Using Travel Agencies can be advantageous or disadvantageous depending on how you like to travel and your budget. Depending on the situation and type of trip, using travel agencies are often more expensive than planning and making the trip on your own. However, travel agencies will often save valuable travel time as they already have existing relationships established with guides and local tour operators. They offer pre-arranged tours and coordinate all necessary logistics.
Budget travelers should definitely shop around at several different agencies – prices do vary quite a bit. Sometimes agencies combine their customers into one tour, even though each agency charges a different amount! For example you could visit Machu Picchu in one day arranging all your own transportation and it would cost you about $200 – in early 2020 some travel agencies were offering this trip for almost twice this amount!
Some travel agencies communicate with each other by Whatsapp – so we found that if one agency had a particular trip already booked, they could immediately message another agency to find out if they still had space.
Also determine if the tours are conducted in your native language or in several languages. Find out the size of the tour group. Ask specifics. Its always a good idea to talk to fellow travelers about tours they have already been on.
The following several tour agencies in Cuzco that we visited with or used for trips. There are literally hundreds of agencies in Cuzco.
Ausangate Mountain & Jungle Explorers is located at Procuradores N 350. They offer a great variety of trips from trekking near Ausangate (nearly 6,400 meters), horse back riding, trips to the jungle, 4-wheel cycling, paragliding, river rafting, rock climbing and a variety of other tours in and near Cuzco. For more information please email: ausangate_havitush@hotmail.com
Eric Adventures is one of the most well-known tour agencies in Cuzco, run by Eric Arenas a former 1992 Barcelona Olympian kayaker. This agency specializes in kayaking and white water fun, but they also offer mountain biking, horse riding and a variety of other custom tailored trips. Most of their agents speak excellent English. They are located at Plateros N 324. Phone number is: 51-84-228475 or visit their website: www.ericadventures.com
Hiking Peru is tour operator with a small office on the second floor right on the Plaza del Armas in Peru. They specialize in short and long treks on the Inca trail. Dave has used this company before.
Jisa Tour Operator is located at Calle Procuradores N 46 and they specialize in Machu Picchu trekking. In addition they also sell plane & bus tickets. Phone 244001 or email: jisa_tour@hotmail.com
Nikol Expeditions specializes in Inca trail treks and also other mountaineering trips. They offer a well put-together 3-4 day trek into Lares Valley. This trek passes through mountains, past glacial lakes, and through small villages. For more information and pricing email: nikolexpeditions@hotmail.com or visit their website: www.nkexpeditions.com
Viaje Cusco is located at Portal de Harinas 177. They offer a variety of Inca trail trekking options. Be sure to stop by their office and pick up their informative hiking pamphlet. Group sizes range from 6 to 16 people. For more information Phone 084-244054 or email: tamblo@terramail.com.pe
I offer a wide range of services, from specific treks and expeditions to fully customized programs around Peru, among others. For trekking lovers, our offer ranges from the traditional Inca Trail to Machu Picchu to the less known Ausangate or Lares treks, the enigmatic Vilcabamba expedition or any tailor-made trek that you may dream to do.
To secure an onward ticket from Peru, what is the least expensive location to fly to(one way) in any bordering country to Peru, such as Ecuador, Bolivia, or Brazil?
Hernan – thanks for stopping by – always nice to discover another tour operator in Cuzco.
Rodney – probably Ecuador. Although it can also be inexpensive to fly to La Paz from Lima (which I recently did).