Starting from scratch...1st trip to Machu Picchu...I need help!

Congrats on your trip...

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Most follow this route make more time if you can to see more.

peruforless.com Has the Heart of the Inca which works well

perutrek4good.com Yure Chavez just got a great review here.

perubestours.com Mike gets excellent reviews here also

ancientsummit.com Nina and kuodatours.com bit more upscale.

taca.com my fav LIM CUZ lan.com is good $178.50 tourist

surcharge usually makes them lots more expensive.

weather2travel.com May my fav month less rain green

less students still in school mostly.

mdtravelhealth.com Peru altitude illness in Cusco 11000 ft

most take a preventive and go to ollantaytambo.org then MP

lower then back up to Cusco after they have adjusted.

I really like the www.casa-andina.com hotels everywhere

Private Collection my very fav.

travel.state.gov for entry safety insuremytrip.com wise

There are cleverly disguised touts as "experts" on some

boards notably TripAdvertizer I always pay with CC never

wire money have seen folks lose thousands...

I LOVE Peru it is magical mysteryperu.com details other

great areas on the Gringo Trail I would make more time to go

to... Happy Planning!

First, get the Fodors book on Cusco/MP. Second, read this forum and Trip Advisors travel forums for trip reports and information. I just posted a trip review. You may want to consider a local guide. PeruTrek4Good, Percy Salas and David Choque all get good reviews. Another good site is www.andeantravelweb.com. Avoid the rainy season: Nov - April. July and August are peak season. Try May or Sept.

You do need flights from Lima to Cusco. Lan has the most flights, but they are more expensive and often cancel flights if they are not filled and then reschedule you. I would not waste a day in Lima with such limited time. Many things to do in Cusco but you could easily see it all in one day with a 3 hour city tour and then Sacsayhuaman ruins. The other towns of Ollanta, Pisac, Moras, Moray and Chinchero are all great if you have the time.

Here is a suggested itinerary:
Day 1 - Arrive Lima at night; overnight a Ramada del Sol at airport
Day 2 - fly to Cusco in morning. Immediately go to Urubamba or Ollanta. Rest.
Day 3 - tour Pisac or Chinchero/Moras/Moray (or all of them, its possible).
Day 4 - Tour Ollantaytambo ruins in a.m.; take early afternood train to MP; visit MP in late afternoon. Overnight in AC.
Day 5 - tour MP in morning and take afternoon train to Cusco.
Day 6 - tour Cusco.
Day 7 - fly to Lima in morning; city tour of Lima; flight home in PM.

I'm not sure why hmelman suggests buying two tickets to Machu Picchu at $45 per pop for two half days.

But with minor revisions his itinerary is okay and typical/
Day 1 no change (assuming you arrive at night as most US flights do)
Day 2, I would select Ollantaytambo for charm and the fact that you don't need a taxi to visit the ruins or get to the train station. Day 2 you will probably be okay to visit the sights in Ollantaytambo and don't need to waste it resting.
Day 3 you can do as suggested.
Day 4 take the earliest train to MP from Ollantaytambo, spend the entire day there, and return to Ollantaytambo on a late train. I know some people prefer to stay in Aguas Calientes but it didn't do much for me and everyone seems to come down with food poisoning there.

Day 5 take a taxi to Cusco after breakfast, stopping at Chinchero/Moray/Salineras if you haven't already done that. See some of the Cusco sights if they are open.

Day 6 and 7 as suggested.

Note If at all possible try to add an 8th day. This allows for a bit of leeway if you have a delayed flight, or stomach problems, or are in fact affected by altitude. It also allows you to go back to Lima on Day 6 and and avoid possible flight delays on the day of your flight home.

(I mean that you could go back to Lima on day 7 of an 8 day trip, Ie the day before, rather than risking a flight cancellation and missing your trip home).

If you want to splurge I would stay night 4 at the Inkaterra in Aguas Calientes and take advantage of some of their on-site amenities. You could book a late afternoon train back on your 5th day. This way you'd have a back up day if you either had bad weather at MP, wanted to do a second day, or if someone was needing a bit of recuperation.

I too am planning a trip to Peru in late April early May. I'm talking/emailing with several different companies. I do not plan to hike the trail, unfortunately, but want a reputable tour company. Does anyone know or have experience with Latin Escapes, Vacations to go, Gate 1? I'm looking for hotel/air combos. Thanks!

Be careful with some of these cheap tours, you will be forced to start in Cusco for their convenience (which is at a higher elevation) and herded around on bus tours where you stop too often at restaurants and commissioned shops, and not for long enough at the historic sites and markets.

Look for a local tour guide company that offers flexible choice of hotels. There are many recommendations here, ie Peru Best Tours, Yure Chavez (Peru Trek 4 Good),etc. A quick read thru the trip reports should yield some others.

It's also incredibly easy to book this independently and ask your hotel to arrange transfers and taxis to the sites. Guides can be hired at MP and Ollantaytambo.

I like mlgb's suggested itn. While the market in Pisac did not impress me, I thought the ruins well worth a visit. 2nd to those we saw at MP. The tonw is also nice to kick around in. I was not nearly as impressed with the ruins at Ollantaytambo, but I loved the town itself.

We did parts of our trip with David Choque and highly recommend him if u r interested in a guide for portions of your trip.

Most of the package tours do not, for example, allow you time to walk down from Pisac ruins into the town, which is certainly a highlight if you are up for it (takes a few hours).

But I loved the Ollantaytambo ruins! I did go early when there was hardly anyone else there, since I was staying in Ollantaytambo.

Machu Picchu is located at the end of a cul de sac, so everyone has to go through Sacred Valley and Ollantaytambo to get there. If you stop in the town of Pisac the market is worth visiting, but maybe not to go out of your way for.
I try to arrange my schedule so I can stop in Chinchero on Sunday when the market is open. I think it's better than Pisac with fewer tourists. And you can visit the weaving co-ops. Only 45 min drive from Cusco.
It's worth it to hire a guide in Cusco. Ask at the desk of your hotel. You'll want to visit Koricancha Temple but there are small streets and plazas worth visiting as well. Most people go to Sacsayhuaman which right above the city.

Aguas Calientes offers convenient place to stay if you want to spend as much time as possible at the ruins, but is definitely a tourist town. If you walk up the street away from the tracks, towards the hot springs you can cross over the small river to the side of town where the locals play soccer. It's fun to watch if you happen to catch a game going on.

We just returned from an exciting and interesting G Adventures small group tour of Peru. They have so many tours going, it is possible to tailor your itinerary a bit if you, for example, don't want to do the treks included. Their prices were quite reasonable, and their guides become your best friend in Peru. Having the local guides made it all more meaningful. I personally do not like having to find and haggle over transportation from one point to the next in Latin American countries, and am happy to leave it to the experts. Also, I have heard good reports on the OAT trips to Peru. Good luck!

My husband & I spent 10 days in Peru this April, organised by Peru Best Tours. Mike put together a tour tailored to our requirements, at a very reasonable price, would strongly recommend them. Personally I didn't find Lima very interesting, but Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu were all that I'd expected and more. Am sure you'll have a great time!