Am so excited to be able to talk Peru to someone who is interested! (Our poor family and friends are all a bit over our adventure stories I think.) You may be sorry you invited this feedback before this email is finished!
Firstly we all want to thank you for your professional yet personal touches in view to organising our Peru itinerary. You were a pleasure to deal with (and you were the reason we ended up choosing Contours Travel), your recommendations/suggestions were all sound, and the efforts you invested in organising the ‘off the Gringo trail’ elements of the itinerary were very much appreciated. We all agree that we would not change one thing on our itinerary if we had the chance over.
Life changing itinerary highlights to recommend:
Home stay at Pacchanta. An amazing host family (Papa’s name was something sounding like Osaviour) whom we were embarrassingly emotional to leave. Spectacular scenery. Magnificent food. We can’t find enough positive descriptives. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. At the village we were met with welcoming hugs and smiles. The family went to tremendous lengths to make us comfortable and welcome, with an after dinner lesson on spinning alpaca wool and a half day horse back journey to the base of the sacred Ausangate Mountain. We even had a chance meeting with a very elderly Shaman living in the moutains.
All the guides were absolutely fantastic. Many regularly went out of their way – even once delivering our washing to a public laundrette, tracking down and returning lost bags and luggage etc. We were always met at the scheduled time and place, which, considering the high volume of connections, was quite amazing.
Most of the hotels were very comfortable, with the highest recommended (in no particular order) being Posada del Inca Miraflores in Lima, the Casa Andina Colca in Chivay, Posada del Inca Puno, Pakaritampu in Ollantaytambo, El Mapi Inkaterra in Aguas Calientes and Sandoval Lake Lodge in the Amazon.
It may be worth noting in tourist information, for those travelling/staying at altitude, that Coca leaves are apparently meant to be chewed but not swallowed! At least this was the information passed to us with much amusement from our guide at the time, after my husband swallowed the equivalent of a few trees worth of Coca. Some of us were unwell from altitude but hubby was unwell from an over abundant consumption of Coca!
Hope so much that I have not over communicated here today! I am planning to send you just a wee few photos in a separate email of the home stay.
Many thanks and best regards
PS. Pisco Sour is our new favourite drink – need to find an importer!!
PPS. Am educating Aussie’s to the Peruvian culinary delights of Ceviche, Chicharrones and Lomo Saltado – one dinner guest at a time!