Most Inspirational Moment
I loved meeting the local people at our Lake Titicaca homestay.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Leo was a very good guide and took care of us well.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be sure you understand how much driving there is.
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Don’t understand the question.
We had a wonderful time, despite some altitude sickness and lots of driving.
What a great trip!
During the two very busy weeks we basically saw most of Peru – starting from Lima – making our way through the mountains via Cuzco and ending up with Lake Titicaca and Arequipa. Wonderful scenery across, tons of archaeological ruins visited along the way and we get to know Peruvian culture very well due to our excellent guide Edwind (winner of Exodus Guide of the Year 2023 for a good reason! ). Highlights for me was definitely Machu Picchu and two days we spend there, but also a wonderful Amantani Island homestay on Lake Titicaca. Staying with a local family was a very humbling and magical experience. Great trip if you want to see most of Peru in just two weeks – really comprehensive!
Essential Peru
I have enjoyed every Exodus trip I have done and this was no exception. It was a busy trip with several long travelling days in a very comfortable coach, but the journey was always broken up with numerous stops and the scenery was amazing.
Most Inspirational Moment
Machu Picchu was iconic but the highlight was watching the condors in the Colca Canyon. Awe inspiring!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Renzo was an excellent group leader, personable, professional and knowledgeable. He was always available, took us to some excellent restaurants and had a lovely sense of humour. Very much like every Exodus leader I have travelled with and there have been numerous.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don’t be put off by the long days, this is a brilliant way to see the amazing sights in Peru.
Life changing!
This was a trip of a lifetime, from start to finish I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very get up and go, so if this isn’t your sort of trip then I don’t think it would be for you.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing Machu Picchu for the first time was really incredible, no one can explain to you how it feels when you're standing there, you have to see it with your own eyes. I also really loved the sand dunes which our leader took us to!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Leo was incredible, he was thoroughly organised, kind, patient, sensible, careful - everything you want in a tour leader. I noticed how he waited in reception all times of the day in case anyone needed him, so he could be found easily. He really made the trip for a lot of us.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If it is approaching summer/spring in Peru - ensure to pack shorts, t-shirts etc as the weather is very unpredictable and it was VERY hot for us! Also very strong sun cream, as well as a travel pillow for long journeys, ear plugs and face mask which helped me.
Peru
In summary, the trip, the organisation, and the itinerary was extremely good.
Leo, our guide, was excellent.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing Machu Pichu and also stopping at an Oasis. The scenery was also stunning.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Leo was excellent. He was knowledgable, caring, answered all questions, and was extremely well organised. He made local stops, such as to an Oasis and also to a Road side stop on one of the long journey days, that had excellent coffee and shopping, and really should be included in the itinerary.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The altitude caused ALL of us problems, from mild headaches to full sickness and needs to be more strongly emphasised. The weather was MUCH warmer than suggested in the Trip Notes and ALL of us had brought too many warm clothes and not enough light clothing. The bus stays are much longer than suggested, with few stops and often unanticipated holds ups meaning extremely long travelling days with little time to do anything on arrival except eat and sleep. The Hot Springs at Chivay shoukd be avoided- 1 overcrowded pool with blaring music and lots of loud teenagers.
Fantastico!
Outstanding full-on tour of southern Peru, with its wonderful variety of scenery and historical attractions. Overall organisation and itinerary were excellent. There were some very long drives but not tiring as there was so much to see. Food (huge portions) and drink were very good, reasonably priced and quite varied (nice to see lots of craft beers). Hotels were very good. There were only 3 of us, luckily we got on very well! Others had cancelled, doubtless scared off by the civil disruption early in 2023. People were friendly and we encountered no problems, in fact Peru felt safer than some southern European countries…
Most Inspirational Moment
So many highlights, Machu Pichu, Cusco, condors in Colca Canyon, Reed islands in Lake Titicaca, festivals at Cusco and Raqchi.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our tour leader Leo was excellent. He was highly competent and patiently attended to our needs including arranging great restaurants for dinners.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Just go. When you book, check that the flights selected are the best for you. KLM really messed up my arrangements by changing and cancelling my flights.
Fantastic experience
So much to see and do. Quite tiring, with early starts and some long drives, but I loved it all. We saw so many wonderful sites, met great local people and tried lots of different foods and drinks. Arrangements and support in Peru were brilliant, particularly the lead guide, William.
Most Inspirational Moment
Walking around the corner of the top path to see Machu Picchu below me - so emotional after wanting to see it for almost 50 years.
Thoughts on Group Leader
William was excellent. He was extremely knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. He really made the trip, because all of his advice and support was great. He even took us to places in his own time and made great suggestions for places to eat and visit. He was also a really lovely man and interesting to talk to.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take or buy snacks for the long journeys. Always top up with water/drinks. Sort and pack luggage into small bags, so it is quick and easy to find what you need.
Expectations exceeded!
This trip fulfilled my long-held ambitions to see Machu Picchu and condors flying over the Colca Canyon while also giving us the chance to visit the Nazca Lines and Lake Titicaca. I loved all these experiences but there was so much else to enjoy, including time spent relaxing in Cusco, pisco tasting in Ica and the Lima tour on our last morning. The local guides we had at Lake Titicaca and in Arequipa and Lima were all superb. My only disappointment was seeing so few birds and no penguins on the Ballestas Islands boat trip. It was upsetting to see the effect of bird flu and El Niño on the wildlife there.
Most Inspirational Moment
I'll never forget looking down on Machu Picchu and up at condors. Not quite in the same league but particular highlights for me were the Koricancha Sun Temple and the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art in Cusco and the Santa Catalina Monastery in Arequipa.
Thoughts on Group Leader
William was a brilliant leader. He worked hard to ensure that everything ran smoothly and everyone's requirements were met and he was particularly conscientious when it came to checking that no-one was badly affected by the altitude. He was a great guide at Machu Picchu and the other archaeological sites and very helpful in identifying the birds and other wildlife we encountered. Above all he's a really friendly and cheerful person who enjoyed taking and sharing photos and who was happy to chat about anything, even Peru's failure to qualify for the last football World Cup!
Advice for Potential Travellers
If in doubt, please go for it!. Our leader and local guides were very grateful that we'd made the trip and asked us to encourage others to visit. After the double whammy of the pandemic and this year's political unrest the Peruvian tourist industry needs support.
Essential Peru
An unforgettable trip of a lifetime. After so many trips, this was probably one of the most impressive and perfectly organised 2-week round trip I have ever experienced, with a very nice and friendly tour group and our guide Luis, who did an excellent job of informing us about the history, geography as well as current events of Peru, including the continent. Every day was full of sights to discover, every day was interesting and full of news, although we made a long journey and it was sometimes exhausting. But no stretch, no tiredness was in vain, because thanks to the professional drivers and local guides, it was the earth of Peru itself, with its diverse colours, areas, people, climate and dreamlike landscapes, that always surprised, amazed and sometimes moved you between speechlessness and tears of unique beauty. From the legendary Machu Picchu to the fiery red rocks of Cola Canyon, from Lake Titicaca, the warm-hearted people and the lovely host family on the island of Amantani to the magical volcanic area, from the region of Ica and many, many places, this beautiful country of Peru is always worth a trip, no matter if it is a round trip or just regional. No matter which region or city I mention, none of it would have been so perfectly possible without our professional tour guide Luis, whose narrations on the bus I kept wishing would never stop, as he not only shared historical facts and local peculiarities with us, but also answered every conceivable question from fellow travellers clearly, precisely and absolutely understandably. Luis, you remain for us an unforgettable, wise, very intelligent and funny tour guide. I would also like to thank the Exodus team for the excellently planned itinerary, even though the planned time in Aguas Caliente proved too long for such a small place. Whomever Luis is assigned as tour guide, he can be sure that he is in good hands and travelling with a very experienced and friendly soul. The many drivers and local guides may forgive me for not remembering their worthy names, but they all did their best, from day to night, from the mountains to the dry and hot areas all over Peru. Thank you. Muchas Gracias. Sulpayki.
Most Inspirational Moment
Simply Peru as a whole, the landscape, people, food and all the colours.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Luis Gonzales is unbeatable and simply the best in his way, being professional, objective, patient and smart.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't hesitate. Just go for this trip: Essential Peru.
Fantastic experience
So much to see and do. Quite tiring, with early starts and some long drives, but I loved it all. We saw so many wonderful sites, met great local people and tried lots of different foods and drinks. Arrangements and support in Peru were brilliant, particularly the lead guide, William.
Most Inspirational Moment
Walking around the corner of the top path to see Machu Picchu below me - so emotional after wanting to see it for almost 50 years.
Thoughts on Group Leader
William was excellent. He was extremely knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. He really made the trip, because all of his advice and support was great. He even took us to places in his own time and made great suggestions for places to eat and visit. He was also a really lovely man and interesting to talk to.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take or buy snacks for the long journeys. Always top up with water/drinks. Sort and pack luggage into small bags, so it is quick and easy to find what you need.