Machu Pichu & Sacred Valley

In this step we are talking about two days of visiting archaeological sites around the city of Cusco. On January 19th we took an organized trip to the "Sacred Valley", this trip took us to various points of interest and included an excellent lunch. The next day we visited the famous Machu Picchu. We did this visit on our own, making reservations online, without intermediaries.

Machu Picchu... Unfortunately, I have to say that the site that is said to be the most important archaeological site in South America disappointed us. I could tell you a lot, but the price of the entrance ticket plus the three means of transport that must be taken from Cusco to the great Inca city is outrageous (approx. 150 USD/Person) for what you actually see. In addition, the hordes of tourists, the queues (transport plus entrance), the passport control 4 times (!) make the experience here something typical of mass tourism. Once in Machu Picchu, you just have to move along a predetermined route in the entrance ticket, you cannot see the site from all points of view. What I'm writing may seem absurd to you, but believe me, after seeing hundreds of archaeological sites in the 60 countries I've visited, I can definitely say that Machu Picchu is overrated and leaves you with a bitter impression of a great attraction degraded due to mass tourism.

Important note: on January 22nd we will start an organized trip (6 days) with a small group (7 people in total) to Manu National Park, in the Amazon basin. Internet access being limited, I will probably not be able to write messages on FindPenguins and Facebook. During our Amazonian trip our expedition camper, Nemo will remain in Camping Quinta Lala, Cusco.Læs mere