To prepare for the trip of a lifetime to Machu Picchu and ease the transition to high altitude, it’s wise to fly into Cusco a few days in advance. Your journey to Cusco will take you through Lima, and during your layover, stop by one of the airport shops and pick up any brand of coca candies. These hard candies typically come in packets of 10 and are usually found near the cashier.
You’ll want them handy as soon as you land in Cusco, where the altitude can hit you almost immediately. Pop one into your cheek and let it slowly dissolve over the next hour. Take another every 2–3 hours as needed—these candies work surprisingly well with no noticeable side effects. If you follow only one piece of advice, make it this.
Once you’re in South America, drink only bottled water—and only from bottles you’ve opened yourself. That said, it’s generally safe to brush your teeth with tap water. To help your body adjust to the altitude more quickly, start drinking extra water daily before your trip.
Lima, Peru:
First, Lima deserves a day or two of your time. Here is what I found worthwhile to do in Lima. I recommend two nights and one day at the centrally located, century-old Country Club Lima hotel, which is luxuriously modernized inside.
Start your day in Lima with a ride to the oceanside Parque del Amor (Love Park), which appropriately featuring a giant statue of El Beso (The Kiss), an intertwined couple. Colorful wall mosaics skit the statue for a block. All this is backdropped by the Pacific Ocean & a beach below the bluff you’re standing on with peregrine falcons nesting and soaring overhead. Very peaceful in the early morning light.
Next, Uber to the Huaca Pucllana (Juliana’s journey), pyramid, site of the ancient pre-Inca Lima culture, is a 7-tiered adobe and clay pyramid built circa 500 AD, seven centuries before the Incas. Right downtown, it takes up half a city block and is a quick stop. Entry costs only a few dollars. Once inside, you wait a few minutes for a group guide. This wait time is actually enough time to stand there and see the whole place without taking the hour tour in the hot sun. Then just excuse yourself and duck back out. Or, you can do the tour which ends in a tiny museum.
While in that neighborhood, hop into another Uber for a short ride to the Mercado Indio (Indian Market), that features many local artisans, for an authentic and colorful handmade souvenir.
For lunch, head for a stroll in the historic center of Lima, a World Heritage Site for its high concentration of historic buildings constructed during the Spanish colonial era. Keep your eyes open for lots of street art. While in the neighborhood, in advance you could have booked a tour of one of Lima’s first colonial mansions, the charming Casa Aliaga, where a welcoming, local aristocratic family still lives.
Consider heading back to your hotel for a dip in their pool and a siesta.
To complete your day in Lima, couple dinner out with a stop at the Circuito Magico del Agua (Magic Circuit of Water) in Parque de la Reserva (Reserve amusement park) at dusk. The park is family friendly and safe, and has a carousel, kiddy train and 13 fountains, the latter of which put on a colored lights show every evening as soon as it gets dark. During summer months there is also a worthwhile laser light show in small outdoor amphitheater in the corner of the park. At any rate, the colored lights rotating into various patterns on the baker’s dozen differently shaped fountains are serenely pretty and a relaxing way to end your day.
Joining a Group:
At this point, as a solo traveler, I joined a group, the National Geographic Expedition. I’ve traveled in 60 nations and on all seven continents. When possible, I’ve narrowed it down to leaving the details to Nat. Geo. They really look out for their guests, attentive to every detail. As an example, two of our travelers had difficulty navigating Machu Picchu due to altitude sickness; Nat. Geo. sent a guide along for just the two of them; so, they could experience as much of the ruins as they could handle, rather than miss out.
Cusco, Peru:
Make an advance reservation at a luxury hotel, where you can avail yourself of their amenities while adjusting to the altitude. We liked the Palacio del Inca (Inca Palace) hotel. Room rates typically include a 10-minute oxygen treatment brought to your room if you need help adjusting to the altitude, which half of my traveling companions did. On your way to the hotel, if you didn’t already buy coca candies, stop at any farmacia (pharmacy).
Spend the next morning in Cusco exploring its old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where grand colonial buildings are built atop the ruins of the Inca city. Discover its ornate 17th-century cathedral and adjacent lively main square, Plaza de Armas. This church is an interesting blend of many religions along with the local customs and beliefs. For example, the older generation of locals do not believe in heaven and hell. Their portrait of the Last Supper features guinea pig as the main entre. Speaking of food, have lunch in any of the higher-end restaurants that circle the square and are very affordable; try muna tea or coca tea, either of which help with adjusting to the 12,000’ altitude.
That afternoon is ideal for shopping and just sitting enjoying people watching near the town center. Then you’ll still have time to feed llamas and alpacas at a working farm, which you sussed out ahead of time, such as on Trip Advisor. Find one that’s authorized to temporarily help wild vicunas, which are equally gentle and fun to feed.
Alternatively, or if you want a full afternoon, you could also have arranged to visit a local weavers’ shop. Typically, they are a modest room adjoining an equally modest home with all weaving, and possibly even the spinning of the wool, being done by hand. The high prices reflect how many hours such art requires, and are guaranteed to be less expensive and probably more authentic than buying from a street vendor.
Uber works well in both cities. Any ride in Lima especially will be almost like a demolition derby without impact, particularly during the gridlock of rush hour—no exaggeration; I recommend enjoying the view out the side window rather than looking ahead.
If you use a taxi instead, follow the usual wisdom for any big city: (1) only use official cab stands, (2) agree on the fare, and (3) get the license of both the vehicle and the driver; I take a photo them together before I get in of the car—making it seem low-key like a tourist souvenir. If you don’t, they are liable to try to rip you off. When the taxi returns you to your hotel, be dropped only at the front door and not partway down the street or while double parked; otherwise, they will still try to hustle you when you reach your destination.
Machu Picchu, Peru:
Transfer to the Sacred Valley. Treat yourself to two nights at the Tambo del Inka (Inca Inn), which is like a modern mountain lodge nestled against the forested hillside with animals wandering past. It also has a terrific restaurant that overlooks this scenery. Staff will bring a 10-minute oxygen treatment to your room if you request it; well worth it. Or, you can book the hotel that is at Machu Picchu, giving yourself the option of a second time to explore the ruins. Either way, advance tickets are required to enter the ruins, as is being escorted by an authorized guide.
The best way to get there is the Machu Picchu train, followed by a 20-minute bus ride up the narrow windy mountainside and deposits you very close to the entrance. Waiting at the train station is an experience with locals dressed in costume, who will lead you across the street to the train, blowing the traditional conch shell to announce your arrival. Splurge on the luxurious dining car complete with a lively two-person band playing in the adjoining club (bar) car. Enjoy lunch while traveling right next to the river on the way up and an after-dark dinner on the way back; each are lovely ways to spend the two hours.
Once at Machu Picchu, most of the granite stairs are uneven, have no handrail (sometimes next to a drop-off) and can be slippery from the many days that it’s likely to rain at least briefly. You’ll definitely want two walking sticks, which can easily be rented at the train station or on site.
Two to three hours will go very quickly, especially if you climb the couple of thousand additional feet up to the Sun Temple for the complete birds’-eye view. Notice the grassy canal lines going straight down the mountain, which carried glacial melt for their water supply. From the Sun Temple, looking across the ruins at the peak that backdrops the compound. Near its top is terraced ground and on the left side near the top of that peak you can just make out the roofline of a stone watch tower. Imagine having climbed up there daily as your job.
Near the exit is about the only place to sit and looks something like a thatched-roof bus-stop bench. Instead of spending all your time hiking all over, allow a few minutes to sit and think what life was like as Incans daily traversed the 4,000’ down to the river to fish. Soak in the breathtaking views. If you’re like us, we timed it to be there the last three hours the site is open. This brought two benefits, (1) a gorgeous view of the landscape in the long photogenic shadows of the late afternoon sun, and (2) most visitors were already off the mountain, so you almost have the place to yourself. Then catch the next-to-last bus off the mountain.
As you return on the train, lavish in how amazing this day has been.
Guayaquil, Ecuador:
Allow a day of travel time to get from Cusco to Guayaquil, which gets you near boats to the Galapagos. Guayaquil’s gated Parque Historico borders a grand old colonial hotel, Hotel del Parque (Park Hotel), on three sides; it’s an urban jungle, but not the slang kind but an actual, pretty jungle in town. Check out the hotel’s chapel from a century ago when hotel was a luxurious hospice. For dinner stroll next door to the restaurant that is next to the beach; through the tree you can watch for a beautiful sunset.
The Galapagos, off the coast of Ecuador:
You’ll likely want an early morning two-hour flight from the mainland to Baltra Island. I can highly recommend a National Geographic Expedition as the way to navigate the islands. There are also private day charter companies aplenty near the dock. Nat. Geo. offers about four land excursions daily. You can choose a four-day tour, or longer ones that circle the western or eastern islands. The basic four-day tour is a great sharks look at the islands, encompassing volcanic islands, sandy beaches, snorkeling, hikes, glass-bottom zodiac, terrific naturalist guides, tons of animal sightings and lots of fun. They do a top-notch job.
What to say about the Galapagos. You’ll go ashore or motoring around the shorelines in a zodiac (rubber raft). The expert guides and pilots will get you within almost touching distance of countless animals—both at sea and ashore. Without even trying, you’ll realize you’ve seen every animal you’d hoped for and more: dozens of different bird species (including pelicans, penguins and three species of boobies), sea lions, turtles, fevers of rays, schools of various shivers of sharks fish, iguanas, and lizards. Then there’s the unique topography of lava flows with only cacti appearing above the horizon. And these cacti have adapted a way of protecting their fruit from the animal life by grow a trunk that has no lower branches. Everywhere you turn, you’ll have fun spotting the well camouflaged animals whether on land or sea.
On your last morning, avail yourself of the opportunity to go ashore one last time for a morning yoga stretch and a brief dip at sunrise. Incredible. Just you few folks and the birds fishing. Spy a red-footed booby on a nearby branch.
From there, the ship transports you to Santa Cruz Island. The last stop is a visit to the Giant Tortoises’ Reserve at the Rancho El Manzanillo at the Charles Darwin Research Station, 2700’ high in the (what else) highlands, which Nat. Geo. helps fund. Stroll among the giant tortoises for an hour, then enjoy a refreshing fresh juice before heading to the ferry for a 10-minute ride to near the airport.
As your plane lifts off, fondly recall what uniquely amazing places both Machu Picchu and the Galapagos each are. And pat yourself on the back for having just experienced what might well be the most amazing trip you’ve ever been on.
