Cusco Explorer Trips

This tour was another excellent experience with Explore. Darwin, our leader, was superb and always went the extra mile to help with everything. He was amongst the best tour leaders we have experienced. The tour provided a very good introduction to the main attractions of the more visited parts of Peru. Highlights for us were Machu Pichu (of course) and the Uros and Taquile islands on Lake Titicaca, with the boat trip to get there. The whole tour was spent at high altitudes. This should be borne in mind by anyone who has any concerns about their ability to tolerate thin air and a dry atmosphere for long periods. The payoff for this though was superb views of the Andes every day! As we have come to expect with Explore tours, the accommodation quality was a bit variable. The Taquile Guesthouse was actually rather better than we expected, given the previous negative reviews that we had read. Yes, it was quite basic, but it was definitely worth it to experience the rustic way of life of the island, the hosts were very friendly and the welcome a warm one. The accommodation elsewhere on the tour was generally quite comfortable, although our hotel room at Arequipa was a little too noisy. A small point, but we would suggest that the visits from Ollantaytambo to the Maras salt mines and Moray Inca terraces should be included in the itinerary rather than being an optional extra. Everyone on our tour booked for this option rather than the alternatives of kayaking/paddle boarding (expensive and probably in rather cold water) and a craft brewery visit (something you can easily do in the UK, so not a particularly Peruvian experience). Overall, the tour comes highly recommended by us.

Darwin it was an amazing leader! He was caring, funny, intelligent with a deep knowledge of all the places we have been. I highly recommend this tour and Darwin. The best guide ever!

A full on tour which covered a huge amount of ground and was an excellent overview of Peru. The tour guide, Arturo, was outstanding and did sort out one or two minor problems with two of the hotels. He was very caring and knowledgeable and added considerable value to the trip. Highlights include the boat trip on Lake Titicaca and the floating islands and the visit to Tequile Island. Also the train from Puno to Cusco. He provided a first rate visit to Machu Picchu getting the timing absolutely right so that we were there late in the afternoon when the crowds had diminished. I would rate the upgraded hotels as between good and excellent with the exception of the Xima in Cusco - some of the rooms look over an internal atrium with no outside window, (feels dark and claustrophobic) with a window onto a corridor so it was necessary to keep curtains drawn at all times, and overlooking the atrium meant there was a lot of noise in the early morning when tour groups were departing. However, Arturo did sought out alternative rooms. The food was also less good at this hotel and I wonder whether an alternative in Cusco should be sourced. The one slight disappointment was the tour on the first day which went to a rather boring market (the one in Arequipa was much more interesting) and I don't think the ceviche making demonstration added any value. A visit to the colonial centre of Lima would have been better use of time. Otherwise the itinerary and all visits definitely exceeded expectations. The food in restaurants generally (hotel and external) is of a high standard and reasonably priced - both tourist menus and higher priced The tour is fast-paced with some early starts but necessary to cover the ground. As a reasonably fit 67 year old, I was able to keep up and enjoy this holiday fully. There were nine people in the group which was great with a nice dynamic Recommended!

The upgraded Peru trip with explore was excellent and I created lots of amazing memories ! The itinerary was done in a great way to ensure we got use to the altitude and also ensured we saw a lot of Peru . Our tour leader Arturo was excellent and he really made the experience better. He was friendly and chatty with all of us on the tour and went out of his way to make the holiday as smooth as possible. He has such in depth knowledge of Peru including all the history and culture and information of the sites we visited . I would highly recommend both Arturo and this trip and I will always look on my time in Peru with great memories and hopefully I will be back one day !

Our experience on the Inca Trail and Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain trip in June this year was very good. Our guide Ludwig was excellent - patient, helpful, organised and very knowledgeable. He took us to a number of places not on the itinerary, which was a great bonus, and knew the best times of the day for each site for maximum enjoyment (fewer people, sun in the optimum place etc). He managed the group and each member's individual abilities/weaknesses extremely well, whilst keeping us all to the timetable. Thanks to him, I am sure we all came away with a deep understanding and appreciation of Peru, its history and its people. He was also fantastically responsive and helpful - as were Explore's local agents Condor Travel, and the Explore London office - when my husband's passport was stolen in Cusco. The trainee guide, Dante, was also a charming bonus and very helpful to the straggler on the Trail. Lima was very damp and grey and rather miserable, but the visits to a small museum of street artist Jade Rivera's work, and the walk through Barranco to artist Victor Delfin's studio were brilliant. As was the coffee at Ciclos Cafe! Palccoyo Rainbow mountain was even more spectacular than expected and a real highlight. So was the optional train trip from Puno to Cusco - well worth the additional cost. Walking the Inca Trail was more challenging than expected (more aerobic training and many hours on a step machine before departure would have been advisable), but of course unmissable now I've survived it! The whole team on the Trail was amazing. It was so well organised, the porters were impressively indefatigable, the camping as comfortable as it could be and the meals produced at altitude on a small burner were nothing short of spectacular. The food was delicious, well balanced and nutritious and the presentation often worthy of a Michelin starred restaurant. Quite how the chef managed to make a multi-layered cake looking like it had come from an exclusive Parisian patisserie is a mystery. And it tasted so good. Machu Picchu was every bit as breathtaking as anticipated and arriving through the Sun Gate to see the site bathed in sunlight was an unforgettable experience. Ludwig's explanations brought the whole place to life. I would not recommend buying tickets to climb Huayna Picchu Mountain or Machu Picchu Mountain unless your guided tour of Machu Picchu itself is in the late morning/afternoon. There was insufficient time to do both, given the timing of our train back to Ollantaytambo.

Very well organised . Guide was always available 24/7👍.Joseph is very knowledgable and helpful . Had great a time with group. Made lovely memories and thank you Explore for helping me tick my bucket list. Just one thing to mention about vegetarian food. It needs to be addressed so future travellers have a wider choice . Joseph took it on board and did manage to give us options .Much appreciated .