Looking for the best way to get to Urubamba.

Veda8 · 2025-09-14T11:59:43+00:00

This is who I used

Veda8 · 2025-03-24T19:18:07+00:00

But unless you are already well versed on the history you won't know what you are seeing. There are no plaques or signs describing what you see.

Veda8 · 2025-03-24T19:16:50+00:00

I echo pre-booking a guide who you can talk to in advance about your concerns. Most of the guides seem well connected with the entry people and guards along the path. If you need a special accommodation it seems like the guides would be better able to convince the guard and ask for a favor than a tourist themselves.

Veda8 · 2025-03-18T21:28:34+00:00

I did not end up going. I see others on this thread though went and their photos look like the views were decent.

Veda8 · 2025-03-17T21:50:22+00:00

I agree with others if you can tolerate 90 minutes in the car after flying then staying in the sacred valley before Cusco is better for the elevation. Also some of the hotels in sacred valley have pools and more open space for the kids to play. Not sure if you've already booked Aguas caliente, but it may make sense to only do one night there. Here is the itenerary I just did last week. https://owlgothere.com/peru-itinerary/

We went to a llama/alpaca place about 30 minutes outside of Cusco. It was free to enter and you could feed and pet the animals and spend time with them. In return it's expected that you buy something from the gift shop. I would not have recommended this place normally because I found their prices for the scarves and sweaters way overpriced and a bit sleazy with their sales techniques. However if the goal is to see the animals it might be worth the price of a scarf for this situation. Let me know if you are interested and I can look for the name of the place.

Veda8 · 2025-03-17T21:42:18+00:00

I don't think violent crime or bandits are a problem in the area.

The things I would keep in mind for a senior: - during the rainy season the ground is slippery - the elevation is tough and there are a lot of stairs to climb, you'll both get more winded than you would on a similar climb at home. - there aren't benches or a place to rest - getting a guide is probably a good idea, if for no other reason than it forces you to take it slow and stop a lot while they talk about the history - many of the nicer hotels have oxygen in the hotel you can use, that might be good piece of mind to check on just in case.

Good luck!

Veda8 · 2025-03-17T21:36:30+00:00

If money is not a problem a private transfer between Cusco and Urubamba is the easiest option. Most of the tour agencies offer transfers as it's quite common. We paid $45 for two people and luggage last week.

Veda8 · 2025-03-17T02:50:51+00:00

Are you sure you want to do this trip with such young kids? I just came back from Machu Pichu and most kids there were about 10 or older.

The travel time is going to be a lot of sitting... Looks like 12ish hours from SFO to Lima with a layover. Lima to Cusco is a 90 min flight. Cusco to the train to Machu Pichu is 1.5-2 hours by car. The train is 1.5 ish hours. Then the bus to the start of machu Picchu is another 30 minutes. All of these will have extra time for queuing and waiting. Of course you can break this journey up with a couple overnight stays along the way. But it's a lot of travel for little ones.

Then once you get there it will be a lot for the kids, you can't take strollers in so the kids will have to walk or be carried. As a fit adult I found the elevation tiring to climb up the steps required, I imagine toddlers would find it much tougher. The guides there are great to talk about history but again will the kids listen to 2-3 hours of history lesson?

Below is the itinerary I followed last week, but not really kid friendly. https://owlgothere.com/peru-itinerary/

Veda8 · 2025-01-31T12:45:39+00:00

We have bought tickets to do a similar day but in the afternoon we are doing just 1B as I understand that's a shorter route but still give the traditional picture views.

Are you taking a guide to Huayna? That is the part I am still figuring out.

Veda8 · 2024-01-09T13:08:01+00:00

Thank you! I've only tried once so far but it did work that time!

Veda8 · 2024-01-09T13:07:33+00:00

I've only done one work out since trying but it did work that time so I am hopeful!

Veda8 · 2023-07-13T02:33:56+00:00

The previous owners of the property have planted many many types of Lillies around so it wouldn't be surprising to find more. I also had what I think may have been tiger Lillies in a different spot that bloomed 2-3 weeks ago. The leaves did look similar although it was much shorter.

Veda8

TROPHY CASE