We spend around 2 weeks in Peru.

There were 5 of us, 2 fifty somethings, 2 twenty somethings and 1 13 year old. We organised everything ourselves via the internet. It worked out very well. Here is a brief trip report.

In the Amazon we did the 3 night 4 day trip organised by wasai. (www.wasai.com). They were great. The best bit about them is there location 4 upstream of Puerto Maldonado. It means that we were able to go the large macaw lick and see hundreds of parrots and around 35 Macaws. The accomodations were simple but comfortable. The food was very good.


We then went to the Sacred Valley. We stayed first at the Sol Y Luna hotel. This was a beautifully designed eco-style lodge abeit slightly remote. The food was good there but expensive. We took a fun horse trip up to see the salt terraces and also went white water rafting. Both activities I would recommend.

At Machu Pichhu we stayed at the Pueblo Hotel. It was very nice but very expensive. We found the 3 bed superior rooms to be better than the more expensive Junior Suites. We stayed 2 nights there which allowed us to spend the entire day at MP. Which was cool. It was amazing how little time most tourists appeared to spend there, given the effort it is to get there.

In Cuzco we stayed at the Libertator. This appeared to be an overpriced Motel 6 to me at least. It was probably the worse hotel of our stay. The monasterio restaurant food gave us food poisoning, so I am not sure where else in the upper price bracket it is good to stay there.

We spend 1 night in Puno at the Sonesta there. It was a good hotel. Puno though seems a rather lackluster place to see Lake Titicaca from, since the lake's waters there seem rather polluted. It fyou have the opportunity head to the bolivian side.

We drove from Puno to Chivay, where we stayed at the colca lodge. This was a nice place with great thermal pools, though it is not very well located for seeing the condors. We saw around 20 condors. However we say most of them between 10am and 11am, by which time 80% of the tourists had left. Make sure you stick around, or at least have a private tour with some flexibility.

We really liked Arequipa and the Libertator hotel there. It was a splendid place

In Lima we stayed at the Country Club hotel which was one of the better "leading hotels of the world" I have stayed in.

Any questions about our tour please ask.

Hi Tucker,

We are planning to go to Peru in February. We will be going to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. While in the Sacred Valley we will be staying at the Sol y Luna also and were wondering what side trips you would recommend? We have one day to kill before departing to Machu Picchu.

Also we are concerned about the food poisoning you got at the Monasterio. We are scheduled to spend two nights there.

Thank you in advance for any info.

The Sol Y Luna is not 100% set up for offering side trips without notice for individuals, since their travel agency seems to be permanently shut, so you have to go through reception.

We did white water rafting (@$50 each), and horse riding to the salt terraces from there. They also offer mountain biking.

If you are not going to it otherwise on your tour, and are not into active pursuits, I suggest going to Ollanta for the day, by private taxi. It is a very pretty town.

Regarding the Monasterio, it was one of those situations where the three of us who ate there out of our group went down with mild food poisoning the next morning, whilst those who ate room service at the Libertator didn't. So though I can't prove a link, I suspect it. However I am sure if it was a regular thing, more people would have reported it, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Thank you for the info. Tucker. I can't wait to see Machu Picchu.

Hi Tucker

where did you get your information on horseback riding, please? thanks!