lunes, 4 de septiembre de 2017

Cheap trips to Cusco and Machu Picchu

TOURS IN CUSCO AND MACHU PICCHU, ECONOMICS.

Do you want to travel to Cusco or Machu Picchu without spending much? Have you ever wondered, what is the best way to travel to these two beautiful tourist destinations of Peru? and what is the best option to do so?

The city of Cusco is one of the most beautiful and visited of all Peru. Its Inca and colonial architecture makes of it unique in all America and its people is considered as very friendly and helpful, but how cheap is it to travel to these two tourist destinations and what is the best way to do it.
Transportation:
Cusco has an airport that has direct flights from Colombia, Lima (the capital of Peru), Arequipa, Juliaca, Trujillo, Puerto Maldonado (all these Peruvian cities) and La Paz (Bolivia). The prices of the tickets vary according to the nationality of the passenger and according to the airline that they choose. For example, if you are a Peruvian resident or you are Peruvian and you want to travel from Lima to Cusco, all airlines will charge you a special rate. However if you are not RESIDENT or if you are a FOREIGNER, then LAN and AVIANCA (TACA) will charge you an additional approximate of USD $ 179 that you must pay at the airport. On the other hand, companies like Peruvian Airlines and Star Peru do not charge this additional and you can make the purchase online and pay them with your Visa or MasterCard credit card.

Organized trips or buy them directly in the city of Cusco:

Many travelers prefer to get to the city of Cusco and buy tours in the same city, hoping to lower costs, but this is totally relative and sometimes it can be annoying and even more expensive than buying a package tour with everything organized. Many passengers arrive to the city of Cusco in order to know the main attractions of the city, however these are so many that one feels lost without knowing what to do and what place they should visit first. Therefore, they choose to buy the tours in the small travel agencies of the square or to take risks and to make the routes by oneself. Now we will analyze what are the consequences of doing these two activities and what are their disadvantages in front of an organized trip and with the advice of experts in tourism.

Buy the tours in the same city of Cusco.

It’s known that buying tours in the same city is SOMETIMES cheaper than doing so in an organized package of trips; however, you have to know that you run many risks in doing so. For example, be scammed or receive a service of poor quality with what your trip to this beautiful city becomes a nightmare instead of a pleasant and satisfying visit. There is also the possibility that instead of saving, you had to pay more for receiving a good service. For example, the rates in the city for a city tour (Traditional City Tour) range from $ 15.00 to $ 18.00 and this is only services, that is, transportation and tour guide (eye, this does not guarantee the state of the transport or the level of the guide). If you want to enter each of the tourist attractions, you would additionally have to pay for the income to each of the tourist attractions increasing the cost. To avoid this there are two types of tickets that group most of the tourist attractions that are visited during the City Tour which are: PARTIAL TOURIST TICKET and the GENERAL TOURIST TICKET. These two instruments will serve you a lot when deciding what places to visit or how much time you have to visit the city and its surroundings, for example. If you just want to visit the city and its main tourist attractions we recommend you to buy the PARTIAL TOURIST TICKET, it allows you to save on income and visit the main attractions of the city such as Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay, museums and other attractions as the entrance to the great monument to the Inca Pachacuteq. But if you also have planned to visit the Sacred Valley of the Incas or the South Valley of Cusco, that have excellent tourist places worthy of being visited, then this ticket would only make your trip more expensive since you would have  to buy two tickets or PARTIAL  TOURIST TICKETS, one for the city and another for the Sacred Valley. To avoid this kind of inconvenience and extra expenses there is the second tool that is the GENERAL TOURIST TICKET, which allows you to visit both, the tourist attractions of the City Tour, the tourist attractions of the Sacred Valley of the Incas and the Valley of the South, thus reducing the costs. Taking this into consideration, an agency in the same city of Cusco will charge you for the purchase of the ticket, for advice, transportation, guide, etc., making the route more expensive.
Another clear example is the visit to Machu Picchu. Without a doubt, visitors from all over the world arriving in the city of Cusco have as objective to know one of the wonders of the world (Machu Picchu) and for this, they have to make a trip of approximately 4 hours from the city of Cusco towards Machu Picchu Town that is the district in which this archeological wonder is located. For this, if you want to make the purchase of the tickets separately you would have to take into consideration the time and the number of visitors allowed per day since these are limited and subject to availability. One of the big problems of buying the tour to Machu Picchu in the same city of Cusco, is the excessive charge that is made for the service of guidance and transportation. The agencies that work in the Plaza de Armas will have to look for availability of trains, which sometimes do not exist, so to get these prized tickets they will have to turn to other companies who will charge the ticket more or wait for it some space on the train opens. This of course will be reflected in your pocket since you will have to pay more for a service that you could have paid less in an organized package of trips. Without considering the state of the transport that will be used to transfer you to the station of train that is to an hour and a half of Cusco and the extra amount that you will be charged.
Well with these two clear examples of how to handle the travel packages in Cusco, we will make a small comparison of costs so that you leave your doubts and make the best decision regarding your next trip to the city of Cusco and the archaeological center of Machu Picchu.

Example: Buy your tours in the city of Cusco in the different travel agencies of the same city.

ONLY SERVICES
PRICE
ADDITIONAL
TOTAL
CITY TOUR
$ 15.00
$ 55.00 (General Ticket+Catedral+Qoricancha)
$ 70.00
SACRED VALLEY
$ 18.00
$ 12.00 (Lunch in the Sacred Valley)
$ 30.00
MARAS MORAY
$ 18.00
$ 3.5 (ticket to Maras)
$ 21.50
MACHU PICCHU
$ 225.53
Includes: Train, Revenues, Bus Tickets and Guide
$ 260.00
TRANSPORTATION
$ 29.00
Towards the train station plus taxis
$ 29.00
TOTAL


$ 410.50

TRAVEL PACKAGE, reserved with the proper anticipation and without the risks of not finding the income to Machu Picchu or the Train Tickets to Machu Picchu Pueblo.

ITINERARY:
  • • Day 1: Transfer to the selected hotel in the city of Cusco / in the afternoon City Tour.
  • • Day 2: Sacred Valley of the Incas.
  • • Day 3: Maras - Moray.
  • • Day 4: Machu Picchu.
  • • Day 5: Transfer from your hotel in Cusco to the airport.
PRICE ONLY SERVICES: $ 400.00
PRICES WITH ACCOMMODATION SERVICE:

Category
Name of the Hotel
Price USD $
hostal
Inka's Paradise, Hostal Andenes de Saphi.
500.00
2 * *
El Triunfo, Hotel BozArt, Cusco Oblitas Casa hotel.
565.00
3 * * *
Casa Andina Classic Cusco, San Agustin Internacional, Best Western Los Andes.
635.00
4 * * * *
Sonesta Cusco, Eco Inn Cusco, Costa del sol Ramada Cusco, Andean Wings.
870.00
5 * * * * * *
Belmond Monasterio, JW Marriott El Convento Cusco, Aranwa Cusco Boutique.
1375.00

WHAT INCLUDES?

  • Transportation Airport - hotel - Airport.
  • Transportation to the train station of Ollantaytambo.
  • Transportation from Ollantaytambo train station to Cusco.
  • Lunch in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
  • Bus to and from the archaeological center of Machu Picchu.
  • Entrance tickets (City tour, Sacred Valley, Maras - Moray, Machu Picchu).
  • Train Tickets. (Tourist class of Peru Rail or Inca Rail).
  • Professional tourism guide (English / Spanish).
  • Transportation and Professional Guide for the City Tour, Sacred Valley of the Incas and Maras Moray.
As you will see, often buying a scheduled tour in advance can be more economical and can be less problematic than doing it in the same city of Cusco, avoiding the aforementioned risks on revenue or train tickets to Machu Picchu Pueblo, without considering the risk of poor attention, poor transportation service or frauds.
Choose carefully and plan your trip to the city of Cusco and Machu Picchu, or allow others to organize it to make your stay much more satisfactory and less problematic.


VIAJES ECONOMICOS A CUSCO Y MACHU PICCHU

TOURS EN CUSCO Y MACHU PICCHU ECONÓMICOS.

¿Deseas viajar a Cusco o Machu Picchu sin gastar mucho? ¿Te has preguntado cual es la mejor forma de viajar a estos dos hermosos destinos turísticos del Perú y cuál es la mejor opción para hacerlo?

La ciudad del Cusco es una de las más bellas y visitadas de todo el Perú, Su arquitectura inca y colonial la hacen única a nivel de toda América y su gente es considerada como muy amable y totalmente servicial, pero, que tan económico es viajar a estos dos destinos turísticos y cuál es la mejor forma de hacerlo.
Primero hablemos del transporte, Cusco cuenta con un aeropuerto que cuenta con vuelos directos desde Colombia, Lima (la capital de Perú), Arequipa, Juliaca, Trujillo, Puerto Maldonado (todas estas ciudades peruanas) y La Paz (Bolivia), los precios de los tickets varían según la nacionalidad del pasajero y según la aerolínea que elijan, por ejemplo: Si eres residente Peruano o eres Peruano y deseas viajar de Lima a Cusco, todas las aerolíneas te cobraran una tarifa especial, sin embargo si no eres RESIDENTE o eres EXTRANJERO, entonces LAN y AVIANCA(TACA) te cobraran un adicional aproximado de USD $179 que deberás pagar en el aeropuerto, por otro lado, las empresas como Peruvian Airlines y Star Peru no te cobran este adicional y puedes hacer la compra por internet y pagarlas con tu tarjeta de crédito Visa o MasterCard.

Viajes organizados o comprarlos directamente en la ciudad del Cusco:

Muchos viajeros optan por llegar a la ciudad del Cusco y comprar los tickets de ingreso y trenes con destino a Machu Picchu en la misma ciudad con la esperanza de abaratar costos, pero esto es totalmente relativo y a veces puede resultar molesto y hasta más caro que comprar un paquete turístico con todo organizado, ejemplo: Muchos pasajeros llegan a la ciudad del Cusco con el fin de conocer los principales atractivos de la ciudad, sin embargo estos son tantos que uno se siente perdido sin saber que hacer y qué lugar primero visitar por lo que opta por comprar los tours en las agencias pequeñas de la plaza de armas o arriesgarse y hacer los recorridos por uno mismo. Ahora analizaremos cuales son las consecuencias de hacer estas dos actividades y cuáles son sus desventajas frente a un viaje organizado y con la asesoría de expertos en turismo.

Comprar los tours en la misma ciudad del Cusco.

Es bastante conocido que comprar los tours en la misma ciudad es A VECES más económico que hacerlo en un paquete de viajes organizado, sin embargo, tienes que conocer que corres muchos riesgos al hacerlo. Por ejemplo, ser estafado o recibir un servicio de pésima calidad con lo que tu viaje a esta hermosa ciudad se convierte en una pesadilla en vez de una grata y satisfactoria visita. También existe la posibilidad de que en vez de ahorrar termines pagando de más por recibir un buen servicio; las tarifas en la ciudad por un recorrido de la ciudad (City Tour tradicional) oscilan entre los USD $ 15.00 a $ 18.00 y esto solo son servicios, eso quiere decir, transporte y guía turístico (ojo, esto no te garantiza el estado del transporte o el nivel del guía) muy aparte si deseas ingresar a cada uno de los atractivos turísticos tendrías que pagar por el ingreso a cada uno de los atractivos turísticos encareciendo el tour, para ello existen dos tipos de tickets que agrupan la mayoría de los atractivos turísticos que se visitan durante el City Tour y estos son: el BOLETO PARCIAL TURISTICO o el BOLETO GENERAL TURISTICO. Estos dos instrumentos te servirán mucho al momento de decidir qué lugares visitar o cuánto tiempo tienes para visitar la ciudad y sus alrededores, por ejemplo; si solo deseas visitar la ciudad y sus principales atractivos turísticos te recomendaríamos comprar el BOLETO PARCIAL TURISTICO ya que te permite ahorrar en los ingresos y hacer visitas a los principales atractivos de la ciudad como son Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay, museos y otros atractivos como el ingreso al gran monumento al inca Pachacuteq, pero si también tienes planeado visitar el Valle Sagrado de los Incas o el Valle Sur del Cusco que cuentan con excelentes lugares turísticos dignos de ser visitados entonces este ticket solo encarecería tu viaje ya que tendrías que comprar dos tickets o BOLETOS PARCIALES, uno para el city y otro para el Valle Sagrado, para evitar este tipo de inconvenientes y gastos extra existe la segunda herramienta que es el BOLETO TURISTICO GENERAL, que te permite visitar tanto los atractivos turísticos del City Tour, los atractivos turísticos del Valle Sagrado de los Incas y del Valle Sur por lo que abaratarías costos, teniendo esto en consideración pues una agencia en la misma ciudad del Cusco te cobrara por la compra del ticket, por la asesoría, por el transporte, por el guía, etc, haciendo que el tour se encarezca. Otro ejemplo claro es la visita a Machu Picchu; sin lugar a dudas, los visitantes de todo el mundo que llegan a la ciudad del Cusco tienen como objetivo conocer una de las maravillas del mundo (Machu Picchu) y para ello pues tienen que hacer un viaje de aproximadamente 4 horas desde la ciudad del Cusco hacia Machu Picchu Pueblo que es el distrito en el que se encuentra esta maravilla arqueológica, y pues para ello si deseas hacer la compra de los tickets de manera separada tendrías que tomar en consideración el tiempo y la cantidad de visitantes permitidos por día ya que estos son cupos limitados y están sujetos a disponibilidad. Uno de los grandes problemas de comprar el tour a Machu Picchu en la misma ciudad del Cusco el excesivo cobro que se hace por el servicio de guiado y transporte ya que las agencias que trabajan en la plaza de armas tendrán que buscar disponibilidad de trenes que a veces no hay por lo que para conseguir estos preciados tickets tendrán que recurrir a otras empresas quienes les harán un cobro mayor del precio del ticket o esperar a que se abra algún espacio en el tren, esto por supuesto se reflejara en tu bolsillo ya que tendrás que pagar más por un servicio que podrías haber pagado menos en un paquete de viajes organizado, sin considerar el estado del transporte que vayan a utilizar para trasladarte hasta la estación de trenes que se encuentra a una hora y media de Cusco y el monto extra que te vayan a cobrar.
Bueno con estos dos claros ejemplos de cómo se manejan los paquetes de viajes en Cusco, haremos una pequeña comparación de costos para que salgas de dudas y tomes la mejor decisión con respecto a tu próximo viaje a la ciudad de Cusco y el centro arqueológico de Machu Picchu.

Ejemplo: Comprar tus tours en la ciudad del Cusco en las diferentes agencias de Viajes de la misma ciudad.

SOLO SERVICIOS
PRECIO
ADICIONALES
TOTAL
CITY TOUR
$ 15.00
$ 55.00 (boleto general+Catedral+Qoricancha)
$ 70.00
VALLE SAGRADO
$ 18.00
$ 12.00 (Almuerzo en el Valle Sagrado)
$ 30.00
MARAS MORAY
$ 18.00
$ 3.5 (Ingreso a Maras)
$ 21.50
MACHU PICCHU
$ 225.53
Incluye: Tren, ingresos, Tickets de Bus y Guía
$ 260.00
TRANSPORTE
$ 29.00
Hacia la estación de trenes más taxis
$ 29.00
TOTAL


$ 410.50

PAQUETE DE VIAJES, reservado con la debida anticipación y sin los riesgos de no encontrar los ingresos a Machu Picchu o los Tickets de Tren hacia Machu Picchu Pueblo.

ITINERARIO:
  • Día 1: Traslado al hotel seleccionado en la ciudad del Cusco / por la tarde City Tour.
  • Día 2: Valle Sagrado de los Incas.
  • Día 3: Maras - Moray.
  • Día 4: Machu Picchu.
  • Día 5: Traslado desde su hotel en Cusco hacia el aeropuerto.
PRECIO SOLO SERVICIOS: $ 400.00
PRECIOS CON SERVICIO DE ALOJAMIENTO:
Categoría
Nombre del Hotel
Precio USD $
hostal
Inka's Paradise, Hostal Andenes de Saphi.
500.00
2 * *
El Triunfo, Hotel BozArt, Cusco Oblitas Casa hotel.
565.00
3 * * *
Casa Andina Classic Cusco, San Agustin Internacional, Best Western Los Andes.
635.00
4 * * * *
Sonesta Cusco, Eco Inn Cusco, Costa del sol Ramada Cusco, Andean Wings.
870.00
5 * * * * * *
Belmond Monasterio, JW Marriott El Convento Cusco, Aranwa Cusco Boutique.
1375.00

 

¿QUE INCLUYE?

  • Transporte Aeropuerto – hotel – Aeropuerto.
  • Transporte hacia la estación de trenes de Ollantaytambo.
  • Transporte desde la estación de trenes de Ollantaytambo hacia Cusco.
  • Almuerzo en el Valle Sagrado de los Incas.
  • Bus hacia y desde el centro arqueológico de Machu Picchu.
  • Tickets de ingreso (City tour, Valle Sagrado, Maras – Moray, Machu Picchu).
  • Tickets de Tren. (Clase turista de Peru Rail o Inca Rail).
  • Guía profesional de turismo (ingles / español).
  • Servicios de Transporte y Guía profesional para el City Tour, Valle Sagrado de los Incas y Maras Moray.
Como verán, muchas veces comprar un tour programado con la debida anticipación puede resultar más económico y puede ser menos problemático que hacerlo en la misma ciudad del Cusco corriendo los riesgos antes mencionados sobre el los ingresos o los tickets de Tren hacia Machu Picchu Pueblo, sin considerar el riesgo por la mala atención, el mal servicio del transporte o las estafas.
Elije con mucho cuidado y planea muy bien tu viaje a la ciudad de Cusco y Machu Picchu, o sino, permite que otros lo organicen por ti haciendo tu estadía mucho más satisfactoria y menos problemática.


viernes, 1 de septiembre de 2017

WELCOME TO CUSCO


Tours in Cusco and Machu Picchu at the best prices, from 01 sep - 31 oct


CUSCO - MACHU PICCHU 5 DAYS / 4 NIGHTS

PRICES FOR SHARED GROUP SERVICE:

CategoryName of the HotelPrice USD $
hostalInka's Paradise, Hostal Andenes de Saphi.480.00
2 * *El Triunfo, Hotel BozArt, Cusco Oblitas Casa hotel.535.00
3 * * *Casa Andina Classic Cusco, San Agustin Internacional, Best Western Los Andes.606.00
4 * * * *Sonesta Cusco, Eco Inn Cusco, Costa del sol Ramada Cusco, Andean Wings.683.00
5 * * * * * *Belmond Monasterio, JW Marriott El Convento Cusco, Aranwa Cusco Boutique.1350.00
 
* Hotels are subject to availability.
* Prices based on double or matrimonial room.
* Shared group service
* Before confirming package with hotel check availability of the chosen hotel.
* Hotels do not include IGV.18% for domestic passengers, this applies only to your room.

ITINERARY:

  • Day 1: Transfer from the airport to your hotel in Cusco, in the afternoon City tour.
  • Day 2: Sacred Valley of the Incas.
  • Day 3: Maras - Moray.
  • Day 4: Machu Picchu.
  • Day 5: Transfer from your hotel to the Airport.

UTIL INFORMATION

  • Cusco is located about 3500 meters above sea level.
  • It is a good idea to take a coca tea in your hotel.
  • Try not to eat meat the first day.
  • Wear warm clothing.
  • Dring lots of Water and always stay hydrated.
DAY 1: Transfer from the airport to your hotel in Cusco, in the afternoon City tour
We will be waiting for you at the airport in Cusco to transfer you to your hotel, after a brief informative talk you will have time to acclimatize and relax for a while before the city tour begins. in the city tour we will visit the Cathedral of Cusco, the temple inca Qoricancha and the archeological park of Sacsayhuaman (Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay).
NOTE: The city tour starts at 1:30 pm.
DAY 2: Sacred Valley of the Incas
We will pick you up from your hotel from 8 to 8:30 am. To start our visit to the sacred valley of the Incas. Famous for its beautiful landscapes and for the towns that are there.
First we will visit the town of Pisaq and the archaeological center of the same name, peculiar for being at the top of the mountains from where you can appreciate the beauty and magic of the famous valley. Then we will go to Urubamba where we will have lunch and at the end we will continue towards the archaeological center of Ollantaytambo, Imposing Inca construction that keeps among its main attractive terraces, Inca houses and a beautiful view of the whole valley that surrounds it. Finally we will return to the city of Cusco and on the way we will visit the town of Chincheros where we will visit its local market.
DAY 3: Maras - Moray.
We will pick you up from your hotel from 8 to 8:30 am. To head for the Inca experimental center of Moray, famous for its spectacular views and circular terraces. Then we will visit the salt pans of Maras where we can appreciate their extraction methods.
DAY 4: Machu Picchu.
Today we will visit Machu Picchu, the tour begins with the transfer from your hotel to the train station in Ollantaytambo where we board the train that will take us to the town of Aguas Calientes, once there, we will take the bus that will take us to the archaeological center of Machu Picchu where we will have a guided tour of approximately two hours. Afterwards you will have time to enjoy the monumentality of the archaeological center and the spectacular landscapes that surround it. Finally, you must return to Aguas Calientes to board the train that will return you to the train station in Ollantaytambo where we will be waiting to transfer you to the City of Cusco.
DAY 5: Transfer from your hotel to the Airport.
Today we will pick you up from your hotel to take you to the airport to take the plane to your next destination.

WHAT IS INCLUDED?

  • Transportation Airport - hotel - Airport.
  • Transportation to the train station of Ollantaytambo.
  • Transportation from Ollantaytambo train station to Cusco.
  • Lunch in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
  • Bus to and from the archaeological center of Machu Picchu.
  • Entrance tickets (City tour, Sacred Valley, Maras - Moray, Machu Picchu).
  • Train Tickets. (Tourist class of Peru Rail or Inca Rail).
  • Professional tourism guide (English / Spanish).

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED?

  • Food (except the lunch in The Sacred Valley of the Incas).
  • Airplane tickets.

COMPLETELY NECESSARY

  • Take your passport with you.
  • Take your tickets with you.
  • Do not forget your medicines (if required).
  • Always carry maps with the address of your hotel.
  • Wear sunscreen.
  • A good camera.
  • Do not be afraid to ask for help at any time.

IMPORTANT

Discounts:Student Discount: US$20 (Requires ISIC Card to qualify)
Under 18's Discount: US$20
Optional Extras:If you want to take the special service VISTADOME OF PERU RAIL you should add $ 40.00 dollars.
If you want to climb to the Wayna Picchu add $ 15.00 dollars (subject to availability).