Sacred Valley Driver / Guide
 

Can anyone recommend a good, affordable, driver/guide for the Sacred Valley? A while back, I saw a recommendation for a guy that a few FTers used, I copied down his info, and now I can't find where I put it. I also can't seem to find the original posting on the boards.

Ideally we'd like to use the same driver for several days (first to drive us from Cuzco to Ollantaytambo, then from Ollantaytambo to Urubamba the next day, then to take us around the Sacred Valley the next day, then to drive us back to Cuzco the following day). Any recs?

EDIT: Nevermind. Finally found it. Sabino Chirinos, [email protected].

Yup, they are pretty good and reliable. You might end up in an email exchange with Karina or Karo but its the same office.

Anyone know if Duptours is still around? Emailed them a couple times over the past week and haven't heard back.

Yup, they still are. I just set something up with them for 2 days in July.

You can also try phone +51 974 792 065 for Karina

Hi SometimesFlyer, would you mind sharing the quotes and itinerary? Thank you. PM if needed.

Check your PM

I think I was one of the flyertalkers who first recommended Sabino for Sacred Valley transport/tours in 2010. I'm returning and have contacted them -- but their rates are much higher now. For a family of 5 in a van, I'm being quoted $80 each way for transport from Cusco to Urubamba, and $150 for a day tour of the Sacred Valley. Can anyone tell me what the "going rate" for such services are these days for a reliable driver with some English skills? And if anyone has other driver recommendations, I'd love to have them. Thanks.

I think the requirement for the van limits your options. KB offers a full-day tour for up to 8 for $129, but I don't think you're going to find a pre-bookable van for less than $70-75.

Thanks. I was hoping to find Cusco-Sacred Valley van transport for something around $50, and a day tour (in a van) for $100ish. As you say, I guess it's a question of who has a van. A few years ago, I hired a guy to drive us (in a car) from the Cusco Airport to our hotel in Urubamba for less than $30, and I did not negotiate hard (because the price seemed fair).

That seems doable if you wait until you arrive, but naturally there's some risk involved. It seemed that the number of $ for pre-booking was the same as Soles once you arrived; $60 ahead of time, but S/.60 in person. In general, though, prices have gone up quite a bit, as gas in the valley has gotten very expensive. (Cabbies shut down the whole of Cuzco in protest over gas prices a few months ago.)

Yeah, if the cost differential isn't huge, I'd rather arrange the transport in advance with a recommended driver/guide. If the flyertalk braintrust is limited on this one, I guess I'll hunt the web looking for recommendations. I'm not looking for a fantastic price, I just don't want to pay a silly gringo tour price, and I'd like good service. It may be that Sabino is my best option, and that prices are much higher now.

This is who I used a couple of years ago. He was highly reviewed on TripAdvisor at the time: http://www.davidexpeditionsperu.com/...h/about_us.asp

I was happy with the service - not sure if he's still in business. I was alone and he picked me up from the airport, drove me around the Sacred Valley all day and deposited me in Urubamba. I was tired from the trip and cut it short in the afternoon but he seemed happy to keep going!

Collective braintrust knowledge is summarized in this recent thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/peru/...ntaytambo.html

Olly isn't that far from Urubamba, so I would assume most of the prices in that thread are pretty similar, if not slightly cheaper.

Hi iahphx,

You headed back for a repeat trip? I seem to recall we exchanged messages a couple years back re Sabino/DupTours too. I went back again last year for a visit (after a 2-3 year hiatus) and used him again. (July 2013).

Rates have indeed gone up for the area in general and things "feel" more expensive in general. (Pizza, beer)

Sabino and Karina still run a good setup and their cars/vans are clean and generally much newer/better condition that the taxis you find outside arrival in CUZ.

Cheers,
SF

I'm using DUP tours in September. I've made arrangements for them to pick me up at the airport and drive us to Urubamba, provide a day trip for us to visit the salt mines and Olantaytambo, and then drive us from the train station to Cusco once we return for MP. They definitely aren't cheap but I have a really good feeling about using them.