Help Needed on a 4/5 day trip to Machu Picchu
 

Hi all,

For awhile I was set on booking this Gap Trip to go to Machu Picchu and it dawned on me I was paying over $549 for me and my wife to have someone book train tickets and a very likely cheap hotel for us. So I've decided against the Gap trip and have been debating on two options:

1. Do the trip on our own
or
2. Use "Peru for Less". I found out about them based off this post:
http://www.fodors.com/community/sout...rip-report.cfm

We aren't fancy people but we don't want to stay in a crummy hotel. $100 a night would be ideal. Casa San Blas in Cuzco looked great to me (I saw this listed on the Peru for Less site. Here's a Trip Advisor link:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...las-Cusco.html

I contacted Peru for Less just now and will wait to see what they come back with but I wanted to get ideas on a suggested itinerary for such a short trip and hotel recommendations. We are from the US but we will be coming from Rio de Jainero because we are doing 5-6 days there first. I am debating on doing an extra day in Rio vs. an extra day in Peru. Here is the itinerary I was thinking and I'd like some feedback on just the Peru part and if you think we should add the extra day in Rio or add it in Peru.

Day 1: Arrive at 9:15am in Rio - Free day to wander around and probably go to a beach and just hang out
Day 2: Rio - Downtown and historical districts, Sugar Loaf
Day 3: Rio - Corcovado mountain, enjoy more beaches
Day 4: Rio - Schooner ride around the various bays / swimming
Day 5: Rio - Nothing planned so we could fly to Cuzco on this day if we wanted to.
Day 6: Assuming we stick with Rio on Day 5, we fly to Cuzco this day and will be getting into Cuzco in the evening.
Day 7: Cuzco
Day 8: Sacred Valley/Ollantaytambo - do we stay overnight here?
Day 9: Aguas Calientes / Machu Picchu - Should we stay overnight here just in case we have bad weather and can try for Machu Picchu again on Day 10 or should we just head to Cuzco on this day and assume all will be fine and enjoy Cuzco some more on Day 10?
Day 10: Cuzco (or 2nd shot at Macchu Picchu and we would head back to Cuzco in the evening)
Day 11: Fly home - Leave Cuzco airport at 3:30pm so will have some time in the morning since it looks like the airport is very close to the city centre.

Obviously if we add the extra day in Peru it will be less hectic for the Peru portion, but we think Rio looks so amazing that we thought that was the best use of the day versus another extra day in Cuzco or the surrounding towns.

Thanks for any and all input! I'll go back to researching on my own now :)

I would allocate the day to Cuzco and dedicate the time to a day trip to the Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley has beautiful landscape, ruins, local markets and outdoor activities (rafting, bike riding, hiking etc.), alpaca farms, etc. and it's also a great place to get started in the Cuzco area to acclimate to the altitude and it places you closer to MP too. Also, Cuzco itself is a beautiful city with an excellent culinary scene and lots of cute churches, museums and shops to poke around so I wouldn't minimize the time there. And I think you have plenty of time for Rio as the itinerary currently stands.

Did #1 saved a tonne

Spirit.com FLL LIM $239 all in for me RT

www.Peruvianairlines.com.pecheapest

RT LIM CUZ or starperu.com or taca.com

Cab to apulodge.com in ollantaytambo.org for my MP visit

book your train cheaply through Apu Lodge great folks

back up to rumipunku.com for Cusco visit then fly out.

You will save hundreds I did..

Happy Travels make more time do the whole Gringo Trail

truly amazing will not cost much more.

insuremytrip.com always wise respect the altitude

mdtravelhealth.com Peru do NOT stay at Cusco 11000 ft

right away or you will get sick... #1 mistake newbies make...

adventures.worldnomads.com/destination/168/itinerary/23.aspx

Even better more to see you sill adjust to altitude better

Make more time borrow from Rio if you must totally awesome!

gulliver433, thanks for the tip. Since we are flying into Cuzco and bypassing Lima altogether should we just start out our time in Cuzco for two days and then go to the Sacred Valley area? Will we have problems with the altitude? I think we just have to suck it up. I thought it made more sense to start out in Cuzco and then make our way to Sacred Valley and then Machu Picchu.

Also, in the itinerary above we were already going to get one day in the Sacred Valley even if we don't trade off the extra day in Rio. Is that enough or are you suggesting it's not and we should move the extra day from Rio and add an extra day for either Cuzco or the Sacred Valley?

qwovadis, thanks for the hotel suggestions.

I think I'm more and more interested in doing Peru on our own versus using a tour operator, though I am a little intimidated about doing all of the travel to the various areas on our own (even though we've done a ton of traveling on our own and with groups).

Haven't been yet, but to plan my Sept trip, I've been following all the Peru postings. Everyone recommends going to Ollyantambo first to acclimate and then to Cusco. Seems like most hotel suggestions for under $100 are for El Albergue in Ollayantambo and Rumipunku in Cusco. We booked second home in cusco; they even have a sale going on.

Hardest part of planning was buying Machu Pichu train tickets. See perurail.com and be sure to have lots of time, a secured mastercard or visa and your passport numbers.

The hotels will arrange for transportation from airport. Seems as tho taxis are cheap. We hired a guide to get from place to place. Based on recommendation here, we went with Percy. Here's his email address if interested [email protected]

Want to repeat that I haven't been yet so can't vouch for any of this. But I usually plan all my trips with the advice offered on these boards and it hasn't failed me yet.

Great tips Jackie! I've read a lot on the Peru boards, but have been a bit overwhelmed, so you're summary of what you gathered from the various posts is really helpful. I'll look into all of your suggestions.

Actually KuodaTravel, many people from overseas CAN buy the MP tix from outside the country, if they have a Verified by Visa credit card.

And to clear us some confusion, "Verifed by Visa" is not a specific Visa Card. You go to Verified by Visa, enter your existing Visa card number, and they will verify it.

When you make an online purchase, Verify by Visa will pop up and you'll have to enter your password before the vendor (eg MachuPicchu tickets, airlines, train, etc., will complete your transaction.

Wow, that itinerary sounds great Kuoda! I think what I will do is work with Peru for Less or the guide Percy mentioned by utilizing your itinerary since we know very little Spanish. It sounds like there will be a lot of potential for wasted time if we do this completely on our own, due to minor mistakes and confusion adding up. I'm not sure if it's better to use Peru for Less to help guide us in-between towns or to go with that guide Percy. For comparison I will post the itinerary that Peru for Less sent me below. What I think is interesting is that they default us to coming back to Cuzco at the end of everyday, though it looks like we have an option to do otherwise. I like the idea of staying overnight in Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes...it seems like less extra traveling. I will also point out that this itinerary assumed one less day in Peru compared to what was suggested by Kuoda above. The price quoted to me for 3 star hotels is $789 per person.

Itinerary given by Peru for Less:

DAY 1: Arrival to Cusco & Cusco City Tour November 3rd ► A representative of Peru For Less will pick you up at the Cusco airport to transfer you to your chosen Cusco hotel ► Afternoon city tour of the ancient and colonial sights of Cusco. Includes the Cathedral, the hilltop fortress of Sacsayhuaman, Q'enko, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay ► Spend the evening at your leisure, enjoying the ancient city’s restaurants and ambiance ► Overnight in Cusco

DAY 2: Tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas November 4th ► Full day Sacred Valley tour ► Your tour begins with a drive through the rolling landscapes of Pisac, famous for its lively market and archaeological gems ► You will next visit the ancient town of Ollantaytambo, which has been continuously inhabited since the 13th century ► Visit the impressive hillside ruins of Ollantaytambo fortress ► Overnight in Cusco / Optional overnight in the Sacred Valley

DAY 3: Machu Picchu November 5th ► Full day visit to Machu Picchu, the world famous highlight of any trip to Peru ► Transfer to the train station for a stunning train ride through the mountains to Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of Machu Picchu ► Transfer by bus up to the ruins, hidden on a mountain top amid the clouded forests ► Enjoy a professionally guided tour of the entire site, followed by some free time to explore the jaw-dropping ruins alone ► Transfer by bus back to Aguas Calientes to catch your train ► Overnight in Cusco Optional extension to stay in Machu Picchu/Aguas Calientes overnight

DAY 4: Departure from Cusco November 6th ► Breakfast in your hotel before meeting your transfer to the airport for your return home or your onward destination

$789 each seems like a lot of money to me. Doing it on your own, you could budget $100/night for a hotel, $100-$150/day for a guide, and $150 each for Machu Pichu train and tickets.

Thanks MLGB and LCUY! My mistake!

I agree that it is a good amount of money more, but that is to be expected going with a larger operation. I'm still working with Peru for Less on a potential itinerary but I just sent an e-mail to Percy to see if he is available for the dates we are going. We used a private guide on a day trip in South Africa and it was really great, so this option is very appealing to us! I'm quite certain if he is available we will utilize his services. I'll post back once I find out more.

I heard back from Percy and this sounds like a great option for us! Thanks very much Jackie for the suggestion. You are right that around $100-$150 a day for a guide is approximately right.

He e-mailed the following itinerary which looks good with some possible minor tweaks (I removed his prices since those could change over time).:

Nov. 2 .- Transfer to Ollantaytambo hotel, is better to stay there because is lower than Cusco, on the way we can visit Awanacancha , place where you will see the native animals like , Llamas, Huanacos, Alapcas and Vicuñas, after the weaving and dying process, arrive to Pisaq Ruins and market, go through the Valley to Ollantaytambo to rest in your hotel.

include : Car and private tour guide for two people.

Nov. 3.- .- Sacred Valley , Visiting Ollantaytambo ruins,Chincheros Inca Town, where you will see the native Churche , Moray experimental
Terraces, Maras salt pans , lunch and return to Ollantaytambo hotel.

include: Car and private tour guide for two people.

Nov. 4 .- am Machupicchu . include: , train tickets, round trip, bus up/ down in Machupicchu,entrance ticket to Machupicchu and private tour guide.
VISTADOME SERVICE.

Nov. 5.- Free morning, and pm. get your train to Cusco. transfer to your hotel.

Nov. 6 .- City Tour .- am. Visiting Sacsayhuaman, Quenko ,Pucapucara, Tambomachay, Qoricancha ( temple of the Sun).

include: Car and private tour guide for two people.
pm. free time to walk by yourselfs.

Nov. 7.- Transfer to the Airport.

This is a much better plan!

My friends and I went to Peru, used Percy who was very helpful in planning and guiding us through our visit to Peru.
You can reach him at:[email protected]
He'll help with arrangements from hotels, train tickets and a guide in Machuu Pichu.
good luck!!

oh, didn't see the last post, you will absolutely love Percy!!

We used Vidal from Adios Adventure Travels wo planned 9 days for us for a reasonable amount.
http://www.adiosadventuretravel.com
We stayed in Cusco for a few days to acclimatize before the Inca trek,which was helpful.
Peru is a lovely country and it's people very friendly.MP is breathtaking!
Enjoy!
CCF

I have never been to Peru myself, but I have come across an excellent website on Peru - http://www.inside-peru.com/ - which may be of help to you.

David and Lin, a husband and wife team, are the webmasters.

They obviously know Peru well, and are very passionate about and love their country.

Hope you enjoy your trip to Peru.

Chris
jamaica-No-Problem.com

Hi Jackie,

Did you go on your trip yet? If so, how was Percy? I am curious to see if it worked out since we haven't officially booked with him yet.

Also, since we are in our late 20's and he seems older do you think that would detract from having him as our guide or be more beneficial? I can see pros and cons both ways on that.

Bluesphee, could you please clarify where Percy suggests that you would be spending the night on Nov. 5th-Your Machu Picchu day ? Will you return to Ollytaytambu or sleep in Machu Picchu or Cusco?

This sounds like a great itinerary with a guide with an excellent reputation - will will likely follow this plan next year.

Thanks, ~MarnieWDC

Be sure to have a look at my Ten Top things to do in Cusco that aren't on your itinerary...yet!

http://blog.dojoklo.com/2011/09/20/t...o-do-in-cusco/

Is this the same Percy who used to work as an Inca Trail guide for GAP Adventures?

Hi Marnie,

You'll see that on November 5th (day after Machu Picchu) we will be taking a train back to Cusco. I don't have the full itinerary details handy with me right now, but I'm 99% sure the night after Machu Picchu will be a stay in Ollantaytambo.

Djkmann: I'll check out your list. I glanced through it and it definitely looks like a good one! RE: Gap, I'm not sure if he worked for Gap or not. That would be great if he did since I do like Gap as a company (though I didn't care for the personality of our guide in Africa).

Thank you bluesphee. I hope you have a terrific adventure, and I look forward to your Trip Report :-)

Bluesphee--I am here now. So far we have used Percy's services for transportation from Cusco to
and then a day of touring the Sacred Valley. He is vey knowledgeable, patient, and respectful. I think those are the qualities that you need to consider; not age. I am traveling with my 26 year old nephew and posed your question to him, he agreed with me.

Thanks very much Jackie! It is great to get such recent and direct feedback :). Hope you have a great rest of your trip!!

Oh and Marnie, I will definitely have a trip report!

Hola Jackie!

Just received an email back from Percy. We plan on having him as our guide in January, 2012. Glad to hear that all is working out so well for you there. Continue to have a wonderful time in Peru. Enjoy! Say hi to Percy from Carole. Again, many thanks for all your advice. Have a great time and a safe trip home too.

Carole

So I've pretty much finalized what I am doing with Percy and I'm about to transfer money to him. Here's part of what he e-mailed me:

"About your questions, when you transfer the money $. 600.00 USD to buy the train tickets, you will increase $ 20.00 USD extra for the charges."

Obviously I will be paying him, but I am pretty leary about transferring $600 to someone in Peru that I've never met. For those of you that have worked with Percy is this about right? He gave me his bank details, but I've never transferred money this way. Do I just go to a bank and give them the info and they can do the transfer?

As good as you all say this guy is he really needs to modernize how he does private tours! Yikes.

I don't really understand what services you are purchasing. He's buying your train tickets? If so, a $20 fee seems reasonable given the hassle of buying tix on line.

Is he making your hotel arrangements and making a deposit?

We paid him in person. But, that was only for tours and transportation. Now that I've worked with him, I would trust him, but I can understand your reservations.

I did a 4 days tour in Cusco last year.
On our first day as soon as I arrived to Cusco we went donw to Pisaq town lower than Cusco (good place to avoid the altitude sickness) it is 1 hour drive by car. we got a nice little hotel for us. Pisaq is small town but beautiful, on our second day we had a nice tour, we visited the market of pisaq and the ruins on the mountain we visited Ollantaytambo too, it was nice to explore the templo and the native church.
We visited Machu Picchu on the 3rd day of our expedition, we took the train 2 hours to Aguas calientes and spend the night in Presidente hotel, it was ok for us.
Machu Picchu was amazing, we visited the side early in the morning , the place was just for us.
later in the afetrnoon we took the train to Cusco, our tour guide was helping us all the time, she was nice.
In cusco we got Amaru hotel, it was close the main square of Cusco we visited the Main Cathedral, Koricancha inca templo and Sacsayhuaman (onother inca templo).
Mythical Trails Peru was our tour operator if you are interested. http://mythicaltrailsperu.com/discov...cchu-4-day.htm

Good Luck

Hi Jackie,

Thanks for your help. To be honest I'm kind of freaking out since we are supposed to leave in 20 days and still haven't settled this. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

He wants us to make the reservations for our hotels through him because he says "I get special rates for me", but I think I might do it on our own since these don't appear to be any different than booking them online. At least I know we have a place to sleep if I book them myself! :) Did you have him book your hotels? Here's the rates he quoted me at:

HOTEL PAKARITAMPU OLLANTAYTAMBO DWB : $. 125.00 USD.
HOTEL ANDINA LUXURY O SIMILAR DWB : $. 120.00 USD. AGUAS CALIENTES.
HOTEL RUMY PUNKU SUPERIOR DWB : $. 130.00 USD.


Below is what our itinerary is and I'm just going to include the prices. If you total everything up it equals $895 total (note: $260 is per person for the Machu Picchu stuff).

I copied and pasted his e-mail above where he says:
"when you transfer the money $. 600.00 USD to buy the train tickets, you will increase $ 20.00 USD extra for the charges."

I just can't understand what he is even saying because of the poor english. I think he is saying he wants us to transfer $620 ($600 + a $20 bank fee) to him and then we have to pay him the remainder ($895 - $620 = $275) when we get there. I know this is probably fine, but the notion of wiring $620 to someone I've never met in Peru and "trusting" him based on Fodor's boards is really difficult for me!

Here is the itinerary with prices:

Nov. 2 .- Transfer to Ollantaytambo hotel, on the way we can visit Awanacancha , place where you will see the native animals like , Llamas, Huanacos, Alpacas and Vicuñas, after the weaving and dying process, arrive to Pisaq Ruins and market,
go through the Valley to Ollantaytambo to rest in your hotel.

Cost : $. 135.00 USD include : Car and private tour guide for two people.

Nov. 3.- .- Sacred Valley , Visiting Ollantaytambo ruins,Chincheros Inca Town, where you will see the native Churche ,Moray experimental Terraces, Maras salt pans , lunch and return to Ollantaytambo hotel.

Cost : $. 135.00 USD include: Car and private tour guide for two people.

Nov. 4 .- am Machupicchu . include: , train tickets, round trip, bus up/ down in Machupicchu,entrance ticket to Machupicchu and private tour guide. Overnight in Aguas Calientes

Cost per person: $. 260.00 USD VISTADOME SERVICE.

Nov. 5.- Free morning, and pm. get your train to Cusco. 15.20 pm arriving to Poroy train station 18.50 pm.

Transfer from Poroy station to your hotel. $. 15.00 USD. private car for two people.

Nov. 6 .- City Tour .- am. Visiting Sacsayhuaman, Quenko , Pucapucara, Tambomachay, Qoricancha ( temple of the Sun).

Cost : $. 80.00 USD include: Car and private tour guide for two people.

pm. free time to walk by yourselfs.

Nov. 7.- Transfer to the Airport. $. 10.00 USD for two people.

I booked hotels on my own. It was very easy; I got quick responses from all hotels. Making deposits thru PayPal was a problem for me tho.

We asked Percy where he got his referrals from and he said Fodors and Trip Advisor. So, his business is pretty dependent on the feedback provided here. For me, that's a big motivator to deliver upon his commitments. And, his spoken English is better than his written English.

The MachuPichu prices seem a little high to me. Our pp cost was $180--$55 MP tix, $97 train tix (one way Vista Done, one way Expedition and round trip from Ollayantambo), $15 bus tix, and $10 for private guide (4 of us). I suspect the private guide for 2 and the return to Cusco drives up the price. There's also another ticket you need to buy to get into the all the ruins. That's $50; maybe it is included in his pricing.

He works with a woman at MP for the guide services and does not do it himself. In my early planning, we were 7 people and I think the quote was $20pp. We ended up hiring someone at the site.

I was quoted the same $135 price for 2-3 people. We ended up being 5 and the price went to $40pp for the full day tours.

Not sure where you are coming from, but your first day looks very ambitious. The altitude was a killer for me. It hit when I was waiting for the luggage; I couldn't wait to get to a lower elevation. I could not have climbed the Pisac ruins on that first day--it was still a challenge on day 4.

You need to trust your gut on sending the money for the MP tour. I'm somewhat of a penny pincher so would be more concerned about paying a higher price than I would be about sending money to a stranger whose livelihood is dependent on referrals from this board.

Also, I would bring enough cash along to pay him in USD. The ATM machines allow up to 700 soles ($255ish). After writing that, I think you can get USD from the ATMs, I just don't know what the limit is.

Thanks again for all of your advice, it has been very helpful! Good to know the ATM info and the comparisons on price. I will just let him book the hotels and trust that things will work out. Absolute worst case scenario is we are out $600 and have to figure things out on our own and from what you are saying, I agree, that is extremely unlikely.

We are coming from Rio de Jainero where we are vacationing for 6 days prior. We will be leaving Rio at 6:50am and arriving into Cusco at 12:45pm. I agree that the 1st day will be tough but since we are going to Ollantaytambo first, hopefully that will make it better.

One more question I thought of in looking at our itinerary is that the day we are going to Machu Picchu we will be coming from Ollantaytambo and then staying overnight that night in Aguas Calientes. It seems like you would want to stay overnight in Aguas Calientes the night before you go up Machu Picchu so you are right there first thing in the morning. I have asked Percy how early we will get to Machu Picchu because I am hoping to get there as early as possible.

Jackie, did you post a trip report already? Any thing you wish you would have done differently?

I was really glad that we spent the night before in Aguas Calientes. We enjoyed the train the afternoon while we were fully awake as well!

We are thinking about going up to Machu Picchu 2 days now. We would travel by train from Ollantaytambo the morning of November 4th and then have an afternoon with a private tour guide at Machu Picchu. We would stay overnight at Aguas Calientes and then on November 5th we would go up as early as possible for sunrise and then climb up Huayna Pichu picchu and just wander around for a bit more. Does this sound like a good plan or should we skip going up a second day and just climb Huayna Pichu on our first day?

P.S. I am wiring Percy the money today. I will definitely be posting back here our experience with this for others in the future.

Now that you can buy Huayna Picchu tickets in advance there is no reason to pay for a second day, in my opinion, if you are considering climbing HP I assume you have above-average levels of fitness. To maximize your day at MP stay the night before in Aguas Calientes.

Take that extra day and either put it at the beginning of your trip to allow adequate rest on arrival at elevation, or see something else that you didn't have time for.

I'm with mlgb. If you want to be there for sunrise, go the night before and save the second day for an extended stay at one of your other stops. Depending on the weather, you might not even have a sunrise, just clouds.

If we stayed in Ollantaytambo Percy said we could catch a 7:05am train or 8am train that takes 2 hours to get to Aguas Calientes. I am not sure if we could catch a train right away to go up Machu Picchu after getting to Aguas Calientes (which arrival would be around 9:30am) or if we would have to stop over at our hotel first. Maybe we could then go up Machu Picchu first thing and spend the day up there and then stay overnight in Aguas Calientes and then go back to Cusco early in the morning instead of going up to see it a second day. I am starting to get confused on what the best option is now after all this flipping back and forth.

Seems like you are making this decision harder on yourself that it needs to be. If you've already decided to spend a night in AC, I would take an afternoon train up. Settle into your hotel and take it easy. Go to MP first thing the following morning and head back to Cusco in the afternoon.

You can check the perurail.com site to see the train schedule and availability.