Lake Sandoval lodge, perfect place to hangToday is MachuPicchu day! We had to wake up at 4 am to get to the train station in Ollantaytambo and rode about 1:40 to the town of Aguas Calientes. By the time we got there it was raining but we decided to head straight up to Machu Picchu anyway. From Aguas Calientes you take a bus up a 12K (7 miles) winding switchback road. We headed into the city and WOW! It is so hard to use words to describe it. As amazed as I was by all the other places we had seen none of them held a candle to Machu Picchu. Part of it is the setting, the city sits in a pocket between the Mountain Machu Picchu (Ancient Peak) and Huayna Picchu (Young Peak). The weather added to the ambiance as clouds of fog wafted around the edge of the city slowing pulling away to reveal more and more of the surrounding areas. Juan spent about 2 hours with us explaining the different locations around the city both architectural styles and supposed purposes. Much of the early information written and the Inca culture and about Machu Picchu has seen been disproved and modified with more sophisticated and advanced research. Many of the places generically referred to as "temples" are actually astronomical observatories, and many of the names assigned to these places were given by people like the workers and hotel managers, who knows what they were really called, but it was all fascinating.
Juan left us to poke around on our own for awhile, with was fun but quickly the city began filling with tourists, diminishing our enjoyment of this special place.
Back in Aguas Calientes we checked into our hotel, The Machu Picchu Inn, which was very nice. We ate lunch with Juan then we were on our own for the rest of the day. Grant passed the time napping in the room, while I hit the enormous market and browsed to my hearts content.
We spent the late evening quietly in our room watching the Olympics on Spanish TV. It was interesting seeing this coverage as it was, obviously, not centered around how the Americans were doing.
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
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.