Some trips are born twice - Peru April - May 2025 (page 10 of 13)

Hi Pascale,

Still a fan of your travel journals and this one is no exception—it’s gorgeous! 🙂

Thanks! Your message really made my day. 🙂

Had you considered taking a private driver for this route instead of the train? Because honestly, the train fare is really expensive, and with a group, it might be worth it—but travelers never seem to go for that option. Isn’t it possible to reach Aguas Calientes that way?

As you read, it’s not possible.

Can’t wait to see your visit to Machu Picchu.

There you go—I finally posted the Machu Picchu visit. 🙂

Hi Carmen,

I was really looking forward to your PM. I was worried you’d given up on writing. I’m not disappointed! You were lucky with the weather. Great photos, some of them really stand out. I’ve got a question: is the guide chosen by Laurent, or is it a lottery?

Larri

Thanks, Jean Claude, for your message.

Laurent booked the guide. I think he works with 2-3 French-speaking guides, so he’s the one who picks based on their availability.

Thanks for your reply; it’s reassuring.

There are places on this planet like no other, and in my opinion, MP is one of them.

A truly special atmosphere, made even more magical by the guide. Thanks for sharing—I’ll never get tired of it! 😊

On the other hand, I just found out there’s a restaurant—I completely missed it during my visit.

P.S.: The photos are stunning!

What a beautiful visit! The mist doesn’t take anything away from the site—on the contrary, it’s magical. I was pretty sure you’d do Wayna Picchu 🙂

On the other hand, I just found out there’s a restaurant—I missed it during my visit.

There are actually two: one at the Sanctuary Lodge and a snack bar right by the entrance. Nothing amazing at the snack bar, but it’s handy for grabbing a bite between visits.

For the Sanctuary Lodge, for a brief moment, I thought it might be cool to sleep right next to Machu Picchu… but the price is totally outrageous. 😵‍💨 Almost 2000 € a night! That’s more than we paid for our flight tickets, including domestic flights. So, we settled for staying in Aguas Calientes. 😊

Ps: the photos are gorgeous

Thanks! 😊

It's magical! Your photos are making me dream, Carmen 🙂

What a beautiful visit! The mist doesn’t take anything away from the site—on the contrary, it’s magical.

Yeah, the mist is a real plus—it gives the place an incredible atmosphere. Climbing Wayna Picchu, with the humidity, limited visibility, and super dense vegetation full of flowers, we really felt like we were on a proper adventure. It was amazing!

I was pretty sure you’d do Wayna Picchu 🙂

It was kind of the main goal of the visit. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from the site—I thought we’d see “just” ruins 😅 In the end, Machu Picchu completely blew us away. We felt like we were traveling back in time. Our guide was really great!

It's magical! Your photos make me dream, Carmen 🙂

We’ve got to go there! 🙂

Hi Carmen,

Congrats on the amazing photos! 😮‍💨

Good evening Ticapi, and thank you for your excellent travel journal from Peru!

Here it is, I’ve finally been able to post the visit to Machu Picchu

On this webpage, you can see in color the circuits 3 and 2 that you took. You’ll also find the panoramic circuit No. 1, which includes 4 distinct destinations: the upper terrace, the Inca Bridge, the Sun Gate, and the Montaña.

Hi there, I loved your travel journal—it’s giving me a serious case of wanderlust! We just got back from a trip to Chile and Argentina that we really enjoyed.

One question: I don’t think you mentioned it in your journal, but what’s the security situation like in terms of theft, etc.? Looking at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs map, which can sometimes be alarmist, there’s an area controlled by drug traffickers right near Machu Picchu... 🏴‍☠️

Thanks for your thoughts and insights! Have a great evening, Raf.

Hello Carmen,

Congrats on the amazing photos! 🤩

Hi Nathalie, Thanks for your message.🙂

Thanks Luc for your message and the link, which will definitely be useful for future travelers.

For Machu Picchu, you need to be careful to book on the official site. You can find tickets on other platforms; some claim to be the official site but aren’t, and the prices are much higher there.

Hi there,

Hello, I loved your travel journal—it’s giving me a serious case of wanderlust! We just got back from a trip to Chile and Argentina that we really enjoyed.

Thanks for your message! 🙂 For us, it was during our trip to Bolivia, specifically meeting a French couple in Sucre, that made us want to go to Peru.

One question: I don’t think you mentioned it in your journal, but what’s the security situation like in terms of theft, etc.? Looking at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs map, which can sometimes be alarmist, there’s an area controlled by drug traffickers near Machu Picchu…

That’s true—the regions of Ayacucho, Abancay, and Huancavelica *seem* problematic. I say *seem* because I’ve heard they’re no longer an issue, but I don’t know for sure.

When you’re at Machu Picchu, you’re actually quite close to that region but also far enough away. The area between Cusco and Machu Picchu is very touristy, so I don’t think you’re at any risk—or at least no more than you would be in Europe.

As I mentioned in the intro of my journal, we initially planned to rent a car. In that case, we were advised to choose hotels where we could safely park the vehicle overnight.

Overall, we never felt unsafe. We walked around at night in Cusco, Arequipa, Cabanaconde, Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes, and even on Amantani Island. In Lima, though, we were warned to avoid certain neighborhoods, especially at night. I’ll go into more detail about that at the end of the journal.

I’ll post the rest today or tomorrow.

Are you going to write a travel journal about your last trip? I’d love to read one about Chile and Argentina.

For Machu Picchu, you’ve got to be careful to book on the official site. You can find tickets on other platforms; some pretend to be the official site but aren’t, and the prices are way higher there.

Of course, you should buy your ticket on the official site by going to the "Compra de boletos" section. On the official site, you can also check out the details of the different circuits at this address: https://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/circuitos-y-rutas-de-visita

OK, what you're saying is reassuring. I’d be really tempted by a 4x4 with a roof tent so I don’t always have to rely on hotels, but safety-wise, how is it in the middle of nowhere? Otherwise, hiring a driver like you did—I get the impression the budget works out about the same. Thanks anyway. PS: Bolivia is tempting me too.

So, my wife is the one who keeps the travel journals, and it’s really time-consuming—I’m not sure she’ll want to... We went to Argentine Patagonia and northern Chile, stopping in Calama, then San Pedro de Atacama. From there, we took a west-east route crossing into Argentina toward Purmamarca. We were supposed to go to Salta, but since we hadn’t spent enough time in San Pedro de Atacama, we decided to go back to really enjoy that amazing spot. Personally, I’d been dreaming of going to Patagonia for 15 years, and I wasn’t disappointed. I’ll try to convince my wife to make a journal... 😉