I never gave the altitude of Peru much thought. I knew the simple rules: stay hydrated, stay away from alcohol, and take it easy. I also knew I would have trouble with rule #2 - I was in Peru! I needed to make sure I was trying the local flavor! Our first full day in Peru led us from Cusco to Chinchero and the Sacred Valley. Just like that, we went up to about 13,000 feet. I grew up just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, and then spent much of my time in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Moving to the mountains of Montana at only about 3,500 feet was a drastic change for me. Now, I found myself even 10,000 feet above that.
Exploring the Sacred Valley (Karen DiGangi)
I did not feel nauseated or light-headed; however, my pride severely diminished with each step, as it did not take much for me to lose my breath. Having run a marathon just two months prior, I considered myself in pretty decent shape. Decent shape plus 10,000 feet of elevation very obviously equalled nothing.
Be warned, and don’t belittle the situation. Plenty of people travel to Peru and feel zero effects from the altitude, yet some become almost incapacitated by the sickness. It’s hard to judge in advance which one you will be and even more impossible to train for it. So follow the rules, and pay attention. Go out of your way to always have water with you, even if you’re not feeling thirsty. Take it easy, and talk to your guides! They can help give you some coca or muna tea and talk you through the best way to combat any unpleasant feelings - aside from a broken pride.
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.