Originally Posted by
krazykanuck
Hi all - this sub forum doesn't seem super active but thought I'd ask.
Flying in and arriving LIM on a Wednesday night. Departing the following Tuesday around midnight, so have 6 full days. The main priority is Machu Picchu, and a couple days in Lima.
A friend that used to live in Lima suggested that we leave to go to Cusco straight away on Thursday morning, but I'm a bit confused as to where the best areas to stay are, how many days we should allocate based on getting used to the altitude, etc. There are a couple nice SPG properties in Cusco and between there and the mountain, and a new cheap Hilton in Cusco.
Any guidance/links would be great!
How the altitude will affect you in Cuzco is very much dependent upon you - what others experience may be completely different. Personally, I was miserable in Cuzco for 3 days, and never came remotely close to getting aclimatized to the altitude. I was thankful that Aguas Calientes (the base village of Machu Picchu) is much lower in altitude than Cuzco is, and I was able to recover from my altitude sickness during my evening there prior to ascending to Machu Picchu - which is itself still MUCH lower in altitude than Cuzco is:
FYI, Cuzco is 11,100-11,400 feet,
Aguas Calientes is 6700 feet,
and Machu Picchu itself is 7900-8300 feet.
Personally, were I to do the trip again, I would arrange to spend no more than a day in Cuzco before heading to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu, and then, once I had spent a couple of days at the 6700-8000 feet of that area, only then attempt to do any sightseeing in Cuzco itself.