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Do-it-yourself planning adds to adventure

Eschewing prepackaged tours and relying on the suggestions of locals can save you money and make things more interesting.

By TIM LEFFEL
Published January 1, 2006

[Photos: Tim Leffel]

Hikers move through the mountains on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, which sits 8,000 feet above sea level.

	Residents still wear traditional dress on Plaza de Armas in Cusco, which sports an array of restaurants and two colonial-era churches.
	Llamas and alpacas graze near Machu Picchu. The stone ruins of the Incan royal city date to the late 15th century.

Editor's note: The author spent three weeks last year in Peru, reviewing hotels for a travel trade publication and reporting for Transitions Abroad magazine.

Too many travelers casually interested in a trip to an exotic destination are dissuaded by the prices listed in package-tour brochures, especially those offered by U.S. companies. There is a world of difference between booking a trip using resources easy to find at the destination and buying a tour-company package. But you will need a sense of adventure to plan your own trip.

For instance, Jane Malloy of Palm Harbor took her first independent trip abroad when she was 26, starting with a flight to Paris but no further reservations. A few decades later, she is still at it: She and her husband took a trip to Peru in 2004.

Malloy says she now spends time looking at guidebooks or Web sites while making her plans, then books hotels online. She advises lining up drivers and guides after arrival, however, which is easy to do through a hotel or on-site travel agent.

"Getting a local recommendation is very valuable, and that person then has a stake in doing a good job," she added.

Because there is a smooth tourism infrastructure in much of Peru, traveling independently there is far easier than in some other South American countries. Knowing basic Spanish helps, but you can usually find someone who speaks English, especially at hotels.

On my own four-day Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu last year, I hiked with a group of seniors from England who had booked a three-week itinerary on their own. "You have to put a little effort into researching it," one of them told me, "but we're doing exactly what we want to do, with nobody telling us how and when."

The Cusco region of Peru is one of the most stunning mountain areas in the world. This was the seat of power for the Incas. Dozens of ruins are scattered along the Sacred Valley, including the mysterious citadel of Machu Picchu, which dominates a distant mountainside.

It is a region where the residents still wear traditional dress, they don't just put on the clothing for tourists. Consequently, festivals and parades are an explosion of color, with elaborate costumes woven from dyed alpaca wool.

Cusco's cobblestone streets are lined with what is termed Inca-stone walls, and carved wooden balconies stretch overhead. The flagstone Plaza de Armas is a busy place: Flanked by two colonial-era churches, it also has many restaurants whose balconies offer great people-watching areas.

Regular cultural performances and several good museums make this a city worth lingering in.

The train system connecting Cusco with Machu Picchu and Puno is run by the Orient-Express company. Within the trains, classes of service run from adequate to opulent. Internal flights are efficient and reasonably priced.

Florida residents should remember, however, that Cusco is situated close to 11,000 feet above sea level. When Sue and Norwood Cardoza of Palm Harbor arrived for their tour of Peru, Sue suffered from altitude sickness in Cusco.

"I started feeling bad as soon as I got there," she says. "I drank coca tea, as the locals advised, and I took some medicine, but I was still wiped out for the first day and a half."

Tour companies warn clients about the altitude, but as Woody Cardoza says, "It must have been buried in the fine print."

Ideally, visitors who live near sea level should make a stop first in Arequipa, which is at 7,000 feet, to get acclimated, or they should leave Cusco upon landing there to spend a night or two in the lower Sacred Valley towns of Ollantaytambo or Yucay.

As Jane Malloy said, it's not that hard to chart your own path: "You need to be able to find a meal and find a bathroom. The rest will take care of itself."

Following are recommendations for booking your own trip to the Cusco area and Machu Picchu. Book these direct and you'll be getting the same treatment as you would with high-end tour companies, but at perhaps half the price. Costs listed here are approximate and vary with the exchange rate and time of year.

GETTING THERE: The best flight deals to Peru are generally on LAN or American via Miami, or Delta via Atlanta. In general, roundtrip tickets run $900, but sometimes drop to much less.

An internal flight from Cusco to Lima or other cities can be booked online at www.LAN.com prices currently run about $280. Buses are far cheaper, but take a long time because they are traveling on mountain roads.

Roundtrip train tickets from Cusco to the small town of Machu Picchu typically cost $65 to $100, with a $6 bus ride from the train station to reach the mountaintop citadel.

The luxurious Hiram Bingham train - named for the first white explorer to see the ruins, in 1911 - is a worthwhile splurge, with plush furnishings, fine dining and a bar car. But it is also $495 per person round trip including meals; you can be assured that service will be gracious and attentive. A similar train plies the route from Cusco to Puno, beside Lake Titicaca, for $119 one way, including lunch; www.orient-express.com and click on "Trains and Cruises."

Numerous tour companies and travel agents in Cusco sell a variety of tours of the Sacred Valley, west of Cusco, to Machu Picchu. The tours tend to be rushed, however, so we opted to hire a car and driver for the day. This allowed us to go at our own pace on our chosen itinerary, and we avoided the tour-bus hordes.

Prices for this individual tour range from $50 for a Spanish-speaking driver in a normal taxi, up to $200 for an air-conditioned SUV and English-speaking guide booked through a luxury hotel. Alternately, travelers can spend two days or more exploring the area, with overnight stays in one of the towns on the way to Machu Picchu.

STAYING THERE: A good, unbiased portal for the area is Andean Travel Web, www.andeantravelweb.com It provides a short description of recommended properties and provides a direct link to the hotels' Web sites.

All prices are based on double occupancy and exclude the 10 percent tax unless indicated. In Cusco: The most interesting hotel I found in Peru is the Hotel Monasterio, run by the luxury Orient-Express company. It is a lovingly restored, 16th century monastery. It has picture-perfect courtyards, giant columns and stone arches, centuries-old paintings and its own chapel. Rates start at $465. Go to www.monasterio.orient-express.com

The Libertador Palacio Del Inka Cusco is a fine second choice and offers more consistent room sizes. Part of the hotel was once the home of the conquistador Pizarro and is built atop an Inca foundation. It contains lots of hideaway rooms and courtyards and service is good; rates start at $190; www.libertador.com.pe then click on Ingles and then Cusco.

Picoaga Hotel has a colonial section surrounding a courtyard and a newer section on the back. This hotel has local color, and its older rooms are preferable; $120 and higher; www.picoagahotel.com

Dozens of interesting small hotels are priced from $30 to $75.

Near Machu Picchu: If you were any closer to the ruins than the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, you'd be inside. This low-rise lodge sits next to the entrance gate, and its isolated location allows more privacy. But rooms are rather small, and the rates may induce their own altitude sickness - $547 - though food and service are impeccable; www.sanctuarylodge.net

Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, an Eden of orchids and hummingbirds, is situated in the town at the base of the mountain. This nature-lovers' paradise goes for a bungalow approach, with guests winding through fragrant paths to large and well-equipped rooms. Rate of $195 includes breakfast, dinner and tax; www.inkaterra.com then click on Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel.

Machu Picchu Inn is an unassuming small hotel on the busy pedestrian street leading to the local hot springs, two blocks from the town square. Its convenient location and reasonable rates make it a popular stop for a night after touring the ruins; about $100; www.peruhotel.com.pe GUIDEBOOKS: No single guide to this region is perfect. The Lonely Planet and Rough Guides books are adequate, but many independent travelers prefer the Footprint or Moon Handbooks guides for their extensive cultural information. Pay attention to the publication date and assume prices have increased.

The "tourist card" you need to see the sites around Cusco, for instance, is now more than $20, and entrance to Machu Picchu will be at least $25.

WHEN TO GO: If you plan to go on the typical four-day Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu, the best time to is May through September, when it seldom rains. Other times of year are less crowded, however, and prices are better. January through March are the rainiest months and are best avoided.

A word of caution: The hike is challenging - you typically start the hike at more than 7,000 feet above sea level and you climb up to 13,000 feet. Machu Picchu is about 8,000 feet. The stone ruins of the Incan royal city, dating to the late 15th century, comprise about 200 buildings.

Depending on where you begin the trek, the Inca Trail runs up to 27 miles, so it is advisable to spend at least two days in Cusco adjusting to the altitude.

- Freelance writer Tim Leffel is the author of The World's Cheapest Destinations: 21 Countries Where Your Dollars are Worth a Fortune.

[Last modified December 30, 2005, 09:10:05]