aliciapr

I'm very keen to visit this wonder site in Peru. Please share your experience about machu picchu visit. Also suggest other must see places in Peru.

suze

Alicia, You'll get more replies if you post your question on the South America forum. See the blue "Change Forum" link near the title TRAVEL TIPS above.

Neuman605

MP is probably my most memorable place in the entire world.. it is beyond words, this coming from a new author!

hlphillips2

I agree with posting on the SA board - but I'll tell you that it was a pretty amazing place, although highly commercialized until you actually enter the site. I was very turned off until we emerged from all the crowds of tourists arriving via bus. If you're keen on hiking I'd recommend going that route (I'm not a big hiking fan!). As for other places to visit - so many options. Arequipa, Lake Titicaca region (Puno), Amazon river basin, head into salt plains of Bolivia, Copacabana (also in Bolivia), Nazca Lines. So many options.

walkabout

I went to Machu Picchu in 2000--wanted to start the Millennium in a memorable way, and I wasn't disappointed. (I know the Millennium didn't actually start until 2001, but it felt like it should have started in 2000!). Anyway, I loved Machu Picchu and the rest of the Sacred Valley. If you go to Machu Picchu, you may also want to check out Ollantaytambo and the Pisac ruins.

One caveat: be prepared for the possibility of altitude sickness. Some people are more affected by it than others,and it has little to do with age or physical fitness.

I optimistically expected that the effects would be minimal because I have traveled to high altitudes before without consequence; that was my ignorance. I was sick as a dog the first couple of days--dizzy, nauseated, horrible headache, had difficulty walking in a straight line. I felt like I was suffocating, and finally had to have the front desk send up portable oxygen, which apparently is a common request in Cusco.

Despite this, I hope to be able to return and hike the Inca Trail. I will just build in three or four days acclimation time so I can adjust to the altitude. I would also like to do an Amazon tour out of Iquitos some day--so many things on my bucket list!

quiltingmamma

I was in Peru this past April and did a round trip of southern Peru. Everyday was special. Rather than list all the places, here is the link to the tour http://www.gapadventures.com/trips/i...orer/PEI/2009/. Even if you don't take it, it gives you a bit of an idea of the highlights in that area of Peru. As I see you wrote in the family travel section, GAP does family tour as well. Though MP was definitely worth seeing, there were other very memorable days. Walkabout has a very valid point about altitude sickness. Lake Titicaca is higher than MP, BTW, but altitude sickness can ruin your trip if Cuzco and MP are your only stops. I'd say either acclimatize or take the recommended meds - starting before your arrive in the Andes. BTW, if you decide to go further than MP, consider travelling end of rainy season, when things are lush and green. Very brown and ugly during the summer dry season.

tominrm

My son just returned from hiking trip to Machu Picchu. He said the second day of the trip was very hard. One of women in the group was carried by a porter. So unless you are physically fit and are an experienced hiker, you'd better watch out. There's no way of falling behind or quitting once you start the hiking.