Great report Percy Salas

David Choque and Yure Chavez

all get great reivews here.

Your selctions were very wise

many on line Scammers also on Galapagos Cruises

so many foreign expats.

Celebrity Xpedition and Linblad my 2 upscale favs.

Ecoaventura with guanguitagua.com was best local provider

for me got great deals there.

Agree totally that Peru Ecuador are 2 of the most

beautiful and ecodense countries in the world.

Just did a 2k roadtrip down there last fall ready to go back.

A couple of clarifications of my original post. The spelling is Ollantaytambo, and Percy's $1280 fee also included all expenses associated with the Machu Picchu part of the trip (the Vistadome train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and the train/bus combo back to Cusco; the bus to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes; the MP entrance fee; and Esmerelda's services). In other words, the $1280 covered everything except our airfare, meals and 130 soles for the multiuse ticket.

We arrived at Aguas Calientes around 5:00pm. The Vistadome train was a nice ride but as others have mentioned, there isn't much room for luggage so bring a small suitcase or backpack only. You will likely end up storing it by your feet. There are no overhead racks and limited space at the back of the rail cars.

Esmerelda met us at the train station and escorted us to our hotel, El Santuario, which was right on the river. It was very nice although the room was very humid even with the AC running, but Esmerelda said that was normal.

She met us at the hotel at 7am the next morning and after a 25 minute bus ride through a misting rain, we arrived at Machu Picchu. We made our way in and found nothing but fog. Then parts of the fog started to lift, giving us brief, teasing glimpses of what lay beyond. By mid-morning, the sun was out and the fog had lifted. What a sight! When the beauty of the surroundings are combined with the realization of what the Incas had been able to accomplish with so little, one is simply left in awe. On the WOW meter, Machu Piccu is way up there.

By 1:00pm, we had toured the ruins and walked to the Inca Bridge (that was an easy and enjoyable trail which took about 50 minutes total). We then headed for the exit and took the bus back down the mountain to catch our 3:30pm train back to Ollantaytambo where Peru Rail transferred us to a 12 passenger van (others were put onto luxury buses). The train normally would go all the way to Cusco but last year's Biblical floods damaged the rail line and it has not yet been fully repaired. Thus, even though you go on Peru Rail's site (perurail.com) and appear to be buying a train ticket from MP to Cusco, you're not, at least not yet. But that ticket is good for the train and bus portion of the return trip back to Cusco.

In 2 hours we were at the Cusco bus station where we were met by one of Percy's associates who drove us to our hotel, the Rumi Punku. It was very nice; probably our favorite. We then had a tapas dinner, including guinea pig, at Cicciolina which was an excellent restaurant. (They have a full menu as well and their small dining room was very romantic.)

The next morning, Thursday, Percy picked us up at the hotel at 9am and we were off for a very enjoyable 2/3 day tour of many Cusco sights, including Saqsayaman, Q'enqo, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay, and an Alpacca store where we picked up 3 Baby Alpacca sweaters. Percy gave me pointers on how to bargain ("try for 20% although you'll probably have to settle for 10-15% off"; I got 22% off!!)

At 1:30pm, Percy dropped us off at our hotel and we spent the afternoon visiting the Cusco Cathedral (ignore the offers from the guides near the ticket office offering their services because the price of the ticket includes audio head sets which are given out inside the Cathedral and were very good), the Temple of the Sun (Santo Domingo Church), and the Chocolate Museum. All were very interesting and well worth a visit. That evening we went to Pachapapa for dinner, another Percy recommendation, and had a wonderful meal, including marinated Alpacca.

Cusco is a city of about 500,000 and certainly has its charming parts. Although it's a little over 11,000 feet high, we didn't experience any altitude sickness issues. I think the key was starting our trip in the Sacred Valley and drinking lots of water when in Cusco. I also drank coca tea regularly.

Next up is Lima.

enjoying your trip report....

If I can figure out how to post pictures, I will try to do so.

A note on the coca tea. Our hotels carried it and offered it for free.

There's a terrific book on the Incas and the Sacred Valley. It's only 150 pages and has lots of full-page pictures and fairly large print so it's easy to get through. It provides the history of the Incas and their origins, at least what's been learned so far and that keeps changing, and discusses the various sights, ruins, etc in the Sacred Valley. It has a section on the flowers in the Valley in the back of the book. An easy and good read before, during or after your trip.

Percy recommended we pick it up from a vendor in Ollantaytambo and I'm real glad we did. It was $20.00. It's called "Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas", 2nd edition (2009) by Fernando and Edgar Salazar. Unfortunately, a google search didn't provide me with any results for it. You might see if you can find a copy when you get to Peru if Amazon doesn't start carrying it (they only have a reference to the out of print 1st edition at this time).

On Friday morning, Percy picked us up at the hotel (he was always on time) and drove us to the airport. It was tough saying good bye to our new friend. He really is wonderful. So nice and easy to talk to. We must have asked him a thousand questions about Peru, its people, customs, politics, religion, education system, taxes, health care, immigration, etc, etc, and he truly enjoyed answering all of them. He got a kick out of comparing his country and culture with ours (US).

One of the reasons I enjoy using private guides is to get a sense of the people of the place I'm visiting. Percy gave us that perspective in spades. By the way, we found the Peruvians to be very nice and accommodating.

We arrived in Lima around 11am and were met inside the airport by our guide for the day, Eduardo Ventocilla, the owner of limacabs.com. (cell: 51-990-292935) I found him through the travel forums and this was another very good hire. He was very prompt in replying to my emails.

He is 35, married and been in the tourist business for most of his adult life. His English is very good. He uses a 7 passenger van which is brand new.

His company's name is a bit of a misnomer. His main business is offering guided tours in and around Lima as well as providing transfers to and from the airport. In addition to himself, he has others in his company who provide the touring and transfer services. We thought his fee was very reasonable ($140) but, like Percy, the word is out so if you want him, book as early as possible.

He's an excellent driver, crucial for Lima which is a one big traffic nightmare. There are 10 million inhabitants and the roads are constantly crammed with cars around the clock, per Eduardo. The traffic lanes, and there are lots of them, are apparently just suggestions of where the cars should be. Yet the locals know the "rules of the road" and do just fine weaving in and out of those lanes on a regular basis. We quickly learned that the honking of the horn is a normal part of the driving experience. After a brief while, we weren't bothered by it. Bottom line, I wouldn't want to attempt driving there, and I've driven the streets of NYC, Chicago and LA in rush hour.

Eduardo drove us around for the next 6.5 hours and took us to the historical district where we spent most of our time. It was architecturally beautiful with brightly painted plazas that were huge. He was very knowledgeable about the history. As with Percy, we asked tons of questions about everything Peruvian and he, too, enjoyed the interaction. He was very personable and friendly. Would hire him again in a heartbeat.

We had our best meal of the trip when he took us to Tanta in the historical district for lunch. There are apparently four of these restaurants in Lima. (http://www.foodandwine.com/restaurants/tanta; http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294316-i819-k4005128-l29227391-Lunch_in_Central_Lima-Lima.html) The tuna ("atun"), which looked like a thick tenderloin and was perfectly cooked (rare) and the beef ("lomo saltado") were outstanding. But very little English is spoken here by the waiters.

In our Peruvian travels, we learned that the locals eat their big meal of the day at lunch which begins in earnest around 1pm and eat a light meal for dinner which starts around 7-7:30pm. We also learned that the portions tend to be large and could be split. Trout is a favorite there and is very good. Interestingly, the worldwide obesity epidemic hasn't hit Peru yet.

We ended the day with a trip to Miraflores where we drove through the business district and along the Pacific Ocean.

He then drove us to the Ramada Costa del Sol in the Lima airport where we spent the night. A little pricey but worth it for the convenience of being just a minute's walk to the airport. On the 2nd floor, there's a walkway which takes you over the street below and directly into the concourse. It was very reassuring being right there and not having to worry about fighting the Lima traffic to get to the airport on time. Book online and get a AAA discount.(http://www.ramada.com/Ramada/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=16013)

My wife and I were very glad we included Peru on this trip, our first to South America. Percy and Eduardo made it affordable and we saw and learned so much. And it's natural beauty made it an unforgettable experience.

Great report! I'm going next week, and will be staying at several of the same places --Pakaritampu, Rumi Punku, Ramada. Nice to hear you enjoyed them.

Here are some photos of the sites and of Percy Salas:

https://picasaweb.google.com/DavidColeDavis/Peru?authkey=Gv1sRgCNmI09PHkM-DYQ#

Loved your report. I have been pondering our trip to Peru but quickly became a bit overwhelmed with the itinerary. Your trip report made me very comfortable at contacting Percy. He replied within a week & gave a great itinerary. I told him we'd love to spend 2 wks there & include the Amazon jungle plus Lake Titicaca. We're really looking forward to our upcoming trip next April. Thanks again for writing such a wonderful journal of places seen, places to stay & where to eat. The pictures were great.

Thanks for your report and helpful tips. I am going in Oct and hired Percy as guide without getting quotes from other guides. I thought his pricing was on high side, but glad to hear it was the best and that services were excellent.

We also found Peru a wonderful country,dcd.

I was, however, surprised that you singled out Pakaritampu's bathroom rules. Every hotel we stayed at (including Rumi Punku, and Costa del Sol at the Airport) had a sign to that effect or had a bin labelled accordingly. Many of these old cities worldwide want their sewers treated gently. Turkey, Greece, Cambodia all come to mind.

Were you able to fly from Lima to Cusco without overnighting there? Looks like the airfare within Peru is a bit expensive. Did you find that to be the case? You mentioned to only take a backpack to Machu Picchu. Did you leave your suitcase at the hotel?

International flights to Lima often arrive at midnight-ish, so often there is a 5-6 hour wait for the first flight to Cusco the next morning. You can wait at the airport (24/7, one of the nicest in South America), walk to the Ramada Inn (rather expensive) or go to a less expensive airport area hotel (not a great neighborhood) for a few hours in a room.

Airfare for domestic flights can often be added to the international ticket for a reasonable cost. If that isn't an option, you can use Star Peru or Peruvian Airlines to cut domestic flight costs. There is also an airpass if you arrive into SA on LAN or a One World partner.

Yes most hotels hold luggage there is also storage at some of the train stations.

A good website to browse (beside Fodors of course) is www.andeantravelweb.com

Hi lcuy, well, we looked for signs in the other hotels but didn't see any. We were fully expecting to, but they weren't there.

Idahospud and Jackie, you just made a great hire. Please tell him Dave and Joyce from St Louis say "Hola".

Idahospud, there are lots of LAN flights departing Lima to Cusco, usually twice an hour in the mornings and then leveling off but continuing well into the afternoon. (TACA Air had far fewer flights to Cusco; there is one other airline - STAR- which I avoided based on forum reviews and it too had only a couple of flights.)

We were doing a Quito-Lima-Cusco trip all in one day (we'd been on a Galapagos cruise). We took a 7:25am TACA flight on 4/25 (a Monday) from Quito and arrived Lima at 9:35am and then took a 11:00am LAN flight to Cusco (takes about an hour). Those 2 flights had us concerned but in the end, everything worked out well. They were both on time; we got thru customs quickly; and there were no weather issues (fog).

Now going home, we did fly Cusco to Lima and then overnighted there out of an abundance of caution so we wouldn't miss our flight back to the US the next morning. But that also allowed us to see some of Lima which was well worth doing, since we were in the hood anyway........

Whether you need to overnite in Lima probably depends on when your flight arrives/leaves there.

Airfares inside Peru can be expensive. I don't recall what we paid (that info is at home). Apparently there are prices for Peruvians and different, higher prices for non-Peruvians.

Regarding MP and the luggage issue, we gave our extra bags to Percy who then took them to our Cusco hotel where they were waiting for us upon our arrival from MP. It helps that he lives in Cusco!

I found the tripadvisor forums to offer invaluable tips and insights into travelling in Peru. Perhaps you've already discovered them. If not, here are some links:

Machu Picchu:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g294318-i3352-Machu_Picchu_Sacred_Valley.html

Cusco and surrounding areas:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g294314-i3023-Cusco.html

Have a great trip!! Wish we could have spent 2 weeks there and hit the Amazon and Lake Titicaca.

Great report. It is amazing when the fog lifts at MP, isn't it?

I also did a "fly by" in Lima and am glad I did. it is a great way to spend time during a layover. Was the Yale/Machu Picchu exhibit still at the palace? (Yale just returned most of the "borrowed" artifacts and they were on display for a couple weeks before heading to Cusco for storage until the new museum is ready)

And regarding the toilet paper--even the five star hotels we stayed at requested all paper, including toilet paper, go into a bin and none into the toilet. We laughed and said that while the beds might better, we all share the same egalitarian sewer system. : )

Look forward to seeing more photos.

BostonHarbor, the fog was amazing. Some of my favorite shots are of the photographers and their tripods silhouetted against the fog. But to tell you the truth, I was just thrilled the fog did lift as I understand there are no guarantees.....

The pics in the link above were taken by my wife who is just getting into photography. She's not quite the rabid shutterbug you and I are. At least not yet. She did a very nice job.

I don't know if the Yale exhibit was in Lima when we were but if it was, we missed it.

Idahospud, I found my master card receipts for the airfare. Our roundtrip flights from Lima to Cusco cost $410.00 per person.

Great report, very much enjoyed hearing about your trip. Count me as another Percy fan. We used him several years ago and thought he was wonderful. A good guide can make all the difference!

What kind of clothing is needed for May? It looks like it gets to 72 but drops down at night. Haven't heard from Percy lately so hopefully will soon so we can finish up our plans.

May will be cold enough at night that you will want something warm to wear, and possibly to sleep in. May in Lima can be very much like San Francisco, foggy enough that the sidewalks get dangerously slippery. The good part of that weather pattern is that you can sleep with the windows closed if your Lima lodging has no A/C.

That is also a time of year when fog can affect arrivals and departures at Lima airport, so I would not try to the do the Cusco-Lima-international all in the same day. And as others have said, Lima is a worthwhile stop, even if just to eat and visit the Rafael Larco Museum and the Plaza de Armas.

Idahospud, just saw your post. Pack in layers because of the variable temps. We'd often start out with a light waterproof jacket (Marmots are great), a T shirt, a long sleeve shirt and zipoff (long) pants. But by mid afternoon, we might be down to rolled up long sleeves and no jacket. We wore zipoffs because they dry quickly in the event of rain and because, if we needed shorts, we could easily switch. I think we stuck with long pants primarily to protect our legs from no-seeums and other biting bugs, especially at the higher altitudes.

Don't forget a wide brimmed hat to block the sun!!

Hope you've heard from Percy. I sometimes had to wait a week or 2 when he got busy with prolonged tours.

Thanks for the info DCD. We have zipoffs & layers so that helps to know. We're going to do a climb here in Idaho in the Trinities which is around 10,000ft to get use of the altitude. Percy did get back to me but didn't answer most of my questions. He mentions booking our rooms but the fees he quoted didn't include the rooms. Airfare is still too high to book so trying to be patient. We plan to spend a week in Fort Lauderdale before flying to Lima so will have to pack for 2 climates.

Hi dcd,
I enjoyed your trip report and wanted to give another plug for Percy. My sister and I (late 30's) used him in 2010 and posted a trip report. I also shared your trepidation about booking this random guide who happened to be a guy in his forties. In fact, we didn't send a picture in case we had to run from him at the Cusco airport. However, we had no worries. Percy was kind, fun, and gave us an amazing experience. I bombarded him with questions and also taught him some American slang. Percy was the first private guide we've used in our travels and the bar has been set high. I'm going to Thailand this year and I'm alreading searching for the "Thai Percy." I hope to return to Peru someday and see Percy again. He is a very special person as well as a great ambassador for his country and culture.

Planning a trip to Peru in 2013 - en route to yearly stay in Buenos Aires. Your Trip Report, dcd, and other posters on this thread, have been very helpful in beginning to formulate the trip.

Chats with yestravel have stimulated our interest - and your report has clinched the idea of using a guide.

Many thanks for the interesting and useful detail and DW's nice photos.
~MarnieWDC

I finally got around to sorting through all my pics. It was great to relive this fabulous trip. For what it's worth, here they are:

http://davidcdavis.smugmug.com/Travel/Peru-Ap-201/26594054_rjVzjs#!i=2222948212&k=jsLRgPh

Thanks for sharing your photos. Looks wonderful!

I contacted Percy some months ago and tried to contact him again last week since we have finalized our trip. I haven't heard back from him-- is this normal? Our trip isn't until July, but I am wondering if I should find someone else.

I ended up booking all of our hotels myself and am wondering if this is why I haven't heard from him. Will he act as a guide if he isn't involved in booking the hotels?

I suggest you Google "Percy Salas Peru guide" for an updated e-mail address.

jeanned,

During our planning, he could be hard to get a hold of, too, because he was with tour groups. He works by himself primarily. He would reply eventually. As I recall, I booked him well in advance of our trip.

As for the hotels, he will be your guide regardless of whether you book through him. I don't think that is an issue at all. I booked some of mine, as I recall (need to re-read my report, lol).

If you don't have a guide at this point, I'd want to make sure someone good is still available. I'd contact several to see who is available and their fees. In the interim, if you hear back from Percy, and if he's available, you can compare and select the one who's best for you.

So you basically pay to Percy to show you around the city also he booked for you the best hostels and he also tell you where to eat, is that right? And the fee was $1280 ?

luis31, if you are asking me your question, you have the fee right; however, we stayed in nice hotels, not hostels; he drove and guided us everywhere except to MP (can't drive to MP); he made suggestions at some places where to eat, and on some occasions, he joined us.

dcd, I contacted him most recently on 4/17 and then sent a follow up email on 5/2 and haven't heard a word. I am sure the email address is correct as I communicated with him in February while we were in the planning stages. Did it ever take 18 days to hear back from him? I am wondering if he is already committed during the time period we will be there... I did ask him to let me know if this were the case and to suggest another guide... but no word.

We have been in contact with Percy recently. He will be our guide in mid May and he also arranged a MP guide for us. (Booked the rest of our trip on our own.) He has never taken more than 2-3 days to respond - Perhaps your emails are going into his spam. You could try calling him. His phone number appears in his email signature.

dcd - Just looked at your photos - phenomenal.

jeanned, I honestly don't recall the longest I went without hearing back from him. In my report I mentioned often going several weeks. That is my one criticism of him. I do know I booked him early on, so I wasn't overly concerned with the gaps. Not sure what to suggest for you other than to look for another guide as Plan B in case you don't hear back from him soon.

crosscheck, have fun with Percy. He's a great guy. Very considerate and accommodating. Despite the good reviews here, we were nervous about using him only because we were spending several days with him. But we thoroughly enjoyed his company. He really made our trip.

I love peppering local guides with all kinds of questions to get an understanding of their culture, customs, school systems, politics, drug problems, etc, etc, and he answered every one and seemed to enjoy the interaction. We learned so much.

For instance, I didn't know that it was against the law in Peru if you didn't vote in the city where you live. Well, his daughter was away in college (in Lima, I think) during one election cycle, and she had to decide whether to incur the cost to fly home to vote because she couldn't vote in Lima. (He may have said there was a way for her to have voted there but she missed a deadline, or something like that.)

The thing that had me most concerned about him was whether he'd meet us at the airport, having paid him some of the money up front! Plus he doesn't have a website, so there was lots of trust involved in hiring him.

Also, if we were delayed getting in, not an uncommon occurrence, or if he were delayed getting to the airport, I wasn't sure I'd be able to contact him upon our arrival because we didn't have a cell phone. But everything worked out exactly as planned. (If I absolutely needed to call him when we got to Cusco, I figured I'd be able to charm a local into letting me use their cell phone.)

For MP, he hired Esmeralda for us, and she was good. Everything went smoothly there, too.

Glad you liked the photos. I shot about 12x as many as are in the gallery, so culling them down was a challenge. We had a fabulous trip, thanks in large part to Percy, and I think the pics reflect that.

Please tell him Dave and Joyce say "hello". I sent Percy a link to the pics, too, which might help him remember who we are.

Have a great trip!

jeanned (and others who may be using Percy in the future), one thing I haven't mentioned is not to exact a big ol' fancy car with him, at least that wasn't our experience 2 years ago. Cars are small there anyway, and his was "seasoned". For his larger groups, I suspect he hires an appropriate van, but you may want to inquire if that's important to you.

dcd, we still have a couple of months until our trip, but this is the only thing that is not yet planned so I am feeling a bit nervous about it. If it doesn't pan out and we don't find another guide, we will just wing it and plan once we are there or via the hotels. I am just surprised not to have heard back from him as he was so responsive in our initial conversations in January/February. Even if he is already booked, I would love to know this so I can move on.

crosscheck, I just checked all of my email correspondence with him and none of them contain a phone #. Could you post it?

dcd & crosscheck, I have been using this email address: smunditur@hotmail.com. Is this the same one that you have used?

dcd, He had told us we would have a van since we are a family of five so he may own a larger vehicle now or perhaps was going to rent one for this purpose.
Thanks!!

jeanne, Yes, that's the email address I've been using. Here's the mobile: +51-984-621152. It also appears at the top of this thread. If you haven't heard from Percy by the time we see him, I will gently remind him to get back to you.

dcd, I am in awe of your photography skills, got me in the mood for our trip. Will send saludos to Percy. We're not concerned about whether he will show up because we are only using him for one day and did not have to wire money (booked everything else on our own). Our friends used him as a guide, so we also have a Real Life recommendation - they sung his praises and said he's very trustworthy. And because there are four of us, we will be in a van. I will probably bombard him with Qs as well, while the rest of the family looks on in embarrassment.

Will report back. Our trip is sadly very short - just a week (SV/MP/Cusco) to celebrate our son's college graduation. First time for the whole family, but I spent a month in Peru in the eighties and I'm worried that I will find it overdeveloped.