How to Plan for Peru and Find the Right Tour Package
Peru is without a doubt one of the world’s up-and-coming travel destinations. Its dynamic economy and current prosperity have helped bring it to the forefront of the world’s travel scene. No longer plagued by the civil war of the 80s Peru is re-branding itself as the new hub of Latin America. Your decision to visit this beautiful country was probably an easy one, finding the right tour package is a little more complicated.
When looking for the right Peru tour package there are a couple of things to consider. The first and probably most important is price. Don’t skimp out on tours in Peru, you do get what you pay for. For example, Inca Trail tour operators offering a price of $100 to $300 for the four-day trek are giving you another tour, probably an alternative trek such as the Jungle Inca Trail which is not hiked on the original historic Inca Trail.
If you want quality considers the price. If you are a budget-conscious traveler and don’t want to fork over $500 to $700 for one of the more well-known tour operators then have a look at what Peruvians are buying and at what price. Visit some websites from tour operators that cater to Peruvians and Latin Americans for an average price for a Peru tour package.
Another factor when planning your tour package to Peru is time. How much time you have in Peru determines how much of the country you are going to see. I recommend a minimum of 7 days for the essential, however, 2 weeks is best. Make sure you plan your route by land and hop from the city to the nearby city to save time and money.
I recommend the Southern Circuit Tour that goes from Lima to Ica and Paracas then on to Nazca to visit the Nazca lines and from there Arequipa, Lake Titicaca, and finally Cusco and Machu Picchu. This Peru tour package would have you only need to take a one-way return flight to Lima, thus saving you about $150. The Southern Circuit tour needs a minimum of 9 days but can take less if you take out Nazca or Puno and Lake Titicaca.
If your thinking about the DIY route and you want to save money and are short on time then I would recommend booking a tour package of Peru with a tour agency. This way you have fewer things that can go wrong as your trip is planned out with schedules. A lot of travelers think they can save money on the do-it-yourself route, however, in my experiences, I have seen the contrary.
First of all, if you are not fluent in the language you are going to get higher prices from vendors on things such as souvenirs, taxis, lodging, and even food especially if the vendor does not have his/her prices posted. Arriving at a destination you will miss out on the best lodging at the best prices as those are often booked in advance by other travelers, you’ll pay more for nothing.
In 2011 hundreds of travelers were left outside the gates of Machu Picchu simply because they had not purchased their admission to Machu Picchu in advance. Don’t let this be you.
Besides saving money most importantly you want to make the most out of your time, a poorly planned trip will leave you wasting time, waiting for worn-down buses because you didn’t know which companies were better. Not knowing what time the group tours depart from cities like Arequipa and Cusco will leave you having to wait until the next day, you could book a private tour of course but at almost four times the price. These are all things a tour agency can plan for you to give you a smooth and stress-free tour package of Peru.
In conclusion book a Peru Tour Package with a travel agency where the prices are average, not too low, and not embarrassingly high. You’ll be amazed to find that the majority of the very expensive tour companies use the same tour operators that the average tour agency in Peru uses, the only difference is they are making huge profits and taking your money.
