We are traveling South America early 2027 and current rough plan have us coming into Peru and Cusco in early March to do the Salkantay Trek. Is this a suitable time/ should we try push it out as much as we can or will it make any difference?

I'm stuck in AC for 4 nights because it's the only way to get walk up tickets these days (I gotta say, the fact that the cultural center now sells tickets 3 days in advance, means that to get a guaranteed ticket esp. during school holidays, one MUST spend 4 nights in AC, great for restaurant and hotel business!)

And yeah, I know I shouldn't be doing any work at one of the great wonders of the world, but I need to re-connect for a little bit - i need internet good enough for a video call. Cell phone service is spotty as hell as is my hotel wifi. (not just slow, 20-30% packet drop)

Can anyone recommend a cafe/restaurant that uses starlink to provide usable service? I think a couple of high end hotels might, but way outside my price range.

Thanks.

Please advise, thank you

I know this is considered shoulder season, what should we expect? Unfortunately we cannot book two days incase but hoping for the best in terms of rain or fog.

I’m going to be in Ollantaytambo sometime in the first two weeks of November. Judging from what I’ve read here, I think I’ll be fine getting last-minute tickets to Machu Picchu. But what about the train? Does that have to be booked in advance? Or during this slow season, can tickets for the train be had at the last minute as well?

Went to get tickets today for Friday the 16th and was left disappointed. I was willing to extend our stay for 1 more night but I’m unable to extend it until Sunday.

I like to travel a bit slowly. Walk, hike. See diferent towns and villages. I'm especially interested in agriculture and markets and local foods. So here is my plan for one week. I would welcome feedback. I am leaving room for a couple of tries at Machu Picchu because I willl be there during rainy season so, would give me a second chance if the first one got rained out. I would use taxi or uber which i always much prefer over renting a car or going on tour buses.

Fri : Fly to Lima on daytime nonstop, landing about 11pm. Sleep near the airport.

Sat: Early flight to Cusco (80–90 min). Easy day visiting Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral. Early night. Hotel in cusco

Sun: Morning taxi to Chinchero, about 40 min. Sunday market, attend mass and see terraces. Taxi back for afternoon and evening in Cusco.

Mon: Taxi to Ollantaytambo, about 1.5 hrs Drop off backpack at my hotel Then taxi to Maras about 20–30 min

Hike to the Salineras and down to Pichingoto, about 3.5 hrs total

Arrange for a a driver picks up at Pichingoto and takes me back to Ollantaytambo.

Tues: Walk to the Ollantaytambo archaeological site for opening.

Wed: early visit to see Urubamba livestock market open. Back to ollantayyambo and walk to the station, about 15 min. Train to Aguas Calientes, about 1.5–2 hrs. Hotel in Aquas Calientes

Thur: Bus. Machu Picchu panorama (1-b), 9am entry. Around 11 descend and go to Lunch at the nice restaurant there. Hang out and do some work on my computer. Then 3pm do xircuit (2-a). Hopefully this gives me 2 chances to see everything between morning mid and afternoon heavy . Return to aqua caliente for hotel.

Fri : if I got rained out then do Machu Picchu again same schedule. If I didn't get rained out then hang and maybe go to the hot pools or similar around agua caliente, or an easy-moderate hike

Sat : Train back to cusco. See bit more of the city. Overnight in cusco

Sun: depart taking the wildly overpriced train to Puno then double back to juliaca to spend the night. I'm a train fan and would like to see the big freights going through this crowded city as well as the juliaca market.

Mon: fly to juliaca to tarapoto to get to Amazon for that part of the trip

HI!

I’m planning to do the Salkantay Trek in April and I’m having some major anxiety about the logistics vs. my sanity.

Context: I am a single woman, an avid hiker, and an experienced camper. Honestly, I would do this entirely solo/unguided if I wasn't feeling totally chicken shit about navigating a multi-day foreign trek completely alone for my first time. Because of that, I started looking into group tours.

Here is my main issue: I have a very low social battery. Hiking all day with a group is fine(ish), but at the end of the day, I desperately need to retreat to a quiet space alone to recharge. The idea of being trapped in a shared dorm or tent with strangers 24/7 sounds like mental torture.

I reached out to a popular tour company (total tour cost is $705 USD), and they quoted me a staggering extra $600 USD just for a single/private room supplement! That is almost doubling the price of the entire trek.

What makes it weirder is that I saw a past thread where someone using the exact same company said they only paid an extra $200 USD for a solo room upgrade.

For those who have done Salkantay:

1. Has anyone successfully negotiated a reasonable solo room rate? Is $600 a total rip-off or is that just the standard "single tax" now? Why would it vary so wildly from $200 to $600?
2. How bad is the "forced socializing" really? If I suck it up and do the standard group booking, is it impossible to get away from people at night, or can you easily wander off and do your own thing?
3. Should I just bite the bullet and go unguided? As an experienced camper, am I overthinking the difficulty of doing this solo just to avoid group dynamics?
4. unrelated to my social battery issues, I PEE A LOT lol where the hell does one pee while hiking with a group 😭

Would love to hear from any fellow introverted solo female hikers who have tackled this. Thanks!

I know this is considered shoulder season, what should we expect? Unfortunately we cannot book two days incase but hoping for the best in terms of the weather 🙏🏽

Last week, we completed 4 days/3 night travel of the Inca Trail. Our guide and porters were so friendly and helpful. I cannot imagine a better experience. The days were challenging. Our guide Juan Rivera Pax oversaw our snack and rest times, to keep us strong. Juan also has a genuine love of all things Inca, informing us about the ruins and about many of the plants we hiked past. Words fall far short capturing our gratitude to Juan and the rest of the team: Eberth, Leonardo, Nelson, Catalino, Eucebio, and Ronal. Eberth, our chef, created healthy delicious meals that impressed every time!

A wonderful Quechua phrase we learned: Tupananchis kama ... "Until we meet again"

Thank you Juan and SAM team for an experience of a lifetime

Jeanne and Dave Dischinger

Hi everyone! I’m planning a 16-day trip to Peru with my boyfriend in July/August 2027 and would love some feedback on our itinerary before I start locking everything in!

I’m especially interested in whether we’re spending the right amount of time in each place, if the transportation makes sense, and whether we’re allowing enough time to acclimatize before the Inca Trail.

July 30: Lima
Fly into Lima and stay overnight at an airport hotel.

July 31: Ollantaytambo
Morning flight from Lima to Cusco.
Private transfer to Ollantaytambo.
Explore the ruins and town

August 1: Moray, Maras & Mountain View
Private driver from Ollantaytambo to Moray and the Maras Salt Mines.
Check into Mountain View Experience in the early afternoon.

August 2: Mountain View
Full relaxation day at Mountain View with their experiences

August 3: Misminay & Cusco
Visit the Misminay Quechua community for a cultural experience.
Transfer to Cusco afterward.

August 4: Cusco
Full day exploring Cusco

August 5–8: Classic Inca Trail
Alpaca Expeditions.
Arrive at Machu Picchu on August 8.
Return to Cusco August 8

August 9: Cusco
Full recovery day after the trek.

August 10: Rainbow Mountain
Rainbow Mountain ATV excursion.
Return to Cusco for the night.

August 11: Lima
Fly from Cusco to Lima.
Stay near the Cruz del Sur bus terminal.

August 12: Huacachina
Take bus to Huacachina
Duna Camp overnight

August 13: Huacachina → Lima
Return from Duna Camp in the morning.
Hoping to arrange an actual sand-skiing excursion (on skis, not a sandboard).
Afternoon bus back to Lima.
Overnight in Lima.

August 14: Fly Home
Fly from Lima back to the US.

A few things I’d especially love feedback on:
Ollantaytambo: Is one night enough? This is my biggest debate. We should arrive around midday or earlier and plan to see the main ruins and town that afternoon. Originally, I had two nights here, but removing one gives us a much more relaxed schedule at the end of the trip.

Acclimatization: We’ll have five nights at altitude before starting the Inca Trail: one in Ollantaytambo, two near Maras, and two in Cusco. Does that seem like a reasonable progression?

Mountain View: Has anyone stayed in the Maras A-Frame? I’ve seen some mixed reviews and would love to hear recent experiences. Is two nights worth it?

Transportation: Does using private transfers around the Sacred Valley and buses between Lima and Huacachina make sense? Any logistical issues I’m overlooking?

Huacachina: Has anyone done actual sand skiing? I’m specifically looking for a morning excursion on August 13 so we can catch an afternoon bus back to Lima. This is a bucket-list activity for me!

Overall pacing: Does anything seem unnecessarily rushed, or are we spending too much time anywhere?
We’re both active and enjoy adventure, but I also want a good balance of sightseeing and downtime. I’m generally a pretty quick sightseer and don’t need hours at every attraction.

Would love any advice from people who’ve done a similar route. Thank you!

Hello,

since I noticed, that the ticket acquisition can be difficult, i immediatley bought a ticket when I knew I am going to South America. I even planned the whole trip around it.

Mid September the best ticket I found for late October was the 3A on the 26th Oct. I am satisified because I think its a thrill to go up there and different then only Circuit 1. Circuit 2 was not available anymore on the official website unfortunately.

I am going to do the Salkantay Trek with MP Team and I am photographer too. Of course I would like to take the classic MP postcard picture. Unfortunately this does not work with the 3A.

I thought about adding the 1B, since it does not take too long (3A slot at 7am and train back at ~3pm) and should provide me with the postcard perspective, correct?

I asked MP Team if there is a possibiliy to acquire the 1B but they said it is not available online, which is true, and you need to be in Aguas Calientes 2 days prior to buy it in person. This is not feasible with the Salkantay Trek.

My question is now if anybody knows a best practice to still buy a ticket in person when arriving with the Salkantay Trek the day before in the afternoon.

I also heard that often the staff do not really check the circuit you have and you can go somewhere else? Not that I want to promote this behaviour but is this true? (For the emergency situation)

Thankful for any tips!

Hi everyone! I just got back from Cusco, and beyond the typical postcard image we all know, I was left thinking about how incredible daily life must have been inside this colossal city perched in the clouds.

Many people think Machu Picchu was just a temple or an abandoned fort, but the reality is that it functioned as a self-sustaining, elite citadel. I wanted to share my photos and some amazing facts about how this place operated that you don't usually find in quick summaries:

A hidden engineering masterpiece: When you see photos of the ruins and terraces, what we stand on today is just the tip of the iceberg. More than 60% of Machu Picchu's construction is underground. The Incas excavated the rock and created a deep drainage system with layers of gravel to prevent the tropical rains from the high jungle from causing landslides and destroying the city.

Perfect Water Supply: In the third photo, you can see how steep the terrain is, but the city had a canal system that brought clean water from a natural spring in the mountains. It crossed the entire urban area through 16 fountains connected in a cascade. The first supply went directly to the Inca's residence.

The Great Social Division: The urban layout seen in the first image is no accident. The city was strictly divided by a large, elongated plaza: on one side, the sacred sector and the palaces of the royalty (with perfectly carved and polished stonework), and on the other side, the residential sector of the common people and the workshops, where the stones were more rustic.

The Mystery of Its Abandonment: Although it was an advanced architectural gem, it was inhabited for less than 100 years. When the Inca Empire fell in Cusco, the city became completely isolated and was peacefully and quietly abandoned. Located in the cloud forest, the vegetation completely covered it, protecting it from destruction.

Has anyone else been there recently? I'd be curious to know what part of the city's architecture caught your eye the most when you explored it.

By the way, if you're planning your trip to Cusco and want some realistic tips on how to organize your logistics for climbing to the citadel without getting lost, feel free to DM me. I'd be happy to help you plan your route through the region. Good vibes!

I have just completed the 5 day Salkantay package through Alpaca Expeditions and couldn’t recommend it enough. The main guide Saul and his assist guide Abraham were extremely knowledgeable about each area throughout the 5 days. We were provided breakfast, lunch, and dinner cooked by Ciriaco’s private team of chefs that followed us throughout the Salkantay. Extremely happy with the quality and quantity of food especially considering just how remote we were. There was also a team of porters that carried our extra clothes and equipment throughout the hike so you don’t need to carry heavy backpacks during the long days hiking. The accommodation that is provided is also excellent from sky domes for watching the stars to hobbit house experiences. The whole experience was very enjoyable and can’t thank Saul and Abraham enough for their positive attitudes and all the laughs. If you’re looking for a company to go though I’d highly recommend Alpaca Expeditions

Headed to Machu Picchu in late April of next year. Is it worth it to go two days and do circuit 1 one day and circuit 2 the second day? Or just go one day and in that case, which circuit?

Also, getting tickets online through the Peruvian sites seems like a challenge. Is getting them Viator or Get Your Guide sufficient? I don’t mind if there’s a few dollar up-charge.

Any other suggestions or advice is most welcome!

Hi people!

I’m planning to go to Peru for 3 weeks, and looking forward for the Inca trail / Machu Picchu the Most!!!

Which month would be the best weather for that (April, May, or June) - not too hot or unbearably cold? Also no clouds for the clearest views😍

Thank you so much!

Hi all, if you’re looking to book the Inca trail, I highly recommend Sam Travel Peru - especially Henry and Anastacio as guides 🙏 and Lucio as the chef who cooked us (so much!!) authentic Peruvian food

Henry was so knowledgeable as he has a history with the area and was a history teacher! He knew all the best spots for exploring, photos and more! I don’t have much experience with hiking but Sam Travel went at our pace and we didn’t feel rushed or unable to do the hike.

If you want to visit Peru, learn about Quechua culture and immerse yourself in the wonder of Machu Picchu and the Inca trail - I recommend these guys!

Debating booking a last minute Peru rail vs staying an extra night in AC and walking down the tracks the next morning and catching a collectivo to ollantaytambo. Trying to get a sense of pricing and if the train is similar in price.

There was a big availability the past few days for next day tickets and all of a sudden looks like they sell out right away in the morning .

What has changed with next day ticket system??

We want to spend 4 nights in the Valley (traveling as a family with our 14 year old son) to acclimatize before Cusco. We will stay one night in AC because we want to do 2 circuits and not have to rush. We would like to experience nature, local things and culture while getting ready for higher altitude. The options are:
-Pisac: have heard that is a nice hippie town (we want to stay outside the city for some nature calming time
-Ollantaytambo: it will be convenient for taking the train to AC and we would probably not rent a car
-Urubamba: more central and I am in love with the mountain lodges that I see outside of the city.
**we can drive we all are native Spanish speakers (traveling from US). I am also not sure about renting a car.
Thank you!

Hey, just wondering how to get a guide for tomorrow's tour, we got the 3B tickets. Is it possible to book the guide on spot? What are the prices? Thank you!

We are planning on visiting Machu Picchu late October and have a 7am entrance time for circuit 2B. We thought this would be good to avoid crowds but now I’ve been reading about how it’s cloudy in the morning and you can’t really see Machu Picchu until around 9 am. Does anyone have advice on what to do in the scenario? I’m hoping we can just stay at the top view until the clouds clear (I saw some people saying that) but I’m worried a guide or someone will usher us along and we won’t get to see the famous view from above.

Hello everyone!

I want to do a 2 day Asungate Trek 11/19 and 11/20 and was wondering if anyone wanted to join or has a group I could join? I am struggling to find a way to just join a random group through an agency if anyone has tips

It is 4:30pm on October 11 and there are 147 tickets sold for the 14th. Is this normal? Makes me so nervous we won’t get a ticket despite having a train arriving 8am on the 13th.

The Ministry of Culture in Cusco informs visitors and tour operators that all in-person tickets for Machu Picchu for October 13, 2026, have sold out. These tickets were sold at the Cultural Center in Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes).
Due to regulations designed to protect and preserve Machu Picchu, no additional tickets can be made available for this date.
The Ministry thanks everyone for their understanding and will continue to provide updates on ticket availability.
Visitors are also encouraged to explore other cultural attractions in the Cusco region, including archaeological sites, museums, and other places of interest.