brettsav3

Hello,

My husband and I are able to go to Peru the first week in April. We really want to hike to Machu Picchu, but aren't sure of the weather at this time of year? Also, is there anything else we'd have enough time to see in a week? Any info. would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

cailin

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu takes 4 days - that's a good part of your week taken up already. The other time I'd probably just spend a couple of days acclimatising to the altitude in Cusco! There are shorter 2 day treks that might be more suited to your limited time.

kaneda

Cuzco is full of travel agents and there are some good tours available which are definitely worth doing. There is a museum, chapel, etc in scenic Cuzco itself which is an easy city to walk around. You can buy a card with all the entrance tickets on them at reduced rates.


I haven't been in April but I was there in mid-December and the weather was excellent. As cailin said, you will need to acclimatise to the altitude first so leave your hike to the end of your stay. I took the train but the route seems to be through thick forest, though you will obviously be following paths. Cuzco is about 2,200 ft higher than MP so not all uphill. Once you get to MP, that requires a good bit of walking up and down, and some climb the hill at the back so as to have a view over MP. Not an easy climb.

Most people like to try local dishes but not me. My favourite meal in Cuzco (and other places in South America) was chicken and chips which was cheap, ready within a few minutes, and tasted great.

kaneda

Note. when I say chicken and chips, I don't mean the rubbish you get in fast food outlets. This was real chicken and chips made from potatoes.

cailin

No, the trek isn't all uphill. Day 1 is a gentle ascent, Day 2 is a steep ascent, Day 3 is mostly descent and Day 4 you only walk a short distance - mostly flat to sun gate and then the final descent to MP. You do get to very high altitudes on the trail though, so you will need to be acclimatised first.

The walking at MP is minimal in comparison to what you do the previous 3 days!

snoopy12

It is true that the trek is not all uphill, but I found the downhill quite difficult too, especially since it was raining most of the time and the steps get slippery!