𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐮 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐜𝐡𝐮 𝐕𝐢𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐫ú — Local services in Distrito de Cusco

I received an advertisement on Instagram for this company services. I was highly questionable of booking a trip with a foreign travel agency all online. After diligent review, I could see there was lots of good reviews online and felt comfortable. Moving forward. Freddy is who I was messaging through WhatsApp and tailoring all of the experiences that we were requesting all the messages were promptly returned, and several revisions were made and then we booked our 10 day vacation all through them.

We were kept in formed and every step along the way from who is picking us up when and where were our stops going to be? We did a private tour and it was great because we could go at our own pace and experience additional things along the way.

Areas we got to explore: Miraflores (Lima), Paracas (coastal town), Ica (wine country), Huacachina (dessert oasis), Cusco (Spanish style town at elevation of 10,000 feet, Moray (agriculture platforms), Ollantaytambo (Inca fortress in the Sacred Valey), Aguas Calientes (only accessible via train and base for Machu Picchu), Machu Picchu (Great wonder of the world), Rainbow Mountain. The journey to all of these places is an amazing as the destination is.

Our guide Sandro was with us for four days in Cusco. He was absolutely amazing considering we were traveling with our 14 and eight year-old child. He did an amazing job of taking care of all of our children’s needs and our adult interest at the same time. He has two children of his own so he was excellent with kids. Sandro is an expert at what he does. He went to school for five years to study the history to be an expert guide, I asked lots of questions that he was able to thoroughly answer and provide additional details that I would find interest in. After talking to other guides they all confirm that we were lucky to have him as he is highly thought of in their field. Ernesto was our driver for four days, and he also was excellent. Every day the van would end with dirt and mud inside the next day. It was completely cleaned and well stocked with all of the essentials that we needed for our journeys that day. He was also a very safe and efficient driver and felt comfortable taking naps...

The trip itself was very good. A very high quality guide (Marco). However, the night before arriving in Machu Picchu (Day 3 for us) the guide explained that we would be entering Machu Picchu on a ticket for a trail that we in fact had not taken; an Inca Trail.

If you google this you will find this is a somewhat common workaround / practice that is problematic for various reasons, ethical and practical. Crucially, not having taken that Inca trail, we lacked stamps (from way points on that trail) which are necessary to be sure of entry.

While we did enter Machi Picchu just fine, we also did observe people arriving with unstamped Inca trail tickets who were refused entry. Ergo; this is a marginal call, even if potentially the presence of a guide or the agency of a travel company does make access very likely.

The representative of the company sent us a reply to a request for an explanatory email. In it, he basically explains that this is common practice and utterly ‘safe’. And maybe this is true.

But this is not the point.

The point is that we had a right to know. This was a dream holiday, and if truly there is no risk, then explain it at the start. At the point of booking indeed. Nothing good will come of companies in this space allowing this to fester. If this happens to you, you will see ‘Inca Trail’ at the top of your ticket.

More than this, our excellent guide was seemingly fired on the spot when this all blew up, basically for being super transparent, and to us that was wholly unacceptable. (To be fair again the replacement guide also was very good).

So all in all, to give the company credit, the substance was 5 stars, but this issue to us was so awful, and so poorly addressed that we can only give 3 as a compromise. You see many good, deserved reviews below, but I am confident many had something substantive hidden from them.

The company knew months ago that we would be going up Machu Picchu under false pretences. If this is a structural industry issue, companies have to collaborate to push back, not instead leave the consumer vulnerable, put in the position of compromising...

This tour far exceeded our expectations. Our guide Sandro was fantastic - friendly, funny, knowledgeable, and very committed to making sure we had an excellent experience. He took us to places that most tourists don't get to see, and shared his love of his country and its many marvels (cultural and culinary!). The trip would not have been the same without him.

The trip itself was awesome - the Inti Raymi festival was gorgeous, full of colors and music and dancing for a whole day. We also got to see some remarkable agricultural sites, as well as the salt mines of Maras, which are almost worth the visit on their own! We stayed the night in Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu Pueblo, which has a ton of great places to eat (we were at the Hotel Taypikala at the top of the city, and the Ayahuasca restaurant around the corner had one of the best lomo saltados we had on the whole trip!). And of course, Machu Picchu is beyond words - it's like standing inside a postcard :).

Sandro, Fredy, and the whole team at Machu Picchu Viajes Peru were great - very responsive and very willing to make sure we were having the best time in the country and region they are so proud to call home. You will not be disappointed if you choose to...