Window at Machu PicchuThe flight was only an hour, but the landscape changed dramatically from the foggy seaside city of Lima to the clear mountain air of Cusco. The city spreads in the valley inhabited by about 300,000 people. We were met at the airport with music by an Andean band and our guide Edwin Vasquez, a 37-year-old mestizo with a dark handsome face. He pointed out some of the highlights on the way to the Hotel del Prado, which was located just off the Plaza des Armas, the main public square. The hotel was very cozy and comfortable, and the staff was welcoming. We were immediately seated in the dining room and urged to drink a few cups of coca tea and lots of water, and advised to avoid fatty foods to counter altitude sickness.
After lunch at the elegant Inka Grill on the plaza, we spent the afternoon touring the cathedral and temple of the sun. The cathedral was built in the 1500s by the Spanish. It was brown and rough on the outside, with multiple domed vaults and symmetrical towers, but on the inside it was full of gold-encrusted baroque, rococo and renaissance shrines and huge paintings in muted gray and black in the Spanish style "portraits and religious scenes" many painted by local artists. Enshrined in a small undercroft are the ashes of Garca I Llosa, the mestizo chronicler who in 1609 recorded his memories of the 1533 Spanish conquest of the Incas.
Cusco's temple of the sun is a colonial church built on top of an Inca structure. A cloister was constructed among the Inca walls; outside were terraced gardens and a fountain. Dinner that night was early, at Incanto off the Square. Aji de Gallina, a local dish of chicken in chili cheese sauce, was a revelation.
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
4 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.