Final itinerary for Peru
Jun 25, 2013, 9:35 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Flyover Territory
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 687
Final itinerary for Peru
Hi,
We just returned from a trip to Peru. Our final itinerary ended up working very well so I thought I'd post it for those in the planning stages.
Day 1: Kids and I arrived LIM 10:30pm. Taxi Green to Hilton Lima. (Hilton Lima awesome.)
Day 2: Explored LIM
Day 3: Explored LIM; husband arrived 10:30pm. (Recommended itinerary would start here; we had to kill a few days in LIM waiting for my husband to arrive.)
Day 4: LAN from LIM to CUZ. Driver from CUZ to Ollantaytambo with stops at Pisaq ruins and market. Overnight at El Albergue on the Ollantaytambo train station. Awesome.
Day 5: Took the 8:50am train from Ollantaytambo to Aquas Calientes. Arrived at Sanctuary Lodge around noon. Checked in, had lunch, took a nap. Headed to Machu Picchu around 2. It was nearly empty, and we had it almost to ourselves until 5pm closing time. Overnight Sanctuary Lodge. (Super expensive but totally worth it for us.)
Day 6: Woke at 6am and hiked to Sun Gate. Awesome, well worth the time. Arrived back at Sanctuary Lodge just before breakfast ended at 9. Had breakfast, checked out, and re-entered Machu Picchu around 10am. Much more crowded. (If you can only go to MP one day, I highly recommend a 1:30 or 2pm arrival.) Caught the train around 1pm from Aquas Calientes back to Ollantaytambo. Explored Ollantaytambo for a few hours, then took a car to Tambo del Inka. (Tambo awesome!)
Day 7: Chilled at Tambo until early afternoon. Excellent lunch at Q'anela. (Highly, highly recommend!). Took car to Chinchero, Moray, and salt mines. (note: I liked the markets at Chinchero far better than Pisaq, Aquas Calientes, or any others we saw.)
Day 8: Took a car and guide to Cuzco. (At this point, I'd recommend a transfer to Cuzco for the overnight. Since the Cuzco visit was planned last minute and we were already booked at Tambo for that night, we opted to take a day trip to Cuzco to see the major sites even though we were driving to CUZ again the next day to catch a flight.)
Day 9: Drove BACK to Cuzco to catch our CUZ-LIM flight. Overnight LIM at Radisson Decapolis. (Radisson adequate and pleasant enough.)
Day 10: Flew back to US.
Anita
We just returned from a trip to Peru. Our final itinerary ended up working very well so I thought I'd post it for those in the planning stages.
Day 1: Kids and I arrived LIM 10:30pm. Taxi Green to Hilton Lima. (Hilton Lima awesome.)
Day 2: Explored LIM
Day 3: Explored LIM; husband arrived 10:30pm. (Recommended itinerary would start here; we had to kill a few days in LIM waiting for my husband to arrive.)
Day 4: LAN from LIM to CUZ. Driver from CUZ to Ollantaytambo with stops at Pisaq ruins and market. Overnight at El Albergue on the Ollantaytambo train station. Awesome.
Day 5: Took the 8:50am train from Ollantaytambo to Aquas Calientes. Arrived at Sanctuary Lodge around noon. Checked in, had lunch, took a nap. Headed to Machu Picchu around 2. It was nearly empty, and we had it almost to ourselves until 5pm closing time. Overnight Sanctuary Lodge. (Super expensive but totally worth it for us.)
Day 6: Woke at 6am and hiked to Sun Gate. Awesome, well worth the time. Arrived back at Sanctuary Lodge just before breakfast ended at 9. Had breakfast, checked out, and re-entered Machu Picchu around 10am. Much more crowded. (If you can only go to MP one day, I highly recommend a 1:30 or 2pm arrival.) Caught the train around 1pm from Aquas Calientes back to Ollantaytambo. Explored Ollantaytambo for a few hours, then took a car to Tambo del Inka. (Tambo awesome!)
Day 7: Chilled at Tambo until early afternoon. Excellent lunch at Q'anela. (Highly, highly recommend!). Took car to Chinchero, Moray, and salt mines. (note: I liked the markets at Chinchero far better than Pisaq, Aquas Calientes, or any others we saw.)
Day 8: Took a car and guide to Cuzco. (At this point, I'd recommend a transfer to Cuzco for the overnight. Since the Cuzco visit was planned last minute and we were already booked at Tambo for that night, we opted to take a day trip to Cuzco to see the major sites even though we were driving to CUZ again the next day to catch a flight.)
Day 9: Drove BACK to Cuzco to catch our CUZ-LIM flight. Overnight LIM at Radisson Decapolis. (Radisson adequate and pleasant enough.)
Day 10: Flew back to US.
Anita
Jun 27, 2013, 9:10 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Flyover Territory
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 687
Yes.
It was worth it for us, no question. The first day we had it to ourselves, and the second day we entered as soon as they opened and hiked up to Sun Gate.
It seemed foolish to spend all that $$$ and time to get to that remote part of the Andes and not maximize our time in the site. But if you were just going to enter one day, I'd go in mid-late afternoon. It was amazing to have the place nearly to ourselves.
It was worth it for us, no question. The first day we had it to ourselves, and the second day we entered as soon as they opened and hiked up to Sun Gate.
It seemed foolish to spend all that $$$ and time to get to that remote part of the Andes and not maximize our time in the site. But if you were just going to enter one day, I'd go in mid-late afternoon. It was amazing to have the place nearly to ourselves.