Short trip with our college-aged kids. We cannot swing more days. I spent a month in Peru in the '80s and did the Salkantay trek and all sorts of other cool stuff, but this is the first time for the rest of the family. We like adventure, but also like to relax - boys don't want ruins every day. We live at sea level, but all fared well in high altitude in Quito and have had no problems at the Aspen summit (11,000+ feet). Appreciate opinions. Option 1 involves 3 nights in Ollantaytambo; option 2 allows 3 nights in Cusco

Option #1:
Day 1 - Ollanta (arrive Cusco 8am, transfer to Ollanta via Pisac)
Day 2 - Ollanta (Explore Ollanta)
Day 3 - Ollanta (Local trek - Maras or weaving village?)
Day 4 - Machu Picchu - stay in Aguas Calientes
Day 5 - Cusco (11am train to Ollanta, drive to Cusco via Chinchero)
Day 6 - Cusco
Day 7 - home

OR
Day 1 - Ollanta (arrive Cusco, 8am, transfer to Ollanta via Pisac)
Day 2 - Ollanta local excursion (Maras/weaving village?)
Day 3 - MP - stay in AC
Day 4 - Cusco (11am train to Ollanta, drive to Cusco via Chinchero)
Day 5 - Cusco
Day 6 - Cusco
Day 7 - Home

I prefer the first because I prefer Ollanta to Cusco. There are some fun biking and river rafting excursions near Ollanta that your family might enjoy.

We enjoyed Maras and Moray as a day trip.

I'm with Elizabeth, although the college age kids might find Olly too "slow" and prefer Cusco's backpacker bar scene.

I too prefer Ollantaytambo but I am sure my kids ( late 20s) would prefer Cusco, mainly for reasons given by mlgb.we. Stayed in Ollantaytambo/Urumbamba for several weeks and it does get very quiet at night.

I think you have plenty of days. You might find my TR helpful in your planning:

http://www.fodors.com/community/sout...ul-country.cfm

Thanks, all. Anxious to read your report, dcd.

We found out that there is a festival in Ollanta on the day after we're going to MP, so we've decided on the following:

2 nights Ollanta
1 night Aguas Calientes
1 night Ollanta (return for fiesta)
2 nights Cusco

Now buying MP and train tickets. Then looking for the perfect hotel in Cusco. Suggestions?

We stayed at Casa Cartagena in Cusco. It was very nice, good central location, nice breakfast (although never quite ready at opening time). The rooms were GIANT - we had two floors, three double beds, little porch, and it was not very expensive. That might be nice for your sons, especially if you keep different hours. Enjoy!

We're booked at Casa Cartagena!! It sounds as if you might have had the presidential suite, which is now $3000 a night, so you got a great deal.

We're so thrilled about being there that we're thinking of skipping the fiesta because we would have to hang around and would only be there for the beginning. I'm trying to find out the actual start time. Do you think we need 3 nights/2 days in Cusco or 2 nights/1.5 day will be enough?

Also, I now have tweaked the itinerary above so that it now looks like this:

Day 1 - Ollanta (arrive Cusco 10am, go to Pisaq on the way)
Day 2 - Ollanta local excursion (Maras)
Day 3 - 1:30 pm train to AC
Day 4 - MP Cusco (6:45pm train to Ollanta, taxi to Cusco)
Day 5 - Cusco
Day 6 - Cusco
Day 7 - Home

The question is whether to spend the night on Day 4 in Olly and see the beginning of the fiesta on Day 5 before going to Cusco.

Did you say when you are going? I'd give MP 2 shots in case there is a problem with weather, illness, etc. for your one day. Looks like you have enough days to allot 2 to MP. I had fewer days for Cusco, Ollan, AC, MP and made sure I had two MP visits. For me MP was the highlight of that part of the itinerary. If not a highlight for you, then 1 day is ok.

I would definitely stay in Ollantaytambo for the fiesta. We were lucky enough to experience several in Peru, the most memorable being in Arequipa. The ones in Ollantaytambo and Urumbamba were not on th e same scale but still great fun.

Hi, atravelynn. When did you go? We will be there in mid May, supposedly primo - after the rains, but before the height of the tourist season. Yes, MP is a highlight for us - would mean changing our train on Day 3. Does anyone know how easy that is to do? Can we just get on an earlier train standby?

The other time I visited MP was in April 1986. We went in just for one day after our trek. It did rain for part of the day, but it was glorious when it cleared up. I was just able to look up the exact date because a) we were on a Halley's Comet viewing trip and b)there was a devastating earthquake while we were in Cuzco, which destroyed 2000 buildings in the city, including our hotel. Luckily, we were in a restaurant on the plaza that was barely damaged.

Hoping to have a less edgy vacation this time!

It depends on the personal interests of everyone in the family - if your kids are not keen on ruins every day then more time in Cusco with day-trips out would probably be more fun for them. Like your updated itinerary & Maras is great - try to get there earlyish os as not to be there in the midday sun, it can be harsh especially with the reflection from the salt pans.

Thanks so much for everyone's input. I think we're somewhat under control now and will stick with the last itinerary I posted, with the addition of the Awanakancha alpaca ranch on our way out of Cusco (opinions on that??)

Our family vacation M.O. is always last minute and crazy (see my previous trip reports). This time we're leaving the night after our older son's college graduation. We will all be burnt out, so we're planning on just one activity a day with plenty of downtime to walk around, take photos, sit in cafes, etc. Will sadly miss the festival because the big day is not until two days after we return to Ollanta and we want some spa and relaxation time in Cusco.

We'll also take our chances with the one day at MP, although there seems to be plenty of availability in case we decide to go earlier or stay an extra day. We have booked the HP hike for the boys (Mr. C has height issues), the lunch at the Sanctuary, and a 6:45pm return train, so we can stay until closing and maybe go to the Sun Gate in the afternoon.

Again, thanks to all, including friends from the Asia and Africa boards. Additional tips appreciated. Will report back.

May is primo. I was there last Aug. Changing your train ticket might be too big of a deal.

Re: lunch at the Sanctuary, it can be very crowded and far more expensive than the little cafe nearby.

An excerpt from my report about the lunch:

<i>We had a buffet lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge, which was very good quality, but the chaotic and deafening atmosphere posed a challenge to diners as well as to a determined group of talented musicians performing in front of the hot dog rotisserie.

The lunch was part of my package and it made sense to stop midday for a hearty meal. But I noted a far calmer, less crowded café across the way that might be a better bet, as well as less expensive. As a former high school cafeteria monitor, I have a high threshold for “chaotic and deafening,” but this definitely was.

Thanks for the heads up about lunch. Sounds awful, but my family will want a break because we have 10 hours in the park. We've already reserved the buffet as an add-on to our train tickets. Is the cafe also in the hotel? I'm going to see if we can get a reservation there instead. (I'm now afraid that the whole trip will be a turnoff to me - there were hardly any tourists the last time I went.)

The so-called cafe is nothing more than a snack bar. Stick with the buffet. Yes it is busy but that is Machu Picchu in high season. Probably worse if you have to go lock step with groups arriving after their two hour tour.