Peru Family Vacation - July 19, 2011

[lb4747694]

Just booked the July 19 Peru Family Vacation. Pretty excited, as Machu Picchu has been on my "list" for awhile. It'll be me, my wife, and 11 y.o. daughter.

Anybody else going?

BTW--I ended up booking this trip through Costco. The prices were a little bit lower than what the ABD page has and we're going to get a $500 Visa giftcard and a $700 Costco giftcard.

 

[WeLoveABD]

Just booked the July 19 Peru Family Vacation. Pretty excited, as Machu Picchu has been on my "list" for awhile. It'll be me, my wife, and 11 y.o. daughter.

Anybody else going?

BTW--I ended up booking this trip through Costco. The prices were a little bit lower than what the ABD page has and we're going to get a $500 Visa giftcard and a $700 Costco giftcard.

We are going--but not until the August trip, so we will eagerly be awaiting your trip report! We also booked through CostCo for the same reason.

See prior threads on this trip for tips re altitude sickness prevention etc. We are planning to arrive in Lima a day or two early, so have been looking for things to do there. Do you have pre or post trip plans?

 

[lb4747694]

I've already gone through all the trip reports, so I think I'm good there.

I actually booked us flights to get in 2 days early, so we can get acclimated and see the town, Pachacamac, and the gold museum.

Hoping to get a nice picture for next year's holiday card at Machu Picchu ;-)

 

[tufbuf]

We are going on the June 20 tour.

Any suggestions where we can book a local tour for a day? I can't find any on the internet. All inputs are welcome! Thanks!!!

 

[lb4747694]

We are going on the June 20 tour.

Any suggestions where we can book a local tour for a day? I can't find any on the internet. All inputs are welcome! Thanks!!!

Another forum that I frequent (and TripAdvisor) gave a lot of kudos to this company http://www.limacabs.com/ I will probably book a couple of tours through them.

 

[Grifdog22]

Any suggestions where we can book a local tour for a day? I can't find any on the internet. All inputs are welcome! Thanks!!!

We did this trip in 2009. I strongly recommend you ask your ABD guides for assistance in setting up the advance or ending tour. We did, and it was great. We did a full day at the end of the trip, and told the ABD guides what we were looking for specifically. They also had gotten to know us pretty well by then. It was perfect. A full day with a driver and guide, including admissions to churches, etc. ran about $150 for the day with five of us. We toured churches, the catacombs (don't miss these!) government buildings that were important to us, inca temples downtown (really!) and our ABD guides sent us to several things we never would have come up with on our own (The statute of a lady with a Llama on her head (error in commissioning instructions...), The pisco fountain, etc. Our ABD guides knew very good people for these types of trips, and arranged everything for us. We simply met them in the hotel lobby following breakfast, and paid them the agreed price (plus a nice tip) at the conclusion. The guide suggested by the ABD guides was bilingual and incredibly knowledgeable. The driver was amazing at the back roads and shortcuts. This was a lot of fun.

They also sent us to some great restaurants within our price range (cheap) such as a Chinese Peruvian place about 12 walking blocks from the hotel...we ate for several hours (our meal for the day) and it ran about $38 total for five of us.

This is a great ABD tour. Get in shape by walking, running well before you go. It will really help with the altitude, so you can hike at Machu Pichu - hike to the entrance of the Inca trail. ABD had a special guide for that and we were the only family to go! Everyone else was struggling with the altitutude. We were the only "in shape" family, and it showed.

While at Sol y Luna, ride the horses. They are very different from the US horses, and the ride is an incredible way to see both the countryside and the people.

In Cusco, go out at night. The city stays open for many late hours. We had our DDtwin9 year olds and felt very safe and just had a blast. We slept on the way home...but not much on the trip. Too much to do.

ENJOY!

 

[tufbuf]

Thanks so much Griffdog22 for all the tips! Will the ABD guides be accessible for the pre-tour trips? We will be arriving a day early for that reason.

We are trying to get in shape - walking, jogging, swimming and it will be interesting to see how we will do in high altitude. It's been a way of life so I hope it pays off.

 

[lb4747694]

We did this trip in 2009. I strongly recommend you ask your ABD guides for assistance in setting up the advance or ending tour. We did, and it was great. We did a full day at the end of the trip, and told the ABD guides what we were looking for specifically. They also had gotten to know us pretty well by then. It was perfect. A full day with a driver and guide, including admissions to churches, etc. ran about $150 for the day with five of us. We toured churches, the catacombs (don't miss these!) government buildings that were important to us, inca temples downtown (really!) and our ABD guides sent us to several things we never would have come up with on our own (The statute of a lady with a Llama on her head (error in commissioning instructions...), The pisco fountain, etc. Our ABD guides knew very good people for these types of trips, and arranged everything for us. We simply met them in the hotel lobby following breakfast, and paid them the agreed price (plus a nice tip) at the conclusion. The guide suggested by the ABD guides was bilingual and incredibly knowledgeable. The driver was amazing at the back roads and shortcuts. This was a lot of fun.

They also sent us to some great restaurants within our price range (cheap) such as a Chinese Peruvian place about 12 walking blocks from the hotel...we ate for several hours (our meal for the day) and it ran about $38 total for five of us.

This is a great ABD tour. Get in shape by walking, running well before you go. It will really help with the altitude, so you can hike at Machu Pichu - hike to the entrance of the Inca trail. ABD had a special guide for that and we were the only family to go! Everyone else was struggling with the altitutude. We were the only "in shape" family, and it showed.

While at Sol y Luna, ride the horses. They are very different from the US horses, and the ride is an incredible way to see both the countryside and the people.

In Cusco, go out at night. The city stays open for many late hours. We had our DDtwin9 year olds and felt very safe and just had a blast. We slept on the way home...but not much on the trip. Too much to do.

ENJOY![/COLOR]

Thanks for the recommendations. That story about the llama is funny. I had to look it up to see if there was a pic behind it: http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/South_America/Peru/South/Lima/Lima_Centro/photo836900.htm

 

[smep013]

So excited for this trip! Thanks for the info. We are on the July 5 adventure and can't wait!!! Starting to think about what to pack and focusing on stepping up our workouts!!!

 

[Grifdog22]

The guides were available to us early - we arrived VERY early in the first day and the guides were already there, although no one else was supposed to be in for about 8 hours. I understand they are not "on duty" until your original scheduled arrival. You might ask the ABD reservations folks to convey a message - or try the "ask the guide" blog that started months ago but hasn't been answered in awhile. I never got the specific information on our add on guide - it was just handled and we were so busy enjoying and trying everything that those details just didn't stick. There are a number of old postings on Peru trips as well - dig into the disboards archives and you'll find some great nuggets. My wife says pack light and leave room for purchases. She bought and bought - from Alpaca bedspreads at the market to pottery and textiles. We took some incredible pictures on the rafting trip (make sure your camera is waterproof!) She's also a foodie (I am not) so she says to make sure you try the Coca Cola. It is a "different receipe" than we have in the U.S. Do some reading up on things like this - there are a lot of cool things in Peru.

 

[icehawkmom]

We have just booked the July 5 trip and also want to come in a day early and tour abit. We are also looking at staying after the ABD tour and going to see the Nazca lines. Anybody have experience with this?

 

[lb4747694]

What's up with all you guys going on the 5th? You're going to miss drinking out of the Pisco Fountain later in the month...

 

[sayhello]

What's up with all you guys going on the 5th? You're going to miss drinking out of the Pisco Fountain later in the month...

????

Sayhello

 

[kermit116]

We have just booked the July 5 trip and also want to come in a day early and tour abit. We are also looking at staying after the ABD tour and going to see the Nazca lines. Anybody have experience with this?

Make sure to get a recommendation from your ABD guides before you book a company that will fly you over the Nazca lines. I was recently in Peru and a local friend warned me that she and her family don't go to see the Nazca lines any more because many of the companies that fly you over the lines don't keep up with maintenance on their planes.

If you want to see some of the Nazca lines without flying, you can take a boat tour of "Las Islas Ballestas." You'll take a small boat from Paracas out to sail around some rocky islands just off the coast that are teaming with wildlife (penguins, sea lions, birds). On your ride over to the islands, you'll pass by the Candelabra (http://www.traveladdicts.connectfree.co.uk/Peru/images/Paracas_candelabra.jpg). This is a fun little half day trip - you get to see one of the Nazca lines, and you get a close up view of lots of sea life.

 

[lb4747694]

????

Sayhello

http://enperublog.com/2009/07/27/peru-celebrates-independence-day-with-fountain-of-booze/

 

[sayhello]

http://enperublog.com/2009/07/27/peru-celebrates-independence-day-with-fountain-of-booze/

Interesting custom!

Sayhello

 

[kjd469]

A great touring option is the "Hop-on, Hop-off" bus tour in Lima. For approx. $18 you get a 24h ticket for the open air double decker bus that makes stops at all of the main attractions in the city. We have done these tours in many U.S. and European city's and find it to be a fantastic way to see a city. The concierge at the hotel will tell you where the nearest stop is, and you buy the ticket directly from the driver. I highly recommend this as an option

 

[lb4747694]

A great touring option is the "Hop-on, Hop-off" bus tour in Lima. For approx. $18 you get a 24h ticket for the open air double decker bus that makes stops at all of the main attractions in the city. We have done these tours in many U.S. and European city's and find it to be a fantastic way to see a city. The concierge at the hotel will tell you where the nearest stop is, and you buy the ticket directly from the driver. I highly recommend this as an option

I agree with you. Hop on/Hop off buses are a great way to a) see the city in a day or b) get a lay of the land to figure out where you want to spend your time.

 

[sayhello]

A great touring option is the "Hop-on, Hop-off" bus tour in Lima. For approx. $18 you get a 24h ticket for the open air double decker bus that makes stops at all of the main attractions in the city. We have done these tours in many U.S. and European city's and find it to be a fantastic way to see a city. The concierge at the hotel will tell you where the nearest stop is, and you buy the ticket directly from the driver. I highly recommend this as an option

I agree with this too! I can't believe how much we saw of Barcelona from the HOHO bus! And in Barcelona, we actually got a discount on the tickets when we bought them from the hotel concierge! So check if that's an option, also.

Sayhello

 

[EMalcon]

Just booked the July 19 Peru Family Vacation. Pretty excited, as Machu Picchu has been on my "list" for awhile. It'll be me, my wife, and 11 y.o. daughter.

Anybody else going?

BTW--I ended up booking this trip through Costco. The prices were a little bit lower than what the ABD page has and we're going to get a $500 Visa giftcard and a $700 Costco giftcard.

Congratulation don't forget to be at least 2 days before star your trek in order to be climatized, check Innova Travel Peru this company is also recommendable
BR