Insider’s Guide to Peru
Machu Picchu has been on my bucket list for a long time, but the thought of being herded around like a tourist has kept me from booking a flight to Peru. I’d love to see this UNESCO World Heritage site but, until now, I didn’t know how to do it in a way that felt personal and authentic.Enter Nina Fogelman of Ancient Summit, who lived in Peru for 27 years and found its pulse through total immersion in the culture and local way of life.
Nina plans every trip herself and has experienced staff on the ground that provide supreme service.
“I have the most capable, qualified, warm, friendly, knowledgeable Peruvian staff with a deep passion for their country,” she boasts, “and you never know when I might turn up to say hello or spend the day.”
In the planning process, she provides all the options and seeks to steer travelers away from crowds and into “places with soul.” This can involve a lengthy discussion if clients have read or heard about some place that Nina feels isn’t good value or isn’t authentic.
“I custom craft trips that cater to travelers’ needs, hopes, and dreams,” she told me.
For example, when Ancient Summit guests tour the Sacred Valley, they have lunch in the home of Nina’s friends and enjoy their organic garden. In Cusco – capital of the Inca Empire – she recommends local hotels with oxygenated rooms that are less expensive and nicer than the ones that cater to groups. Nina also encourages her clients to stay overnight at Sanctuary Lodge at Machu Picchu in order to see the sunset and be first on the site in the morning.
Ancient Summit travelers also enjoy savoring Peruvian cuisine – ranging from traditional delicacies to Novo-Andino fusion – and meeting some of Nina’s favorite chefs.
She doesn’t organize group tours. Instead, clients travel in a private car with guide and driver. Each trip is custom-tailored and allows room for itinerary changes and spontaneous stops. Nina supports sustainable projects and is very protective of the indigenous people.
I said in another post that Michael Kaye would be Your Travel Expert in Costa Rica, and I feel the same way – but even more – about Nina.
Since Nina herself plans every itinerary, Ancient Summit clients have the benefit of her experience and the best possible Travel Expert in Peru.
Category: Peru, Travel Experts
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This sounds fabulous. However, I’ve been to Peru — my favorite place in all the world — and I felt my tour operator, Overseas Adventure Travel, did a wonderful job. (I think they are the biggest tour operator in Peru.)
We ran into several unforeseen challenges — and they solved them every time. It is a third world country after all. When I return, I will stay at the Sanctuary Hotel at the entrance to Machu Picchu. Expensive, but worth the price. Do go, it is a once-in-a-lifetime gift to yourself. Barbara Metz
Free slide program on Machu Picchu will be held at the Encinitas Library January 19#44; 2011 at 6:30 p.m. Presentation is based on the photography book “Stone Offerings” by Mike Torrey. 540 Cornish Drive, Encinitas#44; CA 92024 or visit: http://www.machupicchubook.com/events-media/
This was on our bucket list and when we finally where there, the views were amazing. There is just no way to capture it. We did everything on our own and we met wonderful people along the way. It was just said how the prices were marked up so high for tourists and shop owners were willing to give us over 50% off on things. http://www.meandfrenchie.com/2010/12/peru-machu-picchu/
The way Nina works in Peru is what I beleive the new toursim avenue. Clients find you for your reputation and not for the name trumpeted through multi milliion dollars campaigns, of all sorts. It’s har work to get there but so rewarding, in many ways. I try to follow the same approach with my own company, Seven Directions Tours, and it’s getting better and better.It may take longer to establish a business but once you have earned your credibility, it’s there to stay!
Patrizia
http://www.sevendirections.net