Following the recent floods in Peru this is our up-date of the latest situation there.
Updated 23rd February 2010
Good news!
We received official confirmation yesterday that Machu Picchu and the train to Aguas Calientes will be operational from 1st April onwards. Rather than departing from Ollantaytambo, the train will now depart from a town called Piscacucho (at KM82), which is accessible by road.
This news means that we can operate our trips to Peru departing from 1st April onwards as planned. Any customers booked to travel with us from 1st April onwards will be written to separately if this situation changes.
Updated: 16th February 2010
Today we heard that Machu Picchu is definitely going to remain closed until 31st March because the authorities are waiting for the train line to Aguas Calientes to be repaired before opening the site.
So far the INC (local authority in charge of the Inca Trail) have not issued any information regarding the Inca Trail. However, as the Tourism Authorities have declared that Machu Picchu will be closed until 31st March, we can only surmise that the Inca Trail will remain closed for the same period.
We are expecting further communications next week from the local authorities giving us a definite date when the train line, trail and site of Machu Picchu will re-open.
Any of our passengers travelling to Peru in March have the right to transfer or cancel their booking with a full refund. We kindly request that all passengers travelling in April wait for further updates next week.
Published: 1st February 2010
The good news is that the floods have receded and much of Cusco and the surrounding area is back up and running again. Two key bridges to Ollantaytambo and Pisac in the Sacred Valley have been rebuilt and sightseeing in and around Cusco and the Sacred Valley is going ahead as normal.
The train line from Cusco to Aguas Calientes that was hit by several landslides is already under-going repairs and is expected to be up and operational by 31 March 2010. As tourism is so important for Peru’s economy you can be assured that they are working very hard to get everything back up and running as quickly as possible.
Although the site of Machu Picchu is currently closed whilst the authorities repair the road up to the site, initial reports suggest the site itself is unaffected and the road will be open again very soon.
For those of you who are booked or are thinking of booking to walk the Inca Trail, this is currently under-going inspections but we do not expect the trail to be closed past the normal date of 1st March 2010 when it re-opens after its normal closure in the month of February.
Therefore we fully expect to operate our tours in Peru departing after 1st April as planned. Anyone booked to travel with us in March has been written to with various options and if you are thinking of booking to travel in March then please contact us to find out more.
Our advice is not to put off booking your holiday to Peru. The local people need our support more than ever before and all of us are working hard to ensure everything will run as planned.
Please watch this space for any further updates.