Of course the entire trip was planned around going to Machu Picchu. It turned out just as spectacular as we imagined. The best advice I can give anyone planning this trip is to stay at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge which is just outside the doors of Machu Picchu and provides a great base to explore. I would also recommend securing multiple admissions to visit. We visited initially with our guide and then 3 separate times the next day including our ascent of Huayna Picchu. The first time it was covered in clouds. On another visit we had some blue skies. On our last visit we got to see a rainbow.
After afternoon tea we took the bus down the long windy road into Aguas Calinetes. We walked to our new hotel, the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel which is one of National Geographic’s Unique Lodges. We were again upgraded into one of their nicest rooms and received welcome chocolates at the third straight hotel. Our room again had a fireplace and an outdoor hot tub.
The grounds were beautiful with lots of plants and bird life. There was also a nice waterfall and a rock with petroglyphs. What it is best known for is having the world’s largest native orchid collection with 372 registered species. We took a guided nature tour and visited the spectacled bear sanctuary which were both informative and interesting.
The next evening we took the Belmond Hiram Bingham train back towards Cusco.
Our final night in Peru we stayed at the Belmond Monestario Hotel in Cusco which is a former monestary. It is a beautiful hotel with great architecture, nice artwork, a chapel, and a 330 year old Andean Cedar tree.
We toured Cusco that morning and then had to say goodbye to our guide and Peru and after one more meal, head back to home.
