Father and daughter James & Danielle Bastian, from Charlotte, NC, included five nights in and around Cusco, as part of a longer Peru itinerary, in April 2024.
The first three nights were spent staying in the Sacred Valley to minimise the effects of the altitude … followed by two nights in Cusco itself.
They passed on a planned full-day trip to Palcoyyo Rainbow Mountain on the final day, as it involved a very early start and they were tired from their previous exertions.
“Fantastic trip overall. I was surprised how well you were able to coordinate everything with different guides, drivers, lodging, etc.
Machu Picchu was the highlight, the lowlight was probably the alpaca weaving demonstration where we felt a lot pressure to purchase something - which we did, but otherwise could have done without.
The guides and drivers were all excellent and felt like they got us to areas before the busloads of tourists descended.
The restaurants and lodging were all excellent, I think the hotel in Ollantaytambo [Pakaritampu] was the favorite as it was a hidden oasis in an otherwise very busy area.
In terms of weight, we each lost 5 pounds on the overall trip likely due to the amount of activity we had, and we found the food everywhere to be excellent and of good quality. We generally tried all of the locals' foods, except the guinea pigs!
Tunupa Sagrado was the favorite [restaurant] with a nice quiet setting and grounds along the River [Urubamba] and an excellent buffet.
All of the transportation was in modern and clean vans much larger than our needs and the drivers all safe and courteous.
The hiking was pretty moderate, I think we covered about 500 feet of elevation change and 15K steps a day and we were never really exhausted, but nicely tired.
Overall, it was a great way to see all of the sites we had time for, beautiful scenery, a taste of the local foods and culture, and memories to last a lifetime.
Thanks again for organizing it, we will definitely recommend you … to anyone traveling there.”