Thinking about next spring (late May and early June) of "doing" Peru for 2 weeks or more and naturally we want to visit Cusco,Sacred Valley and MP .
We just spent 20 days in Ecuador including the Galapagos Islands on a small boat and most days we kept up with our younger boat mates .I am up for somre hiking but do want to be realistic.We also like to shop for local handicrafts and spend time seeing the countryside and meeting the locals.How is the weather in May and June??

Would like the names of a local travel agent in Peru..We met Cintia (Argentina) and Martin Slater (Ecuador) on this forum...Both were winners.

Hi - we had a great time in that area 18 months ago with a private guide - he did all our hotel bookings and train arrangements, we did flights. The cost was less than a similar group tour and we were able to go at our own pace which might be ideal for you.

You can get a sense of our itinerary on our blog

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l...aca/index.html

Our guide's name is David Choque - here's his website and email address - several Fodor's posters have used his services as well.

http://www.cuscotoptravelperu.com/

[email protected]

Happy to answer any questions.

Weather is perfect in May and June.

Also, with two weeks, you have time to do a lot. I'd include Nazca (search and you'll find my posts on the topic), Arequipa and/or Lake Titicaca (Puno).

Hi - we used Perubesttours.com to plan our entire itinerary. Our trip was incredibly enjoyable. We were given valuable suggestions and a very dedicated service. Ask for Viviana, she is really nice.

Peru is OK if you take it easy. Cuzco is at 10,000 feet and while Macchu Pichu requires a fair bit of walking up and down steps, it is a mere 7,800 feet high. From Cusco, a train (07:30, I think) then a coach takes you there in comfort.

There are a number of good tours from Cusco, with lots of travel agents in town.

The Nazca Lines is seen in a small aircraft which continually dips and weaves about. Air sickness tablets would not go amiss.

Though I had no problems, my guidebook and a number of people including locals warned me about pickpockets there.

I 2nd Elizabeth's suggestion of David Choque. He's great -- very low key and will tailor your trip to your needs. He was also flexible and we often changed what we planned to do or what time we wanted to leave etc. We booked most of the htoels ourselves, but David always went in and talked to the owners/recpetionist and made sure everything was just perfect for us. I have also used Cintia in ARG and while she was good, David was even better. Have a great trip!

My 60-year old mother, who's healthy but not in great shape, had no problems in MP or Cusco. If she felt out of breath, she sat down for a few minutes and was fine.