scluvsrain

I am traveling solo to Peru in mid-January 2007 and want to do the 4 day trek to Machu Picchu. I've reviewed some of the organized tour companys - OAT, GAP, Lost World, etc. and would actually prefer to get myself to Cusco and back to Lima (where I'm continuing on to Brazil to see a friend who lives there) on my own. Is it reasonable to assume that I can hook up with a local guide company in Cusco and join a group already formed for the trek to MP?

millencolinf2f

Yes, once in Cusco just head to Plaza de Armas where you can find heaps of tour agencies that'll help you join a group headed to MP. Make sure to shop around and compare group sizes and prices with each company. Some companies take 20+ people while other try to keep it below 10.
It'll prolly be cheaper to do it in Cusco too, don't know what OAT, GAP, etc...are charging but when I went it was around $150US (3 years ago).

Hope that helps, Cheers!

cailin

Not if you want to do the Inca Trail - space is limited so it books out several months in advance. You would need to book now. I can highly recommend Llama Path - we did the Inca Trail with them in August and they were fantastic.

scluvsrain

Thanks for your responses. I would feel much better to book in advance, so I've got quotes from a couple of tour companies now and will most likely get my spot reserved today or tomorrow. I'm excited to go, even if it is the rainiest month to go, as you can tell by my "name" I love rain!!

Jeff_Costa_Rica

If you have some flexibility to hang around Cusco for a few days, you MIGHT be able to wing an Inca Trail booking when you get there in January. The treks for the high season sell out months in advance. But in January, you'll see signs in tour operators' windows letting you know that they have availability, say, the following week. If you're counting on doing the trek, I'd still book an excursion in advance to avoid disappointment.

scluvsrain

I ended up booking with Peru Treks. The way I understand it from doing lots of reading, etc. is that the tour group operators need a passport # and name before they can reserve spots with the government and so the earlier the better, as the government then assigns campgrounds to the groups, etc. Peru Treks got some good press over on another travel forum and the booking dates worked well with my schedule. Now all I have to do is book hotels in Lima and Cusco, which should work out just dandy.