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[strawberryk]

Hiya,

I'm planning on visiting Peru for about 2 weeks in October. I'm thinking of doing a tour, prefferably a backpacker type. Anyone have any suggestions?

[starlagurl]

Don't do a tour!

But if you have to, check out Gap Adventures, my friend worked for them in El Salvador and they were "alright".

[strawberryk]

aw bummer...that was the company I was looking at..but wanted to hear some reviews first and if it was worth that much $$ ..I'm fine doing it all on my own but I've had some fantastic experiences with a few tours and made life long friends from them...
We'll see..still got some time to think about it.

[mmbcross]

As Starlagurl says, better to do it yourself. You can always purchase tours for considerably less when you arrive in Peru either in Lima or Cuzco.

Nevertheless if you feel better with a tour, look at Intrepid too
http://www.intrepidtravel.com/search/trips

If you know what you want to do, you might want to contact the Peruvian Tourist Board:
http://www.peru.info/

You could also skim Peru's English language blogsite
http://www.livinginperu.com/

Buena suerte

[mmbcross]

Of course. Generally there are always tours available, with the exception of Inca Trail, which is booked up months in advance. Nevertheless there are always other mountain hikes available if you are into this type of thing.

Shop around for tours. There are plenty of touts attracting you to their agencies. Ask around. Check our own site. By all means haggle the price.
http://www.travelpod.com/s/tours+in+cuzco

We took a horseback ride of the surrounding ruins. Something well worth looking into.

There is also a little tram that does a very inexpensive circular tour around Cuzco. Excellent as an orientation.

There are many options to Machu Picchu now, and trains run all day. By all means at least have a one-night stay at Aguas Calientes, the little village at the base of the ruins. Then get up to the site on one of the early morning buses. You will virtually have it all to yourselves. Make sure you buy your national park entry ticket before you get on the bus.

[sammybl]

[I just got back from a vacation in Peru. If you want to book for a Peru Tour Package I suggest that you book with the company Inka Fest. I went with them and I can't say enough good things about them. I didnt find much about the on the web before I booked them though and I could not have been happier about my decision. The guides were the best, friendly people and knowledgeable, the hotels were treated very well. Well spoken in English. Overall I would say that Inka Fest is highly recommended to anyone…

[abtastic]

You probably already went, but just in case anyone else reads this, I know a few people who have traveled with Karikuy Tours (http://www.karikuy.com) and found them to be reasonably priced and a good experience! Hope that helps!

[henryb77]

My friend had a bad experience booking a tour in Peru, Cusco by himself he got ripoff because he found a "cheap" travel agency aroun the square and his tour was completely horrible to Machu pichu because they promised him that everything was included but once he got to aguas calientes (10 min far from Machupichu) the guide didnt have his tickets neither bus and hotel was horrible..
Seriously guys be carefull , i went to Peru with a recomendation of my dutch friend www.mijnbestemmingperu.nl , they arranged everything and was very good.
you can book your tours when you arrive to Peru but for myself , i dont wanna rush or worry if the tour operator is trustful or not, i prefer to relay on a good company and stop worrying all the time..

good luck

[mmbcross]

As I mentioned some messages before:

Shop around for tours. There are plenty of touts attracting you to their agencies. Ask around. Check our own site. By all means haggle the price.
http://www.travelpod.com/s/tours+in+cuzco

As always with local sales anywhere...buyer beware. That shows the value of some prior research through Travelpod or Trip Advisor.