Machu Picchu
 

My wife and I are thinking of traveling to Machu Picchu in mid February and would like advise on weather and travel conditions. Also info on restaurants, sights etc. We will be leaving from the East Coast and are looking for a good travel agent and info on guides in Lima, Machu Picchu, etc.

I hate to be a wet blanket - but I will just because it could help some others.

We saw MP via the train some years back. The train trip was cool (enlivened by 2 -hour strike midway) but MP itself was a letdown. Ho Hum.

Once you get over the, "Gee whiz, they did all this on a mountaintop," impressions, you are left with a lovely vista and bunches of ruined buildings of no particular distinction.

Since then I have wondered if approaching it via the Inca Trail would be more rewarding. Maybe someone else can comment.

I'll be a warm dry blanket. Seeing MP was one of the most thrilling sights I have ever seen. I continue to be awed by it. It helps to know some of the history (not that I'm saying you don't, Poppa) and go with a guide.

But each to his/her own. If you get there, post here again with your impression. ((C))

I arrived at Machu Picchu via the Inca Trail. In my opinion, it is much more impressive to see this way. A major advantage to hiking the trail is that there are numerous other ruins you see along the trail. However, even if I had arrived by train and bus up the mountain I would be impressed. I found the ruins and setting to be magical.
The ruins are not as impressive as Chichen Itza or the Pyramids at Giza but the work involved to build MP on top of a mountain must have been tremendous. I personally felt that Cuzco was more of a let down than MP. I vastly prefered other towns in the Sacred Valley, particularly Ollantaytambo.

My two cents. If you decide to take the Inca Trail (which I recommend), mid-Feb is not a good season. According to our guide, that is raining season and the trail will be very muddy. We visited MP this Nov. and like it very much. The whole setting of the ruin is fabulous and you have to be there to enjoy it.

One more thing: the Inca trail is closed in either Feb or March for maintainence.

I wouldn't miss MP. The mystery and intrigue of the place really add to its attraction for me. What purpose did it serve? Who lived there? Why was it abandoned? It's fun to speculate.

Yes, the Inca Trail is usually closed for a week or two in February for maintenance.

Thanks for the info. Has anyone comments on Hotel Mariel or Hotel Puma in Cuzco and Lima

I will never forget the cold meat salad I had in Cuzco.

After some searching in my dictionary I discovered I was eating uterus - of what I do not know to this day.

Hi dblepawz,

february is the rainiest month of the year for cusco. that is why the traditional 4-day inca trial trek to machu pichhu is closed during feb.

plenty of people still visit the area then, there are a number of things to do and see and the rain is not that big a problem.

for info check out www.peruperu.com
they can help you with putting together whatever your special interests may be.

happy trails,
davarian

We really enjoyed Machu Picchu, even though it was quite foggy and damp when we were there in March.
I know nothing about the Inca Trail. But the train we rode up to the mountain top was rather old, and about half way down the brakes caught fire and we stopped a while for them to cool. It was scarry for me but the guide did not seem overly concerned. He said it does that about every trip. The site at mountain top was very nice, and worth the trip up.

MP was spectacular and well worth the trip. dblepawz, if you are interested I posted a trip report and you can access it by doing a word search on my screen name.

Thanks for all the replys, they were very helpful. We will be visiting Machu Picchu in the middle of February

What is the weather like in August. August in Calif....is spring there.....but how springy??? Warm? Rainy?