Veronica Glacier - view from Bike RideI was amazed at how incredible Machu Picchu is in person. I'd seen pictures of it and always thought they were incredible, but in person - WOW! We took the early morning bus at 6.30am and arrived at 7am to see our first glimpse of Machu Picchu through the fog - it was amazing! Marco, was a fantastic tour guide of everything along the way, but the amount of detail that he told us about Machu Picchu was amazing. It felt like a live history lesson and one that I most thoroughly enjoyed (I never liked history as a child, but this completely changed my view on it!) - I learned so much about the Inca's and even more exciting is that Marco has done a lot of his own research on the Inca's and has his OWN opinions of different things at Machu Picchu. It was so fun to hear his stories and theories as well as the standard stories of the Lost City of the Incas. After a couple hours with Marco, we had some free time to explore the place on our own. We walked up to the Sun Gate and highly recommend that - astonishing views of Machu Picchu from there. By noon, we had explored enough and were ready to head back down to Aguas Calientes. We were thankful we woke up so early, as by noon the crowds were incredibly thick - it was like Disneyland! In the early morning, I got many pictures of Machu Picchu with almost no people in the shots!
We took the 2.15pm train back to Ollantaytambo. The train ride was such a treat - probably the nicest train I've ever been on - luxurious seats and incredible views along the way back. From there, our driver picked us up and took us back to Cusco. Back to the Casa Andina hotel - another lovely selection!
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
3 weeks 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
1 month 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
2 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.