Author Topic: Peru and Colombia trip report Dec 2014 Extra bonus we spotted Sting inthe lounge  (Read 11316 times)

Offline ual902

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Wow!  beautiful pics.

Thank you more to come..

Offline HP58

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Beautiful TR! Keep it coming!

Offline Yaalili

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I took the bus down and I saw nicer views then  Hiking up, the reason why people take the hike so they  can feel like an Inca the way the Inca's hiked up the mountin ;D

Right. How long did the hike take and was it hard?

Offline gsquared

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the hike that people refer to is to Waynu Pichu which is the pointy mountain in all the Machu Pichu Pictures. I did this hike and it is very tough since its around 1000 feet at an already high altitude. Hiking to Machu Pichu to avoid taking the bus is not a good idea at all. Also IMHO its better to stay in Ollantaytambo than either Cusco(too high) or Agua Caliente (generally expensive and boring) before going to MP.

Offline ML1219

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Agreed with OP - the hike up to MP is not worth it, take the bus

There are 2 different things being conflated here - the hike up to MP, and the hike up Wayna Picchu or Macchu Picchu Mountain.

If you enjoy hiking, take the bus up to MP and then hike up WP/MPM. If you don't enjoy hiking, don't do any of them. Regardless, you shouldn't hike up MP either way - took about 1.5 hours, was very strenuous, and didn't afford any views you couldn't get at MP itself.

Would also recommend staying in Urubamba before your trip, not Olly. Will save you a ton on taxis because they have a central bus station that can easily get you to almost any tourist attraction in the sacred valley (including Cusco and Olly shared vans leaving every few minutes) for peanuts. Staying in Olly is great to catch the train, but otherwise not convenient for public transportation - you'll either need to take taxi to get around, or connect in Urubamba. Urubamba was $2 to Cusco, 50 cents to Olly, and maybe a dollar to Pisac. Didn't go to Chinchero but shared vans going there every few minutes as well. Piece of cake even with luggage.

Offline Yaalili

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Agreed with OP - the hike up to MP is not worth it, take the bus

There are 2 different things being conflated here - the hike up to MP, and the hike up Wayna Picchu or Macchu Picchu Mountain.

If you enjoy hiking, take the bus up to MP and then hike up WP/MPM. If you don't enjoy hiking, don't do any of them. Regardless, you shouldn't hike up MP either way - took about 1.5 hours, was very strenuous, and didn't afford any views you couldn't get at MP itself.

Would also recommend staying in Urubamba before your trip, not Olly. Will save you a ton on taxis because they have a central bus station that can easily get you to almost any tourist attraction in the sacred valley (including Cusco and Olly shared vans leaving every few minutes) for peanuts. Staying in Olly is great to catch the train, but otherwise not convenient for public transportation - you'll either need to take taxi to get around, or connect in Urubamba. Urubamba was $2 to Cusco, 50 cents to Olly, and maybe a dollar to Pisac. Didn't go to Chinchero but shared vans going there every few minutes as well. Piece of cake even with luggage.

And the details keep on dripping out.. :) The rambling trip reports spread across a few threads.

Offline ML1219

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And the details keep on dripping out.. :) The rambling trip reports spread across a few threads.

Haha, in case it wasn't obvious, I'm not so good at collecting my thoughts so much as I am able to reply to questions that remind me "oh yeah, I should talk about that"  ;D

Anyways, it appears this TR will be far more valuable to those seeking CUZ/MP information than my drunken ramblings. Still happy to answer any questions about IPC or French Polynesia although I can't think of anything noteworthy I haven't touched upon with them (until the next "oh yeah" question gets asked)

Offline gsquared

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I would suggest that people going to MP go straight to to Ollantaytambo because of access to the train and the lower altitude -   beside its a neat little town.  The rest of the time spend  in Cusco includes a great Chabad with fantastic food.

Offline E

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Colombia details ?