Rochester, NY native, Margaret Riley, took here niece, Jessica, on holiday to Peru as a graduation present in June 2022. Their 10-day itinerary took in:
The Sacred Valley
2-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Cusco
Palccoyo (an alternative Rainbow Mountain)
Here is what they had to say about the experience:
“Our trip to Peru was remarkable.
Beyond the spectacular landscape and topography, the people of Peru are warm, welcoming and had such a wonderful authentic vibe that made them easy to love and hard to forget.
While speaking Spanish was not necessary, there were a few instances where we very much relied on Jessica’s fluent Spanish that without would have posed a greater disruption (twice in the airport). Most countries English is so prevalent it’s no problem, but I’d say Peru was one where it could have been problematic a little bit.
We felt safe the entire trip and were delighted with the locations we visited, people we met, memories we made.
I’ve been to 26 countries and Peru is in the top 5 I’d return to.
Thank you for helping to make our visit possible.”
What were your favourite destinations in the itinerary?
Machu Picchu … of course!
Doing the all day hike to Macchu Pichu from KM104 was remarkable – absolute must do! Thank you for encouraging us not to skip that.
The co-op at Sulca (perfect orientation and only place felt the acclimatation) and the drive from Cusco through sacred valley to Pisac ruins and town were excellent
SO Much fun being in Ollantaytambo on Pentecost (40 days after easter) – you should definitely add to your recommendations. Bonus that was my bday.
The rainforest reserve was great, could’ve been better with more wildlife and less rain, but super happy we went.
The river rides to/from and during the reserve were incredible… and a completely unique experience from anything I’ve experienced.
Who were your guides? How did they perform?
Guide at MP was excellent
Guide at Rainbow Mountain great – and that was the company who I left the cell phone in their van. The driver went back way out of his way and delivered it to my hotel after.
Guide at Tambopata Research Center was very nice and knowledgeable
Which was your favourite accommodation and why?
Hotel Pakaritampu, Ollantaytambo.
The hotel [Pakaritampu], setting and proximity to town at Ollantaytambo was spectacular and my favorite for sure for 100 reasons
All accommodations were very good, clean and great location except one - in the MP town (after hike and before bus up)
Which was your favourite restaurant / dish / drink? Did you lose or gain weight over the course of the holiday!?
Rooftop bar - San Blas, Cusco.
Hilarious question. I didn’t track weight so not sure.
I was excited about the ceviche and upset we didn’t find any we liked, and wasted money trying a few times.
Loved trying alpaca (yum), hot cocktails instead of cold (great idea I hope to bring here), gineau pig was fine but not great.
Food overall was awesome, other than disappointment about ceviche.
We only had inca cola 1-2 times, but it was so yummy!
Jessica’s friend took us to a hipster rooftop bar in cool district in Cusco that overlooked the city - can’t remember name - but that would be on my recommendations too.
What forms of transport did you use? Pros/cons?
Other than tour provided transport we mostly walked.
We hired those 3-wheeled motorcycle rickshaws in Ollataytambo and ubered twice. Seemed fine. Wish those rickshaws were available in Cusco
Did your itinerary involve any hiking? How would you rate it in terms of difficulty?
Palccoyo - ‘Rainbow Mountain’
I can’t remember how they were described – so I don’t know if they were accurate by my standards.
For all-day hike from KM 104 – I would suggest that is advanced/difficult. We did it no problem, but we’re pretty avid hikers, some in our group had harder time.
Rainbow Mtn was only hard due to altitude, not difficult, but we definitely felt the lack of oxygen, should be noted.
The ruins in general are all very steep – and not sure what could prep a traveler for that, but important to note.
What was the most pointless item in your luggage!?
HA! I didn’t use ½ of my stuff. I brought clothes for hot weather and the temp changed so much we couldn’t use most of it.
I mostly needed pants and wished I had more options there.
I would have also brought more athletic layers for tops, and a hipper black jacket.
What were your favourite natural encounters?
The land, mountains, rainforest and adorable alpacas.
We saw various monkeys and birds in the rainforest that were very cool, but I hoped for more during that visit.
Did you suffer any insect bites? Other physical discomforts?
A few bites in the rainforest but nothing concerning
Only discomfort was healthy soreness from the hiking/walking as expected
Did you have much interaction with locals? Where and how did this occur?
Yes, every city we went to. In large part this was due to Jess’ Spanish fluency. We met up with people in the markets, restaurants, would strike up conversations and hang out with them.
This did not happen in Lima as it didn’t feel as safe. Everywhere else did.
Did you feel your money was going to local businesses and people?
Relative to the stores and establishments we shopped, ate and drank at, yes, it seems these profits went to the local ownership.
Were you given any information regarding sustainability during the course of your trip (e.g. talks on environmental issues from guides)?
Each guide seemed conscious of things like litter, water etc. and handled it well.
Did you notice any areas where environmental practices could be improved?
I do not remember seeing a designated area for recyclable products. I’d try to keep these items aside the trash, but could have been nice to know where to put them.