Tim Leffel’s Cheapest Destinations

Higher Prices in Peru

If you’re going to spend some time in South America, it’s definitely worthwhile to join the South American Explorer’s Club. They have clubhouses in a lot of cities that are great resources and places to hang out, you get discounts on a lot of lodging and activities, they have luggage storage, and you get the lowdown on breaking news like this on Peru:

“The Boleto Turistico, a compulsory purchase for most visitors to Cusco since it includes entrance to archaeological sites such as Saqsayhuaman, Qenko, Pisac and Ollantaytambo, has almost doubled in price as of the 1st July. The ticket now costs 130 soles per person (70 soles for students with valid ID) and is valid for 10 days for one visit to each site.

Ouch! That’s US$46 without a student card, or about 29 euros. So if you’re on a $25 a day budget, be prepared to blow it for a while in Cusco. Then if you go on the Inca Trail, be prepared to shell out around $375 to $450 for the four-day hike and transportation back. Permit prices have kept rising (yet are still sold out months in advance), train prices have gone up a lot, the Machu Picchu entrance fee has risen, and the Peruvian new sole currency has appreciated some against the dollar in the past two years. The company I went with Peru Treks and Adventures, has the breakdown here. You’ll get a bit of a discount with an ISIC card or a South American Explorers membership. You can hire your own porter for the whole time for $35—money well spent, believe me.

If you want to take the alternate trail on your own, here’s the scoop on that from the explorer’s club, as in you’ll still have to cough up some coin:

“Trekkers walking the Salkantay (Mollepata to Santa Teresa) alternative Inca trail to Machu Picchu should expect to pay the 127 soles for an INC permit to walk the trail when they pass through Soraypampa. The permit was introduced last year but until recently it was not enforced.”