Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

Kathleen Fitch sitting on top of Huayna Pichhu mountain in Peru.

Kathleen Fitch at the top of Huayna Picchu.

The trip to Peru was awesome! Everything was taken care of seamlessly—we just had to enjoy. The greeters and facilitators were, without exception, professional, on time, organized, obviously communicating with their coworkers and guides, as well as warm, welcoming and kind.
The guides were exceptional, including David in the Amazon and Rogers in Cusco. My husband had some untimely hip issues and had to bow out of a few tours but our guides were concerned and did everything they could to help him do more. The Lima guides were perfect—each guide had the right personality for their particular tours.

Restaurants for dinners that were suggested turned out great. Really enjoyed our lunch in Lima as well as the city tour. The Amazon was unusually cold but David was amazing in his ability to find critters and so knowledgeable. Rogers was also very well versed. My friends declined an additional hike while at Machu Picchu and my gimpy spouse made it up the little mountain (Huchuy Picchu) with Rogers’ help after he helped me climb Huayna Picchu. I really wanted to do it but was hesitant—he had observed my earlier climb at Ollantaytambo and gave me the confidence to do it.

The hotels, including breakfasts, were very comfortable and top-notch. Better than most US hotels. Drivers were likewise very good and I always felt safe.

I thought our meal at the El Albergue hotel that included a tour of the organic farm by the owner was going to be the top highlight (although close to seeing capybara and monkeys in the Amazon), with an interesting and exceptional Pachamanca lunch—went to third. Huayna Picchu and the Machu Picchu (incl staying at the Sanctuary) was second. I think our wow was the lunch/cooking lesson (and market tour) provided by Jose Luis Lescano and his wife Cristina was just wonderful. The entree was an at-home version of the Pachamanca, so interesting to put together and delish. The starter was put together with the help of Cristina and also fun and delicious. We had a couple of unusual amuse bouches in there and drank 2 very good Peruvian wines. The couple was a joy to be with and of course, as also being guides, very informative.

My husband had to leave the last day to go home instead of our Galapagos cruise that had been preplanned, and Raul and Marisol’s office were very helpful getting him situated in Lima until his much later flight took off.

Mark planned an amazing 10-day trip for the four us (two couples) in Peru that spanned across Lima, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Cusco. We ate at some excellent restaurants (Maido, Central, MIL), with very good local restaurants mixed in as well. Our guide Jonathan throughout the trip was one of the best we’ve ever had, immense knowledge and extremely friendly, he almost felt like a family member by the end of the trip!

Other than Machu Picchu, the highlight of the trip was the Hiram Bingham train from Machu Picchu to Cusco — what an incredible experience with dinner and entertainment that made the 3.5-hr journey fly by! We loved the unique experiences Mark arranged, such as the visit to the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco, where we learned about textile weaving from local women; MIL Immersion Experience where we spent 2-3 hrs walking through the native lands to learn about local ingredients from a farmer then ending with lunch; and an in-home cooking class with a local chef that started with a walk through the farmers’ market and ended with a delicious 3-course lunch atop the chef’s balcony.

Jessica and the in-country team were simply tremendous with their concierge support throughout our trip, as there were several instances where schedule/timings had to be changed, and especially at the end of our trip where our return flights home were cancelled/delayed twice. Overall, we had an awesome vacation and big thanks to Marisol’s team!

A woman weaving in Lamay, Peru.

A woman weaving in Lamay, Peru. Photo: Tim Triche

Despite a disastrous beginning due to airline travel delays and cancelled flights, Mark and Jessica rose to the occasion and successfully rearranged our itinerary so that despite over two lost days of travel we were nonetheless able to do almost everything that was originally scheduled. Kudos to them for dealing with a very difficult situation. The trip itinerary they arranged was truly exceptional; I have never had a better travel experience. They arranged all the things we requested and added many more that enriched our experience far beyond our expectations.

Our guides were absolutely top notch; Claudio in particular deserves a shout-out. He accompanied us for most of the trip and was the consummate travel guide—knowledgeable, engaging, experienced, and a truly nice guy. And, an accomplished photographer who identified some fantastic photo ops for us that resulted in many keepers that will enable us to remember this trip for years. I have done photography as a serious hobby for decades, and another shout-out to Adriana, the photographer who took us around Cusco at the end of our trip. I learned a great deal from her, and took some creative photos that would otherwise never have occurred to me. All in all, the trip couldn’t have been better, and my entire family will never forget the experience.

Everyone thinks of Machu Picchu when thinking of a trip to Peru, as we did, but we now realize it is much, more more than that. Cusco and the Sacred Valley were the heart of the Inca civilization; Machu Picchu just epitomizes that lost culture, but it lives on in many ways in the people you meet along the way. In contrast, Lima is a cosmopolitan urban city with fantastic food and art, and hotels to match, a delightful contrast to Cusco and the Sacred Valley. And lest you consider bypassing the Sanctuary Lodge at the entrance gate to Machu Picchu: don’t. It is worth every penny, and such a pleasure to simply walk to your hotel from the gates of Machu Picchu after hiking up and down all day long.

And a word to photographers: Be sure to use a polarizing filter on your camera; the light is harsh and unforgiving. And, a wide-angle lens is a must; many views in the cities and in Machu Picchu are in tight spaces or benefit from a wide-angle view of things, like street photography in the cities and the panoramic views from Huayna Picchu and Huchuy Picchu (the smaller of the two peaks overlooking Machu Picchu). And finally, a note about hotels: They were all great, but Sol y Luna in the Sacred Valley and Monasterio in Cusco were unforgettable; truly remarkable hotels. And worth noting: All of this was put together on rather short notice at high season by the folks in Marisol’s office. We couldn’t have been more pleased with our trip, thanks to their efforts.

There is something truly magical about watching the clouds part, on a misty rainy day high in the Andes, to reveal the dramatic mountain peaks of Machu Picchu & the extraordinary Incan ruins! We felt so very lucky to experience the mountains & this very spiritual site. From our trip to Machu Picchu, our travels through the Sacred Valley, our boat trip on the Amazon, & our Belmond train trip across the Andes’ high-altitude plateau, we can only offer gratitude & applause for everything Marisol’s team did to make our month long trip to Peru one of our best ever!

The weather didn’t always cooperate (we were travelling at the end of the rainy season in early March), but we had exceptional people experiences, & we really appreciated the knowledge & warm personalities of all the guides & drivers Marisol’s office selected for us. The detailed pre-planning with Mark Green, the beautiful boutique hotel choices (& many much-appreciated room upgrades), & incredibly fast communication with the team while we were on the ground in Peru all contributed to make this an exceptional trip. We can’t recommend this company enough. So many standout experiences!

Besides Machu Picchu & exploring many other Incan sites, in the Sacred Valley we had a fabulous picnic organized by our guide Juan with a beautiful vista & great food from the highly rated Cicciolina restaurant in Cusco. A hike & lunch high in the Andes made for us by villagers from the Lamay community whose elders still wear their traditional dress. A 4-night small boat cruise (Delphina 1 with 4 cabins) on the Amazon River out of Iquitos where we not only got to visit several remote communities, we had the opportunity to develop new friendships on the boat.

We would definitely travel with Marisol’s office again! Very, very special & hardworking team!!!

The WOW List: Best Local Travel Fixers Worldwide

by Wendy Perrin | November 22, 2024

How to Get an Extraordinary Trip: Wendy’s WOW Way

by Wendy Perrin | January 1, 2023

Wendy Wants To Amp Up Your Trip!

by WendyPerrin.com | January 1, 2023

Where and When to Travel in 2024

by WendyPerrin.com | January 31, 2024

How to Get More For Your Miles and Points in 2023

by WendyPerrin.com | January 31, 2023

10 Top Dream Trips for 2023

by Brook Wilkinson | February 1, 2023

Our Latest Newsletters