Thoughts on Peru/Machu Picchu - Worth it?

I loved it, but then, Machu Picchu was a bucket list item for me. We also combined it with a trip to the Galapagos Islands and Quito. I haven't been to Belize, so I can't compare, but MP is spectacular not just for the ruins, but also for their setting. I would suggest also seeing the ruins at Ollantaytambo.

We didn't visit all of the places you mention, but did go to most of them. You can read my trip report here https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/peru-mini-trip-report if you're interested.

Like BB, MP is a life goal for me--but one I have not attained yet. If photos of the place have not inspired you, I can't imagine what would! They are much more vast than the Mayan ruins of Belize.
Lima is also a thoroughly modern city with an exciting food scene, so there's that too.

Loved Machu Picchu, sacred valley and Urubamba, Lima and Cusco, Ollantaytambo, and Pisac. If you go to Machu Picchu and don’t mind hiking up steep trails with no railings, try and reserve a walk up Waynapicchu. Its peak is 2,000 ft or so above Machu Picchu.

Photos from our Peru trip can be found on my website.

I loved Peru. We had a 3 week trip there. We took the train to MP then stayed overnight in Aguas Caliente at the fantastic Inkaterra. We didn’t spend much time in Lima, but enjoyed the Museo Larco.

Cusco was a great base for trips including Sacsayhuam for Inca history and the Sacred Valley. There are some great restaurants and things to see in Cusco itself including the cathedral. Percy our guide was the best guide that we have had.

I would go back there again in preference to most places in Europe. You have probably been to cathedrals in many cities, but still visit more, so why not ruins? They all bhave different histories.

Worth it? We haven’t made it yet, either, although Machu Picchu has been on the bucket list for over 25 years. Europe, and a bit of Africa, have remained the priorities.

As far as the “Worth It” part, a lot of people must think so. Back in the 1990’s Peru got fewer than a half-million tourists each year. It’s now got the fastest growing tourism in South America, with over 5 million visitors in 2019, just before the Pandemic. Your in-laws seem to be on to something, and if Europe’s not going to be feasible, this looks like an opportunity for you.

We did a wonderful four day tour of Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu in late March 2019. It was fantastic.

We found a great tour company PeruAgency.com and had a private tour for $799 pp that included hotel, guide, transportation, admissions and some meals. Our guides were university educated and super.

Machu Picchu was special, it ranks right up there in our memories. I have been to the pyramids north of Mexico City (Teoutichan SP?) as well as Chitchen Itza near Cancun and MP was way more impressive.

We were in our early 70s when we did it and while we are fit for our age, after the four days of climbing around on the hills at the high altitude, we were wiped out. Still, we loved it.

We had altitude sickness pills from our doctor. Highly recommend doing that.

Not sure of your age or fitness level, but I would not have wanted to hike up those trails for two days. We had a vehicle and guide and walked up the hills on the sites around Cusco, the Sacred Valley and MP, but NOT on those long trails.

Yes, worth it. Many combine this with the Galapagos. Prepare for many 5AM alarm clocks.

I did it many years ago independently - its still one of my highlights of travel over 40 years. Just do it.

The ruins are nothing like those of Central America - in fact they are unique as its a complete city. Probably closer to the feel of walking Pompeii or Angkor Wat - but with a much more spectacular setting than either of those.

We absolutely loved it! It is well worth it. The setting is beautiful. Cusco is at altitude so be prepared for that if you stay there.

Like some of the other folks, Machu Picchu was also on my bucket list. I went to Peru for 11 days in 2016, and it far exceeded my expectations. Along with spending a couple of nights in Machu Picchu town (Aguas Caliente), I spent time in Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Paracas. I had been to Belize and visited Mayan ruins. For me, those ruins were entirely different from Machu Picchu. I can't think of any way that I would compare them, actually.

I would definitely spend the money for the upgraded Hiram Bingham train if it's an option; it was money well spent. From the village of Aguas Caliente, if you walk up the river, you will come to the natural hot springs the town is named after. (I'm one who loves to find myself in hot water). I absolutely can recommend to skip the guinea pig, but do try the ceviche.

I don't know if Paracas is an option or something you and your travel companions have considered. It's a somewhat remote beach town, but a great location for seeing the Ballestas Islands (Perus version of the Galapagos), as well as the Nazca Lines. That was really a highlight for me as well.

In Lima, there's a really lovely park, Parque de Amor, which is very reminiscent of the Parque Guell in Barcelona. Absolutely worth a visit.

Please go and enjoy that beautiful country!!

Not been to Machu Picchu, but mainly because pre-covid, it had become one of the most over touristed places on earth, to the point it was destroying the place. The Peruvian government has taken steps to limit the number of visitors, but that usually means paying more money to a tour place to secure you a spot. Post-covid, not sure what the situation is, Peru had a tough time with covid. I guess I would suggest assessing the current situation, maybe the crowds have taken care of themselves, it would still be a great place to see, as long as it is in a sustainable way, and you are not just contributing to it's destruction.

I would encourage you to go if it is safe to do so, especially since you'll likely have smaller crowds as the tourism industry recovers (it can be very, very crowded). There are permits required for the hikes, so hopefully they're using an outfit that will take care of that for you. Machu Picchu was on my bucket list and it met my high expectations. I was with an organized tour and went twice - once in the late afternoon (less crowded) and again in the morning. I also really loved the other Sacred Valley sites and Cusco. (I provided a more detailed response in this post).

Re: the comment that the ruins will be too similar to things you've seen before - the same could be said of any city/church/historic site in Europe. Peru has a unique story and history worth seeing and learning about.

Thank you all for your thoughtful and informative responses! I very much appreciate all of the feedback and insight.

We've decided to pull the trigger and have booked our trip! We are very much looking forward to it.

One thing we want to do while there is a Humantay Lake full-day tour/hike. Does anyone have any good recommendations for such a tour?

We have the opportunity to go in July. I am unsure about the airlines and the flight between Cusco and Lima. Thoughts?
Also, we have a fear of heights, the tour takes us on Machu Picchu mountain. I read steep or sheer drop offs. True? If the group is doing that hike, is there something else we can do? Thanks in advance

Regarding flights from Lima to Cusco, we booked our flight one-way from the USA to Cusco, of course we changed planes in Lima. The Delta flight from Atlanta arrived very late in the evening, near Midnight and the flight to Cusco was not until the early morning, so we stayed at a nearby hotel (shuttle provided) for about 5 hours.

We had one -way tickets from Cusco, again through Lima to Santiago, Chile, where we stayed overnight before picking up land transport to our cruise ship (cruise was from Chile to San Diego).

The flights were just fine, don't remember the airline. Cost for RT Lima to Cusco was less than $200 pp.

You can tour the main citadel or hike to the Sun Gate vs doing the hike up the mountain. My husband doesn't like heights, so we didn't do the climb. We didn't feel like we missed out. The iconic view of the citadel is from the watchman's tower in the main site.

The hike to the Sun Gate has a few steep-ish drop off areas, but the path is pretty wide, so it isn't intimidating and doesn't feel dangerous. It didn't bother my husband.

Hi Ellen,
Our number One Tip for that part of Peru is to base yourself in Pisac town. It is convenient and will also give you proximity to a wide range of worthy daytrips. It also has a good weekly market. For us, it just had that 'je ne sais quoi' quality, a tone that 'worked' on several levels.
Good luck!
I am done. The end.

Now that you have booked the Peru trip (the right choice!) this may be too late, but if there's any risk of your changing you mind, I'll point out that I have made nine trips to Peru so far, and each trip was, as you wrote, "absolutely worth it." I have concentrated on less-touristed places (abundant in Peru), but I did visit the "Sacred Valley" (Cusco-Machu Picchu), and though this was an off-season month back in 2012, there was still a special quality to this area, deep in the Andes, that's difficult to define briefly, and that seemed easily to absorb the tourism, such as it was then. (While Belize, which you mentioned, is a fine country in itself, Peru is completely different in every way.)
Also, regarding the recommendation, farther above, for the "Park of Love" in Lima -- yes, it's a fine thing to see, and I've been there a few times myself; but there are so many more great things to see in Lima, I was a little amused that this would have been singled out!

fishmtc, I wasn't the one who mentioned, but I did visit the Love Park, because I had the extreme good fortune of staying in Víctor Delfín's home in Lima, so I wanted to see it, and thought it was well worth a look.

It is indeed worth visiting; that huge, odd "kiss statue" itself is worth pondering. But when listing the many attractions of Lima, I would give priority to the ancient sites and the museums.

We took an REI tour several years ago, Macchu Picchu was amazing. Went to some other sites too, ruins, salt mines. They did an amazing job. Not sure if they are doing international tours at the time.

One thing to keep in mind - we met our tour group in Cusco, which us at 11,000feet elevation. I got a bad case of altitude sickness and dehydration so missed the first day of the tour - ended up in a local clinic for a day, they took good care of me. Cost a tiny amount, can’t recall if it was something like $100 or $300. So be aware of altitude if you aren’t used to this.

Since we missed one day of touring we were able to hire a private guide to circle back to what we missed - very affordable as well.

Ellen, Sorry can't help with Lago Humantay. But I have a tip for Mapi.

Picture the range of possible hotels as a continuum. One can book in any of the inexpensive lodgings in that nearby village. One may also book atop in the $$$$$$$$$$$$$ crazy-expensive ripoff lodge. My tip is to book in the price range *between those 2 extremes @ the Inkaterra Pueblo Hotel. It is special on a number of levels. Upscale rooms with wonderful fireplaces. A substantial garden trail (apparently the world's largest private orchid collection) and a VG Gift Shop with the best-ever clothing item that we bought overseas, an alpaca scarf that we still use to this day.

I've saved the best for last. The genius who designed the hotel grounds layout, deliberately arranged to divert a series of streams so that they run nearby all the lodgings. That means a wonderful stereo (quad?) audio effect all night long. Hard to beat for romantic or 'unique'.
I am done. The end.