Sacred Valley/MP Itinerary- First timer help?
 

I’m a first timer on the board AND to Peru, and I was hoping to get some feedback on my itinerary. I know I have limited time (10 days including flights) and I’m really not interested in running myself ragged trying to hit the full Gringo Trail. Sandboarding, Islas Ballestas, Nazca Lines aren’t that interesting to me. Arequipa/Colca Canyon or Puno/Titicaca (especially the latter) seem to be nice to visit, but not worth the 3 day commitment out of my trip bank to make it happen. So, I’m focusing on getting to Cusco and spending a week seeing the Sacred Valley sites and Macchu Picchu, followed by a day in Lima before my return flight. I’m also basing a lot of my trip on where I can use the boatloads of Marriott Rewards points I’ve built up over the past year (hence the primary home base of Cusco). I’m looking for feedback and suggestions, and to see if I’m missing any “musts” or including anything not worth the time. The timing is the late August running into the first week of September. Here’s the plan:

Day 1: LAX- LIM, Arrive 10:30pm, Overnight at Airport Ramada
Day 2: Flight (LIM-CUZ), Day at rest, Buy “Boleta Tourista”, rest & acclimatize (Night at JW Cusco)
Day 3: (Sunday) Pisac- Market & Ruins (Night at JW Cusco)
Day 4: Cusco City Museums/Attractions (Night at JW Cusco)
Day 5: Bus (to/from) Chincero/Maras (Moray)/Salinas (Salt Pans)/Lake Piura (Night at JW Cusco)
Day 6: Cusco City/Sacsay/Tambo (Night at JW Cusco)
Day 7: Train to Ollantaytambo (fort), on to Aguas Calientes (Night in AC)
Day 8: Early AM-afternoon Macchu Picchu, train back to Cusco (Night at JW Cusco)
Day 9: Morning- Relax, afternoon flight (CUZ-LIM), (Night at JW in Miraflores)
Day 10: Sightsee Lima, Midnight return flight (LIM-LAX)

*Does the order follow a nice, comfortable progression?
*Have I missed anything that is “unmissable”? Included anything “meh”?
*Still haven’t booked the hotel in AC yet- thinking Huacatay Towers or La Cabana- any feedback?
Anything else you can think of would be appreciated. As you can tell I’m booking everything myself without a tour operator- is it simple to pick up a guided tour from Cusco if I decide I’d like one?

Thanks all!

Hi --

Your itinerary is pretty close to mine, although I also had some Starwood points to burn, which allowed me to stay in the center of the Sacred Valley and I could compress the Sacred Valley portion down.

I have a blog series on the trip coming out now -- it's up to Cusco and Sacred Valley today.

Some thoughts
- You might be able to cut Cusco and Sacred Valley down by a day. I saw much of the Sacred Valley in a day and Cusco in a little over a day (but then I tend to go wide rather than deep) which gave me two wonderful days in the Amazon
- There are tour companies all over Cusco. iPeru is located in a bank along the main square, and the woman there was very helpful
- I loved visiting the churches in Central Lima. Really regretted only catching a few minutes of the light show on the way to the airport at night
- Sounds like you're Marriott Gold or Platinum. If so, The JW in Lima will take good care of you. Food in the lounge is excellent, they will probably give you a great room and they will let you check-out really late (I checked-out at 10:00 p.m.) if you ask.

Hi don't forget to do that sacred valley

Esme- thank you! I'm not familiar with where the Amazon entry would be- where did you go and how did you get there?

If you had an extra 1-2 days back, where would you spend it- MP? Lima? Amazon? (If so, please explain what that portion of your trip looked like?)

Yeah, Marriott Platinum... I hate to plan a trip around it, but it just made sense to use them as much as possible. Will be at the JW Lima for the last day- sounds like a perfect spot to wrap the trip up at.

Any advice on hotels in Aguas Calientes? Not looking to drop a grand on the top 3 (Sanctuary, Inkaterra, Sumaq) but would like an above average experience.

Thanks again. Finding great resources on these boards (andeantravelweb, etc..)

No problem.

I spent my 3 days/2 nights in the Amazon -- a direct flight on Taca from Cusco and then on to Lima was only $140 including taxes. I was happy with that decision. One day at MP was more than enough for me and it was perfect for Lima. That is a rough town (I only used car service) but there are a few parts really worth seeing (Central and the light show), plus they have great restaurants.

The JW Marriott in Cusco was nice, but it felt a little cold literally and figuratively.

I did not stay in Aguas Calientes. I recommend looking into Tambo del Inka (Starwood). With the train service directly from the hotel to MP and back there was no need to stay in Aguas Calientes and transportation was a no-brainer. I still had time after MP to walk around the town a little and have a beer/people-watch.

- esme

So Ive changed the itinerary a bit with your suggestions. The Tambo del Inka looked to good to pass up! I don't have status with Starwood, but from all Ive read the service is amazing and the private train station is the perfect launch to MP. We were going to head back down to Cusco after MP, but decided we wanted the luxury of leaving our things at the TdI that day. Please let me know if this makes more sense:

Day 1: LAX- LIM, Arrive 10:30pm, Overnight at Airport Ramada
Day 2: Flight (LIM-CUZ), rest & acclimatize (Night at JW Cusco)
Day 3: (Sunday) Pisac- Market, Chahuaytire & Ruins (Night at JW Cusco)
Day 4: Cusco City/Sacsay/Tambo (Night at JW Cusco)
Day 5: Chincero/Moray/Maras (Night at JW Cusco)
Day 6: Lake Piura/Horseback ride or other (Night at JW Cusco)
Day 7: Leave for Tambo del Inka, visit Ollantaytambo (night at TDI)
Day 8: Macchu Picchu (Night at TDI)
Day 9: Return to Cusco, afternoon flight (CUZ-LIM), (Night at JW Lima)
Day 10: Sightsee Lima, Midnight return flight (LIM-LAX)

We seem to still have a "play day" (Day 6 above) where we are looking for something fun to do. I've read the walk around Lake Piura could be fun, but the girlfriend may want to do a horseback ride. Any ideas?

Thank you for your advice!

I have a number of suggestions.

Flip your itinerary around, start with the nights in the Sacred Valley. Lower elevation.

Why are you staying at Tambo del Inka, do you have points there? If it is coming out of your pocket, I'd go with Ollantaytambo instead of Urubamba (try Pakaritampu or El Albergue).

Do your Machu Picchu excursion closer to the middle of your stay.

Have you looked at the prices for El Mapi in Aguas Calientes (you only need one night).
http://www.inkaterra.com/tarifas2013...Web_Direct.pdf

You might do the Abra Malaga downhill bike ride for your fun day (contact KB Tambo in Ollantaytambo). If you want something cultural, the village tour to Patacancha run by Awamaki out of Ollantaytambo.

I would go back to Lima on the morning of Day 9, not the afternoon. There is lots to see in Lima, and some great food.

You're welcome. The TDI was very nice to return to after Machu Picchu. It was a really long day and I needed a big hamburger and a glass of wine.

I don't know about the lake.

Okay... So I thought about everything again, and completely reconfigured my trip. Going to take the recommendations of going from lowest elevation to highest, and also to fit in a little more of Peru than just Cusco and Sacred Valley. Here's what the final itinerary looks like now (tickets are bought, and most hotels are paid for!). Would still love some advice on how to best get around from place to place, and restaurants that shouldn't be missed...

Day 1: Flight (LAX- LIM), (Stay @Airport Ramada)
Day 2: Flight (LIM-CUZ), Tour Ollantaytambo, (Stay @El Albergue)
Day 3: (Sunday) Tour Pisac- Market & Ruins (Stay @El Albergue)
Day 4: All day Macchu Picchu, (Stay @El Albergue)
Day 5: Tour Chincero/Moray on way to Cusco (Stay @JW Cusco)
Day 6: Cusco City/Sacsay/Tambo (Stay @JW Cusco)
Day 7: Cusco City/Sacsay/Tambo (Stay @JW Cusco)
Day 8: Andean Explorer Train (CUZ-PUNO), (Stay @Libertador Puno)
Day 9: Tour Uros/Taquile, PM Flight (JUL-LIM), (Stay @JW Lima)
Day 10: Tour Lima, 11:50PM Depart Flight (LIM-LAX)
Day 11: Arrive LAX (11:10 AM)

As you can see, I cancelled the nights at Tambo del Inka and rebooked some nights at El Albergue. Looks like a totally different experience, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I get to stay at a lot of nice hotels stateside throughout the year. El Albergue came so highly recommended and still had the train access (and I paid the same for 3 nights as I did for 1 at TDI). Took a leap with the Andean Explorer train- figured it was the best way to see the countryside, and a new experience. Friends raved about Titicaca, and although we're only giving it a cursory overview, I can at least check that box.

The "Fodors Choice" selections have good guidance on restaurants, in my opinion.

You may get some discounts for eating at El Albergue's restaurant if you stay there. My most recent experience was less satisfactory than the first (but most people still seem to like it). Service in Ollantaytambo can be a bit slow.

In Cusco I liked Greens near the Plaza de Armas, especially since you can order a salad there. Their alpaca was very nice (better than El A's).

In Pisac be sure to have some of the bread baked in one of the colonial hornos.

In Lima you will be spoiled for choice, I think the seafood dishes are outstanding.