Overnight Tour of Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu

--On the day that I booked this tour about a year before the actual trip on November 11, I requested the permit to also climb Wayna Picchu as per the instructions that was to be the highlight of this trip for me. For one year I tried to obtain a confirmation that this permit had been obtained for me, but could never get a positive answer from the local company and Viator's Customer Service was little or no help. --The local company sent me an email on November 7 to request passport information from me, but I left on my trip on October 30 and was unable to access my email for some reason from South America. They had had an entire year to get this information. --When I arrived at my hostel on November 10, Fernando the manager told me that my tour company had been trying to reach me, so Fernando called them and arranged a meeting in the town square. The person I met requested my passport information and told me he would pick me up in the town square the next morning, although the tour information said that they would pick me up at the hotel. Your hotel is not close enough to the town square. That should have been explained in the tour information. He had no idea if I had my permit to climb Wayna Picchu...said probably not. There was no information that was explained that evening that could not have been given over the phone. --He was 45 minutes late the next morning picking me up. --I was dropped off at a tour bus and given the name of a woman who would find me on the bus. The tour guide on that bus, Adrel, was WONDERFUL! Very informative and interesting. The bus was comfortable. The lunch provided was excellent. -As the bus headed for the train station, I seemed to be the only person with no train ticket or any information for the rest of my tour. Just before we reached the train station, a woman flagged our bus down, got on the bus, and called my name. She gave me a train ticket, the name of my tour guide on the next leg, and the name of my hostel in Aguas Calientes. She also had no idea if I would be allowed to climb Wayna Picchu. Then she got off the bus and I was again on my own. -When I got off the train, a woman had a sign with my name on it, so I followed her to the hostel and collapsed there, again not knowing what would come next. -Later that evening, there was a knock at my door and the clerk said my guide was in the lobby. He gave me my bus tickets to and from Machu Picchu and my entrance ticket to Machu Picchu. He told me I should eat breakfast at 5am, catch the 6am bus, and meet him at the front gate between 9:30 and 10:30am for my guided tour of Machu Picchu...after I climbed Wayna Picchu. I didn't find out until the night before that I would be able to make the climb!!! -I was in the 7-8am climbing group and I told my guide that I would not be able to return by 10:30, but I said that he would only wait until 10:30. He said I should have no trouble getting up and back by then. I am 63 years old, out-of-shape, and not used to high altitudes. Of course I didn't make it back. I asked one of the guides MANY other people had guides that took them up the mountain to call my guide to let him know. So, I did not get my guided tour of Machu Picchu. -When I took the train back to Ollantaytambo, I looked for someone with my name on a sign, but there was no one. I was left standing by myself at 9:30 at night, unable to speak Spanish, without enough money to take a taxi back to Cuzco because my tour company--Tierras Vivas--forgot to pick me up. A taxi driver who spoke English called the phone number I had for Tierras Viivas and a small child answered. I called Fernando at my hostel and he said he would try to reach the tour company by another number. We finally reached the man who had met me in Cuzco and he agreed to pay the taxi. -When we reached Cuzco, the man from Tierras Vivas came cheerily to the taxi and asked me how I enjoyed the tour and informed me that climbing Wayna Picchu would be an additional 15. At my stony silent glare, he immediately said, Of course, we will not ask you to pay that, and quickly went back to his house. I did have wonderful moments on this tour, but I paid Viator a LOT of money to arrange a GUIDED TWO-DAY TOUR, and half the time I had no idea what would come next and at the end, I was abandoned by them. We are planning an extended European tour in 2018 and had planned to use Viator for a number of tours on this trip, but after the Machu Picchu experience, I think I will reconsider.

Overall this was a great tour. The hotel arranged in Agua Caliente was terrible. Viator needs to offer a choice. Also, they was no clear explanation by the local tour company on how to use the Voucher. We did not bring it and had to pay for the bus to Machu Picchu plus the tour guide left us behind. We very very upset and lost time at Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu experience was wonderful. Hotel had issues with hot water.

ME ENCANTÓ, TIENEN UN EQUIPO MUY ORGANIZADO Y APRENDIMOS MUCHO. SIEMPRE NOS MANTUVIERON INFORMADAS Y NO NOS TUVIMOS QUE PREOCUPAR POR TRANSPORTACIÓN, ALMUERZOS, NI HOSPEDAJES. GRACIAS Y UN SALUDO DESDE PUERTO RICO. I loved it, they have a very organized team and we learned a lot. Always they kept us informed and we don't had to worry about transportation, lunch and hotel. THANK YOU! BEST REGARDS FROM PUERTO RICO.