Most Inspirational Moment
The Nazca lines and Machu Picchu had been on my "must see" list for several years, so they were my highlights and exceeded my expectations. Exodus didn't offer a flight over the Nazca Lines but I asked our guide if he could sort it out for me and he did. 4 of us took the flight. You get a truer picture of the enormity of the lines from the air. Our tour guide Juan was our guide around Machu Picchu. Our itinerary said we would go in the afternoon, but Juan suggested that we went the following morning arriving before the crowds and having better weather in the mornings. It rained that afternoon. One of our early starts, we were at the shuttle bus stop for 6.45 am and entered Machu Picchu at 7.20 am without any queuing. It seemed like we were the only people there and it was a beautiful sunny morning. Juan guided us around the site for about 3 hours giving us lots of detail about the Inca's, the buildings, the discovery of Machu Picchu and the possible future restrictions. At the end of our tour we had another couple of hours free time to explore. It was getting very crowded and the clouds were heading our way.I can't thank Juan enough for his expertise and knowledge that made this visit such a success.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leader was Juan from Cuzco. He was always so calm, very organised and his knowledge about all things Peruvian is huge.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared for lots of early starts and, therefore, lots of early nights. If you suffer from travel sickness, take medication with you and use it. The roads through the mountains aren't straight.
Suggestions
We stayed in 12 hotels in 14 nights, so that's a lot of luggage transfers. After collecting my suitcase on arrival at Lima airport, I hardly lifted it until I checked in for the return flight. Our coach drivers and hotel staff took care of that very efficiently.