Everyone wants to see Machu Picchu. And they should. The place is beautiful, mysterious and complex and there’s no other place quite like it anywhere in the world. Still, how exactly should you see it? There are so many ways to visit Peru and have the experience of a lifetime and I’m here to help you decide exactly how you would like to travel there.
I’m going to outline some styles and activities yet please know almost all of what I am recommending can be combined in different combinations for your custom trip.
5-STAR LUXURY
If you’re looking for high luxury with spectacular, completely unique hotels in breathtaking locations, Peru is for you. From a 5-star lodge right next to Machu Picchu, to several outstanding 5-star properties in the Sacred Valley, to a converted monastery-turned 5-star hotel in Cusco, to a deconstructed luxury experience on Lake Titicaca to both boutique and classic 5-star hotels in Lima, Peru offers beyond stunning accommodations with award-winning spas and world class service. I invite you to explore my Best of Peru Hotel Slideshow to see some of my favorites.
My 5-star travelers love taking the Hiram Bingham train from Machu Picchu to Cusco as it makes you feel like you're in a 19th Century novel, plus offers a memorable meal with live entertainment and dancing. I also have a special version of a Rainbow Mountain visit that will help you skip the tourists and the rigorous hike at 17,000 feet yet still see the brightly colored peaks. If you’re ready for a full-on luxury experience, contact me as I can’t wait to show you a whole host of insider access activities and special touches.
HIGH ENERGY
If you and your traveling companion(s) are super active and can’t wait to hike the Inca Trail, stay in the Sky Lodge, (a see-through lodging bubble high up on a mountainside) or climb a sheer cliff wall (via ferrata) in the Sacred Valley, Peru is for you! There are a whole host of over-the-top activities for people who love to get out there and push themselves, including mountain biking, rafting, and the famous Rainbow Mountain hike at 17,000 feet.
Most active travelers have heard about hiking the Inca Trail which will take you up into the Andes to explore ancient Inca sites and will allow you to come down into Machu Picchu from the top of Machu Picchu Mountain and through the Sun Gate. There are two versions of the Inca Trail, one lasting 4 days, and one lasting 2 days which is really just one full day of hiking. The 2-day adventure is great for active families with tweens or teens and the 4-day version includes camping and is more rigorous.
There is a luxury version of the 4-day Inca Trail where someone carries your gear and brings the most astonishing camping gear you can imagine, including a restroom tent. Contact me so I can connect you with the most exciting and adventurous active experiences in versions that will fit your travel style and activity level.
FOODIES
If you love food, Peru is for you! Lima is one of the food capitals of the world and a foodie hasn’t lived until they’ve dined at Central or a similar Michelin-starred establishment, or tried “Chifa” a fusion of Peruvian and Chinese food. Lima is also fantastic for a market visit as they use such extraordinary ingredients, and also a street food adventure, because even the most humble local cuisine in Lima is spectacular. It’s all about the ingredients.
I have special foodie adventures throughout Peru on offer including farm to table lunches at haciendas, a traditional Peruvian barbecue, cooking classes, chocolate making–-you name it. Peru is a foodie paradise and they also have over 4,000 varieties of potatoes! Contact me so I can create a foodie adventure in Peru you will always remember.
HISTORY BUFFS
Peru’s history is dramatic and fascinating. People who are interested in Incan culture and history will be amazed when they take in some of the hundreds of Incan ruins scattered across the country. How did the Inca civilization interact with Amazonian cultures? Why was Machu Picchu hidden from the world community until Hiram Bingham found it in 1911? Exploring the history of this region includes so many mysteries.
Travelers who love to learn about how people lived and who want to know how the Spanish conquered this region and what it was like before they came, will enjoy visiting the many historical sites I will recommend. And I also have a collection of experts I can bring in to speak with you about how it all unfolded. If you’re a history buff, contact me and I will create a specialized program for you. Maybe you’d like to meet the Head Anthropologist at Machu Picchu?
ARTS & CRAFTS
People who love to see art and/or make art will be delighted with what we have in store for you in Peru. We’ll introduce you to Nilda and her weavers high up in the Andes in a tiny town called Chinchero. After university, Nilda saw that the women of her home village were not passing down their weaving techniques to the younger women, and that the striking patterns and techniques of Andean weaving were in danger of extinction. She collected a group of women and opened a location where you can talk with weavers and see how they make their unbelievable local costumes and fabrics.
I have a whole host of artists and artisans for you to meet from potters, to graffiti artists in Lima, to many kinds of weavers, to musical instrument makers and musicians. Contact me so I can introduce you to some amazing people and their work.
MEETING LOCALS
Curious Wild Nectar travelers often love to meet locals and I have a few different ways we can make that happen. Of course you could meet and talk with Nilda’s weavers above. You could also go to another local Andean community, the Amaru community and have lunch with these people and learn about their crafts and their lives. Meeting locals over food for a cooking class, barbecue or street food adventure will help you get to know what modern Peruvian life is like. And sometimes, our guides even introduce you to their families and kids, which is always a very special experience. If you like to talk with local people, let me know and I will create a program that has this focus or I'll include opportunities to meet locals with other trip elements you are interested in.
EXPERIENCES FIRST
Some of my travelers are not interested in fancy hotels and instead want to focus on experiences like any of the ones listed above. I want you to know that in addition to stunning 5-star hotels and beautiful and unique 4-star boutique hotels, Peru offers a wonderful collection of attractive 3-star hotels so you can focus your resources on experiences and not hotels, if this is the way you prefer to travel.
I hope you’ve enjoyed exploring some of the amazing ways to visit Peru. There's so much more I'd like to include like wildlife viewing in the Amazon or Paracas, flying over the mysterious Nazca Lines--so many more ideas! I’m standing by to help you create a custom trip to Peru that fits your style of travel perfectly. This is a bucket list destination and I want to help craft the perfect trip for you.
Our Immersive Machu Picchu: Inca Mysteries and Warm Welcomes program which I designed for curious Wild Nectar travelers is a great place to start your investigation.
Contact us and I’ll get to work on a special adventure that fits your interests and travel style to a “T”.