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Peru 2023

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Tommy

Just a Millennial living in the real world...

Note: There are affiliated links in this post where the author may earn a commission. 

My Peru trip was in the making for the past 3 years ever since I saw Machu Picchu on Instagram. I ended up cancelling my trip last year due to the US still having COVID-19 travel restrictions and I started a new job the week after I returned. So I didn’t want to risk the chance of testing positive and not be able to make my start date. The trip was 10 days and I went in May before Memorial Day weekend. The shoulder seasons of April/May and September/October are way less crowded. April/May tend to be rainier and colder. Our tour guide said about 2 weeks earlier, there was a massive snowstorm on the Salkantay Trek so weather is really a mixed bag in the shoulder seasons. However, we ended up having perfect weather. It only rained twice and the temperature ranged from high thirties to mid fifties in the mountains and fifties and seventies in the rainforest (Fahrenheit). 

To be honest, I really didn’t care about getting a picture with an Alpaca with Machu Picchu in the background that you always see on Instagram. I had my eyes set on hiking the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, which hikes through the Andes Mountains. I got into hiking back in 2019 and I have been hooked with doing difficult, strenuous hikes as I feel like they are very fulfilling. When I was doing my research, I found out that the Inca Trail has more history than the Salkantay Trail, although it was way more heavily trafficked. This was mainly due to the history of the Inca Trail and the toughness of the Salkantay Trail. Although, the Salkantay Trek is less famous than the Inca Trail, I heard it was more scenic and it is a lot easier to book/cheaper than the Inca Trail. I told my friend in my running group in Chicago about my trip and he decided that he wanted to do the trek so it was nice that I didn’t have to go to Peru alone. Also, he knew Spanish better than I did so that was a plus!  

Planning:

Getting to Machu Picchu isn’t the easiest… First you have to fly to Lima, PE, which is the capital of Peru. Then you can either fly, take a bus, or take a private car to Cusco, which is up in the mountains. Flying is the easiest/fastest way and it’s relatively cheap ranging from $45-$150/one way. The flight takes about 1.5 hours. Bus is the cheapest way, but it will take about 20 hours to get to Cusco. At least you get to enjoy the scenery, but that is still a long trip on a bus. Taking a private car is also an option, but will also take about 18-20 hours and it will be the most expensive. The majority of flights from the United States arrive at night time and depart from Lima at night. So our flight on United arrived in Lima at 8:55pm and for our return trip, we would depart Lima at 10:55pm. 

Chicago did not have a direct flight to Lima so we had to go through Houston using. Other connecting cities were Newark and Miami. There were other routes, but it required an additional connection and I prefer to keep the connections to a minimal. Chicago to Houston was 2.5-3 hours and Houston to Lima was 6.5 hours so having a connecting flight was a nice break. The Chicago to Lima flight was the most expensive part of the trip as I wanted a refundable flight and to leave enough time to catch the connecting flights as I learned my lesson with my trip to Pebble Beach with a 55-minute connection time domestically. Long story short, don’t do that and stick to the rule of thumb of at least 2 hours of connection time for domestic flights and at least 4 hours of connection time for international flights. For the flight from Lima to Cusco, we booked with LATAM Airlines. They offered many flights to/from Cusco and I recommend booking earlier flights in case your flight is cancelled due to weather. The other main airline is Avianca Airlines.   

We ended up booking the 4-Day Trek with Sky Lodge with Howlanders, which is a pretty big travel agency. When we met with the tour operator, we found out that Howlanders was just the travel agent and the actual Tour Operator was Salkantay Trekking. It worked out just fine, but I didn’t realize that I signed up through a third-party. You can book the same experience that I did here. This trek was 4 days and 3 nights and it’s listed as moderate – challenging. The classic Salkantay Trek is 5 days and 4 nights, which is slightly easier and you see some additional sights. Starting elevation is 12,467 ft and max elevation is 15,190 ft. Mount Everest is 29,032 ft for comparison. We purchased all of the extras except the entrance ticket to Huchuy Picchu Mountain just to have them if we needed to use them. Total cost for the trek with all of the extras (Huayna Picchu admission, Hidroelectrica Train, Aguas Calientes Bus roundtrip, sleeping bag, and walking poles) was $625. This price included all accommodations, meals, entrance tickets to Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, and transportation except for breakfast on day 1 and lunch and dinner on the last day. I highly recommend renting the hiking poles. They definitely helped me keep my balance and helped with the steep inlines. 

Day 1: Traveling to Lima

We flew out of O’Hare on Saturday morning around 09:00 and we would have about a 2.5-hour layover in Houston as I wanted to make sure that was enough time to catch the connection flight. I chose to go through Houston because they have a Centurion Lounge, they have Priority Pass Lounges/Restaurants, and the flights worked out with connections. We ended up grabbing lunch and drinks at Landry’s Seafood, which is a Priority Pass Restaurant that is a benefit with my Chase Sapphire Reserve. With the CSR, you get access to Priority Pass Restaurants and you can spend up to $28/guest for two guests or a total of $56 off your bill. Tip is not included so make sure to tip your servers.  

We would arrive in Lima around 21:00. We picked up our luggage and got through customs pretty easily. I booked our stay at the Holiday Inn Lima Airport, which was a 10 minute walk from the airport. Since we got in late and it was a long travel day and we had a long journey ahead of us, we went straight to bed. 

Day 2: Traveling to Cusco

We were able to sleep in a little bit as our flight to Cusco wasn’t until 13:25 the next day. We wouldn’t have time to explore Lima as I wanted to get to Cusco as soon as possible to allow time for us to get adjusted to the altitude. We ate breakfast at the hotel and headed to the airport around 10:00. Overall, the Holiday Inn Lima Airport was great! The hotel was modern, the room was nice, they had a large breakfast buffet, and they had a free shuttle that went back n forth to the airport. If you want a nice/modern hotel that is next to the airport, then I would highly recommend the Holiday Inn Lima Airport. 

Lima’s airport, Jorge Chavez, was relatively small. We went to the priority pass lounge, El Salon by Newrest. It wasn’t a great Priority Pass Lounge as it was small, the food didn’t look good, and it was hot. But it was still nice to get away from the crowds and they served beer. It’s open from 05:00 – 16:00 daily and it’s airside near Gate 13. The flight to Cusco is pretty short at about 1.5 hours. I heard if you sit on the left side of the plane that it has better views of the mountains. 

We arrived in Cusco around 14:45. I booked our stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Cusco. We took a taxi to the hotel, which was a fun learning lesson and kind of a funny story. When doing research while planning, I read where you need to negotiate your cab ride before getting into the cab and going to your destination. We forgot to do this and hopped in anyways. The cab ride took about 25 minutes and was like 4 miles away. We ended up paying $20, which I didn’t think was bad due to the long cab ride. But then we later found out that it should have been 20 Soles, which is about $6, not $20. So we definitely got swindled, but we didn’t mind and thought it was funny. Lesson learned!

After checking in, we went to the bar and had our first Pisco Sours in Peru. I had a Pisco Sour at Tanta in Chicago (did not realize Tanta was a chain) and it was excellent! So I was already in love with them. They are super refreshing with amazing sweet and sour flavors. Reminded me of a Paloma or Mint Julep. The Hilton Garden Inn added a nice little touch to their Pisco Sours! 

First Pisco Sour at the Hilton Garden Inn

Peru doesn’t really use Yelp and I don’t use Google reviews, so I will do my Yelp reviews in this blog post.

Mike made a dinner reservation at Limbus Restobar before we left and it is known for it’s views over Cusco. The food was decent and I was surprised how Americanized it was. There was a good crowd for a Sunday night and they give all diners welcome beer shots. The ambience was modern, light, and had 70s-80s music in the background. Definitely heard some Dancing Queen and Foreigner.

We had Tequeños (fried breaded wonton cheesesticks), BBQ wings, and fries to start. I never have had Tequeños before and they were definitely different. The wonton was good, but the cheese was different and it had a weird aftertaste. It was almost Tofu like, which doesn’t make a lot of sense.  The BBQ wings were really good and the star of the show. They gave you a lot of them, the sauce was sweet, and the wings were meaty. Fries were crispy and salty. I ordered the Salt Lomo, which was the beef tenderloin. It had a lot of flavor and I loved the sauce; however, it wasn’t the best cut of meat as it was super fatty. I am just not a huge fan of super fatty meats as I prefer lean. They gave me a whole plate of seasoned vegetables and the mashed potatoes were good. 

They gave huge portion sizes, which was good value and the restaurant had great views. The service was pretty good too. But I thought the food was just ok to good. So you come for the drinks and views! I would give a 3/5. 

After eating dinner, we ended up stopping by Molly’s Irish Bar & Restaurant. I never thought we would run into an Irish bar in Cusco, but we did so we had to go and have a few pints! They had live music on Sunday night and they were playing the NBA playoffs. Overall a great Irish pub in Cusco! 4/5. 

Day 3: Cusco City Tour & Meeting with Tour Group

The next day we had a free day in Cusco. We ate breakfast at the hotel, which had a nice little buffet and you could order ready to order omelettes. Mike signed us up for the Cusco City Tour, which was like $15. I don’t know who the Tour Operator was, but it was probably this tour as the sights look familiar.  

The tour lasted about 6 hours and they provided transportation. Sights included Qorikancha, archaeological site of Tambomachay, Puca Pucara, Textile mill, Q ‘ enqo, and Saqsaywaman. I thought it was really cool to see and learn about the history as most of these buildings were created back in the 15th century. It was nice that transportation was included as we definitely drove quite a bit around the city. I thought the city tour was very worthwhile and our tour guide was very knowledgable.  

Cusco has a population of approximately 500,000 people so it is relatively big. It’s at about 12,000 feet and it was very hilly like Seattle/San Francisco hilly. We had about 1.5 days before the start of our Trek, which probably wasn’t enough time to get used to the altitude as the rule of thumb is at least 3 days. I could feel myself breathing a little bit heavier going up the hills and stairs, but it wasn’t too bad. I thought the city was pretty walkable and the Hilton Garden Inn Cusco is about a 15 minute walk to Plaza Mayor de Cusco. 

Cusco was very hilly and it's elevation was around 12,000 ft.
Plaza Mayor de Cusco
Qorikancha - Temple of the Sun
View at Puka Pukara
Viva el Peru
Tambomachay
Saqsaywaman

After the City Tour, we grabbed a quick bite at Cappuccino Cusco. We both had sandwiches, which were both ok and it’s probably better known for their coffee, which we didn’t have. It was cheap, convenient, and a nice location overlooking Plaza Mayor de Cusco. 3/5.

After that we went over to the Salkantay Trekking’s office for our trek orientation. We met our Tour Guide, Jesus “Chachi”, and other people in our group. Our group had a total of 10 people, including Chachi. He went over the entire itinerary, confirmed our paid extras, gave us our duffel bag, and hiking poles. The duffel bag is what we were allowed to bring for the Donkeys who would be carrying our belongings from accommodation to accommodation and was limited to 15 lbs. This was nice because we thought we had to provide our own so that was convenient. The meeting was pretty short, lasting about 30 minutes and then we were free to go.  

Pizza review time. For dinner after the meeting, we had pizza and beer at La Bodega 138. We ordered a large Margherita pizza and some garlic bread to split. I loved the crust! It was super fluffy and the dough had great flavor. Cheese was melty and slightly above average. Sauce was good, but it definitely needed more. The toppings were slightly below average and didn’t have much flavor. The tomatoes watered down the pie and it took away flavor. Basil was decent. The vibe was cute and cozy with a really cool stone pizza oven! Even though the pizza was meh, I would love to come back and try another pizza and try their pasta! It was a really cool place and they have great reviews on Google. 4/5.

Ranking:

  • Crust: 8
  • Cheese: 6
  • Sauce: 5
  • Toppings: 4
  • Overall: 5.75
Margherita Pizza

Day 4: First Day of the Salkantay Trek​

Day 1 of Salkantay Trek: 

  • Walking Distance: 6.21 miles (10km). 
  • Starting Altitude: 12,467 ft (3,800 meters).
  • Maximum Altitude: 13,780 ft (4,200 meters).
  • Difficulty: Moderate-Strenuous. 

After pizza at La Bodega 138, we called it an early night as we had to wake up bright and early the next day. Chachi would pick us up at our hotel around 4am so we set our alarms at 2:30am in the morning. No rest for the weary and I was not expecting to get much sleep on this trip. Once in our van, I was able to get some shut-eye as it was about a 2 hour drive to Mollepata where we would have breakfast. It was pretty cheap and I think it was about 20 Soles (~$6). They also had a restroom too. After food, we would continue onto Challancha, which is the starting point of the trek and about a 45 minute drive from Mollepata. 

After arriving at Challancha around 09:00, we got our daypacks set and we would start our hike to Soraypampa. It would take about 3 hours and the distance was ~7km at 12,795 ft. The elevation and inclines were merciless from the start with some steep inclines. Chachi told us to use our hiking poles and walk side to side instead of going straight up, which helped conserve energy and it was easier on the legs. We had a few stopping points and Chachi told us about the history of the Salkantay Trail. He also introduced us to Condor Pee (alcohol and herbs) used as a remedy against altitude sickness, which definitely helped later on. 

From the start, we could pretty much figure out the group’s hiking abilities pretty easily. 3 members in our group were advanced hikers and moved extremely fast. Two of them already hiked to the salt flats in Bolivia and Colca Canyon in Peru. The third person hiked the Inca trail the week before. So all three of them were acclimated to the altitude already. Then there was me and Mike who were very fit as we are marathon runners, but we were not used to the altitude yet. Lastly there were two couples who were both from Seattle and they were already struggling a bit with the steep incline. They told us that they have done some hikes out in Washington, but didn’t train for this trek. All of us were from the United States. The views were already stunning and I was looking forward to the trek. After getting up the mountain at the beginning, the trail was very flat. I was definitely able to take in the views with the mountains on both sides.

Humantay Lake

It took about 3 hours to get to Soraypampa, which is where we would stay for the night in the Sky Camp. Staying the igloo was a very cool experience, but it was hot inside and the door was extremely small. Kind of claustrophobic actually and we had to crawl to enter/exit, which was a little annoying especially at night in the dark. The sky camp had no showers and you had to make sure to bring your own toilet paper and not flush the toilet paper. Each igloo had electrical outlets to charge your phone, which was super nice. Also, it was imperative to use your headlamp at night as it was extremely dark. The views of the stars were pretty good, but it was hard to get some good pictures. We were assigned our igloos and then we met up for lunch around 13:00. Overall, I enjoyed the food on the trek. It wasn’t the most flavorful as it was a lot of rice, potatoes, chicken, and vegetables. But we were well fed at all times. 

Stars at the Sky Camp (Credit to Dennis)

After lunch, we had a little bit of free time and then we would make our trek up to Humantay Lake. The hike would take about 1.5 hours and it was only 1.5km or approximately 1 mile; however, it was straight up the mountain. I would actually say this hike was strenuous especially since we hiked 4 miles already earlier today and I was still trying to get adjusted to the altitude. This was where the altitude really started hitting me and I definitely had to take rest breaks. Closer to the top, the trail started to flatten out. Then the trail kept on winding up and once you turned a corner, you would see another huge incline and this happened about 3-4 times. You would hear groans from other people on the trail and everyone, including myself,  kept on saying to myself “Are we there yet?” It was a little humorous. This hike was not easy whatsoever and it was definitely worth it once you reached the top! 

The hike down took about a quarter of the time going up and it was much easier. The altitude definitely affected me and I started to have some headaches. My breathing was fine and I just needed some standard rest breaks due to the strenuous hike. Once we got back, we ate dinner around 17:00 and it was dark. I think we were in bed by 19:00-20:00 as we were in for another early wakeup time the next day and it was going to be the toughest day. 

Day 5: Hike to the Summit

Day 2 of Salkantay Trek: 

  • Walking Distance: 13.67 miles (22km). 
  • Starting Altitude: 12,795 ft (3,900 meters).
  • Maximum Altitude: 15,190 ft (4,600 meters).
  • Difficulty: Strenuous. 

Chachi woke us up bright and early at 05:30 in the morning and brought us some Coca Tea. We packed up and ate breakfast around 06:30. Day 2 is considered the toughest day as we would hike through the Salkantay Pass and is the highest elevation of the trek. After breakfast, we started the trek at about 07:30. My headaches were gone in the morning, but once we started the ascension, they came back. They were definitely severe, but it wasn’t as bad as a hangover, which is how I described my altitude sickness. About halfway up to the summit, Chachi was kind enough and gave me the bottle of Condor Pee. I also took some Tylenol, which didn’t really help. Luckily, I was in good shape so I was able to persevere. 

5 of us were able to hike up to the summit. The two couples ended up taking donkeys up to summit for an additional cost. I think it was about a 150 Soles ($40). We were quite jealous when we saw them on the trail as they could just sit back and relax while taking in the magnificent views.  

The hike up to the summit took about 4 hours. I definitely had to take lots of breaks due to my headaches. There were some very steep inclines and some steep switchbacks, but it wasn’t anything more than I could handle. About half way up, there was a choice of an easier route that had steep switchbacks and a tougher route that was even steeper. Mike and I chose the easier route. It was colder at about high thirties to low forties degrees Fahrenheit and it was a beautiful sunny day. 

A beautiful morning in the Andes
Halfway point
The summit at 15,190 feet
Salkantay Mountain

Once we were at the summit, Chachi gave us some snacks, coca tea, and he told us some more history about the trail. The coca tea helped my headaches tremendously. We had about 1-1.5 hour break at the summit and then we would start hiking again around 12:00, which went downhill so it was much easier. After the coca tea and the descent, my headaches started to go away. We would hike about 3.1 miles to Huayracmachay, where we would have lunch around 13:00. During this part of the hike, the weather got warmer and it started to rain so we ended up busting out our ponchos.

After lunch we continued on the downhill trek for about 6.2 miles and we started around 14:00. This would take about 2-3 hours and we would arrive in Chaullay at our accommodations for the night. The terrain changed significantly from snowy mountaintops to a tropical rainforest, which was very cool to see. 

I thought our night 2 accommodations were more comfortable than the sky camp as it was a roomier cabin. There were electrical outlets in the cabin. They had a hot shower that you could pay to use. I think it was 10 Soles (~$3), but I don’t remember the exact price. It was cheap and definitely worth it after hiking 20 miles in 48 hours. The campground also had a small shop where you could buy some snacks, beers, and personal items. We ate dinner and then went to bed around 20:00 as we were exhausted and we would have another early wake up time.  

Night 2 Accommodations

Day 6: Hike to Aguas Calientes

Day 3 of Salkantay Trek: 

  • Walking Distance: 16.78 miles (27km). 
  • Starting Altitude: 9,514 ft (2,900 meters).
  • Maximum Altitude: 9,514 ft (2,900 meters).
  • Difficulty: Easy-Moderate. 

Chachi woke us up around 06:00 and brought the coca tea. I loved the coca tea and it has a little bit of caffeine to help us wake up. We ate breakfast and packed up so we started our hike around 07:30. This was actually the longest day of hiking, but it was mostly downhill so it was relatively easy. My legs weren’t too sore, but the bottoms of my feet were starting to ache and I was definitely tired.  

We would hike about 6 miles to Winaypoqo, where we would try some Passion Fruit at a plantation. So that took about 2 hours. The views of the valley/rainforest were spectacular!  

How to Make Coffee

After Winaypoqo, we would continue about 4 miles to Playa Sahuayaco where we would learn how to make coffee and have lunch. Mike and I ended up buying some beers and the rest of the guys in our group joined along. Beers with the boys! The coffee process was interesting and it was extremely strong. Essentially the process was: pick the coffee beans, remove the beans from the shell, roast the beans, and then grind the beans. Mike ended up volunteering to grind the beans. 

After learning to make coffee and eating lunch in Playa Sahuayaco, we would drive about an hour to the Hidroelectrica train. The ride was a tad bumpy so we couldn’t really get much shut eye, but the views were great. The roads were extremely narrow and had some steep drop offs, but our driver was great. So don’t look down if you are afraid of heights. 

Mike and I ended up buying the Hidroelectrica train ticket as an extra, but we decided not to use it. We were feeling good and we decided to make the 6.2 mile hike along the train tracks through the rainforest to Aguas Calientes. This was definitely worth it as the sights were great and it was very peaceful walking through the rainforest. It ended up pouring down rain about midway and we stopped with our group. The weather was warm at about mid 70s. There were multiple places to stop along the way for restrooms and buy food/drinks. This part of the hike took about 3 hours. 

Hidroelectrica Train

Aguas Calientes

We arrived in Aguas Calientes around 17:00 and we checked into our hotel called Ferre Machu Picchu. The room was bare bones and a little small, but it was nice and it had a private hot shower with a cozy bed. 

Aguas Calientes is at the base of Machu Picchu and it’s a tourist spot. There are a lot of hotels, restaurants, shops, and there is great cell service. Overall, I thought it was a really cool town even though it was touristy. 

We took a shower and had some free time until we met up with our group for dinner around 7pm. A few of us grabbed beers at Full House and then I went off to Chullos for a pizza review. 

After beers at Full House, I ran over to Chullos Restaurant as it was highly rated. Chullos had a nice ambiance and had nice views of the Urubamba river. I checked out their menu earlier so I knew what I wanted. I ended up going half pepperoni and half guinea pig (a Peruvian tradition). 

The crust was super soft and had good flavor. I thought the cheese was decent and it needed way more sauce. The pepperoni was decent, but nothing spectacular. I really wanted to like the guinea pig, but I just didn’t. It was way too gamey and I did not like the texture. I was happy that I gave it a try though! Even though I thought the pizza was ok, I thought Chullos was a cool spot and they had craft beer with lots of food options. 4/5. 

Ranking:

  • Crust: 7
  • Cheese: 6
  • Sauce: 5
  • Toppings 6
  • Overall: 6.0

We ended up eating dinner at Full House, which was decent and the menu was pretty Americanized. It was a nice restaurant along the river. I would rate this a 3/5. After dinner, we all went to bed around 9pm as we had Machu Picchu the next day! 

Day 7: Machu Picchu & Return to Cusco

We had one last early morning wakeup on the trek and this time it was to go see Machu Picchu! We woke up around 5am and had breakfast at the hotel. We all gathered in the lobby and Chachi gave us our bus tickets up to Machu Picchu. We walked down to the bus terminal to head up to Machu Picchu for sunrise. The bus up and down from Machu Picchu was about $12/each way and the ride took about 20 minutes. At the entrance, Chachi gave us our entrance tickets to Machu Picchu, which had our name and passport numbers on it. Once inside we were able to walk the ruins and then Chachi told us about the history for about an hour. After getting photos and walking more of the ruins we were able to have free time to explore. 

Luckily, we had perfect weather when we visited Machu Picchu! The sights were spectacular! There were a lot of people, but it wasn’t as crowded as I was expecting as they limit the amount of visitors per day with the permit system. There is a restroom and gift shop outside. The restroom was about 2 Soles (~$1). Make sure that you use the restroom before you enter Machu Picchu because there is not one inside and there is no re-entry. 

Mike purchased a ticket to Huayna Picchu, but ended up not wanting to go because of the heights and another guy in my group used his ticket instead. Chachi took us to the entrance and the guy at the gate checked us in with no problems. 

Hiking Up Huayna Picchu

Huayna Picchu is a moderate/strenuous hike to a mountain peak overlooking Machu Picchu. The ascent is about 1,000 feet up and it’s about 2.5 miles round trip. It takes about an hour to go up and another 45 minutes to go down. The hike isn’t recommended for people who are afraid of heights and young children. I didn’t think the heights were that bad, but I’m not really afraid of heights and I have already hiked Angels Landing at Zion National Park and the Beehive Hike at Acadia National Park. I thought both of those hikes were more dangerous as they had very steep drop offs. I would not recommend hiking Huayna Picchu after rain as the stone stairs would be extremely slippery. Since the altitude is about ~7,500 feet, my altitude sickness was gone, but it was a challenging hike due to the amount of stairs and I took a decent amount of breaks and water stops going up. 

I enjoy challenging hikes so it was very fun and fulfilling for me. However, I don’t think views were really any better than the ones down low as there wasn’t much to see as you are so high up. You pay extra for the entrance ticket and the cost was about $70. If you want a challenge and you enjoy hiking then this is definitely for you! 

After Huayna Picchu, we met up with Mike and took the bus back down to Aguas Calientes and it was probably about 14:00. The five of us experienced hikers met up at Machu Pisco Bar & Restaurant, which Chachi said had the best Pisco Sour in Peru. It was definitely a very very good Pisco Sour! The food was also pretty good too and I thought it was better than Full House. Service was good and they were able to split checks. This restaurant was also long the river and it had nice views. 4/5. I ran over to the Centro Cultural Machu Picchu in Aguas Calientes to get my passport stamped. There was no one in line around 15:00 so it was easy. Fair warning and I found this out while I am typing this blog post is that a person ended up not being able to board a flight using Qatar Airlines & Emirates due to having the souvenir passport stamp in her passport. Apparently the airlines denied her boarding due to alterations of the passport and you can read the full story here. I just returned from Ireland in October and I did not have any issues with my passport, but be warned before getting your passport stamped. 

After grabbing some food, it was about 16:00. Chachi met up with us and we got our bags and ran over to the train station to head to Ollantaytambo. It was about a 2 hour train ride and the views were pretty cool. They served refreshments/snacks for purchase on the train. We arrived in Ollantaytambo around 18:00 and we had a short walk to our van where we had about a 1.5-2 hour drive back to Cusco. The sights of the countryside with the sunset were pretty cool and it was nighttime when we returned to Cusco and the van dropped us off at our hotel around 20:00. We gave Chachi a nice tip and thanked him for being our tour guide. The Salkantay Trek was truly a spectacular experience!  

Day 8 & 9: Back to Lima & Flight Home

The next morning in Cusco, we had an 08:35 flight back to Lima. We checked out of the hotel and took a cab to the airport for about 20 Soles (~$6).

We arrived back in Lima around 10:00. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Lima Airport again and they were able to provide us with an early check-in. After we checked in, we headed out to explore the city. Lima is a big city and it has a population of 7.5 million people. We took an Uber to Plaza Mayor de Lima to see the main square and walk around the area. This was a very touristy area and there were a lot of people as it was a Saturday. There are also a lot of shops and restaurants around this area. 

Lima Cathedral
Patio de Honor

After checking out Plaza Mayor, we took another Uber to Miraflores, which is right on the ocean. Miraflores is where a lot of good restaurants are, has upscale shopping, and it’s where the nightlife is. Also, I heard that this is where there are a lot of United States expats. We walked to Love Park and walked along the oceanside.  

Miraflores
Parque de Amore (Love Park)

Once we were hungry, we went to Costazul Seafood around 13:30. Costazul is highly rated on Google and I read about it on other food blogs. It’s a cool place with a lots of color and a beachside vibe. We were the only people there, but it started to fill up by the time we left. We ordered the Costazul Seafood Combo, which had fried octopus, cerviche, and cheesy rice. All were very flavorful and excellent. Probably the best meal we had in Peru. 5/5.  

Costazul Seafood Combo

After Costazul, we ended up grabbing beers at Molly’s Irish Bar since we thought it was a good idea to try both locations in Cusco and Lima. It was about 16:00 so we decided to head back to the hotel and rest until we had to leave for the airport for our flight at 22:55. 

We headed over to the airport around 21:00 to get through security. After security, we went to the Hanaq VIP Lounge. This Priority Pass Lounge was much nicer than the El Salon by Newrest. It had a lot more space and a lot better food. There were a good amount of people there. The lounge is open 24 hours daily and it’s airside near Gate 17. We arrived in Houston at 5:30am in the morning and we had a 6 hour layover in Houston for our return flight back to Chicago. I didn’t mind the long layover as we were able to get to the Centurion Lounge (using my AMEX Platinum) right at opening so it wasn’t crowded at all. I enjoyed the Centurion Lounge in Houston. It had a lot of seating, not overly crowded, and the food was good. The Centurion Lounge is in Terminal D near gate D12. After spending a bit of time there, we headed to board our flight to head back home to Chicago. 

Costs:

  • Chicago to Lima Refundable United Flight – Round Trip: ~$2,350. This flight was not the most cost effective for me, but it was what I wanted as it made me comfortable since I had to cancel previous flights and I learned my lesson after missing my connection flight to Pebble Beach. Also, there were violent protests in Lima back in May 2023 right before I left so I wanted to make sure my flight was refundable. Most flights booking Economy range from $600 – $1,000, which is much cheaper than I paid (with points). This flight was more expensive because it was refundable, it was during Memorial Day Weekend, fuels costs were high at the time, and they were prime flight times.
    • Base: ~$1,630.
    • Economy Plus Seat – Chicago/Houston: $102 (Reimbursed by AMEX Platinum Airline Credit).
    • Economy Plus Seat – Houston/Lima: $119 (Reimbursed by AMEX Hilton Honors Aspire Airline Credit).
    • Polaris Business Class – Lima/Houston: $500.
  • Lima to Cusco LATAM Airlines Flight – Round Trip: ~$300.
  • 4-Day Salkantay Trek: ~$650 total. So we purchased all of the extras in case we wanted them. We wanted to have the option to hike Huayna Picchu and take the Hidroelectrica train depending how we felt so we purchased them anyways. We ended up not using the Hidroelectrica train and hiked the 6 miles instead. The sleeping bag and walking poles were musts. The bus up to Machu Picchu and down to Aguas Calientes was definitely worth it.
    • Base: $460.
    • Huayna Picchu Ticket: $70.
    • Train Hidroelectrica – Aguas Calientes: $46.
    • Bus – Aguas Calientes: $33.
    • Sleeping Bag: $23.
    • Walking Poles: $18. 
  • Holiday Inn – Lima Airport – 2 Nights: $150 – $200/night. 
  • Hilton Garden Inn – Cusco – 3 Nights: $130 – $150/night. 
  • Peru is very cheap when compared to major cities like Chicago, New York City, and San Francisco in the United States. 

Packing:

I ended up packing more than usual due to the trek and changing weather. So I ended up bringing a personal item (my backpack for the trek), my Osprey carry on backpack, and my Travelpro checked bag. Once we got to Cusco and got the duffel bag, we transferred everything we needed for the 4 day trek to our daypacks and duffel bag. Then we left our luggage at our hotel in Cusco. 

Tips:

  • Don’t drink the tap water. Like Mexico, Dominican Republic, and other destinations, you need to stick to bottled water or filtered water through the tour agency. 
  • Get to Cusco as soon as possible to adjust to the altitude. We arrived in Cusco 1.5 days before the trek and I don’t think it was enough time to get adjusted to the altitude. You should probably allow at least 3 days. I didn’t have any headaches in Cusco, but I could feel myself breathing heavier. I ended up getting severe headaches while hiking and I think extremely strenuous activity initiated my headaches as that is common for me after long runs (8+ miles) for half marathon/marathon training. I ended up getting prescribed altitude sickness pills, but I never used them when reading into the side effects. Also, it takes time for your body to get used to the medication so you should take them a week leading up to the trip. 
  • Book a flight to Cusco earlier in the day: Even though there are a lot of flights using LATAM Airlines, many flights get cancelled due to the weather in Cusco. So to make sure your flight doesn’t get cancelled, I thought it was best to book earlier flights as it would be harder to get a flight late in the day due to demand. 
  • Leave your luggage at your hotel in Cusco: You can do this for free and it is very common to do so.
  • Bring toilet paper: Bathrooms don’t have toilet paper. Our tour operator ended up giving us a roll so we had an extra roll. Also, don’t flush the toilet paper! Throw away in the trash bin.  
  • You will want to be in shape for the Salkantay Trek: I ran a half marathon in April  before the trek and I was in shape from half marathon training. So I was fine. I didn’t know how my body would adapt with the altitude and I ended up having bad headaches, which made the trek tough for me. 
  • Use Walking Poles: I have only used walking poles once on my hike in the Narrows and these were a lifesaver for this trek! 
  • Coca Leaves: The altitude gave me severe headaches. The Coca Tea and Condor Pee helped me tremendously. Coca Tea has caffeine so make sure not to drink it before bedtime. But the Coca candy and chewing Coca leaves did not help me. I probably didn’t chew the Coca Leaves the correct way as I thought it was disgusting. The Coca Candy just wasn’t potent enough. I might try Sorojchi Pills next time. 
  • Wear layers of clothing due to the constant weather changes. 
  • In order to conserve battery life up in the mountains, put your phone on airplane mode. You won’t have any service, but it helps stop the background apps from running, which drains the battery life. My portable charger worked great too if I ever needed a charge. 
  • Cover your body: The mosquitos on the Salkantay Trail and at Machu Picchu are extremely bad. I never had an issue as I wore bug spray on my face/neck, long sleeve socks, pants, and long sleeve shirts the entire time. But some people in our group got bitten pretty badly from the mosquitos and we definitely had to bust out the Benadryl inch cream. 
  • Voltage: Electrical outlets are the same as the United States; however, they use 220 voltage, which is higher than the 120 voltage used in the United States. So you have to make sure that your electronics don’t overheat. 

Post Trip Summary

The Salkantay Trek was absolutely spectacular! I have no regrets in choosing the Salkantay Trek over the Inca Trail. Salkantay Trekking was great and our tour guide, Jesus “Chachi” was amazing! This is a hike that I am so glad that I did, but I will probably never do again. It was very challenging and worth it, which I loved, but the altitude definitely got the best of me. The headaches from the altitude were absolutely brutal for me. 

A guy in our tour group hiked the Inca Trail a week earlier and he basically said everything on the Salkantay Trek were a lot better. The accommodations were better, the views were better, and there were less mosquitos. So if you are up for a challenge with scenic views that is a less trafficked hike to Machu Picchu then the Salkantay Trek is the right choice for you!

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Tommy

Just a Millennial living in the real world...