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| - I've wanted to go to Peru and see Machu Picchu for quite some time. I didn't want to go by myself, so I decided to book a trip to go along with a tour group. There are so many options for tours in South America that I was initially very overwhelmed. After researching a bunch of companies that offered tours, I chose to go with G Adventures because of one thing.... their website (I know, that's not very logical).
G Adventures offers a variety of different tour types. They have classic tours, active tours, family tours, volunteer tours, and a few other types. Each tour has a different level of service (basic, standard, comfort, and superior). Each tour also has a physical rating. The ratings go from 1 to 5 with 5 being the most active and physically demanding. Some tours have guaranteed departure dates while others need a certain amount of people before they can be confirmed. What about food? Some tours include all food, while others include no food. The tour I chose did not include meals. On the tour description, there is an estimated cost displayed for tours that do not provide meals. Information abut the types of overnight accommodations and types of transportation are also given on the tour descriptions (along with a detailed itinerary).
I decided on the "Machu Picchu Adventure" tour. After purchasing online, I was put in contact with a G Adventures employee (they are called Chief Experience Officers or CEOs) through email. This was to confirm payment and get information required for the trip (passport info, medical, trip insurance, contact info, etc). It took about 4 days to completely confirm the trip. I had no problems with the booking process and the CEO was available by phone for a few random questions I had. If you're traveling alone, then you will share a room with another person. If you would rather stay alone, there are "My Own Room" options on some tours that allow you to have you your own room. I got lucky since a few other people on the tour booked their own room, so I also got to have my own room. Thanks guys!
Upon arriving at your destination city, you are on your own to make it to your departing hotel, unless you purchase an airport transfer beforehand. For the "Machu Picchu Adventure" tour, the first day of the tour only consisted of a group meal and introduction. My flight got in very late so I missed the introduction, but there was information posted in the hotel lobby about the schedule for the morning. Everything at the hotel was already set, so I just had to give my name and picture ID to the front desk, and was given my room. Similarly, for the flight we had in the morning, I just had to show my passport to receive my boarding pass. International flights are not included in the price, but flights during the tour are included.
Beyond having all transportation and lodging taken care of by G Adventures, the other important thing was the tour guide. There is no way to know who your guide will be or if they will be an awful (or good) guide. I think our group had the perfect tour guide. Knowledgeable about everything and one of the nicest people I've ever met. I've read some people's experiences with tours and many say that their tour guide were awful. I guess I got lucky because an awful guide would have ruined the trip. The different tours all have estimated tour group sizes. The average size is 10 people, but some tours can have as many as 15+ people. My tour group was 10 people, with ages in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s.
There was only one minor annoyance with the tour. On arrival back to Lima, our driver for the airport to hotel transfer took us to the wrong hotel. By the time we realized we were at the wrong hotel, the driver was no where to be found. The hotel front desk staff helped us to contact G Adventures, and we eventually were transferred to the correct hotel. If you are going to book a tour, make sure you carefully read the itinerary. The first and last day seem to consist of nothing so the trip may not be as long as you think it is. Also, some trips look like they involve lots of all day traveling, so there may be some wasted days counted in the total number of days. Beyond that, I'd recommend G Adventures, but getting a good guide may be all about luck.
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