Thanks so much for the contact info and rates...they both sound like great guides.

Trying to come up with budget for our trip - plan to use guide/driver for private tours ... our photography interests don't work well with group tours.

Can you all share approximate day rate for David and/or Percy and what that rate included (i.e. transportation, guiding only, etc.). If you feel more comfortable sharing this info offline, please email me at [email protected] (just put "Peru Guide-Fodor" in the subject line so I can fish it out of spam if necessary.

Thank you for all the information you guys have already shared.

Hi--

You might also want to contact Apus Travel in Cusco. http://www.apus-peru.com/index.htm

We felt we got really good service from Ariana who runs the place. She has some very unusual off the beaten path type day tours/hikes etc. We did variations on the Descending to the Sacred Valley and the Weaving and Farming tours. She changed them around, added things we were interested in, and changed the timing to meet our needs. We paid her standard per person rate per day and then an additional $25 per day for a driver with the typical, what most taxis are in the area, 8 year-old Toyota Corolla station wagon.

When we were done with the 2 days of tours we'd arranged with her agency, we hired the drive on our own for the remainder of our trip in the Sacred Valley. It worked out well; with his bit of English and my bit of Spanish we were fine with our communication.

Thanks, julies. I see some interesting options there to consider.

I gave a complete breakdown of Percy's costs in my trip report. Type Karen and Julie in the search box.

Do you know if these guides usually have a minimum group size requirements? I normally do my trips independently, but I think that maybe having a guide for 1-2 days that he can get me to local scenes and sites that I won't get to see on the usual tourist circuits. Thanks.

With David it was just my husband and myself, so no 4 David. We found touring with David to be great -- he really customizes what we wanted to do both in advance as he designed where we would go and as we proceeded.

Ditto for Percy. It was just me/my daughter. I don't think you could go wrong with either of them. People have been almost unanimously pleased regardless of which of those two they chose.

We used Percy in May, 2009 and he was great. Our original flight from Quito to Cusco, via Lima was at first delayed, then cancelled due to the heavy fog Lima experiences in the am. in May. We kept texting him with flight delays...and then the cancellation...and then the next am. more delays...so we ended up missing our first night in Pisac and not making it into Cusco until 3pm the next day. He kept texting back that he'd get us at the airport...but he missed a day of business because of the flights...and then he had to to drive us all the way to Ollantaytambo and then come back the next day for our scheduled day of touring the Sacred Valley. I will detail this is a trip report, but so far, I've just done the beginning part of our trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos. He really helped us out above & beyond the call of duty. More to come later.

Just wanted to chime in & say we loved Percy when we toured with him last October. It was just my husband & myself. Percy couldn't have been nicer, more professional, more interesting - I could go on & on.

Have a great trip whoever you choose.

My wife and I have traveled extensively overseas without tour groups or services, but the one thing we are willing to spend money for are private guides. While I make a real effort to research potential tour guides, we seem to have run the gambit between good, bad and average. I’ve never felt compelled to promote any of these individuals but I’m making an exception for our guide in Peru. I had read several great reviews from other travelers in Tripadvisor and Frommer and felt he was worth giving a try and he lived up to his reputation.
While spending seven days in Cusco and Machu Picchu, we enlisted the aid of David Choque to guide us within the city as well as the Sacred Valley including the market at Pisaq, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo. It was easy to contact him through his website, (http://www.cuscotoptravelperu.com/) and although we had to make numerous date changes, David was more than happy to accommodate us.
While his English was excellent, it was his patience in answering my endless questions and accommodating our request to visit, “off the beaten trail” locations that really made the difference in our trip. David also helped us with train tickets to and from Aguas Calientes and an excellent guide for Manchu Picchu before we even left the states.
Finally, David is very knowledgeable about the Incas and Peru history and a great driver with a very comfortable van. If you have any questions about him please feel free to email me at [email protected]. (Fairfax Station, VA)