I’ve always dreamed of traveling during the cold winter of the northern hemisphere, maybe somewhere with sunshine, warmer weather or simply away from the snow. So, after a few months saving and planning my short list included places in the Caribbean and the Southwestern Pacific. But, taking more than 5 days from my calendar wasn’t an option. So, I needed to find a destination with less travel time and where the best value for the time was priority.
Then, my focus changed to somewhere in South America and immediately Peru came up. But, once again time started to vanish my plans. I kept with my research and finally had a shortlist of activities I wanted to do in Peru. I read in various blogs and checked on tik tok about:
- Lima
- Huacachina
- Nazca
- Paracas
- Arequipa
- Colca Canyon
- Cusco
- The Sacred Valley
- Machu Picchu
- The Inca trail
- Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon
- The Titicaca Lake
The list was infinite and that without mentioning neighboring countries. Finally, I made up my mind, I chose the Cusco region. Basically, I was captured by the idea of visiting a world wonder and since this was the less busy time of the year it was a no brainer.
5 days to get to Machu Picchu
Next in the planning activities were the arrangements. I needed to book flights, reserve hotels, find train tickets, Machu Picchu tickets and many more! This part was specially discouraging, there is a lot of information but much of it is confuse. So, after giving it some research I decided to change my strategy. I was going to travel there by myself, but once in Peru join a tour.
Two companies caught my attention: Sam Travel and 69 Explorer. Both of them are locally owned and operated and they have some of the best reviews in TripAdvisor. I ended up choosing 69 Explorer for the best value options.
I contacted 69 Explorer and their service was the best, they helped me picking the perfect trip for me. They included the Sacred Valley, Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. I am so exited to find a way to visit those 3 in such a short time. When I was researching that seemed almost impossible.
Finally, I just had to find flights to Lima and back, they have already helped me figuring flights to Cusco and all the accommodation was already included in the cost of the tour.
About the tour
I booked a 3-day tour starting from Cusco. They included airport transfers, guide, tickets, meals, trains, transportation and accommodation. According to the itinerary we will visit:
- The most iconic stops of the Sacred Valley: Pisac, Urubamba, Maras, Moray and Ollantaytambo.
- Then, the Short Inca Trail: visiting Winay Wayna and the Inti Punku on the way.
- Finally, a Machu Picchu guided visit: 2 hours of the best exploration of the Inca Citadel.
All of this at only $627 sounds unreal. Plus, they take care of all the logistics, which if you are not familiar with is a huge problem. It took me a long while to understand the Circuits and the Trains, just to name a few of the challenges of putting this trip together.
I’ll be joining the tour during the first week on February and can’t wait for my time in Peru.
Final thoughts and recommendations
Travelling to South America means an encounter with diversity of cultures, gastronomical richness, history, unique landscapes and life changing experiences. Then, there are few places where you can put together all of that in a single trip. This was my main reason to decide for this trip.
I strongly recommend booking with a local company, since they know best about their own region and services. Ask all the possible questions to make sure you are getting the best. Check reviews on line and finally fall in love with your plans.
Final recommendations:
- 69 Explorer helped me finding flights to Cusco, which for that week were around $190.
- I already made a list of restaurants I want to visit while in Cusco:
- Morena
- Chicha
- Nuna Raymi
- Yaku
I will write an update after my visit!
