Cusco Travel Forum

Hello, my husband and I are spending 10 days in the sacred valley in June -- 4 in Ollantaytambo, 2 in Aguas Calientes and 4 in Cusco -- and will be doing lots of local hiking amongst the ruins in and between Cusco and Machu Picchu. We are not doing the Inca Trail or any other organized trek, but, just staying in hotels and hiking on our own or with locals.

Can someone who has been there in June tell me what clothes I should pack? I've heard it is chilly at night, near freezing, but temperate and sunny during the day. So, zip-off pants and t-shirts/sweat tops for day and jeans/fleece and wool hats/gloves for night time? Plus two pairs of trail runners and a sun hat.

Any advice welcome:). If there is anything you feel you should have brought but forgot,I'd love to hear that too.

Thanks a bunch!

If you take a look into the Peru/Cusco/Macchu Pichu forums you will see that this topic has been covered millions of times for all seasons.

I was there last July, and the temperature was really comfortable. I did not need any heavy coats at all, nor gloves or hats. In the sun it is quite warm, specially if you are hiking, so take t-shirts. Long sleeves are also ok because once you are not in the sun, you might get a bit cold.
At night, a wool sweatshirt and a light coat will do.
Only drink mineral water. Make sure to go to The "Monasterio" hotel for luch or dinner. It is not cheap the place is beautiful!

I was there several years ago and June and it did get quite cold at night. I'm not sure if you'd need the hat/gloves. A positive is that, no matter what you bring, if you need to bundle up more, there's a ton of shops in Cusco that sell inexpensive fleeces and cold-weather gear. I picked up a hat, gloves and a fleece in Cusco that served me very well on the Inca Trail. The hat also made a very nice souvenir.

Thanks analuisa! Where is the Monasterio, which town?

Thanks Noel. Just being lazy:) plus I'm new to this site and just starting to feel my way around it. I love your pictures of Delft. I was there as a youngster . ..

Thanks brewjohnson. Guess I'll pack light and buy as I go!

You cannot miss The Fallen Angel restaurant in Cusco. Its quite an experience. Can only describe decor as Dali meets fetish! Great fun, superb food and fabulous cocktails.

Any idea when coming back here? You'll be more than welcome-just give me a shout!
Happy travels,
Noel

The Monestario is a hotel in Cusco... one of the most atmospheric in South America. If you don't have time (or the budget) to eat there, a Pisco Sour at the bar is a nice alternative.

Hi Noel, we probably won't make it back to Europe until the dollar improves and who knows when THAT will be! My husband and I were hoping to take our kids to Europe for month or so next summer to celebrate our big 50s (ouch!), but, who knows. Will keep you posted!

Hi, My girlfriend and i are planning a trip to Peru in late Feb and early march. We will do the Machu Picchu trek, but are also very serious about just going off and doing our own trekking.

Have you found out any information regarding trekking outside of tours or guides?

A good alternative to the Inca Trail to Machu Pich is the Salcantay route. Unlike the Inka Trail you don't have to go in a tour group (although, apparently, its getting more crowded). Here's a site that has some basic info on Salcantay, as well as some other hikes: http://www.i-needtoknow.com/salcantay/index.html

Probably the best place for info is the South American Explorers club. It costs $50 a year to join, but if you join you can use their clubhouse, they'll recommend guides to use, provide info on treks, etc. http://www.saexplorers.org/cusco.htm

Hope that helps!