Ruins in the Sacred ValleyOn this morning we headed to the airport for the short (just over an hour) internal flight to Cusco. There were some amazing views of the Andes from the plane window and upon arrival in Cusco we were greeted by our AMAZING guide for the remainder of our trip, Teddy. He and our driver Orelleo took us to check in at our hotel and then we were off to enjoy an afternoon walking tour of Cusco which included the convent, La Catedral and Plaza de Armas. The convent was interesting because the Spanish had covered Inca structures that they could not destroy with stucco and this was only discovered during the last century when some of the stucco came down during an earthquake. The cathedral was impressive from the sheer amount of wealth that flows through it and ornate it's alters. Teddy is extremely knowledgeable about the merging of the native religions which worshiped the sun/moon/stars etc. and that of the Catholic faith brought over by the Spaniard's. Hearing the history and stories and how the converging faiths still impact the lives of Peruvian today while sitting in the cathedral was fascinating. For dinner, we used Trip Advisor to find a highly rated spot in close proximity to our hotel and ended up at Uchu, a Peruvian steakhouse. The meat (including the favorite, alpaca) was served on a sizzling hot stone and was totally delicious! As we were walking around, I definitely felt the altitude of Cusco and fought a mild headache most of the day. I did not take anything other than some Advil and was fine the rest of the trip.
We've used Adventure Life for several trips in the past and have always been very pleased with them. The staff is personable and professional at the same time. Erin put this trip together for us in just a few days, and it has everything we were looking for! I recommend them without hesitation.
benn
1 month ago
I served as the person responsible for planning a trip to Galapagos and Machu Picchu for a group of 14 people. Jane with Adventure Life was very helpful throughout the process. Making suggestions, offering insight, and in the end helped me overhaul an initial plan into something even better. Also, Jane makes all the plans including the flights within and between Peru and Ecuador. Thanks to her this is going to be a stress-free adventure. After making the final decision about the trip, Jane gathered the contact information for all the travelers and sent out the details to each traveler individually with links to pay deposits, upload passport info, and personal preferences. She also ensured a group email was sent out to the entire group welcoming us to the trip preparation process. Our trip is a year from now and we are excited to make this once in a life time trek. I am happy to have organized things through Adventure Life. However, two small issues came up that were a little off putting. First, Adventure Life adds $50 per person to the cost for each traveler as a donation to a Galapagos conservation fund. I think this should he offered as something that can be added at each traveler’s discretion. Instead, it is automatically added, and each person must ask to have it removed if they do not want it included. Second, although the trip deposit may be paid with a credit card without incurring an additional fee, the balance must be paid in another way to avoid a 3% credit card fee. Maybe this is standard with all travel agencies. In the end I would definitely go through Adventure Life for the next big trip.
Brenda Nielsen
2 months ago
I think it was very helpful that Franny and I spoke on the phone. I think she had a better idea of what we were looking for, and she planned a great itinerary for us!
Elizabeth
3 months ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
3 months ago
Easy.
Great work on the follow up and details by Waru.