Cusco Tours in November 2027

Excellent tour. In my view Arturo our guide made sure we made the best of our two weeks making sure we arrived at sites at a good time to make the most of the experience. He had an excellent knowledge of Peru and its history and this made the trip very interesting. We were a mixed group of 10 and we all enjoyed each others company making every day a pleasure.

The pace and points of interest on this trip were fantastic. It was a great combination of “must sees” and “off the beaten path.” Our tour leader was knowledgeable and genuine. We felt very well-looked after. The rail trip from Puno to Cusco was a highlight. Don’t miss it! I also highly recommend a follow-up trip to Machu Picchu. The first group tour was educational, but my individual trip the following day was a spiritual event. Be ready for some significant hiking, especially on Taquile Island. If you think you might want to bring a trekking pole- do it. The sights are worth it, but they are all uphill.

Every day exceeded my expectations. A minor niggle was that after a long haul and connected flight, the arrival hotel was unable to allow access to our rooms until 4hrs after check in. I have been on over 10 Explore tours over 3 decades and our tour leader was equal best.

Our extensive trip by air, minibus and water launch was coordinated superbly well by our Explore Leader Julio. Julio was a font of information well beyond providing details of our tour and places visited. His input to our enjoyment of the trip was invaluable. The itinerary itself provided important stages of acclimatisation with high altitudes being reached. Arequipa was a good start to the acclimatising process and the 'White City' had many attractions. Beyond Arequipa Lake Titicaca and our stay on Taquile Island was memorable. Condors soared over the Colca Valley and the Sacred Valley was stunning with Inca ruins. And of course the extraordinary Mach Pichu visit before finishing in Cusco the one time capital of the Inca Empire. An added trip to Pisac in the Sacred Valley was highly enjoyable. In addition to Julio's input supporting local guides and drivers were most professional and considerate too. Hotel accommodation was a high standard with a more simple arrangement on the remote Taquile Island. Highly recommended for those with a mind for adventure.

Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, Zip lining, Mountain Biking and Raftong were all incredible and I?d recommend them over and over again. Joseph and Walter were excellent guides. Accommodation on this tour is poor (hostels without window covers for mosquitos/cold water/bed bugs) and so I?d recommend looking at a ?classic? tour instead!

“Classic Peru” is genuinely a “highlights” tour of Southern Peru and what we saw was truly epic; a fascinating blend of Inca history & culture, the stunning scenery of the Andes and the Andean wildlife. The 2 top highlights, for me, were a) entering the site of Macchu Picchu, shrouded in cloud, only for the wind to gradually blow that cloud away for the dramatic “reveal” and b) to see 5 or 6 Condors (adults & juveniles) gradually rise up the Colca Canyon, on the morning’s thermals, until they were soaring over our heads! Lima is often written off but is worth a look and we arrived one day early (on Saturday) and visited the Centro Historico on Sunday morning. We were rewarded with a front-row view of the city’s own “changing of the guard” in Plaza de Armas. The food on the trip is excellent in general and very good value. Our guide, Hector, was also excellent and very focussed on keeping us safe and in good health (managing the gradual increase in altitude, as much as possible); he’s especially knowledgable on all things culture and history. For me, the only two negatives in the trip were:- a) the overnight stay on Taquile Island - by all means visit the island but the poor accommodation overshadowed the stay and b) the misleading advice in the pre-trip literature about currencies and exchange - Explore imply it’s ok to buy Peruvian Sol at Lima airport; DON’T - the rate is terrible. They also say “take US$ because the rate for the GB£ is poor”; ignore that too as the local rates (in forex bureaux) were almost entirely equivalent, so buying US$ in the UK is just a waste of money. I’m sure Explore can quickly rectify these two things in an otherwise excellent tour.