Cusco Travel Forum

My husband and I are taking my elderly parents (83 and 82) to Peru and are going to Cusco and Machu Picchu. I am concerned about the effects of altitude sickness for them. Can anyone advise?

Thanks in advance!

Chewing on coca leaves and having the "mate de coca" helped me out with my altitude sickness during my visit in Cusco. See my Cusco page "general tip" section regarding ways in dealing with altitude sickness.

Machu Picchu is lower in elevation. By the time you visit MP from Cusco, you should be alright.

Goodluck & enjoy beautiful Peru!

And only eat lightly in the evening. One good tip I was given years ago was to have a glass of Alka Seltzer (or equivalent)as it makes you burp and so releases build-up of gas that occurs at that altidue (sorroy for the techincial details). It really works. And do things slowly.

You could consider staying in the Sacred Valley (Ollantaytambo) which is lower than Cusco. As said, MP is also lower than Cusco.

The soroche (altitude sickness) is difficult to predict. I (59 yrs, smoker) never have any problems (Cusco, Bogota) other than feeling tired the first days. But I have known young, healthy people having problems for the first days.

So there's no general rule other than the advice being given here.

Hi i was there this time last year and the only real time u will get sick is if you do much on the first couple of days.As well where u will be staying will most certainly have dry cocoa leaves which u can brew into a tea and a little sugar and it is quite nice.Do that for the first couple of days and you should be right BUT if you get sick dont worry about bringing tablets from home just go to the chemisst there on Cusco i got sick and my tablets werent working so i went to the chemist there and all was good.

The town itself is mainly built arounfd the town square and that is where u will probably be based and then the trip to Machu Picchu is by a 3/4 hr train ride and then a simple bus ride at the other end.Or u can get a bus all the way and it is quicker to Machu Picchu. ps..dont forget to take your passport with u as they stamp it as u enter the site as it is now recognised as one of the 8 wonders of the world... a rare stamp cheer chris

It's nowhere near that height - I think Cusco is around 2800 and Machu Picchu about 2400. Basically, if they're up for it, then they should be fine. Plenty of other seniors make those trips.

I didn't care for the coca leaves myself, but my wife did. Didn't need any oxygen sniffs either. Biggest problems would be gross obesity and smoking.

To be precise:
Elevation of Cusco airport is 10.860 ft. which is 3258 meters. Cusco city 3300 meters.
Urubamba and Ollantaytambo (Sacred Valley): 2860 meters.
Machu Picchu: 2380 meters.

I was in Cusco last june and I have "soroche". People told me that Coca tea will be useful but, it was worse, because coca's tea hide the problem but dont help. Finally I fall in the street and ending in a Hospital. Doctor gave me Dexametasona, aspirine and other drugs that I dont remenber., and he told me go to Macchu Pichu inmediatly, because it is lower than Cuzco. When I arrive to Machu Pichu I feel very well and went to the excursion without problem. When I returned Cuzco 4 days later I was fine and could enjoy the wonderful Cuzco without problem. The secret is (Doctor told me) to go firts to Machu Picchu and after that to Cuzco. I'm 55 age, but it is the same..nobody know who could have "soroche", but Cuzco is so beautiful that I'm going to Perú as soon as I can. (I hope you can understand my english) good luck. Diana

I'm healthy, dont smoke, and I'm not fat.

I was 55 when I visited. Non-smoker, BMI 29.9999999999 I don't say that only overweight smokers get stricken, I'm just saying that those factors are likely to exacerbate the problem.

But we'd spent several weeks on our belated gap year, travel along the Andes, which get higher as you go south.

Age has nothing to do with it! Your odds are as good as theirs.

I'm one of those 50+, slightly plump, smokers and took my 12 year old grandson up there last December. I did fine, he wasn't doing as well.

I did drink the tea, not sure if it helped, but it sure didn't hurt.

If you are going to fly in, just take it slow and easy the first day. As mentioned the better hotels pump a little extra 02 into the rooms and almost all hotels have O2 tanks if you do have problems.

A mild pain killer (aspirin) did help off set a mild headache.

Don't worry, go have fun. If either one of your parents have problems, the locals know what to do. Tourism is their business and happy healthy tourists spend money. ;-)

For the 4000meters above sea level in the city of Humahuaca, I was told to swallow garlic pills (they improve the blood stream to your head). I was suggested also to drink the coca tea (difficult to have at hand) or coca leaves in my mouth (puaj). But the pills worked very well. One with the breakfast, the other by the afternoon.

I got saroche very badly when I was in Cuzco last year. I had to sleep for 17 hrs straight my first day there. I didn't expect it because I am young (27) and in good shape. I guess you just never know who it will affect. The cocoa tea didn't relieve my symptoms what-so-ever. Thankfully i met a girl who had medicine for alltitude sickness on hand. I think I would have been even much worse off w/out it. I would suggest staying in the sacred Valley for the first few nights to be able to acclimate. Peru is an incredible country, have fun!!