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Macchu Picchu tips
Posted on 10/30/20 at 5:29 am
Posted on 10/30/20 at 5:29 am
I’m booking a trip to Macchu Picchu for next October. Is it worth spending an extra day in Lima? Any must do’s in Cusco? TIA
8
Posted on 10/30/20 at 7:30 am to jmh5724
I enjoyed Lima but only needed two days there
Posted on 10/30/20 at 10:26 am to jmh5724
If anything, spend the extra day in Cusco
Posted on 10/30/20 at 1:09 pm to jmh5724
We went April '2019. We hiked the last leg of the Incan trail and it was beautiful and difficult. If you are going to hike the trail, I hope you are young and in shape. I plan on going back but and forgo the hike.
We spent the first few days in Lima and thoroughly enjoyed everything about it, the people, the food, the climate, all was perfect. We stayed at the Hotel B.
We then flew to Cuzco and our tour operator arranged travel to the Sacred Valley and a few days stay at the Inkaterra Hotel Urubamba. This was probably my favorite hotel I have ever experienced. Great rooms, food, views and service.
The sacred valley was incredible and we spent a couple of days here. Our tour guide, Silver from SA Expeditions took us to a silver shop, that had a kitchen in the back and we ate the best empanadas I have ever tasted ( so random ).
We finished with a trip to Aguas Caliente and the hike and tour of Macchu Pichu. We took the train to stop 104 and hiked the last leg of the trail. The scenery was stunning and the hike was strenuous AF but seeing Macchu Pichu from the Sun Gate, the same view that Hiram Bingham saw, was well worth the effort.
There is so much about Peru to love. It is my favorite country I have ever visited and the best eating country by far. They are truly farm to table and have so many climates to cultivate and an interesting mix of cultures, Asian, Spanish and native that makes for incredible food.
Their people are so nice, the best example of this is the traffic in Lima. They will take a 4 lane highway and make it into a 5 or six lane highway. They will toot their car horns but not step on them. Bumper to bumper chaos, but there is no road rage or wrecks.
I can't wait to go back.
We spent the first few days in Lima and thoroughly enjoyed everything about it, the people, the food, the climate, all was perfect. We stayed at the Hotel B.
We then flew to Cuzco and our tour operator arranged travel to the Sacred Valley and a few days stay at the Inkaterra Hotel Urubamba. This was probably my favorite hotel I have ever experienced. Great rooms, food, views and service.
The sacred valley was incredible and we spent a couple of days here. Our tour guide, Silver from SA Expeditions took us to a silver shop, that had a kitchen in the back and we ate the best empanadas I have ever tasted ( so random ).
We finished with a trip to Aguas Caliente and the hike and tour of Macchu Pichu. We took the train to stop 104 and hiked the last leg of the trail. The scenery was stunning and the hike was strenuous AF but seeing Macchu Pichu from the Sun Gate, the same view that Hiram Bingham saw, was well worth the effort.
There is so much about Peru to love. It is my favorite country I have ever visited and the best eating country by far. They are truly farm to table and have so many climates to cultivate and an interesting mix of cultures, Asian, Spanish and native that makes for incredible food.
Their people are so nice, the best example of this is the traffic in Lima. They will take a 4 lane highway and make it into a 5 or six lane highway. They will toot their car horns but not step on them. Bumper to bumper chaos, but there is no road rage or wrecks.
I can't wait to go back.
Posted on 10/30/20 at 1:13 pm to jmh5724
I was in Cusco about 3 days before the 4 day inca trail to acclimatize before the trek.
Took a day trip to the moras moray salt mines and rice terraces
Hiked to the northern part of the city where the giant stones are from an old fortress
Took a day trip to the moras moray salt mines and rice terraces
Hiked to the northern part of the city where the giant stones are from an old fortress
Posted on 10/30/20 at 1:32 pm to ruzil
How long was the hike for the last leg? I’m in pretty good shape and did a 15 mile hike in Colorado last month with relative ease. I only have a 5 day trip planned as of now and will probably be traveling alone.
Posted on 10/30/20 at 3:03 pm to jmh5724
quote:
How long was the hike for the last leg?
IIRC, I clocked 8.5 miles on my watch for the hike. Tons of Incan Escalators where you are crawling on all fours to get up the steps. The trail is entirely stones so make sure you have appropriate footwear and hiking sticks.
Also, you cannot get on the trail without a guide, so plan accordingly. Next time, I will stay on the train to the end and take the bus to the top.
Bring some water too.
Posted on 10/30/20 at 3:09 pm to Jrv2damac
Those salt mines were incredible to see and the terraced "green houses" impressed me as well.
I actually enjoyed the sacred valley more than Macchu Picchu. At one point we got to speak to a quinoa farmer and watched how they harvested their crops without any mechanization. This farmer, Francesco was his name, sold his quinoa to Centrale, which is considered by some to be the best restaurant in the world.
I actually enjoyed the sacred valley more than Macchu Picchu. At one point we got to speak to a quinoa farmer and watched how they harvested their crops without any mechanization. This farmer, Francesco was his name, sold his quinoa to Centrale, which is considered by some to be the best restaurant in the world.
Posted on 10/30/20 at 3:42 pm to ruzil
quote:
Also, you cannot get on the trail without a guide, so plan accordingly. Next time, I will stay on the train to the end and take the bus to the top
That's what I did, was saving my energy for Huanya Picchu which was smart.
Posted on 10/30/20 at 4:09 pm to jmh5724
quote:
Is it worth spending an extra day in Lima?
Yes. Have dinner at Central or Maido.
This post was edited on 10/30/20 at 4:47 pm
Posted on 10/30/20 at 6:56 pm to jmh5724
I found Mount Sneffels harder than Dead Woman’s Pass. You should be fine.
Also, if this will be your first time south of 20 degrees, don’t forget to look up at night.
Also, if this will be your first time south of 20 degrees, don’t forget to look up at night.
Posted on 10/31/20 at 6:01 am to jmh5724
I spent 17 days in Peru in 2016, and I will start by saying that Machu Picchu definitely lives up to the hype. The views are amazing. If you're in good shape, you should definitely hike up either Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu for views that are even more stunning. If you hike one of those and also walk to the Incan Bridge and also to the Sun Gate, you'll get a very full workout for the day.
If you spend the night in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo), then make sure that you get on the first bus up in the morning.
Oh, and I definitely do not advise flying in and spending your first night in Cuzco -- there's a good chance you'll really suffer with altitude sickness. I spent my first night acclimating in Urubamba and then a night in Aguas Calientes before going back to Cuzco, and it was still tough.
If you spend the night in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo), then make sure that you get on the first bus up in the morning.
Oh, and I definitely do not advise flying in and spending your first night in Cuzco -- there's a good chance you'll really suffer with altitude sickness. I spent my first night acclimating in Urubamba and then a night in Aguas Calientes before going back to Cuzco, and it was still tough.
Posted on 10/31/20 at 9:29 am to jmh5724
Lima was incredible. I'm not a fan of big cities, but I wish I spent more time there.
Posted on 10/31/20 at 9:33 am to GOP_Tiger
Of my 17 days in Peru, I only spent 4 of them in Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Peru has so much more to see than just that. Lima is a fine city to visit for a couple of days, but if you have time, I'd encourage you to expand your vision of the country.
I really enjoyed the three nights I spent in a lodge on the Amazon, near Iquitos. I went swimming with pink river dolphins, fished for piranha, and saw lots of other wildlife. The night on a "floating island" on Lake Titicaca was amazing, with the Milky Way blazing across the sky and the Southern Cross standing out among everything.
Northern Peru is very undertouristed -- the Museum of the Tombs of the Lords of Sipan in Chiclayo is incredible. The Temple of the Moon near Trujillo wows.
And I didn't even get to Colca Canyon, Aguadilla, or Nazca -- I need to go back.
As people said, Peruvian cuisine is outstanding. In Latin America, I think only Mexico compares. Peruvian cuisine is so varied, because the climate is so varied, as you've got dry desert, snow-capped mountains, and tropical rainforest -- and that lends itself to amazing flavor combinations. Just thinking about it makes me want some cebiche right now. Oh, and eat a meal at a "chifa," a Chinese restaurant, because the Chinese-Peruvian fusion is outstanding.
I really enjoyed the three nights I spent in a lodge on the Amazon, near Iquitos. I went swimming with pink river dolphins, fished for piranha, and saw lots of other wildlife. The night on a "floating island" on Lake Titicaca was amazing, with the Milky Way blazing across the sky and the Southern Cross standing out among everything.
Northern Peru is very undertouristed -- the Museum of the Tombs of the Lords of Sipan in Chiclayo is incredible. The Temple of the Moon near Trujillo wows.
And I didn't even get to Colca Canyon, Aguadilla, or Nazca -- I need to go back.
As people said, Peruvian cuisine is outstanding. In Latin America, I think only Mexico compares. Peruvian cuisine is so varied, because the climate is so varied, as you've got dry desert, snow-capped mountains, and tropical rainforest -- and that lends itself to amazing flavor combinations. Just thinking about it makes me want some cebiche right now. Oh, and eat a meal at a "chifa," a Chinese restaurant, because the Chinese-Peruvian fusion is outstanding.
This post was edited on 10/31/20 at 9:34 am
Posted on 11/3/20 at 5:10 pm to jmh5724
Cool story about Scott Fujita signing his NFL retirement papers with Steve Gleason on Manchu Picchu .
This post was edited on 11/3/20 at 5:18 pm
Posted on 11/5/20 at 8:45 am to Blah Blah Blah Dude
Peru was amazing, the full inca trail really isn’t that bad if you can take the elevation and are in decent shape. We had people in our group that weren’t in the best shape and still made it. The views from the trail are spectacular, and aside from the bathrooms, the trail was amazing.
We spent a couple days in Lima at the beginning of the trip. Lima is beautiful and right on the ocean. We did a tour of the old downtown area and the arts district, both were amazing. The area near the ocean is super safe, but a lot of the city isn’t, so be cautious where you stay and walk around. The food in the entire country is also amazing, lots of meat and potatoes.
We spent some time in the rainforests and then some time in cusco/sacred valley before doing the hike. Cusco is very beautiful and ancient, great for walking around and acclimating. The sacred valley has many ruins and wonderful little villages and beautiful mountains. Overall it was the trip of a lifetime, highly recommend
We spent a couple days in Lima at the beginning of the trip. Lima is beautiful and right on the ocean. We did a tour of the old downtown area and the arts district, both were amazing. The area near the ocean is super safe, but a lot of the city isn’t, so be cautious where you stay and walk around. The food in the entire country is also amazing, lots of meat and potatoes.
We spent some time in the rainforests and then some time in cusco/sacred valley before doing the hike. Cusco is very beautiful and ancient, great for walking around and acclimating. The sacred valley has many ruins and wonderful little villages and beautiful mountains. Overall it was the trip of a lifetime, highly recommend
Posted on 11/5/20 at 9:04 am to luvdatigahs
Is this hike something you can do with kids? Say ages ranging 10-16 who are athletic? I’d love to take my boys on this hike.
Posted on 11/5/20 at 10:35 am to LSUlove
Maybe the one day hike, I didn’t see any kids on the full hike. Would really depend on the age and fitness level, we saw high school kids on the hike, but no one really younger than that. The full hike is 4 days with three nights in tents. Full hikes must be booked with tour companies in order to get the permits you must also use porters that carry everything. You only hike with your daypack and all food and everything else is taken care of. That being said, you still need to train for this hike, either hiking with altitude or major stair climbing. The second day is a 5-6 hour climb with no let up in altitude. I would suggest watching YouTube videos on the hike, there are plenty out there
This post was edited on 11/5/20 at 10:46 am
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