I was wondering if anyone had been to Peru, Machu Picchu of course, and Galapagos the end of March or early April. I know it is not supposed to be the best time but is it really so bad? We are looking ahead to next year but late March, early April is our best time to travel. Please let me know of your experiences good and bad.

We have been to both Peru and the Galapagos in late March and found that to be an excellent time in both places. The weather was pleasant with little or no rain, and the water was warm enough for comfortable snorkeling in the Galapagos. We thought it was actually the best time to go to both locations.

Lilla - I am so happy to hear you say that. How was that time in the Galapagos for wildlife viewing? When did you go last? I know this year they had the mud slides near Machu Picchu just when I was ready to start planning next years trip.

To Lilla... Although this strays from the topic.. I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about your trip. I was considering a family trip to Machu Picchu and was curious about some aspects: i.e. lodging, transportation, length of time needed for a good trip (excluding the Galapagos), and safety (due to recent events). If it is not too much to ask, I would very much appreciate a response. Thank you.

I would also like to hear more. We are anxious to spend the night at the Machu Piccu. Did you travel up just for the day or did you stay over night? Because we will probably go there only once we thought it would be nice to stay over night and enjoy the morning when the crowds were thin. Please let us know any info that you can. It would be most appreciated.

We went to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos in two separate trips. The Machu Picchu trip was an extension of an Amazon River nine-day cruise with International Expeditions (www.ietravel.com). We flew from Lima to Cusco, explored the Urubamba Valley and spent the night in Ollantaytambo. We took the train to Machu Picchu the next day and spent the day there and overnighted at the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. We returned to the ruins the next day and then took the train back to Cusco that afternoon.

I would definitely say that you should stay overnight and go back to the ruins the next morning. The train to Cusco doesn't leave until afternoon, so that would give you more time to see the ruins, especially with no crowds. Since we were there, a new hotel has opened right at the ruins. I understand it is quite expensive but does give you the opportunity to go into the ruins in the evening. We were very pleased with the Machu Pichu Pueblo Hotel, which has extensive grounds and thermal baths.

Even though we went on a group trip, I felt this trip would easily be done indepedently.

We went to Peru in 2000 and to Ecuador and the Galapagos last year. We decided to take the five day rather than the week cruise and were glad we did. While the trip was interesting with new wildlife, we felt five days was enough. You asked about wildlife viewing--while we did get a chance to see all the wildlife you would expect, I think we had been spoiled by Africa where you see the animals in such profusion.

Again, we did this trip through International Expeditions, but using the internet, I believe you could plan and book it yourself. There are many different boats, and we choose a 15-passenger one that suited us well. The food was good, the guides were excellent, and the casual atmosphere was what we were looking for. Please feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] if I can answer any other questions about either trip.