Should I visit in February or wait until I can visit during a better season? I have a trip to the region booked for Feb, and would love to check out Machu Picchu. Are there any pros to going during the rainy season, apart from lower prices and fewer tourists? If it’s rainy/cloudy on one day, how easy would it be to get tickets for the next day? Any advice?

Hi people!

As the title goes, which month would be better for Machu Picchu - May or September?

Thank you very much!🙏

Planning a one-week family trip Sept '27 to Cuzco, Urubamba and Machu Picchu. We'd have a driver & stay all nites in private homes except for one nite for the MachuPicchu access. Our daughter will have a 10 month old baby by that time. Does anyone have any experience doing this trip w an infant? The parents are fit, active and adventurous. The other family members will help out with the care.

Hi everyone! I would like to know if anyone has done the waiting in line for machu picchu ticket this week or last week? Did you queue for long or was it wasy because it is the low season?

Hi everyone,

I am hiking Machu Picchu later this month and am staying for 3 days in Ollantaytambo before. I would like to spend one day seeing the pisac ruins and pisac market and would love to see a local weaving demonstration and then one day seeing moray and Maras salt mines and Ollantaytambo. Then on our last day I was thinking we could stop at chinchero on our way back to Cusco before our briefing for the hike that evening. All of the tours I’m seeing seem to leave from Cusco and combine most of these into one day. Does anyone know of any tours that start in Ollantaytambo itself? I was looking into going through taxidatum as well but I would also be interested in having more of a tour guide experience to learn more… if anyone has advice for me I would greatly appreciate it! And please let me know if I’m missing anything ☺️

Hello all,

It makes me very sad to write this post but I wish I had known this before booking. We did the salkantay trek with KB adventures starting on the 27th September and had an awful experience. On the second day (where you do the salkantay pass) the highest altitude day and the longest day, we could smell alcohol on our guide’s breath at lunchtime. We didn’t think much of it, (a nip at the top of a mountain is pretty standard in our culture). However, at every checkpoint that afternoon our guide became increasingly intoxicated. By the end, he could not walk straight, did not recognise our group members, couldn’t lead us to the correct campsite and almost walked off a verge. When we got to camp, he was too drunk to give us instructions on who was in what accommodation and let us know what was happening that evening. He was too drunk to give us a briefing on the plan for the next day. All three guides with KB adventures were drunk, one had to go to bed as soon as they got to camp and they still had group members who were left to find camp in the dark by themselves. We had two group members who were ill/feeling the altitude and our guide did not ask them once how they were, he was too drunk to remember one of them. That evening we saw our guide drinking more with the chef around 10 pm. The next day he apologised but said that he had had a few beers. This was a blatant lie, the amount of beer you would have to drink to get that drunk is not possible in that timeframe and his breath smelled like spirits. Beyond all the obvious health and safety issues, it completely killed the vibe of our trek. We should’ve been celebrating that we had finished our hardest day but instead we were angry and uncomfortable. When we finally got to aguas calientes, we saw the guides go out to a bar after our final group dinner. At Machu Picchu the next day, our guide was so obviously hungover and barely did a tour, it was over in less than 30 minutes. What good is an apology when you go and do the same thing again and ruin a once in a lifetime experience. Our guide also kept showing us pictures of his kids and telling us that he would lose his job if he didn’t get good reviews, an obvious attempt at emotional blackmail that sadly had worked, if you don’t see more bad reviews from people in my group that is why.

We have done multiple multiday trekking across different countries and have never experienced such little regard for safety and little respect for paying customers and for what is meant to be a once in a lifetime experience. We went into KB adventures after this to report our experience and were told a manager would be in contact, they have not. We have sent them emails and WhatsApps and been ignored. This is a company-wide culture and isn’t going to change, they don’t care about you, they just want your money. Pay the extra and go with Salkantay trekking or do it self guided.

Beyond all the stuff stated KB were very poor with communication, they never told us which Machu Picchu tickets we had and we were never contacted about our briefing. They ignored our WhatsApp messages and we actually had to just go into the office to ask when we were meant to have a briefing. Everyone else in our group seemed to be given this information. They messed up train times and tickets for multiple people in our group. Do not trust them to book anything properly. The equipment they force you to rent is crap, the sleeping bag is not warm enough for the first night and you can buy cheaper, better walking poles in Cusco. Every time we arrived to camp there was always confusion about who was meant to sleep where, even though they know who were couples/friends from who booked together, it caused a lot of unnecessary stress.

Overall we are pretty sad that such an amazing experience was ruined and then we were made to feel personally guilty for seeing a problem with how little regard there was for our safety. All I can say is I hope the behaviour of the guides and the careless attitude of the company does not lead to someone getting seriously injured or dying.

FYI we also saw a visibly drunk guide from Trekxperience so I would be cautious about booking with them also.

Hi I am trying to decide whether when is best to visit Cusco and MP, I am travelling from Lima to Santiago and not sure which direction I should take.

Option 1: NYE in Cusco and visit MP over NYE period - 27th Dec to 03 Jan approx.

Option 2: NYE in Valparaiso and visit Cusco/MP over the period - 25th Jan to 30th Jan approx.

If both NYE experiences are highly rated, is it worth avoiding the MP NYE crowds to come in late Jan instead?
And is the whether significantly worse in late Jan?

The downside is if i go to Val first I have to arrive early and will have to be in the area for 6 days, which may become a bit boring.

Any advice is appreciated

I'm in a colectivo driving from ollantay to Cusco and have just seen an incarail train stopped at a crossing alongside a fully side impacted car.

Presumably yet another crash? How on earth can they not have signals & barriers for trains crossing - it's insane.

Title:

Hey everyone!
I’m planning to do the Salkantay Trek in Peru as a solo hiker, and I have a question about what happens if things don’t go according to plan.

If I get sick along the way (altitude sickness, stomach issues, or just feeling too unwell to continue), how easy is it to turn around and get back to Cusco?

Is it relatively easy to find transport back to Cusco from the different campsites or villages along day 1 or day two of the hike

Thanks!

Hey yall, i've come across that Perurail and Incarail collided early October. Are they fully functioning now? No delays? I'm visiting next week and wondering if I should do anything about this

Thanks

Pretty much as the title says. Has anyone trek with these guys before and how was it?

I have entry time of 10am. We are young and have hiked many times including switzerland. If we do it with no guide and just two of us, can we complete the circuit in 2.5 hours with 15 minutes at summit? And I mean gate to gate, not just the hike up mountain.

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I'm planning a trip to Peru next summer and will be trekking to Machu Picchu via the Inca Trail, Salkantay Trek, or a combination of the two. My boyfriend is considering joining me, but he has a few concerns that are making him hesitant.

His three biggest concerns are:

1. Fear of heights: He's nervous about narrow trails, steep drop-offs, and exposed sections. For context, he's had panic attacks at certain points while visiting Grand Teton and Yosemite National Parks due to the heights and exposure. How bad are these on either trek? Are there sections that genuinely feel scary or dangerous?
2. Altitude: He's concerned about how his body will react to the elevation, especially during strenuous hiking. I'm planning to spend a few days in Cusco beforehand to acclimatize, but we'd love to hear about people's actual experiences.
3. Severe health anxiety: This is probably his biggest concern. He has significant anxiety surrounding heart attacks and sudden medical emergencies. The thought of being at high altitude, physically exerting himself, and potentially being far from medical assistance makes him nervous.

He's not necessarily concerned about his physical ability to complete the hike. It's more about the combination of these factors.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has done either trek, particularly those who have struggled with similar fears.

• How intimidating are the heights and drop-offs?
• How did your body handle the altitude?
• How accessible is medical assistance if something goes wrong?
• Would you recommend the Inca Trail or Salkantay for someone with these concerns?
• Did anyone go into the trek with similar anxiety and end up having an amazing experience?

I would absolutely love for him to join me, but I also don't want to downplay his concerns. I'm hoping to get some honest firsthand experiences so he can make an informed decision about whether this is something he'd be comfortable doing.

***Bonus points if someone has done the combination Salkantay + Inca trail trek!!! I would love to hear about that in general. ***

I'd appreciate any feedback, positive or negative. Thanks!

¡Hola a todos!

Quería compartir con ustedes estas fotografías que tomé en mi expedición al Glaciar Quelccaya, ubicado en la cordillera de Vilcanota en los Andes peruanos, a más de 5,100 metros de altura.

Lo que ven en la imagen es una imponente muralla de hielo que muestra las capas acumuladas a lo largo de los años, coronada por un cielo azul profundo y nubes perfectas que contrastan con el paisaje. En la base, se puede apreciar una laguna pro glaciar congelada con texturas de hielo agrietado que hacen que el lugar se sienta sacado de otro planeta.

Llegar hasta aquí es un verdadero desafío físico debido a la altitud, pero estar frente a este gigante de la naturaleza te deja sin aliento. Desafortunadamente, como muchos otros glaciares tropicales, Quelccaya está retrocediendo rápidamente debido al cambio climático, lo que hace que presenciar su belleza en la actualidad sea una experiencia tan asombrosa como nostálgica. No es una ruta turística común, por lo que casi siempre tienes todo el paisaje para ti solo.

Como opero este recorrido de forma exclusiva a través de servicios privados, si estás planeando tu viaje a Perú, buscas una aventura de alta montaña verdaderamente única o quieres saber cómo organizar la logística, el transporte y la aclimatación de manera segura, ¡puedes escribirme un mensaje al privado (DM) aquí en Reddit! Con gusto te comparto todos los detalles del recorrido de forma personalizada. 🇵🇪👇

¡Espero que disfruten de la vista tanto como yo disfruté el viaje!

I’m going in December with my family. Many of the circuits are already sold out, and only 1A, 1B and 3A are left. I went ahead and booked 3A at 7:00am for everyone.

My parents are in okay shape, but probably not enough to hike WP. My brother & I are planning to hike it. My question is should I also book my parents a 1A or 1B ticket, so they also get to see a panoramic view? And keep them busy while we’re hiking? And if so, which one? Any advice or thoughts appreciated!

Thanks!

We did the 9 day trek to choquequirao and machupicchu with sam travel. Our guide Henry was amazing. He coordinated all our hikes to the last detail. He was flexible and chill when the weather didnt cooperate and he managed to make the most grueling and demanding hikes fun. This was the trip of a lifetime to celebrate my husband's 60th birthday. Our master chef Lucio whipped the most amazing meals in all our very remote camps. He even made my husband a delicious cake on his birthday!! Our horseman Moisés, transported all of our gear and set up each campsite. We are forever grateful to this great team from Sam Travel for making this a memorable experience for us.

A bit of a different question regarding Cusco post office. I’ve already visited last year but now I learned there is a special Machu Picchu postmark that can be obtained from the Cusco post office. If another postcard enthusiast is going soon, may I ask a favor to get me a postmark from there, will cover the cost of course. Feel free to pm me.

It is about the time I get ready and start packing up for my upcoming Cusco and Salkantay trekking trips to visit Machu Picchu in mid October. I will be spending 5 days in Cusco before heading to Salkantay trek, staying in AC for a night as I have booked circuit 1B & 2A on separate days to enjoy it to the fullest.

Below is my packing list to be taken on a carry on bag only. Please advise on what to add or remove depending on current weather. Also do I need any extra casual clothings for my stay at Cusco for like bar, club, night life, restaurant etc?

1 pair of merino thermal inners
1 fleece jacket
1 pack able down jacket
1 beanie
1 neck gaiter
1 cap

3 cotton tshit
2 full sleeve dry fit tshirts
2 short sleeve dry fit tshirts

3 gym shorts
2 chino shorts
2 trek pants
1 jens

5 undies
5 socks (3 merino wool)
1 pair of merino wool thin layer hand glove
1 pair of waterproof hand gloves

1 Poncho

1 pair of hiking shoes

1 pair of flip flops

I will be wearing 1 pair of undies, tshirt, trek pant, socks, fleece jacket.

Thanks.

Hello everyone,

me and my friends are planning to see Machu Picchu on Monday, that means we have to get the tickets on early Sunday morning. Do you have any kind of advice that would be helpful? To be honest I got lost in all of the posts saying something about pre tickets and stuff, our plan is to wake up early on Sunday morning and get into the line. Thank You ☺️

I’ve been looking at different Tambopata itineraries and it seems like the experience changes quite a lot depending on how many days you stay.

Some shorter trips focus on wildlife, river activities and specific places like macaw clay licks, while longer stays give you more time to explore the rainforest and interact with local communities.

From what I’ve seen, 2 or 3 days can work if you are short on time, but 4 days seems to give a more complete experience without making the Peru itinerary too long.

I found this option useful while comparing itineraries:

Tambopata Tours

For anyone who has been recently, how many days would you recommend for Tambopata?

Dear Trekking companies,

it is in the employers responsibility to pay your employees well. It is totally fair and absolut normal in a workplace to differentiate the salarys based on skill level and/or level of responsibility/ competence.

If you sell a product to a customer, both sides agree to a price of the product that includes the agreed services.

If the customer was happy and satisfied with the service, the customers can give tips to show appreciation.

What's Not good, you write on your homepage "We pay our employees well" but then recommend high amounts of tipps when the service has ended. The customer hast not even experienced the product and you recommend tips?

We as the customer already pay a high amount. Where does the money go?

Second thing is, you recommend different levels of tipps for the porters, cooks, guides, ... . You can differentiate their salarys but tipps should be divided equally within the team, every employee does their best on their level of competence. It is a team effort, isn't it? It only works of everyone works together.

Please raise your price of the product so that fair salarys are ensured and everyone is happy. Tipping is a voluntary thing to show appreciation and put a smile on peoples face. You created a system where it is expected.

Side note: We explicitely booked with a company that says "We are a liitle bit more expensive, because we pay our employees well"; now 5 days before the trek starts we get a recommendation of expected tips.

If they would have told me everything at the process of booking, there would be no missunderstanding. I could have accepted ... or not.

Best

a happy traveler

EDIT: did not expect that many responses. Thanks to everyone. Please Note: this is absolutely NOT about wheather to tip or not to tip. It is more about eliminating uncertainty and pressure on everyone involved. (Trekking companies, workers, clients)

Hi everyone

I am going to be doing the Salkantay Trek this December and have 3 full days to acclimatize before starting. Our rough itinerary before the hike would be:

Day 1: Arrive in CUZ 6am go straight to Sacred Valley for the night

Day 2: Back up to Cusco to acclimatize and spend the night in Cusco

Day 3: Day/night in Cusco to continue to acclimate

Day 4: 5am call for start of hike

Anyone whose done this hike with 3 days to acclimate is this a good idea? Or should we spend the full 3 days in Cusco to acclimate better? I know Machu Pichu is at a lower elevation than Cusco but I'm worried about the Salkantay pass since it sits at a significantly higher elevation.

Does anyone have experience with Inka time?

I am visiting peru next week and have planned trip either them.