| Smart organising and cheaper travelling in Perú. |
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When organising a long trip it's always nice to have things booked in advance so you have this feeling of having every next step under control. What applies in Europe is not necessary true in Perú. Here you can find some tips how to get things faster, safer and cheaper on site and without payment in advance.
Hotels:In off-season you can find room in almost every hotel at half the price of travel agencies. Just arrive the city, ask for the price and check the rooms. Don't say yes at the first hotel, try the next one and decide later, and don't accept the first price they give you. In high season things will not change very much, you just may need a little more time to find the right place.
Negotiate always price in Nuevos Soles Peruanos and never rely on the chance to pay by credit card without asking first.
If they only accept dollars, they have to publish the exchange rate by law. An arbitrary exchange rate by payment, e.x. 10% above the interbank rate, can be a reason for complaint.
Anything different from this conditions can by complained at the tourist local office (see Where to complain) and authorities will take severe actions against them.
Overview Hotels and Agencies: Hotels we can recommend: http://www.kbtambo.com (Ollantaytambo) http://www.rumipunku.com (Cusco) http://www.gringobills.com (Agua Calientes / Machu Picchu Town) We don't recommend:
www.lahaciendapuno.com (Puno - Titicaca) Train tickets to Machu Picchu:The holy bussines of Machu Picchu tourism is driven by english company Orient Express. As you don't need an agency, however travel agencies tell, you can book the tickets by yourself. You find your itinerary through http://www.perurail.com/ Tickets for entering the Inka-trail:This might be the most complicated thing. In this case it is true: not everyone can buy these tickets, only travel agencies and professional tour guides. Maybe this is where you have to invest more time to find the best price (some travel agencies will charge what they want) and most important, do your best to get written word of everything you do to avoid arriving the Inka-trail acces point and discover you can not get in.
You can alternatively get your acces tickets to the inkatrail in this website, which is flash made and not working very well, so be patient. There you'll find a list of professionanl guides you can hire for the inkatrail and possibly avoid dealing with classical travel agencies. Contact directly a guida via email and you will get the best rate for your trail. Belgian Peruvian travelagency in Peru - Cusco, Vicky, Dirk, Belgium, Problem, trouble, expensive, unfair, cheated, cusco, machu picchu, suecia 318, |