I'm planning a very short trip to South America and would like to see Lake Titicaca and Machu Pichu. As timings will be tight, I was hoping someone who may already have been to some of these places may be able to offer some advice:

* How long does it take to get from La Paz to Puno? Any suggestions (ie boat trip, bus, etc?)

* Is the Peru Rail train from Puno to Cuzco worth doing? Any comments on the food on board, scenery during the journey, etc?

* Again, is the Peru Rail train from Cuzco to Machu Pichu worth doing?

* Has anyone stayed at the Machu Pichu Pueblo hotel? Comments? Ditto The Sanctuary Hotel?

* Has anyone done the helicopter trip to Machu Pichu? Any thoughts on cost, experience, safety, etc?

All advice gratefully received. Many thanks in anticipation of your replies.

Mrs. Keba and I went to Peru last summer and it was definitely one of the greatest trips we have ever been on. MY itinerary was:

Day:
1 EWR-LIM. Arrive very late at night
2 Flight to Cuzco and afternoon tour in Cuzco
3 Tour of Ollantaytambo / valley of Incas
4 Trains to and from Macchu Piccu
5 Bus from Cuzco to Puno (about 8 hours)
6 Boat tour on Lake Titikaka, Uros and taquile islands
7 flight to Lima
8/9 two days in Lima

The train from Cuzco to MP took about 4 hours each way. There is some great scenery but it is still a long trip. The Helicopter was our first choice but it was not operating. It was explained to us that it would not be operating again due to environmental reasons but I don�t know if that was BS or not. If it is available I would do it because the flight through the mountains would awesome.

The time we spent in MP was too short because we only allocated one day. If time permits I would definitely stay overnight.

As mentioned above I did not take the train from Cuzco to Puno. On the bus we made a few stops at a cathedral, some Inca ruins and some other places which I cannot recall at the moment.

I rarely travel on tours or packages but for this trip we preplanned everything with a travel agent in FL who specializes in Peru. Each day was customized for us and we had people who met us in each airport.

If you need more info please let me know.

Keba

The train from Cusco to Macchu Pichu is fabulous for the scenery. I stayed at what was then the only hotel - think it was called the Tourist Hotel at the time - right next to the site. Definitely worth it. Take the hydrofoil (sp?) across the Lake - its an experience not to be forgotten. This is one of the greatest trips you could ever take. Sorry, could not remember the answers to the other questions.

These are my thoughts (not in any particular order):

1.If you have not already done so, read thru the pertinent sections of The South American Handbook (After like 75 years in business, I think they recently went thru a name change and may now be called The Footprint Guide) and the Lonely Planet books.

2.If you have never been to these altitudes
before, then it's impossible to predict whether you will suffer from altitude sickness and if so, to what degree. You could be in tip-top physical shape and still get very sick, even to the point of having to be hospitalized (unlikely, but could happen). I recommend that you talk with your doctor about getting a prescription for Diamox or some other medication to prevent altitude sickness. My trip to Cuzco and Machu Picchu was almost ruined by it, but I took Diamox on the trip to La Paz (which is even higher) and had no problems whatsoever.

3.From La Paz to Puno, we took a combination
bus/ferry that I would not recommend. It involved getting on an ancient, creaky ferry (without a life jacket in sight) to cross the lake. If the hydrofoil that the other poster suggested is available, take it.

4.Unless they have recently upgraded the helicopter they use for Cuzco to Machu Picchu, it is a very old Soviet era Russian helicopter (the kind that looks like they started in 1948 with a boxcar and just kept
adding bigger and bigger engines and rotors until it would finally fly). I am sure that the views would be spectacular, but I, personally, would not get on the thing.

5.If you decide that the helicopter is out,
other than hiking to Machu Picchu on the Inca trail (which it sounds like you won't have enough time to do), I think that the train is your only option. If at all possible, try to make it a 2 day trip and spend the night there (either at the hotel next to the ruins or one of the hotels in the town below, Aguas Calientes). This way you can experience Machu Picchu either before the train arrives in the morning or after it departs in the afternoon, when it will be much less crowded. Plus, it's such a spectacular site, you hate to just arrive, spend 4 hours and then have to head back to Cuzco.

Good luck and have a great trip.




[This message has been edited by dogcanyon (edited 06-01-2003).]

Thanks for all the tips. So ok, here's what I think I'll do:

* Fly SCL-LPB
* Stay overnight in La Paz [any recommendations for something of a good standard?]
* Get the hydrofoil or catamaran from La Paz over to Puno [any advice on which companies to use, so I can check times/prices? Any recommendations for safer craft?]
* Get the Peru Rail train from Puno to Cuzco [if this involves an overnight in Puno, again any recommendations for hotels?]
* Take the Peru Rail train from Cuzco to Machu Pichu [does anyone know if James Sherwood's luxury train is up and running yet?]

When I ws in Peru last year there was no longer any passenger service across Lake Titicaca between Peru and Bolivia. There was once a famous overnight boat, that can still be seen at the pier in Puno, but I think bus service is the only possibility now. I've never heard of any hydrofoil service across the lake, but maybe it's offered now. The boat was operated by the Peruvian Railways, ENAFER, so check their website. The train between Puno and Cusco was quite wonderful, but it runs only four times a week, last year on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from Puno. The train from Puno to Arequipa was almost as wonderful, but that's on the way to Chile.

You may already know this, but there is a commercial airport at Juliaca (just north of Puno,the airport code is JUL) with nonstop service to Arequipa continuing on to Cuzco. If you arrive on one of the days that the train isn't running to Cuzco, you might consider flying. It's about $128 one way on Lan Peru. I haven't flown them, but it's my understanding that they are like a subsidiary of Lan Chile and should be organized, dependable and safe.

I've been to Macchu Picchu a few times. Peru and Bolivia are nearly my favourite countries after visiting 120 nations.

The ONLY place to stay is Las Ruinas Hotel .... right on top of the mountain, not down with the 50,000 tourist plebs down in Aguas Calientes. Much more detail here.

www.GlenStephens.com/travel.html

And for a pertinent section when I was there for Christmas morning. I am not religious but to stand up at the Watchman's hut at dawn looking down and seeing the eerie mists shroud and dreamily swirl around the buildings was an absolutely religious and moving experience I will NEVER forget.

Cuzco is a very historic city - once capital of the vast Inca empire until cunningly conquered by Pizzaro and a handful of 179 Spanish Conquistadors in the 1530s. Inca stonework is still intact all over town. Even back streets have stunning 500 y.o. Inca walls. Mud brick Lima was flattened by earthquake in 1746 and only 20 buildings survived.

The Inca stonework in Cuzco to this day will not allow even a credit card into the gaps. We are talking here superbly finished granite stones over 100 tons each in places, each with up to 12 angles. All superbly interlocked together WITHOUT any form of cement. Seeing truly IS believing. The stonework around Cuzco and nearby Ollantaytambo and Sacsayhuam�n ("Sexy Woman"!) is one of the TRUE wonders of this world, and really justifies a visit on its own.

Took the 3 hour train ride via numerous "switch backs" down the Urabamba Valley from Cuzco to "The Lost City Of TheIncas"in Macchu Picchu, and spent Christmas Day there in the one tiny 33 room hotel permitted up in the mists named rather alarmingly "Hotel Las RUINAS". Being on that eerie sacred site for sunset and sunrise, totally devoid of the 1000s of daytime tourists is quite a memorable experience.

Even took a few mile hike on Christmas morning up the famous Inca Trail to the magic "Gate Of The Sun" between two mountains and found wild Llamas blocking the path! What a sensational place. Then a few days in the Sacred Valley and the wonderful Indian Market at Pisac. Bought a superb downy soft Alpaca wool sweater for $US15. Would be $200 - $300 in Myer menswear Dept!

Avoid Lima like the plague .... a dry, treeless, dusty, dangerous, dump.

Get into the Peru Amazon if you have time, and go to Ecuador too if you can.

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~ Glen ~

Come visit HERE the most ** FRIENDLY FORUM ** on FlyerTalk. No flame wars, no personal abuse, no substance abuse. Not much of anything really!

The hotel formerly known as "Hotel Las Ruinas" is now an Orient Express property called the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge. Rack rates are north of $500. They can be reached by email: [email protected]

Wherever you end up staying, Aguas Calientes is a most forgettable place.

We ended up spending a couple of days in Lima and had a very nice time in the process.

For anyone interested, my research has revealed that from La Paz to Puno by catamaran takes 8 hours, while the hydrofoil takes 7. Though I've come across a fair bit of disinformation along the way; tourism officials in Peru must be CIA trained

LOL. If the Peruvian and Bolivian tourism officials are as efficient as the CIA was in finding nuclear weapons in Iraq, as one might imply from Troy's posting, I think we can expect more interesting travel suggestions in South America. La Paz is about 50 km. from Lake Titicaca, and the lake itself is about 200 km. long. So portage of a hydrofoil from La Paz to the lake and then a fast trip across it could take about 7 hours. The bus takes about 10.

[This message has been edited by Track (edited 06-05-2003).]

The scenery is very nice. I highly recommend the train. I travelled in Inca Class with a good 3-course meal. Other classes are cheaper and are fine, too. At the end of the train is an observation desk.
See for a trip report with pictures.


I made a one-day trip on the train. The first train leaves Cuzco at 6:00. There's plenty of time to walk around in Machu Picchu.

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Nah. Forget WEAPONS ..... they are working on fabricating those right now to hose down the heat and cover some VERY nervous asses in Washington, London and Sydney.

What about Osama bin Laden and Sadaam Husseien and his sons?

Surround the country with 250,000 troops, bomb the heck out of it, offer a ten zillion dollar reward dead or alive for either, and they both walk out scot-free and vanish.

Some things to do on your trip:
1. When in La Paz, check out the witches' stands (brujerias) on many corners. They sell all sorts of potions and "magical" objects. My favorites were the overflowing bins of llama fetuses, which custom mandates be placed in the far left corner of every new home and building.
2. If you've got the time, I found Potosi in southern Bolivia far more exciting than Lake Titicaca. You can actually go inside the Cerro Rico and see miners "excavating" silver in 500 year-old mines by throwing sticks of TNT against the walls.
3. That said, you can overnight on the islands in the middle of the Lake for next to nothing, depending on your sense of adventure. Helps if you speak Spanish (or Aymara, or Quechua).
4. To avoid "soroche" (Peruvian word for altitude sickness) drink mate de coca or chew a big wad of coca leaves. That's what all the porters did while carrying stuff past me on the Inca trail.

Aguas Calientes is indeed eminently miss-able, but after four days on the Trail without a shower, the thermal baths were wonderful. If you take the train home from MP, splurge on the most expensive train ticket they offer. I went cattle class and was not pleased.

Have a wonderful trip.

That train trip was the most miserable, uncomfortable, and I think dangerous rail trip I have ever taken. The tracks are in terrible condition. Many, many times I noted that the car ahead of mine was at a 45 degeree angle to mine. When I got off the train, I felt like I had gotton off a long sea journey on rough seas - I was rocking for hours.

I asked my tour guide about alternatives. She said the bus was a much more comfortable, more interesting trip, and took several hours less time. So I asked her why we were taking the train. She said it was because tourists think the train is romantic, and are thinking of European trains.

Take the bus from Puno to Cuzco.

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