Machu Picchu help needed

[kcbmarek]

Considering a trip to Machu Picchu .... any recommendations on tour companies or how to go about starting this one?  Recommendations?

[sunshinedaydreams]

Do you want to do the Inca Trail or just a trip to Machu Picchu?

If you want to hike the Inca Trail, I highly, highly recommend it. It's tough, but it's so amazing and totally worth it. We did the trip with Peru Treks after getting recommendations here, and I can't recommend them highly enough.  They were very knowledgeable and professional and they're very well respected locally for their treatment of their porters.

If you're not wanting to hike the Inca Trail, I would suggest making Cusco your home base for a few days.  Take a day or two to explore other parts of the Inca Sacred Valley (Pisaq, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, etc.).  There's a lot more to see and do than just Machu Picchu.  Then spend a night or two in Aguas Calientes, which is the town at the base of Machu Picchu.  There's not a lot going on there, but enough to keep you occupied for a day or two.

I don't have a rec for tours that you can pick up at the gate of Machu Picchu, but I would definitely recommend taking a guided tour.  And get there as early in the morning as you can because it gets BUSY.

Not sure what other information you want, but if you have specific questions, I'd be happy to help.

[kcbmarek]

Unfortunately with my bad knee, we would not be able to do the Inca Trail. Thanks for the recommendations though ... certainly helps a ton!

[osumelissa]

Get there early or go later in the day to avoid the biggest crowds. Our tour guide said afternoon is really nice at MP since most tour groups leave after lunch.

We did the Inca Trail trek which was awesome but totally get with a bum knee you can't do it. I would recommend Cusco for a few days and doing a day trip to the Sacred Valley (we booked one once we got to Cusco).

[frlcb]

We did an Abercrombie and Kent tour which was awesome, but it is higher end. We stayed at the hotel at the ruins and it was amazing

[emilyinchile]

If you aren't going to hike, you don't need to go through a tour company. Plan on a few days in Cuzco before you go up to Machu PIcchu so that if you struggle acclimating to the altitude, you're not struggling while at MP itself. There are plenty of things to see in and around Cuzco, and you can book day trips once you're there easily. Both the Sanctuary Lodge and Inkaterra hotel are supposed to be great and allow you to reach MP early in the morning or later in the day than the people who go up and back on the train in a day, so I would plan to spend a night or even two in Aguas Calientes.

Like PP, I'd suggest accepting a tour guide for MP. I didn't when I went because I was a poor student, and I regret not spending the money to better understand what I was seeing. I'd imagine that the hotels will have recommendations of which guides to prefer.

How long do you want to spend on this trip? I don't love Lima as a city, but it has some great restaurants that I can suggest if you'll tack on a day or two there, or you could look at going to the Amazon, Lake Titicaca or elsewhere in Peru as well.