View Peru photos including Lima, Cuzco, Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes and more in my Peru photo stream on flickr.com: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kellygrainger/sets/72157624030145120/
Traveling to Peru? Like most people I went to check out Machu Picchu (see below). I didn’t really know what to expect, but my cousin had already booked a trip so I piggy-backed his plan. I had friends that backpacked up the north-west coast of Peru for a week-long surf camp and they loved it, however I think it’s safe to say that the #1 attraction in Peru is Machu Picchu.
Peru and Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Tours
There are several guided tours you can take into Peru and all the way to Machu Picchu. I recommend Intrepid Travel tours. These tours are all affordable and run by experienced guides.
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The plan was to arrive in Lima, Peru, spend a couple days hanging out, and then head to a city called Cuzco where we’d begin our journey along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. There were a few options: We could take a train right up to Machu Picchu, do a quick 2-day hike through a not-so-beaten path, or do the more adventurous and strenuous “4-Day Inca Trail Hike“. We chose the later, as it was more genuine and we both had a couple of weeks to kill – we weren’t in any kind of rush.
We got a tour guide from a company called SAS Travel Peru, and were grouped with about 10 other people from all over the place. In addition to the guide, SAS provided a cook and some porters to carry things like tents, pots, chairs, etc. The porters were awesome, and rumored to be locals that lived up in the mountains, hired and well-treated by SAS.
Rumors
I heard that Lima wasn’t a very nice city. Actually, I liked it. Every city has it’s dirty, industrial, and sketchy areas, but if you steer clear of those you’ll find yourself in the nicer areas. Lima has a more “touristy” area called Miraflores, which is full of restaurants, Internet cafes, pubs, hotels, hostels, etc. It’s also got a main landmark/square that is within walking distance to the ocean. Its a nice place to hang out, there were markets and such, a good place to buy souvenirs.
From the ocean there are great views of surfers and what feels like miles of sea-side walking paths through parks. When we were in Lima the later-part of this park route was under construction, indicating these guys were spending big bucks on making it even better and extending it even further. Another cool part about this Miraflores area is that there is a shopping mall built into the side of a cliff. The stores are decent, and there’s lots of different food to crush.
One thing I will say is that the Miraflores area of Lima doesn’t have much in the way of sightseeing old buildings and historical landmarks, which is probably one of the cooler things to do/see in Central and South America. Most of these sights are located in the center or heart of the city – which brings me back to the dirty/shady part. Downtown Lima IS very dirty, and very shady. By “shady”, I mean you’re likely to get into some sort of trouble regardless of how low-key you think you’re being. The downtown Lima area seemed like the wild west. There was a lot of trash, stray dogs, and “rough” looking people lurking around.
Another rumor I heard was of people dying on the Machu Picchu tour (falling off the side of a mountain or collapsing from exhaustion on the Inca Trail). This is true, and you can die, if you’re an idiot. For example, there are places along the Inca Trail hike that you are not advised to venture out to, or climb up a mountain side you’re not advised to climb. Some people wanted to be “that guy” and paid the price. If an idiotic adrenaline rush doesn’t kill you, you’ll likely end up breaking a leg, arm, back or with a nasty concussion.
SAS also advised that you only do the 4-day Inca Trail hike if you’re physically fit. I thought I was in pretty good shape and ready for the trip, and I near puked every day. Now I’ll define what I called physically fit, because I obviously wasn’t. For 2 months I walked 6 flights of stairs up to my office at least twice a day, and played squash, ball hockey, ice hockey and ran track each at least once a week. I was fine for the first day, finishing first or second place in the group, and by the 4th day I was dead last, wearing a knee brace on loan from an ex-rugby player in the group and 2 borrowed walking sticks from a couple girls. Keep in mind you pass altitudes of 4,000 meters and if you’ve never been at such an altitude you don’t know how your body will react. I was light headed, short of breath, my joints (fingers especially) swelled up, and my knees buckled big time. Your body is likely not used to those altitudes, so if you’re not in shape don’t bother, seriously. It’s recommended that when you get to Cuzco you should stick around and acclimatize to the altitude for a couple days, I say more like 4 days. And Cuzco is a VERY cool place to hang out in for 4 days.
Machu Picchu Photos
In a nutshell
I felt like two days in Lima were enough, no longer. I loved Cuzco (sometimes spelled Cusco) and feel 4 days there would have been perfect. If you’re going to see Machu Picchu, make not only the sight of it but the journey there a memory and hike the Inca Trail to Machu – and yes, travel with SAS Travel Peru because they’re awesome. Oh – and do NOT take the bus ride from Lima to Cuzco, it’s 18-24hrs (I think, will have to double-check that) if you’re lucky. I heard stories of buses breaking down in the middle of nowhere and an overall uncomfortable ride. My advise is to budget for the $200, 2hr flight. There’s one leaving Lima just about every hour to Cuzco.
Peru and Inca Trail Tours
There are several guided tours you can take into Peru and all the way to Machu Picchu. I recommend Intrepid Travel or G Adventures. These tours are all affordable and run by experienced guides:
View Peru photos including Lima, Cuzco, Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes and more in my Peru photo stream on flickr.com: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kellygrainger/sets/72157624030145120/
* The first Machu Picchu picture at the top of this page is from http://www.toddadams.net/. It’s one of the best photos I could find, he lucked out and got a great shot on a great day! All other photos are my own, and you can see more on my flickr page.
64 Responses to Machu Picchu, Peru
In your Peru photos – what/who are the guys in the striped shirts towards the end of your group of Peru photos?
i likehistory of machupichu.
Hi Peru!
i am an afghan and read alottle about the history od Inca and Peru, I liked it alot.
secondly i also watched a tv documentery about the food of Peruvians, thank you Peru, LIVE IN PEACE, you and your country is really great and nice.
thanks
reading that comment made me dumber by the second… but ya, thanks.
Your enthusiasm for travel excites me, but this comment is disappointing.
Insightful!
There are lots of benefits in traveling. I didn’t start traveling till I was in my 20s. Perhaps it was the fear of the unknown and even fear of flying but since I went for my first holiday to Australia, I have never looked back.
i’ve gotta do australia soon! that, and new zealand.
Fantastic stuff man. I cant wait to see more from you. This is really an excellent blog.
thanks dude
Are you going to have a follow up post or article about this anytime soon? 🙂
thanks for posting this. looking for this all day 😀
I’ll bookmark this for sure… keep it up!!
Wow, very interesting to read, thank you.
Really nice style and design 😀
thanks, i can’t take credit though. it’s a wordpress blog template/theme, perfect for travel blog layouts!
i liked Machu Picchu a lot!
i’ve never met anyone who has been to machu picchu and didn’t like it. i recommend the inca trail hike, but if that’s not your preferred travel style i still recommend people get to machu picchu any way they can – it’s awesome.
nice site, thanks.
hello, i want to point out that you are scaring away people like me from doing this hike. I read this article, and almost wimped out on doing the trail that my husband booked. I am fit person, and by that i mean, i’m not overweight. but that’s all. i do not exercise regularly (if at all), but i have stamina. and I did the hike just fine. i went to puno for 2 days (and got a killer headache) and was in cusco for 3 days before the hike, so i acclimatized. I cannot imagine hiking it with that killer headache. so please, people out there, if you are determined, you can do it!! you do not have to be a runner, or be going to the gym multiple times a week, etc… to do this. It is HARD, but you can take your time, and STAMINA is what you need.
You’re right that motivation and stamina factor in… however I still recommend that people phsically prepare for the Inca Trail hike.
Intrepid Travel (who operates guided tours and hikes like this all over the world) gives the Inca Trail hike a physical rating of 4/5, and in their words…
“Be prepared for some serious physical activity. The majority of activities included on this trip will be challenging. The fitter you are, the more you will enjoy your holiday.”
I think this sums it up 😉
With all the snow we have gotten recently I am stuck indoors, fortunately there is the internet, thanks for giving me something to do 🙂
Excellent article and easy to understand explanation. How do I go about getting permission to post part of the article in my upcoming news letter? Giving proper credit to you the author and link to the site would not be a problem.
it’s all yours… giv’er!
I absolutely love your blog and find the majority of your posts are just what I’m looking for!
it looks awesome!
Thank you for such a great information! And pictures are also very illustrative!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate your efforts and I
will be waiting for your next write ups thank you once again.
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I also am plannig to go to Peru. What is the best season do you think going there? Which month was your trip? Did you also search for visiting Peru else than hiking on Inca trails? Do you have any recommendation onto it?
its really cool i will bookmark this
very excited, next year i will travel to peru-machu-picchu with someone..
Hi! Check out my blog, a lot of Peru posts 🙂 Chicblog.travel
Macha Picchu is a wonderful destination and there is no doubt about that . There is some more information about Macha Picchu here http://www.touristsboard.com/peru/535-machu-picchu-reviews.html . The place is really unique and wonderful and is a must visit for tourists specially people who love to hike and walk.
Nice. I had a much easier experience doing the Salkantay trail to Mach Picchu. Please check my blog out. http://www.saudihiker.com thanx
Nightmare in Perú
Thanks for the post Raul. I feel for these tourists who had such a terrible experience in Peru. As horrific as this must have been, I am willing to bet that these travelers will not condemn Peru as a whole for the actions of a few. Personally, when traveling to foreign countries, I prefer to trek with a group and/or guide – especially when there are language barriers and cultural sensitivities.
We really liked Lima during our recent exploration visit. It’s maybe not
worth flying all the way to South America but worth staying for a day or
two. We compiled our options for a perfect day in Lima in our
destination guide.
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[…] hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in 2009. At that time, it was rumored that the Inca Trail would soon shut down and be closed to […]
Hello, I volunteer for a nonprofit that performs free surgeries for children with cleft lip and palates. We are going to be at Hospital Regional de Ica on April 27th at 8am please help us patient recruit with this letter. Send to anyone, radio stations, newspapers, nonprofits that can help us help children with cleft palates. Thanks!!
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Healing the Children Northeast es una organización independiente, sin fines de lucro y exenta de impuestos. Nuestro objetivo es ayudar a que los niños de todo el mundo reciban atención médica a la cual no tienen acceso debido a la falta de recursos médicos y financieros o un seguro de salud. A la fecha hemos ayudado a más de 43,000 pacientes como fruto de nuestro esfuerzo.
Del 27 de abril al 3 de mayo de 2014, nuestro equipo de 40 personas conformado en su totalidad por profesionales y administradores voluntarios viajarán a Ica, Perú para iniciar un nuevo centro de misión médica en el Hospital Regional de Ica. Esperamos poder examinar a más de 200 niños y programar operaciones gratuitas de labio y paladar hendido, asà como sesiones de terapia de lenguaje, también sin costo, que cambiarán sus vidas para siempre.
Les solicitamos su apoyo para poder reunir a las personas que necesitan de nuestra ayuda, de modo que nos permita realizar operaciones gratuitas a pacientes de labio y paladar hendido. Asimismo, también contamos con un equipo conformado por especialistas en patologÃa del habla y lenguaje y doctores especialistas en problemas para pasar los alimentos y problemas de la voz, con quienes desarrollaremos un programa para ayudar a las personas que padecen de estos problemas. Para lograr dichos objetivos, organizaremos un programa para evaluar a las personas, operar a algunas de ellas y dar instrucciones a otras. Además, conversaremos sobre la posibilidad de incorporar un elemento de enseñanza, en el cual contaremos con los otorrinolaringólogos y especialistas en patologÃas del habla interesados para compartir con ellos nuestras técnicas para el diagnóstico y tratamiento.
Los sÃntomas principales que buscamos en los pacientes son:
– Problemas de deglución
Si usted conoce a alguien que necesite ayuda con respecto a estos problemas, por favor envÃe al paciente al Hospital Regional de Ica para que sea evaluado el 27 de abril a las 8 a.m. por nuestros profesionales médicos.
Agradecemos su tiempo prestado y atención.
Atentamente,
Kerry Lynn
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