Guide me around Peru

December 5, 2008 5:12 PM

I need recommendations for a Peruvian tour company. I want to do a 7-10 day tour in Peru, visiting Machu Picchu, traditional markets, and as many other cultural landmarks as I can.

I would like to keep hiking to a moderate minimum. I don't want to do the entire Inca Trail, but would do some hikes if it means seeing something awesome at the end. I REALLY want to visit many markets with traditional handicrafts. I love museums. I want to see lots of ruins. I think it'd be cool to see Lake Titicaca.

I want a trustworthy tour group that'd be a appropriate for a 30-something female on her own. I'm not opposed to sharing a room with a fellow tourist, and I don't need fancy digs. Machu Picchu and handicraft markets are my highest priorities.

Any recommendations on tour companies and/or things to see, especially good markets?

(P.S. I have read and favorited some other similar questions, but wanted advice on the markets and more recent advice on travel companies. Thanks!!)

posted by faunafrailty to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

Well, Marlon's Travel has a long list of tours on this website. I must explain that I haven't done any of them, but Marlon also owns a hostal in Cuzco and I found him to be amazingly nice, organized, helpful, etc... He helped me plan my trip from Cuzco to Machu Picchu as well and it worked out perfectly.

About the markets... you dont need to "plan" that. They're everywhere and most sell the same stuff as each other. You'll get plenty whether its on your checklist or not. Cuzco does have some pretty big ones though that would be worth seeking out.

If you don't go with an all inclusive already set tour... I would suggest buying a Lonely Planet, staying in hostals, seeing Machu Pichu and some surrounding ruins. (Theres a great 3 day backpaker's trip where you can see a couple ruins, markets, and either hike up or down Machu Picchu which is steep but much shorter than the 4 day trail).

There are TONS of other ruins around Southern Peru, jungle trips would be an option, etc...

If you go to Lake Titicaca, if possible do the floating islands from Puno Peru (half day trip, or i've heard you can stay overnight on one somehow) AND the Isla del Sol which can be accessed from Copacabana, Bolivia. Getting to Puno is about 7 hours from Cuzco by bus and theres frankly not much else to do there but the Lake Titicaca places gave me some of the prettiest sights and pictures of my life so it stays high on my recommendation list.
posted by nzydarkxj at 6:51 PM on December 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

We used Southern Explorations for a honeymoon in the Galapagos. They did a very nice job for us, even when we arrived a day late because of a canceled flight. They also do land tours in Peru.
posted by procrastination at 7:36 PM on December 5, 2008

I took the Southern Explorations Machu Picchu with a girlfriend about two years ago and the package was perfect for two ladies. We were all about shopping in the craft markets and we were even able to hire a driver through the tour company to go and visit the Pisac market when it wasn't part of the tour package. Cuzco has lots of amazing galleries and native markets, fair trade ones, too, so make sure you have lots of time there.

My only complaint about our package is that we had too much time in Lima and not enough in Cuzco. Lima is kind of drab, but there are lots of places to shop if you're looking for handicrafts.

As for being a female alone, you'll probably be safe, but expect to get stared at and harassed a bit. I am Hispanic and speak Spanish, so I was largely left alone. My companion was more obviously a visitor and got a lot of catcalls. In one instance, we stopped to ask a police office directions and even he whistled at us after we got five steps away from him...no shame at all. Wear pants and look like you know where you're going if you want to avoid the larger part of this.
posted by Alison at 9:46 AM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

I went to Peru (and Ecuador and Bolivia) with The Great Adventure People and they were amazing. They have a variety of trips that might suit you. You can request brochures for all the different contients they visit. I chose them because they were a local company that helped NGOs in the countries they visit. That appealled to me. Happy travels!
posted by LunaticFringe at 11:58 AM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

I would second GAP Tours. I went to Mexico with them, and it was a great trip. They have a variety of different levels of tours. Some are more active than others. The one I went on was really good in that it was really flexible. Some people in our group were more outdoorsy, and went hiking. Others (like me) skipped the hiking and visited museums and markets instead. There was a woman in her late 30s on our tour traveling by herself. She was awesome, and we ended up doing a lot of the same activities. Our guide was really good at arranging activities and was good at putting people together who were interested in the same things, so it wasn't a big deal to travel alone.
posted by bluefly at 12:18 PM on December 6, 2008

I forgot to add that half the people on our tour were doing it as part of a longer South American Tour which included Peru. They recommended it as a good way to see the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu.
posted by bluefly at 12:19 PM on December 6, 2008

Thank you. This is all really great information, and I'll research all the companies/tours recommended!
posted by faunafrailty at 11:55 AM on December 7, 2008