks Floridian, that's good to know!

[cruisingbarb]

I would book through Escaped to Latin America and ask for Jean O'halloran. She did a fantastic job. She was the only one out of the numerous companies I contacted who seemed to understand what we wanted to see. There was a lot of fine tuning to the itinerary but in the end, I wouldn't have changed anything. And everyone at Condor was very professional and knowledgeable. Good luck and enjoy your trip. I 'm envious.

[D&K travel]

I highly recommend using Kuoda Travel. They are based out of Cusco. I have used them twice, 2 years ago for a 12 day tour and again this past April. Ask for Jesus.

 

For April. I coordinated 3 groups for tours after a cruise. There were 13, 4 and 8 in the groups and they spent 3, 4 and 5 nights in the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco area. We started in Sacred Valley and then spent a night at Machu Picchu before taking the train to Cusco. We liked Cusco, especially watching the Plaza from an upper balcony of a restaurant and so we had 2 nights there. It is possible to spend one night after the train ride, tour the next day and then fly to Lima for an international flight home. Those flights tend to be quite late at night.

 

Our prices ranged from $1800 to $2500, for 4 and 5 star hotels. I wouldn't recommend any lower as their hotels may be rated differently than what we are use to in North America. I would also recommend booking at least 6 months out as the hotels are smaller and book up faster.

 

If you want to talk to me directly, email dksmithtravel at gmail dot com

Edited August 16, 2015 by D&K travel