The best time to hit the water is during the rainy season, from late August to November. At this time of year, the rivers are swollen and fast flowing, offering a bigger variety of options for all levels.

White water rafting on the Pacuare River, Costa Rica

One of Costa Rica’s most popular rafting spots is the Pacuare River, widely recognized as one of the top rafting rivers in the world thanks to a perfect combination of jaw-droppingly beautiful natural scenery and fast-flowing waters.

The waters are warm, the cascades are stunning and the river meanders through the dense tropical Costa Rican rainforest, surrounded by a huge diversity of wildlife. The river is generally Class III to IV, which means unpredictable waves, narrow waterways and long patches of white water, getting wet out here is a certainty!

Exploring the Pacuare River is all the more enjoyable on rafting trips departing from the Rio Tropicales Lodge, who has partnered with Costa Rica For Less to offer an adventurer’s dream trip; rafting down whitewater rapids, zip lining through the tree tops, and exploring deep into the jungle to get up close and personal with the rainforest’s countless inhabitants.

The lodge, built from ecologically sourced local materials, is set amid a large reserve of tropical gardens and untouched jungle, complete with swaying hammocks and viewing platforms from which the local colony of toucans can be spotted. A vast network of trails are perfect for exploring, while a series of freshwater pools stemming from the Pacuare River itself allow blissful and relaxing bathing.

Costa Rica For Less’ exclusive Rafting Odyssey travel deal allows visitors to arrive at this splendid lodge by raft, spend two full days exploring the rainforest reserve before leaving for another full day on the water. Visit the Costa Rica For Less site for more information.

Free travel insurance now offered by Latin America For Less

The campaign has been launched to protect travelers from some of the rare complications that may occur during an international trip. Even minor flight delays and missed transfers can have a financial impact and cause unnecessary hassle. On the other end of the spectrum, natural disasters and severe weather can disrupt an entire vacation.

The Go Covered! campaign provides another layer of security for Latin America For Less’ clients and ensures that, in the unlikely event that something does go wrong, the financial cost and inconvenience will be minimal.

Over the first half of 2010, many of Latin America For Less’ clients were affected by unforeseeable situations and events, such as flooding near Machu Picchu, an earthquake in Chile and the European ash cloud that grounded international flights for a week.

In each instance, clients who had booked their vacation without travel insurance found themselves dealing with significant financial costs, as well as the challenge of rearranging their travel plans.

According to Richard Leon, Director at Latin America For Less, travelers who don’t take insurance to cover their trip are leaving themselves open to unnecessary risks: “It’s not only rare natural disasters and extreme weather that pose a problem to peoples’ trips. Smaller events like delays or minor health problems can also have a financial impact.

“If anything goes wrong during our clients’ trips, we always do everything in our power to help rectify the problem but the client is financially responsible for their unforeseen costs. With our free travel insurance campaign, travelers will be able to claim a reimbursement should anything go wrong during their vacation.

“Go Covered! is just the latest step in our mission of offering the best quality, most reliable and highest value travel services to our clients.”

Two policies are being offered for free as part of Latin America For Less’ Go Covered! campaign: The Picture Perfect policy covers all travelers up to 49 years old and includes full coverage, including trip cancelation and health insurance. The Single Trip Lite policy is valid for 50-69 year olds and provides cancelation coverage.

The offer is valid for clients choosing to pay for their trip via Direct Debit, wire transfer or check.

Coverage is provided by the insurer iTravelInsured and Latin America For Less is not responsible for the contents of any policy, or the nature coverage provided.

For more details, view the Go Covered! page online.

Many people are unaware that in Peru there were a great many civilizations that pre-dated the Inca. Northern Peru was once the center of several mighty civilizations including the Sipán, Moche, and Chimu.

The ancient site of Chan Chan, near the city of Trujillo, Peru

Human remains have been found in the area that date back nearly 5,000 years – easily competing with many ancient sites of the ‘Old World’. Visitors to northern Peru can explore pyramids, wander around colonial cities, observe local rural lifestyles and enjoy the numerous awe-inspiring archaeological findings at local museums and ruins.

What makes these societies so mystical and wondrous is that not much is known about them; they used no form of writing to record their history – leaving their only messages through works of art and ceramics.

Archaeologists have to interpret what they find in order to piece together a story that is yearning to be told. There are numerous ruins, monuments and museums that piece together that story, for visitors and locals. However, just seeing the ancient sights makes you appreciate the complexity and organization of these cultures that existed before ours.

First time visitors should start their trip in the town of Trujillo, which is Peru’s third biggest city. Visitors can relax enjoying the cities colonial architectural heritage and take advantage of being close to a number of archaeological sites.

Nearby are the Temples of the Sun and Moon. The temples are two huge adobe brick buildings with a large flat area that was probably used for a town market.

The Temple of the Sun is the largest but sadly some of it was washed away due to looters as they deliberately diverted a river to try to find hidden gold. It is thought that this area was the former capital of the Moche civilization.

Also near to Trujillo is the site of Chan Chan, one of the most important archaeological sites in Peru. Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimu civilization, before their conquest by the Incas. It was the largest pre-Columbian city in South America; covering an area of over 20 km.

Visitors marvel at the wondrous art carved onto the city walls; decoration that is clearly visible throughout the site. Chan Chan is a marvelous adobe city that transports you back in time to a civilization and culture that has been lost.

On leaving Trujillo visitors should head to the coastal city of Chiclayo. The city is home to the Lord of Sipán exhibition at the Royal Tombs Museum. The Lord of Sipán was one of Peru’s most spectacular recent discoveries.

Totora reed boats, used by Peruvian coastal people for millenia

Found in 1987, the tomb was uncovered fully intact, which is what makes it such an important discovery that allowed archeologists to gain a better insight into the workings of the Moche people. Lambeque is also home to the National Archaeological and Anthropological Museum, the museum’s four stories house one of the best collections of gold, silver, and copper objects from the several cultures that flourished in the region over previous millennia.

Chiclayo is also near to the ‘Valley of the Pyramids’. Tucume, as it is known to locals, is a huge complex that includes 26 large adobe pyramids that were built by the Sicán civilization in about 1000AD. The valley area was probably a regional centre of power and the valley contains a range of structures and pyramids that could have been used for a range of purposes.

In 2008 a new discovery was announced in just North of modern Chiclayo, Cerro Pátapo ruins are the ruins of the Wari culture. What is most remarkable is that it was thought the Wari only lived in the south, yet discovery here has had to change that perspective.

These are just a few of the many gems that exist in northern Peru, with new discoveries made frequently. Archaeologists are slowly learning, piecing together bits information to tell us the story of these great civilizations.

Chiclayo is known as the ‘City of Friendship’ due to its reputation as the most welcoming place in Peru. The city mixes its colonial heritage with the modern and diverse, to provide a stimulating choice of places to eat, sleep and drink.

One of the many fine Trujillo hotels offered by Peru For Less

There are a number of different great hotels for visitors to the city.

The city is centered on the Plaza de Armas and Paseo las Musas with a number of hotels located around that area.

The four star Gran Hotel Chiclayo is strategically located just five minutes from the centre and only 10 minutes from the airport. The luxury hotel has all that a traveler could want. Best of all, when not out seeing the historical sites of the city you can lounge by the pool, surrounded by corpulent palm trees, and soak in the tropical sun.

An alternative to this could be the Hotel Casa de Luna, another luxury hotel with spa facilities. The hotel is modern and chic, with large rooms and a restaurant with a view over the city.

A recommended hotel for more budget-conscious visitors to Chiclayo is the three star Hotel Las Musas. Located next to the grand Paseo las Musas plaza, it is a pleasant hotel that offers good value for money along with some small luxuries. The hotel has been recently renovated; with all the rooms having a nice large bathtub, which is a great after a long day on your feet exploring the sights!

The city of Trujillo, like Chiclayo, is receiving more and more visitors due to the increased popularity and awareness of the archaeological wonders that exist in the region.

There are a full range of hotels for visitors, from budget to luxury. The three star Hotel Gran Bolivar is just four blocks from the main square and features all the luxuries of a good hotel; Wi-Fi internet across the whole hotel, suite rooms feature a Jacuzzi and the hotel has a gym.

Other hotels at this level include the Las Palmeras that looks more like a resort with a large pool area as well as the Los Conquistadores, a rustic comfortable hotel only half a block from the main square.
The four star El Gran Marques Hotel & Spa is close to the city’s main square, making it an ideal base to go and the explore the cities many sites. The hotel has 50 comfortably furnished rooms along with a range of modern amenities. The hotel also features a spa, the ideal way to relax after a day in the city.

One of the finest Trujillo hotels is the Hotel Libertador Plaza Mayor Trujillo, located in the main square of the city, offers you all the advantages of staying at the best hotel in town. Its central location makes travelling around easy and the English speaking hotel staff are more than help you with any questions you might have.

Whichever hotel you choose, your trip to Chiclayo and Trujillo are bound to leave you with happy Peru travel memories.

Reaching Lima, the capital of Peru as well as many other popular destinations in South America just keeps on getting easier. A number of international airlines offer direct routes and the choice has got wider as LAN airlines has announced a new set or routes direct from the US, along with a number of promotional fares.

LAN, who is partnered with American Airlines, is now the only airline offering direct flights from San Francisco. The new route starts on the 1 July 2010 and will offer four flights per week. Along with other direct flights available from New York, Miami and Los Angeles – getting to South America just keeps getting easier.

For travelers hoping to see as much as South America in short space of time, LAN has also announced a direct flight from Cusco to Iguazu in Argentina to compliment its other regional routes; allowing you to make the most out of your time in this stunning continent and see more of the world famous sites that are located here.

If travelling from Europe, a number of national airlines have direct flights to the South America including KLM and British Airways. Major cities in the region such as Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Bogota, Santiago and Lima operate as airport hubs, offering easy direct onward connections to other airports in the region.

See a previous blog article on advice as to how to get the cheapest fares.

For further information on the new flights, see the LAN Peru website: www.lan.com.

Soon to open... Machu Picchu

Peru For Less, along with our partners at Peru Rail and the Peruvian tourism authorities, are delighted to announce the much anticipated reopening of Machu Picchu.

Confirmation has been received that rail access to the base town of Aguas Calientes is due to be restored by 29 March, with the site itself being reopened on 1 April.

Following flooding earlier this year, engineers have repaired vital sections of train line, meaning that access is now possible by bus from Cusco or Ollantaytambo to Piscacucho, followed by train to Aguas Calientes.

A number of temporary measures remain in place: certain classes of train are restricted for weight reasons, meaning that only 5 Vistadome train services can run per day.

For this reason, Peru For Less is advising travelers to consider traveling from 5 April onwards. We are also pointing out that due to the limited availability of seats, not all first choice of schedules can be guaranteed.

Peru For Less is advising clients that the final section of road between Ollantaytambo and Piscacucho is unpaved and rough, although has been declared safe for use.

Peru Rail is operating the bus connections and is transferring all prior rail tickets to the new bus service. The company expects to have restored normal rail access by July.

Although Peru For Less is confident in these plans to restore access to Machu Picchu, we are keen to highlight the importance of purchasing travel insurance to cover any changes or cancellations to travel plans.

The following information should help clients with their travel plans. For any additional questions, please contact a Travel Advisor on travel@peruforless.com or 1-817-230-4971

Map

Peru Rail Route from Cusco to Machu Picchu

Schedules

Cusco to Machu Picchu Tempoary Schedule - Valid From March 29th to April 30th 2010

Machu Picchu to Cusco Tempoary Schedule - Valid From March 29th to April 30th 2010

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the roads that we will use to reach the train safe?

The road from Cusco to Ollantaytambo is a paved, well-maintained and scenic road that is perfectly comfortable and safe to use.

The road from Ollantaytambo to Piscacucho is unpaved and therefore a bumpier, less comfortable ride, but is also declared safe to use.

How long will it take to reach Machu Picchu this way?

According to the temporary schedule (see above), a transport leaving Cusco at 6am will arrive at Aguas Calientes by 9:31am.

Will this travel arrangement shorten our time in Machu Picchu?

Unfortunately, yes. Availability of seats is out of Peru For Less’ control, but we will do our best to secure our clients the best and most convenient tickets. For those who want to make the most of their visit, it’s possible to book an extra day in Machu Picchu. Please talk to your travel advisor for further details.

Please note that all information is provided by Peru Rail and the Peruvian authorities, and remains subject to change. Peru For Less endeavors to provide accurate and up-to-the-minute information but cannot be held responsible for information changes beyond our control. This page will be updated with new information as it becomes available.

Our team of travel specialists has created five tours, which visit destinations as varied as the pristine beaches of Costa Rica, Peru’s mountaintop citadel of Machu Picchu, and the thriving cosmopolitan vibes of Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires.

Margot Russell, the Tour Director for Latin America For Less' range of Escorted Tours

Each tour is personally accompanied by our highly qualified US-based Tour Director, Margot Russell. Margot, a certified tour guide, has years of travel experience in Latin America, speaks fluent Spanish and likes nothing more than introducing new groups to the wonders that are hidden within each of these exciting destinations.

In addition to Margot’s companionship all the way from arrival to departure, escorted tour groups join expert guides at each destination to enjoy a personal tour of these fascinating places.

Latin America For Less’ range of escorted tours have been crafted to provide the highest possible quality at the best possible value, with guests enjoying the best hotels and the finest personal service.

One additional benefit of participating in an escorted tour is the enjoyment of touring with a small group of likeminded fellow travelers, allowing guests to share their experiences with their traveling companions.

The five new tours include:

Inca Mystery Luxury Tour: Eight days traveling from Lima, to Cusco, to the Sacred Valley before visiting the world famous Machu Picchu, all from the comfort of the best 5 star hotels.

Inca Mystery Deluxe Tour: Enjoying the same itinerary and staying in the highest value 4 star hotels.

Wonder of the Andes: Ten days starting in Lima, before heading to the Nazca Lines, then on to Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and finishing at the glorious Lake Titicaca before returning to Lima.

Costa Rica Highlights: Nine days touring the best that Costa Rica has to offer: San Jose, Tortuguero National Park, Arenal Volcano and Monteverde Cloud Forest.

Wonders of South America: An epic eleven day adventure from Rio de Janeiro to the thundering Iguazu Falls, to Buenos Aires before heading on to Cusco and the Sacred Valley, exploring Machu Picchu before finishing in Lima.

Latin America For Less has announced a number of departure dates for its escorted tours, which can be found, with plenty of additional information on the escorted tours webpage.

The Sun Shines Over Peru's Glorious Lake Titicaca. Photograph: Matthew Barker 2009

The lake, the largest in South America and one of the highest navigable bodies of water on Earth, plays a central role in the mythical traditions of ancient Andean civilization. The Inca based the legend of their very creation on this inland ocean. It was from these waters that Viracoca, the God of Creation, emerged to create the sun and the moon, as well as mankind, and it was from here that the Inca began their long conquest of the Andes.

Stepping into this ethereal, high altitude world, where even the sunlight seems to shine with an unreal glow, it’s easy to see why ancient civilizations attached such importance to the lake. Not only is Lake Titicaca overwhelmingly beautiful, it’s also an abundant cradle of life, an environment that has sustained numerous tides of civilization over its long history.

Lake Titicaca today is an enormously popular Peru travel destination, drawing a steady stream of visitors year round. Using the city of Puno as a convenient base, it’s easy to discover some of the enchanting islands that make the lake such a unique place:

Uros

The artificial islands of Uros are one of the most unusual and interesting aspects of the lake. For centuries the Uros people have lived on these man-made floating islands, built entirely from the Tortuga reeds which grow in Titicaca in such abundance.

Originally built as an ingenious solution to aggression from the neighboring Aymara tribes, the islands provide a self-contained refuge with everything the Uros need to survive. Youngsters search for bird’s eggs within the reed forests, the men hunt and fish, while the women use the reeds to construct virtually anything, from the islands and houses themselves to impressive double-story boats capable of holding a dozen people.

The islanders are hospitable and welcoming to visitors. During your tour you will be able to meet community members who are happy to describe their unique way of life and show you round their island. It’s even possible to stay overnight in a small hostel, although most travelers prefer to move on to more comfortable accommodations elsewhere.

The Floating Islands of Uros on Peru's Lake Titicaca. Photograph: Matthew Barker 2010

Taquile

Compared to Uros, the island of Taquile is a metropolis, albeit one with no roads, cars and only intermittent electricity. All the same, the island is home to several thousand residents and is famed for its rich weaving and textile traditions. Islanders are famed for their extravagant clothing, with colorfully embroidered waistcoats, blouses and billowing skirts a common sight, as well as the ubiquitous wool hats. You can get to know this long history of expert weaving in the island’s small but interesting textile museum.

There are also a number of Inca-era ruins on the island, but the Taquile’s real attractions are the jaw-dropping vistas of vast expanses of shimmering water and the snow-capped mountains in the distance. Travelers can enjoy the views during long walks along the many trails that snake along the island’s 3.5 mile length, or from the highpoint of the island which measures over 13,000 feet above sea level.

Suasi

After exploring the relatively large Taquile, the island of Suasi appears as a microscopic dot in the vastness of Lake Titicaca. Suasi is a beautifully tranquil place to relax and enjoy the serenity. There are no permanent residents living here – other than a small herd of camelids, and it’s possible to cross the entire breadth of the island in less than thirty minutes.

Suasi is also one of the few private islands on the lake, accessible only to guests of the island’s single lodge, making this perhaps the most serene place in all of Lake Titicaca. But despite its diminutive size, the island packs a great number of activities and adventures for the visitor, from hiking the trails to sailing the surrounding waters, or simply enjoying the lodge’s spa. But the biggest treat is saved for night time, when under the blackness of night, nature’s spectacular light show of countless stars illuminates the entire island.

Islands Further Afield

Some of the lake’s other islands are much less visited and can be reached by local boat services from Puno. Amantani is one such island, home to several interesting archeological sites, while the island of Anapia is hidden way off in the lake’s far southern waters.

Meanwhile, on the Bolivian side of the lake are a duo if incredibly important islands, the Isla del Sol and Isla del Luna. It is actually on these islands that the Inca creation legends emerged and the islands are home to a fascinating complex of ruins and small settlements.

It is possible to hike along the route of an ancient pilgrimage, formally only open to the highest ranking of the Inca nobility, a trail that curves along the highest point of the Isla del Sol and passes some of the island’s numerous ruins. Reaching the Bolivian islands is possible on trips directly from Puno.