We love to hear from our customers once they get back from their holidays. This week has been a goodie with some local clients dropping by yesterday to leave two beautiful framed photos of a jaguar they saw in the Peruvian Amazon. Just incredible images of an animal so rarely seen that apparently the guides were every bit as excited as our clients!
Then this rather splendid bit of feedback came in via Responsible Travel. What I particularly like about this is just that the client ‘got’ the places she saw and sums up rather nicely what it is that makes both parts of this Inca Trail & Galapagos holiday so special.
“A review of one of your holidays has been submitted by Jennifer regarding Peru and Galapagos adventure holiday.
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The utter fearlessness of all the animals – birds, mammals and amphibians in the Galapagos – nothing had prepared us for this. There is nothing like standing eyeball to eyeball with a fluffy white Booby chick and it doesn’t try to run -or fly away. All other wildlife viewing will be ruined forever after that!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
We also went to Machu Picchu and walked the Salkantay trail prior – we recommend that you ensure a full day at Machu Picchu and/or the local town of Aqua Calientes at the end of the trek in order to have an opportunity to visit the local museum and see the spectacled bears and vist the Sacred Valley and maybe even take in a bit of a shopping -we never had time to do any of thse things with only half a day to visit Machu Piccu and then the train journey back to Cusco.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Absolutley -some barely spoke english, and those we communicated with were clearly from the local area. One of our most memorable and sublime meals was on a hillside looking across the steep valley to Machu Picchu. We ate at the table of a local farmer who had no electricity and no running water. We were served an entree of avocado with some vegetables, a main of trout caught in the river in the valley below with potatoes. And for desert a perfectly ripe banana grown near by. We hear a lot about ‘food miles’ and using local produce in trendy restaurant guides -but these local people live the dream and have been doing so since time immemorial -it is time we all looked at our priorities.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Fantastic -it was everything we expected. Sometimes reality does not meet expectations but not so this time and we are both fairly well travelled. Everything went like clock work -we were met by guides at the airport and it was refreshing to stay in stylish, locally run and owned small hotels and not the big hotel chains. However -the clincher for us and what separates the men from the boys in any business is what happens when something goes wrong. Due to a volcanic eruption in Chile a lot of flights to Buenos Aires were cancelled and it appeared I would not make my connection back to Australia. It was difficult to try and rebook flights over the phone with recorded messages in Spanish! However Pura Aventura stepped in and organised new flights and the connection was made after all.
Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
***** I am reborn! Simply the best holiday I have ever been on.”
We try our very best to make sure that every holiday we deliver is up to these standards. If you would like to know more about our active holidays to Spain and Latin America, please call us on 01273 676 712 or visit the Pura Aventura website proper.
Quieter times ahead for the Llamas as visitor numbers to Machu Picchu are restricted.
Hard on the heels of restrictions on the climbing of Huayna Picchu comes the news that visitor numbers to the site itself are to be limited to 2,500 per day.
This is significantly more than the 917 a day (no more than 385 at any one time) advocated by UNESCO. The Peruvian government was pushing for a figure of around 3,400 a day. With commitments made to UNESCO to invest in stabilising the site, a compromise figure of 2,500 visitors a day was reached back in 2008.
The news that the limits are actually being imposed comes rather suddenly though as is the way with announcements relating to Machu Picchu, it’s never entirely clear if there is a concrete implementation date. What we are being told is that tickets cannot be bought at the site or in Aguas Calientes. They must be bough ahead of time online at www.machupicchu.gob.pe
Apparently this is now a market for re-sale tickets and counterfeits in Aguas Calientes just below Machu Picchu. It’s that sort of place. Of course these tickets might get you in, they might not.
In terms of current numbers, 2,500 per day is about what we would expect in a busy month, say June. It is fewer than the number of people currently visiting in July or August so expect to see some scrabbling around to get people into Machu Picchu.
Of course, anyone traveling on Pura’s holidays to Peru can rest assured that we will buy any and all relevant permits. It really does make it more difficult for people on more flexible, backpacking type holidays to simply turn up and see what they want to see, when they want to see it.
Looking at the numbers for this year, July shows a total of 80,981 visitors coming to Machu Picchu. For the same month the nearby site of Choquequirao shows 10. That’s ten.
That’s just by way of a reminder to say that there are many spectacular hikes and sites in Peru, not least of which is the hike from Choquequirao to Machu Picchu.
Find out more about our Peru holidays or call us on 01273 676 712 for advice.
The peak of Huayna Picchu dominating the citadel of Machu Picchu
Today we have been informed that as from the 15th of July , in order to climb Huayna Picchu (the big sugar loaf mountain behind Machu Picchu) the following new rules (in blue) are now in place, not only limiting the number but also adding a surcharge for those wishing to attempt this climb:
1: Entrance times are:
Group 1 (G1): 0700 – 0800
Group 2 (G2): 1000 – 1100
2: The max capacity per group is 200 people
3: Permits to climb Huayna Picchu can only be made through www.machupicchu.gob.pe or in the Cusco office of the Direction Regional of Cusco.
They cannot be purchased on arrival in Machu Picchu nor in Aguas Calientes. Once sold out, that’s it. You can find availability at the website above.
4: The prices for entrances to Huayna Picchu are different to the standard entrance tickets to Machu Picchu whose price remains the same. It is not possible to swap standard entrance tickets to include Huayna Picchu.
5: Prices for Machu Picchu – Huayna Picchu – Moon Temple which come into effect as of 15th July (includes entrance to Machu Picchu) are
Adults S/150 which equals around us$55.
Students with Valid ISIC cards only S/75
In future any clients wishing to climb Huayna Picchu, we will need to know as far in advance as possible, and will then purchase the permits on their behalf and will have to surcharge as below:
For those just doing a day trip, with enough warning, we can add Huayna Picchu to their standard day trip price for £10 extra
For those coming in on the Inca Trail (Km 104 or longer) we will have to pre -purchase a complete new entrance at £38
For this year we will do this at cost price when available, but note we need the maximum warning possible to be able to confirm these permits – The system has only just gone live and already permits are selling out fast – We anticipate it being similar to the Inca Trail permits shortly.
It is worth mentioning there are still some great hikes to do in and around Machu Picchu that are not yet restricted: climb Machu Picchu Mountain for a truly impressive view of Machu Picchu as the condors see it, hike back along the Inca Trail to the Sun gate to see Machu Picchu as those on the Inca Trail see it, hike out to the Inca Bridge for more amazing views.
Find out more about our group holidays to Peru.