Hi,
We're considering a trip to Peru and I'm in the early planning stages (I've read several trip reports and know enough to be dangerous, but need to clarify some things).

The first thing I've noticed is that it seems everyone is using a travel agent/on-the-ground guide for this trip. Do they know something I don't? We're frequent travelers and I almost never use an agent or the feel the need to have someone greet me at every turn (and kinda find it annoying to have travel be 'that easy' when in a new place). I generally understand why they can be helpful, but is there something particular about Peru and MP that I should go the agent route?

Second, I'm having difficulty determining whether it's better to stay in Cusco as a 'base' or also spend a night or two in Olly. (I would do one night in Agua Calientes to catch an early MP bus.)
We only have a week, so I tentatively see the first portion of our trip shaping up like this...

Fri - land in Lima late night from Atlanta
Sat - fly to Cusco, see the town, aclimate
Sun - visit the market, then Pisac (unless this is part of Sacred Valley?)
Mon - Sacred Valley for majority of day, move to Agua Calientes in evening
Tues - MP, back to Cusco for night
Wed - move on to either Lake Titicaca or Arequipa (or Galapagos or Amazon! obviously would pick one but don't know enough yet to make decision) for the rest of the week
Saturday - back to Lima for a midnight flight home

So I see some people staying in Cusco and in Olly. But I see Sacred Valley tours that include Olly...I can't figure out if you need to stay in two places, or if this is a preference. And if so, what are the pros and cons of each? Is it worth a move? We're early 30's, foodies and enjoy 'cocktails and people watching' but are not 'looking for the party'. We would prefer nicer boutique style lodging if available.

Thanks in advance!

adventures.worldnomads.com/destination/168/itinerary/23.aspx
Prefer the "Gringo Trail" to see it all and adjust to altitude better. www.casa-andina.com Private Collections
my fav I self guide.Incalandadventures.com for the Inka Trail
a good idea for most.I do several days in SV and several days
in Cusco.Find my cheapest flights down on Spirit.com and StarPeru.com CUZ to LIM from $100 for me.

Tonnes of scammers altitude weather issues I never wire money always pay with CC and insuremytrip.com. You can DIY but good agents well reviewsd here ancientsummit.com kuodatours.com
perubesttours.com peruforless.com

www.secondhomeperu.com is a nice LIM Boutique for me.

Have fun!

rumipunku.com Cusco and www.apulodge.com ollantaytambo.org
cute little boutiaqes for me also at nice pricepoints.I
usually book around my flights but stay flexible otherwise.
Even earthquakes doen there they just had a pretty small one
in Ica so I stay as flexible as I can always get insurance.

I think Fodorites in general prefer to use agents, which magnified by general nervousness as often this is the first trip to South America.

However, it is very easy to self book everything, online or by email. If you want a guide at Machu Picchu you can hire one at the entrance. Same for the Ollantaytambo ruins. Your hotel can set up transfers from the airport if you prefer not to hire a taxi on the spot. Taxis are very reasonable, and IMO a much better way to get around than by pooled bus tour which usually involves too much time at buffets and commission paying stores.

There are some good local guides that are often recommended here, so for a one day tour to places a bit off the beaten path I think it's not a bad idea.

A reason to split your hotel time is that Ollantaytambo is several thousand feet lower in elevation, so starting there takes a bit of the edge off of the elevation issues, vs. Cusco.

I've liked El Albergue in Ollantaytambo, there is also Pakaritampu that gets great reviews. In Cusco I liked El Balcon which does not require walking up stairs if you prefer, a taxi can drop you at the door. It's just a few blocks from the Plaza in a relatively quiet area.

In Lima try Barranco, Second Home Peru of 3B (a bit noisier but half the price). It's now easy to get from Barranco to the center of Lima by the Metropolitano.

Website for 3B

http://www.3bhostal.com/

We stayed at 3B Barranco our last night and a half in Lima. Very nice people and only 2 blocks from gorgeous coastline views.

I travel to Peru frequently. And, have some great hotel recommendations for you.

Antigua Miraflores in Lima is wonderful. It is a B&B in an old colonial mansion walking distance to the beach and the Larcomar Mall. Love this place!

In Cusco, I stay at Eureka San Blas. They have a good breakfast and are in a good area...safe, cute, and an easy walk to the Plaza de Armas.

I like Hostal Iskay in Ollantaytambo. It is new...and only has a few rooms. But, it is really cute and the view is of the ruins in Ollantaytambo. The price point is excellent as well.

Try Indio Feliz for dinner in Aguas Calientes.

I think you could definitely do Peru on your own. I think the only thing I would miss is that often there aren't any explanations of what you are seeing. So, this is where the expertise of a guide really helps.

Sometimes if you inquire at your hotel, they can set you up with a local guide. This is easier to do if you are not traveling during high season when all of the guides will most likely be pretty busy.

Good explanations of MP are available in one of the Ruth Wright Guidebooks.

Great, thanks everyone. I think we'll continue down our typical path of arranging our own travel and utilizing guides on the ground as appropriate. I'll also look into the lodging recommendations you made. Many thanks!

We flew into Cusco and stayed there 4 nights, with no altitude problems whatsoever. Most hotels have oxygen and you can ask for it, also drink a lot of coca tea, seems to help, DH loved to chew on it like the locals. Do get local guides, either through your hotel or at the sites, it definitely does make a difference, they can tell you so much more, not quite the same as a guide book.

"Not quite the same as a guide book".. depending on your guide, that may be better or worse. If you have a full day at MP, you can take an orientation tour of a few hour and then spend the rest of the day drinking it in without needing to move along for the next explanation.

At Ollantaytambo I got a free mini tour (in Spanish) from one of the assistant archaeologists, after I asked what the fruit was he was snacking on (it was sauco). We had a nice chat in my rudimentary Spanish.

At Pisac I didn't have a guide at all, just enjoyed walking down into town from the top and taking photos.

Just a follow-up from my original posting - we did not use a travel agent and instead planned and booked (most of) the trip ourselves. I originally got a couple quotes from some of the more popular agents on the forums, but when I ran the numbers myself, I realized there was a considerable markup (20%+) to use them. I did a ton of research but we got exactly the trip we wanted and didn't overpay.

There were a few instances where we strategically got assistance in bookings. We went through Trafico Peru to book our internal flights (to save on the non-resident fee). We also had David Choque buy our tickets for Machu Picchu, the trains there and back, and our tickets for the Inka Express (David and team were guides for us on several days, with us specifying the activities/sites we wanted to do).


While a trip report is in the works, the itinerary we went with was 1 night at the Lima airport, 2 nights in Ollantaytambo, 1 night at Machu Picchu, 3 nights in Cusco, 2 nights in Lake Titicaca and ended with one night in Lima.

Day 1- land late in Lima from Atlanta
Day 2 - Morning flight to Cusco, drive to Ollantaytambo
Day 3 - Day trip to Pisac (a Sunday), overnight in Ollanta
Day 4 - Morning at Maras/Moray, Afternoon train to Agua Calientes and overnight there
Day 5 - Machu Picchu, then late train to Cusco
Day 6 - Cusco
Day 7 - Cusco (with morning trip to Oropesa, Tipon)
Day 8 - Inka Express to Puno
Day 9 - Lake Titicaca
Day 10- morning flight to Lima, overnight in Miraflores
Day 11 - Lima, midnight flight home