Anybody know about the Luxury Link Machu Picchu package

Has anyone traveled to Machu Picchu in February or March? That is when i would like to go if the weather is good...thanks!

MxKitty2...we were in Cusco and Augas Caliente (at the foot of Machu Picchu)in late March. The highs were in the mid 60s and lows in the lower 40s We experienced light rains a couple of times (no big deal). If you are coming from sea level and spending any time in Cusco, ask you doctor about Diamox (we use it when we travel above 5,000 feet). Our friends did not use Diamox and experienced some difficulties with mild altitude sickness.

hi mzkitty2



My sister's lived in Peu for the past 30 years. She advised me to come visit in late October or early November, as it's late spring/early summer down there then and the weather's usually fabulous then. You may want to consider this when planning your trip to Peru.



When I went there last in mid-November, I also flew to Cusco from Lima, took a train and a then a bus from Cusco to the foot of Machu Picchu. Spent several days in the area and enjoyed warm, sunny days each and every day. Not a drop of rain! The ancient Inca settlement is breath-taking and even more spectacular when the skies are clear ad it's warm and sunny.



curtiejoe

This message may be coming a little late for the first poster, and I've been posting throughout the LL community regarding this so forgive me if I am repeating myself! I highly recommend the LL Orient Express package through Peru as it is ultra luxurious and wonderful and excellent value. The included hotels are magnificent, and so much is included such as drivers, guides, meals, etc. Of course, you need to pay for airfare, trains to/from Machu Picchu (I recommend the Hiram Bingham which is expensive but worth it) and you might want to arrange guides in Lima and Cusco, but the value compared to similarly luxurious trips in other parts of the world is excellent.

We traveled in mid November and the weather was excellent throughout, I don't think we encountered any rain. Working with Orient Express was so easy and I'd love to use them again for another trip. If you are thinking about this package and have specific dates in mind I'd suggest going to the online reservations sites for some of the hotels, especially the Sanctuary Lodge as they book up far in advance. Assuming there is availability there the week you'd like to go Orient Express should work with you to make sure they can fit your dates. They even upgraded us to suites in a couple places, I can't imagine they can do that for every Luxury Link purchaser but perhaps they try to do it when they can!

claassenam...we also found Orient-Express very accommodating and willing to make adjustments for our schedule. For instance, we elected not to take stay consecutive nights at the Hotel Monasterio in Cuzco,..instead, we left most of our luggage with the hotel and continued on to the Sanctuary Lodge atMachu Picchu with only two small bags of essentials...making the trainjourney and luggage transfers in Aguas Calientemuch easier. Then we returned to Cuzco, consolidated our baggage, and spent our last night at the Monasterio before heading off to the Colca Canyon.



We also found the private guides quite reasonable and much better than riding in a group van or bus.....our guides also seemed to know where the best local "chicha" was brewed (not our favorite drink...but when in Rome......blah, blah).

Thank you all for this information on Peru. I have also looked at the LL packages. A few years ago, I tried to contact Peru Orient Express. I didn't seem to have alot of luck. Are the connections between properties expensive? (air transfers etc.) Did OE coordinate your trip? Thank you.

bonniejoy03...actually, there is a ground operator in Peru (and I don't recall their names) that handles all of the surface arrangements....we handled all of the details by email without a single hitch. We flew LAN R/T from Miami and they were able to coordinate all of the in-country air transfers and combine the fares with the international travel at a more favorabletariff than I could secure individually. The ground operator also secured the train reservations from Cuzco to Aguas Caliente...no problems.

Bonniejoy, after we purchased the LL Orient Express package, I found Orient Express to be very responsive and everything was handled easily via email. They booked all of the airport transfers, air transport and trains and the tour went without a hitch. As with omegaet's experience, they did rearrange the stated itinerary to suit our needs (I wanted to celebrate my 30th birthday at Machu Picchu and they managed to arrange that even though we had to flip-flop a couple cities.) In a couple cities we booked private guided tours through the concierge at the (Orient Express) hotels and those too were excellent.

It was probably the smoothest trip we've ever taken considering the amount of travel between cities (the tour hit Lima, Arequipa, Colca Canyon area, Cusco, Machu Picchu then back to Cusco and Lima in about 9 days). Having Orient Express arrange everything was a relief although we probably ended up paying a little more than if we did some of the flights and transfers separately. And the Hiram Bingham train to Machu Picchu is quite expensive compared to the other trains, but we felt between the small number of passengers, delicious food, excellent service and then wonderful guide at the park, it was well worth it. All in all, I wouldn't do this trip any other way as it was worry-free luxury throughout!

Thank you all for your information on using OE to coordinate travel. I might get in touch with them to have a rough idea of cost involved. I really like the idea they can coordinate the trip. We have never been to Peru so we really would need assistance. I sometimes do have altitude sickness. Did you encounter this when you arrived? If so, how long did it take to overcome? (hopefully it didn't stay with you the entire trip!)

Bonniejoy, thankfully neither my husband nor I have had much trouble with altitude sickness in Peru or in Lhasa, Tibet (a couple thousand feet higher in altitude than Cusco). We've always just taken it a bit easier than normal our first day at higher altitude - we walk more slowly, don't push ourselves to see too much, etc. In Peru they will offer you coca tea everywhere, and not only is it tasty it is supposed to help quite a bit with altitude sickness.

If you stay at the Hotel Monasterio in Cusco (a FANTASTIC and gorgeous hotel) you will have oxygen pumped into your room and they can even give you a canister of oxygen if you are really having a difficult time. Even with your history of altitude sickness I think you should feel secure traveling to Cusco and the rest of Peru; in the hands of the Orient Express folks, you will certainly be well taken care of. If you choose the package that includes Colca Canyon you could also choose to travel there before Cusco; it is rather high altitude there and it may help ease the transition between Lima's altitude and Cusco's...