Just thought I’d give you an update on our recent trip to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos. We had a wonderful and mostly uneventful trip. We were very pleased with General Tours and their attention to detail. There were tour operators to meet us at every airport, and they made sure we were always taken care of at our hotels and on our tours. The hotels were very nice and accommodating. We especially enjoyed the Inka Terra hotel in Aguas Calientes near Machu Picchu.

On the down side…..we were very disappointed in our cabin on the ship. I have reviewed our original correspondence, and we feel we had wait listed for the Renaissance suite. When you contacted us in July, that is what we thought we were upgrading to for the additional fee. Our cabin was small and dirty. We did have a nice sliding door that led to a very  small balcony, but the rest of room was very small. Other guests that we met were on a lower level (2nd level) and they had much larger rooms complete with a walk in closet. Their view was limited as they only had port holes, but the room was much more commodious. Since we spent very little time in our rooms, it would probably be good information that you can afford any future clients so that they may make a decision about their rooms based on some facts. The crew and staff were all very attentive and polite, so we chalked it up to experience and enjoyed ourselves each day. The last day of the cruise, we were taken off the ship at 8AM, amused ourselves on land in a small town near the airport, then transported to the airport around 11AM. Unfortunately, the plane we were to board at 1PM back to Guayaquil was damaged, and we, the departing guests, had to wait at the airport for 6 hours until they were able to send another plane from the mainland for us. You should have heard the roar from the crowd when the plane finally arrived……we boarded, and were in the air in 20 minutes! There are no lights at the airport or at the terminal, so it was crucial we get in the air during daylight. It was a close call.

We have friends that are now considering doing this tour and we would like to get a breakdown of the fees, and maybe some available dates for them.  Again, we really enjoyed working with General Tours and plan to use them in the future. One of the highlights of the trip for me was the train ride on the Hiram Bingham train. It was a wonderful experience.

Thank you for all your help.  M/M Saunders

For more information on this and other popular trips to the Galapagos, visit our South America website.