I am undecided between the two companies. I have seen positive and negative reviews on both tour operators. The Gate 1 tour I am considering will take me to Lake Titicaca, but does not include the Sacred Valley. It also gives me the option to go to Machu Picchu on the Hiram Bingham. The OAT "Real Affordable Peru" will take me to the Sacred Valley, but does not include Lake Titicaca. It also gives me an overnight stay in Agua Caliente so I will have a second day in Machu Picchu. Gate 1 takes me directly from Lima to Cusco and OAT goes from Lima to Sacred Valley (more time to acclimate to the high altitude). Please, any advice will be greatly appreciated, especially from anyone who has travelled with both companies.

Easy choice...OAT. My friend took the tour and loved it, smaller group and better itinerary.

OAT gets best reviews always Gate 1 just a reseller

www.tucantravels.com top rated...

I traveled to this location with Tauck, but if I had to do it again I would go with OAT.
I have taken 2 OAT trips before and am planning a 3rd in September. I know people who swear by them. The advantages far outweigh any negatives. Going with a small group adds so much to the experience.

Make a list of what you really want to do. If some thing is missing would you be willing to go back again to see the rest? Would you always regret if you couldn't do x? Then pick the one that has the least regret. Or contact a travel agency and plan your own trip. There are several of those in these posts as well.

OAT has an extension to Lake Titicaca.

I'm generally in favor of self-guiding but my friend who doesn't like to travel solo really likes OAT, she's been all over the world with them.

I can't help you with Gate1, but the two organized trips that I've taken in recent years (I generally travel independently, but circumstances made this the better choice) were with OAT, and one was Real (cringe) Affordable Peru. It was really nicely planned, I thought; I appreciated the overnight in Agua Caliente and the gradual acclimation to the altitude. Even though it's six years old, my trip report might give you a bit of an idea: http://www.fodors.com/community/sout...rip-report.cfm

(PS: I'm due to go back to Explorama in the Amazon for the third time in July--on my own again, on my way to Chile.)

We took the OAT Real Affordable Peru tour a few years ago, and it was fantastic. We really appreciated the gradual acclimatization to the high altitude at Cuzco. No-one on our tour had altitude sickness. We did take diamox tablets, just in case, though.

Like others have said, OAT is a great company to travel with. They offer excellent value and fantastic tour guides. We have taken many tours with them - recently to South Africa and have a tour to Argentina and Chile booked for late September. The tours have a maximum of 16 people. Most of our tours had 15 participants and the other had only 11 people.

If you have any other questions about OAT's Peru Itinerary or traveling with OAT, feel free to email me at: [email protected].

My husband and I traveled with GAP Adventures in Dec. / Jan. 2007. It was the a great tour with a great mix of tour time and personal time. The tour guide was amazing. The group was a mix of couples and singles from 20s to 50s - we all got along super....lots of fun. We would highly recommend them.