Peru With Machu Picchu

excellent itinerary. We spent 2 days in Machu Picchu. Most tours only spend one day which is not enough. Our booked hotels were excellent as were the meals. But most important were our guides and . They were fantastic. They knew their history very well and they knew how to pace our group, not only because of the altitude but because of the ages in our group. I think that I was the oldest (82). We spent 2 days in Lima, 2 days in the sacred valley, then on to Machu Picchu for 2 days. The last 3 days were spent in Cusco at the Marriott Convento, 2 blocks from the main square. You even had the option of visiting Rainbow mountain altitude 16,500ft. near Cusco. We even were booked on the restaurant carriage of the train to Machu picchu for a great meal.

This was an in depth look at the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, with excellent hotels. We experienced the famous Peruvian cuisine, almost completely organic. Our tour guide, was excellent and the local guides also were terrific. I would mention and especially. The pace was good. The variety of experiences was what drew us to this tour. Also we have traveled with Insight Vacations several times in the past and we like the high standards of travel and the smaller group size. Insight always gives you meal choices and books excellent restaurants. That is one pleasure that helps us experience the culture. As the tour starts in Lima, we went there two nights early. We do that to relax before the tour starts and also to reduce the stress of flight delays and changes. The only drawback to this itinerary was the tour beginning in Lima, at low elevation. I think it would be wise to start the tour in Cuzco and have a slow day or two to acclimatise to the altitude. I myself experienced altitude sickness. When we traveled to Ecuador, we planned two low key days in the city before starting our tour, and this gave us time to adjust. Just a suggestion, as several people in our tour group experienced altitude sickness. Overall the tour lived up to our expectations and more. The quality of the hotels in each destination was excellent and their staff was impeccable and friendly. We would highly recommend this tour!

Dante was an excellent tour director and made sure that each of our group made the most of our amazing trip!

We were so pleased with the experiences. We never would have thought of them ourselves. Authentic and personal, we learned so much about the Peruvian culture. The food was amazing, hotels were beautiful. Time was spent with acclimating for altitude sickness. Our guide to Rainbow Mountain was responsive within seconds when a member of our group needed assistance. Our travel director and local guides excellent!! Beyond expectations!

The itinerary was really good, but the trip was made by the knowledge and enthusiasm of both and our guides. So passionate and so helpful as well, it wouldn't have bene the same without them. Special thanks also to the driver as he was amazing and got us safely through some very narrow, steep and twisty tracks.