GUEST TRAVEL REVIEWS

This was our first trip to Peru and to South America. Normally, for European trips, we would plan everything ourselves. For this trip, we wanted to do something different as this was a special trip for us. I did some research on tour providers thinking I would arrange for guides for a few days of our visit, I would figure out transportation later. I contacted Kuodo Travel because of the great reviews and I liked the fact that it is a local Cusco based business and woman owned. Celine put together our itinerary with a focus on the Inca sites and food. Celine included a couple of memorable lunches at two unique locales (food was phenomenal & focused on locally sourced produce). We would not have found these places on our own.

Having a guide at the different Inca sites, for our first afternoon at Machu Picchu, on city walks in Cusco and Lima and the amazing Maras salt pans was so informative! The visit to the Andean village was the best! We would not have found that on our own. Our guide Jeremy explained the history, culture, nuances of the places we visited and that made our trip more memorable. Jeremy was great. He was always pointing out native plants and birds and always let us know the best angle for our photos with the lighting we had, often deciding the order of our visits based on the lighting on the ruins we were seeing that day (and he also changed things up so that we beat the crowds to a couple of the sites).

Using Kuoda allowed us to save time at each point on our trip. From greeting us at the airports, getting us through the ticketing with our luggage tags, they expedited a normally tedious part of travel. We had never moved so quickly through the check in process! Our guide in Lima, when we arrived, had already gotten our luggage tags for our departure flight for Cusco two days later, saving us time. On our last night of the trip, our hotel had an event that ended up being quite loud and our coordinator, Jason was concerned that would impact our sleep and asked if we would like to be moved to another, quieter hotel. He had already spent the afternoon finding a property that had availability. These are just two examples of what the Kuoda team did for us. They truly wanted to make this a trip perfect.

If you are considering a trip to Peru and you found Kuoda Travel, shoot them an email and get the ball rolling. You will not be disappointed with what they put together for you and they will work with you on tweaking your trip to fit your budget.

Tips:
If staying near Urubamba, take a cab to town and try el Huacatay Restaurante, food was amazing!
Cooking class at Marcelo Batata in Cusco is also a must!
Being in the sun in the mid 60’s at that elevation is like the 80’s in the states, but when you get in the shade, it gets cool, be sure to always have a light jacket.

My husband and I just returned from an 8 night Lima, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco trip arranged by Kuoda. This was our first time travelling on a customized travel itinerary and we couldn’t have been more pleased. Kuoda exceeded our expectations on every level – they were always on time, the accommodations and restaurants were fabulous, and the guides and drivers and the coordinators courteous and very knowledgeable. They all went out of their way to make our trip memorable. Many thanks to Evelyn, our wonderful guide, Alfred our driver, Lisa and Theresa in the office, and to Mery who met us on the last day of our trip. We hope to use Kuoda again in the near future – we hear they are expanding to Argentina!

Thanks to Kuoda, we had an amazing tour of the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu! Kuoda consistently exceeded our expectations. The staff is fantastic, and accommodations were lovely! We worked with Celine in planning a short itinerary of the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. She was very responsive to questions and made wonderful recommendations. Boris was a fantastic tour guide. He made sure we were all comfortable and taking our tour at the pace that was best for us! We learned so much from Boris about Incan and Peruvian culture! Our driver, Augostino, was careful and kind. We had a spectacular tour with Kuoda!

My daughter and I recently traveled to Peru to see the Incan ruin of Machu Picchu. Kouda represented Peru and the Incan culture at its best. Founder and president, Mery Calderon, visited us on our last day in Cusco to hear about our personal experiences. We couldn’t have asked for a more detail-oriented itinerary, designed by Urpi Herrera and my daughter. The properties we stayed in, as well as the restaurants throughout our trip, were in stunning settings with excellent amenities. All week we had a private van and a Kuoda representative at our side at every hotel, tour, and airport check-in. At the last minute, the staff worked efficiently behind the scenes to resolve a canceled flight for our connection back to the U.S. They made it an amazing and carefree trip! This trip could not have been more perfect! Kuoda Travel is highly recommended! Our next trip with them will be to Bolivia!! Thanks to everyone at Kuoda.

A few highlights:
Percy Ayala was our excellent and experienced (Inca Trail) guide for three days through the Sacred Valley of the Urubamba River. We were entertained by Peruvian and Bolivian music as Mr. Arnold drove us between each place. Our visit included Maras, Moray, and a hike between the Pumamarca ruins to Ollantaytambo area on a pre-Columbian trail on the mountainside.
During our stay we experienced many amazing Peruvian meals and unique hotel locations. One memorable meal was an organic meal cooked by a top chef in her private mountainside home. We also experienced an unforgettable ancient Incan pachamanca feast. That meal was made with marinated meat and vegetables cooked underground by hot stones. Our dinner reservations throughout the trip were always delicious and in beautiful locations. Each property we stayed in was unique and wonderful.
In Chinchero, we enjoyed a visit to a weaving coop. When we arrived, we were given the iconic Peruvian-style hat, cape, and skirt to wear. They shared the weaving and construction process for the beautiful things they make at the coop. They described everyday life to us as we sampled cheese, vegetables, bread and tea. We enjoyed hearing them speak to each other using the ancient Quechua language.
Victor was our knowledgeable guide at the Machu Picchu site near Aguas Calientes. Our most amazing trip experience was on the following morning. We climbed the 2,100 step “Stairway of Death” to the top of Huayna Picchu to view Machu Picchu from the opposite mountain.
In Cusco, the historic Center of the Incan World, there were so many incredible museums, cathedrals, squares, and marketplaces to visit. We also attended a pisco tasting and cooking class given at a restaurant by Jose at the Mercelo Batata Culinary Experience. It was a fun and amazing mix of history, culture, food and drink preparation!

We thoroughly enjoyed the beauty, culture, history, and generosity of the people of Peru. Thank you, Kuoda, for our most memorable trip!

Kuoda is the travel company that delivers exactly as they promise and even more. Mery Calderon, the founder and the president of the company based in Cusco, Peru has assembled a team of passionate guides, greeters and drivers who customize your trip to your needs and more important provides VALUE for the money you spent to enjoy this great country. The punctual staff meets and greets you in clean and spacious vans and make the process of arrival at airports or train stations and checking into hotels with ease. Over the course of nine days we spent one day in Lima at the Villa Barranco boutique hotel well located in the historically area of Lima within walking distance of the promenade on the water front and a safe walking distance to restaurants. Bianca and Caeser were are fabulous knowledgeable and kind guide and hosts. We flew to Puerto Maldonado and we were wisked downriver to the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica and fabulous stay of food and hiking in glamour camping conditions. Yet another flight to Cusco where we were greeted by Jose our driver, Jason our liaison and then there is Santiago , our guide for four days. It is all about having a great guide when you travel and that we did with intelligent dialogue , explanations and personal stories that make this trip memorable. The Inca trail by car with numerous hiking up the mountains and then a list to Machu Picchu over two days. Follow their advice and stay the night so you can enjoy a magical sunrise and hike to sungate and for a great challenge also to the WaynaPicchu hike before returning by train to Cusco . Great local company to use for your travel plans Short and Sweet is tough to beat.