Anonymous wrote:We used an agency back in 2010. The altitude at Cusco made me feel like I had the flu the first night. I personally could not have done the Inca trail hike due to fear of heights. I had feelings of vertigo a number of times just walking around Macchu Pacchu.

The altitude in Cusco is tough, but Macchu Picchu is a bit lower and felt better. Lake Titicaca is even higher, though; that's where I had real altitude sickness.

I planned our trip on my own. We did Machu Picchu and then went to the Tambopata region to spend a few days in the jungle. It took time to research but wasn't difficult to plan. We took the train, we didn't hike to MP.

We used an agency back in 2010. The altitude at Cusco made me feel like I had the flu the first night. I personally could not have done the Inca trail hike due to fear of heights. I had feelings of vertigo a number of times just walking around Macchu Pacchu.

We did it on our own, Thanksgiving 2022.

Unfortunately there was a train strike )election related?) that hit the day we were supposed to take the train up from Cusco. Thankfully we had more time than we needed in the area and we were able to move things around. My Spanish skills were tested as we found ourselves in a number of govt buildings trying to sort out the train and our MP passes.

It all worked out, but I can see how a travel agent would have been ideal to lean on. If could swing it, I would use Belmond.

Anonymous wrote:I hiked Machu Pichu and thought it was overrated.

What was way more fascinating was to go to Amazon Basin from Peru or Bolivia. It was amazing to swim with pink river dolphins, fish for piranhas, go in marshy swamps in a boat with guides to catch anacondas, see caiman (type of crocodiles), capybaras, etc. That was truly amazing.

How do you do that, like where did you stay?