3-Night Cusco: Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Sacsayhuaman

Misterios Peru and Lenin did a fair job of organizing our tour - there were some hiccups along the way that should be addressed. First, there was no one waiting with a sign for us at Cusco Airport. The organizing company should realize that if the driver is there waiting, they HAVE TO HOLD A SIGN up or we won't be able to figure out who our driver is. Bag handlers and taxi drivers in Peru are fairly aggressive about trying to get customers, so this lead to an unpleasant first introduction to Cusco. Second, the tour operators tend to run on Peru Time, which means they will probably be late by 10-15 minutes every day. Third, when we rode the train to Machu Picchu from Ollantaytambo, our seats were not next to each other we were in a group of 4. Instead, we had to sit across from strangers the seats were arranged to be facing each other - they were unwilling to switch seats. Fourth, when we arrived to Machu Picchu, we couldn't find our tour guide after getting off of the bus at the entrance. Again, HOLDING A SIGN WITH A NAME ON IT is required to find someone in the huge crowds at the entrance to Machu Picchu - the customers can't be expected to ask the dozens of guides there who is supposed to be guiding them! After talking to a half-dozen guides and not finding ours, we ended up entering the site without the guide because we couldn't find him. At the end, Lenin did help us get our taxi ride back to the Cusco Airport at the end quickly, within minutes of me calling him, so he did genuinely seem to want to help. Overall, it was still an enjoyable trip, but the aforementioned problems are basically what we wanted to avoid by hiring a tour group in the first place.

Truly, once in a lifetime experience. Mysterios Peru Travel looked after all our needs. From pick up at the airport, through El Puma hotel, all necessary tickets and reservations, to final drop off on day 4 everything was well prepared! Our coordinator, Lenin, stayed in constant touch to insure our comfort in this foreign to us language country. Choice of venues may be somewhat overwhelming to a less agile seniors, as bus access is limited to a front gate entry. Walking sticks would be highly recommended to anyone needing assistance. Insect repellent and sunblock application is a must! Complementary buffet lunch on Secret Inca Valley tour, day 2 and lovely box brunch, for the early morning start for Machu Picchu tour were greatly appreciated. As Lenin told us upon arrival, everything is looked after! And it certainly was :

Our flight arrived just in time for the start of day 1 of the tour. There was someone already waiting for us in Cusco Airport, he took us to our hotel and the tour started right away. Great environment, the tour guides we're very friendly and informative. We had all of our tickets delivered and explained to us in the spot and the guides were always available to solve any question. Great experience, highly recommended. PS: If you can try to reach Cusco one or two days beforehand, the altitude really affects you, luckily Macchu Picchu is not that high.