Machu Picchu Travel Forum

Anyone,

My girlfriend and I will be hitting Peru for the Machu Picchu trek sometime in late February or early March.

The thing is, we are deciding not to book with a guide company until we get there. Our feeling is that we might find more local guides there that may not be seen on the internet and that may come at a cheaper rate.

Does anyone have any information regarding whether we should book in advance or wait until we get there?

I did book a guide in advance before I got to Macchu Picchu however our guide didn't show up at first because she thought we were arriving on a later train. Anyways, there was a man at the train station. I think his job was to handle that sort of thing and he offered to get us another guide. I think the cost was $50 USD for a 2h tour. So I am pretty sure you can get one there. Hope that helps.

Krissy

if you are planning on doing the inca trail you will need to book your tour ahead of time. there are a limited number of people allowed on the trail so if you have not reserved w/ all your information sent to the agency that manages the trail, you will not be allowed on. also, the trail is closed in february each year.

there are alternative treks, Lares, Choquequirao (or something like that) which may be able to be booked from Cuzco, but i think you will have a very difficult time doing the inca trail if you arrive in cuzco and plan to do the trail then. things have changed quite a bit and the policies are different.

On the money you are right, it's cheaper here but not necessarily better. Like mentioned above there are only a certain number of people allowed per day, 500 max, this does not get filled hardly ever but what does are the places to camp. The good ones get reserved early by bigger companies, who usually sell it to foreigners boking ahead of time.
There is a 3 day minimum wait and you can get rates as low as U$150 at Czco's main square but be careful with what you get and ask for everything (to include type of food, number of meals, type of tent, etc) to be written down if you do go that way...
Enjoy it
Luis

I would HIGHLY recommend booking in advance. I was planning this same trip during the fall (unfortunately we couldn't go because of my job) but according to my research this is what I discovered. The Peruvian government only allows a very limited number of people on the trail each day and those slots fill up months in advance. Once you have your slot the name CANNOT be transferred to another person. So essentially once the slot is taken it's gone for good. Also I believe in the month of February the trail is closed entirely. There are many local Peruvian tour companies that you can book online (We also wanted to book with a local company) so don't worry about that. Check out this site to start researching tour operators...
http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/companies/peru/index.html

Good Luck! And I'm jealous!

they wont mind your Canadian. =) They love every tourist.

Answers by previous posters are both correct. If your question is about the Inca Trail, you got a lot of research still to do.
If its about the tour inside the ruins, picking a guide you 'gel' with onsite is much better than booking online.

I just returned from Peru. When we got to Cusco we booked the 4 day Inca Trail hike. When we went to pick up or tickets we were told it was sold out for the day we wanted to leave, but we could do an alternate hike. It was also 4 days and included mountain biking and hiking through the jungle and along the Inca Trail. Instead of staying in tents we stayed in little hostels, which with the rain I liked much better. We had our meals in little cafes. I think it was called the jungle trek or something like that. Since the original 4 day hike will not be available during Feb. this might be a good alternative for you. A tour operator actually was waiting for us when we arrived at our hotel--el balcon in cusco. It was a great experience. Enjoy!!!

I agree with the above comments:

-if you do not book way in advance, you will not do teh Inca trail. You may enjoy the alternative trek but it will not be the 'real' Inca trail. When I went in 2005, spaces were getting filled in February for June and July (which is high season).

-When you book, check carefully what the price covers. If you get a cheap deal, then make sure you tip the porters correctly as they will probably have been fleeced to get you such a good price.

A

Hello,

Just to tell you I'm going with some friends to Peru, in June and had already booked our Inca Trail tickets since end of January. Actually is getting even more restricted the acess -- 300 persons per day (including all the potters and guides).

Have a wonderful trip!