kandco

There is currently an embassy alert for a planned strike on April 18 and 19 in Cusco and Macchu Picchu. We have plans to arrive in Cusco on 4/17 and will stay in Ollantaytambo til 4/20. Our Macchu Picchu visit is planned on April 19 which is the day of the strike. Is there any way of knowing the extent of the strike in advance? I am seriously thinking of canceling our flight out fo NY this weekend. I have insurance but not sure if it covers this sort of thing

crellston

There is no real way of knowing how extensive the strikes may be and what form the action may take. We spent several months in the Sacred Valley a few years ago when doing some voluntary work there. We were living in Urumbamba and commuting daily to Ollantaytambo. At the time the farmers were on strike about something and each day they would roll boulders across the road to block traffic. Each day we would get out of the collectivo and real them back. It was no big deal really.

This time it seem to be different . A week ago there were violent demos with 4 people killed. According to the UK FCO the air traffic controllers are joining the action so that could cause severe problems. See https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/peru it doesn’t make for encouraging reading and the FCO is not known for being as cautious/alarmist at the US State Dept. Many travel insurance policies dont cover civil disturbances but some do so check your wording and , of course, check with your airline.

You could try checking out the Tripadvisor Peru forum which is a lot more active than this one. I have seen the question raised there many times but dont really real any definitive answers.

Good luck

kandco

@crellston Thank you so much for this. I guess the only thing to do is to expect that this strike will happen and plan around it or cancel. I am more concerned about safety and what you mention is of concern

crellston

You are welcome. Only sorry I couldn’t be more definitive one way or the other. Sadly, I think the strikes will happen and that there will be more to follow. The violence aspect does tend to get hyped up by the media, whereas the reality on the ground is that they are usually easily avoided and most will remain unaffected or not even notice. That said, I have managed to get myself caught up in one or two “situations” over the years and, believe me, it is no fun!

Having said that, Peru is not an inherently dangerous country and even in these times, it is unlikely that you would get caught up in any riots - just avoid any large gatherings (especially those with banners or placards!)

Much more likely, is travel disruption which makes it impossible to get where you want to be. Fortunately there is more than one way to get from Cusco to Ollantaytambo and from Lima Airport into Lima city and taxi driver there are nothing if not resourceful! Air travel between Lima and Cusco is a different matter. If the air traffic control guys strike then that will screw up flight not only for that day but several other days as planes need to be repositioned etc. As far as I am aware the trains between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes are not affected this time. if they were then it is next to impossible to get to Machu Picchu except by a very convoluted route via hydroelectrica.

It may be worth contacting www.taxidatum.com . They are a very reputable company I have always used for ariport transfers etc. to see if they have any input or advice on disruptions

crellston

I read today in one of the Peruvian newspapers that the ATC strike had been called off at the last minute!