Town of Machu Picchu formerly known as Aguas Calientes is the gate way town to Machu Picchu. The train’s final stop is in this town . The entire town is filled with hotels , eateries and souvenir shops ! Use it as a base for Machu Picchu. One night in this town is sufficient. We got into the town around 6 PM . Purchased our bus pass for Machu Picchu for next morning. You can see signs for where to…
Top tips for booking the Train To Machu Picchu : 1. Book early . As you get near your travel date the slots can get sold out ! The price also goes up considerably. 2. Leave from Ollantaytambo- If you plan to do Scared Valley Tour, plan your tour so it ends in Ollantaytambo and you catch a train from there ! 3. Book at least one of the train rides during Day Time – The train ride is beautifully…
What is Scared Valley ? It is a Valley in the Andes near Cusco. This area was used extensively by the Incas and as such is scattered with archeological remains . Many Bus tours are available to tour the different ruins . They usually tend to be full day tours . If you are looking for a half day tour ( due to time limitation) or flexible timing you can always arrange a private car . This is what we…
Cusco is a city in the Andes that was once the capital of the Inca Empire. Because of this there are many preserved historical Inca and Spanish Colonial buildings in this city ! Many people use Cusco to get used to the altitude before embarking on their journey to Machu Picchu. Cusco is at a much higher altitude and is a great way to get used to the altitude. It is also a fairly large and lively city . There…
On our way to visit Machu Picchu we stoped by Cusco to spend a few days there to get used to the altitude and to explore Cusco and the surrounding areas . Cusco was once the capital of the Inca empire and even today filled with incredible archaeological remains ! Palacio Del Inka When we were picking out a hotel for our stay came across Palacio Del Inka . This hotel used to be a Palace ! It has been…
Huacachina is a desert oasis near the town of Ica in Peru . It is about one hour car ride from Paracas. One of the main reasons for us to stay in Paracas was to visit Huacachina ! Logistics: It is very easy to catch a very comfortable bus from Lima to Huacachina. It is about a four to five hour bus ride . We took a taxi from our resort in Paracas which included the Dune Buggy Ride ….
Here are some photos of Hotel Paracas at Nighttime! Beautifully designed and made for a perfect environment to relax at night !
Hotel Paracas is part of Marriott’s Luxury collection. Every property that is part of the luxury collection has one or more unique item on their property. At Hotel Paracas this is vase like containers that were used to store Pisco ( a type of brandy created in the 16th hundreds) . These containers are hundreds of years old ! In addition to the beautiful vases the surrounding property was also designed beautifully. Some photos of the common area : Great…
We were at a Paracas Luxury Resort for a few days . This was the relaxation part of our trip ! More about the resort on this post and this one . Food is always an important consideration for us ! Since we were in South America we don’t easily eat at any restaurant and we minimize the amount of meat we eat . Just to be conservative about food . Because of this we ended up having most of…
We stayed in a resort in Paracas near luxury vacation homes . We went in off season so the entire area was empty. Made for some peaceful walks by the ocean side . See photos below :