What to expect:  Days are full and often starting early and continuing until evening.  Days can have many hours in touring vans or long periods of standing and/or walking.  Walking can be difficult at times:  over uneven terrain, up hills, and stairs (often without handrails).  Many of the accommodations do not have elevators.

Appropriate for:  Travelers who are physically fit and comfortable with long days of travel and walking.

First day starts at 3:30pm with the welcome meeting.  The tour ends at the hotel checkout of the last day.

Small groups with one to two guides at a time.

Altitude sickness can occur at altitudes 8,000 ft or above.  Anyone can develop altitude sickness no matter how fit, healthy or young.  All travelers should research altitude sickness, so as to be aware of the symptoms and consult their physicians with any concerns they may have.

The cities visited on the tour have many restaurants to accommodate many diets.  Strict diets requiring strict separation of foods and special food handling cannot be guaranteed.  We can help to provide access to markets before the expeditions and provide small cooler bags for you to buy and bring your own food along.

All accommodations are carefully selected for location, charm, cleanliness and service.  Lodging varies based on location with the goal of three star accommodations.  Tour prices are based on double occupancy, but private rooms are available.  However, private rooms may not be at all tour itinerary locations.

The dramatically varied landscapes traversed by the tour and often neglected road conditions can lead to delays or itinerary changes, especially in inclement weather.  Boatseeing in Ballestas Islands and Lake Titicaca can be canceled due to weather, usually high winds and/or seas.  Flightseeing of the Nazca Lines can be canceled most often due to winds and/or decreased visibility.  The towns of the Sacred Valley including Machu Picchu can be closed, most often due to road or train track closures from landslides.  Demonstrations/protests can also lead to attraction and/or road closures.  We do our best to keep itineraries, and when modifications are required to make them so as not to miss any itinerary location or event.  However, some changes might be made, including last minute ones based on the assessments of the guides that may cause scheduled location stops to be modified or skipped entirely.

We pride ourselves on trying to maximize the comfort for travelers.  When possible we get far larger vans than required to allow more space for spreading out.

“Private” transportation includes ticketed transportation, such as for buses and trains.