peru-8-cuzco-sacred-valley

Interbank (Map p198; Av El Sol 380; h9am-
6:30pm Mon-Fri, 9:15am-12:30pm Sat)
Post
DHL (Map p204; %24-4167; Av El Sol 608;
h8:30am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat) International
express mail and package courier
services.
Main post office (Map p204; %22-4212; Av El
Sol 800; h8am-8pm Mon-Sat) General delivery
(poste restante) mail is held here at the
main post office; bring proof of identity.
Tourist Information
Travel agencies are all too willing to help out with
travel arrangements – for a hefty commission,
of course. The following independent tourist
information centers are recommended:
DIRCETUR (Map p198; %22-3701; www.
dirceturcusco.gob.pe; Mantas 117; h8am-8pm
Mon-Sat, 9am-2pm Sun) The official provider of
Cuzco tourism information. Well meaning but
motley and sporadic; iPerú is more informative.
Dirección Regional de Cultura Cusco (Map
p204; %58-2030; www.drc-cusco.gob.pe; Av
de la Cultura 238; h7:15am-6:30pm Mon-Sat)
The place in Cuzco to purchase Machu Picchu
entry tickets; closed on holidays.
iPerú (www.peru.travel) airport (%23-7364;
Aeropuerto, Main Hall; h6am-4pm); city center
(Map p198; %25-2974; Portal de Harinas 177,
Plaza de Armas; h8am-8pm) Excellent source
for tourist information for both the region and
entire country. Also has adjoining section of
guarded ATMs at plaza location.
South American Explorers Club (Map p198;
%24-5484; www.saexplorers.org; Atocsaycuchi
670; h9:30am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat) Gives
unbiased advice and sells information booklets,
including alternatives to the Inca Trail and Amazon
jungle adventures. SAE’s Cuzco clubhouse
has good-quality maps, books and brochures
for sale, a huge stock of travel information
and recommendations, wi-fi access, a book
exchange and rooms for rent. Weekly events
and limited volunteer information are available
to nonmembers.
8 Getting There & Away
Air
Most flights from Cuzco’s Aeropuerto Internacional
Alejandro Velasco Astete (CUZ;
%22-2611) are in the morning, because climatic
conditions in the afternoon typically make landings
and takeoffs more difficult. If you have a
tight connection, it’s best to reserve the earliest
flight available, as later ones are more likely to
be delayed or canceled.
Several airlines offer daily flights to and from
Lima, Juliaca, Puerto Maldonado and Arequipa.
Check in at least two hours before your flight –
even people with confirmed seats and boarding
passes have been denied boarding because of
overbooking errors. During the rainy season,
flights in and out of Puerto Maldonado are often
seriously delayed. Departure taxes are included
in ticket prices.
Official taxis from the airport to addresses
near the city center cost S12 to S25.
The following airlines serve Cuzco:
LAN (Map p204; %25-5555; www.lan.com; Av
El Sol 627B; h8:30am-7pm Mon-Sat, to 1pm
Sun)
Peruvian Airlines (Map p198; %25-4890;
www.peruvianairlines.pe; Calle del Medio 117;
h9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-12pm Sun)
Star Perú (Map p204; %01-705-9000; www.
starperu.com; Av El Sol 679; h9am-1pm &
3-6:30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-12:30pm Sun)
TACA (Map p204; %0800-18-2222; www.taca.
com; Av El Sol 602; h9am-6pm)
Bus & Taxi
The journey times given here are only approximate
and apply only if road conditions are good.
Long delays are likely during the rainy season,
particularly going to Puerto Maldonado or
towards Lima via Abancay. This road is now all
paved, but landslides can block the road in the
rainy season.
INTERNATIONAL
All international services depart from the terminal
terrestre (off Map p204; %22-4471, Vía
de Evitamiento 429), about 2km out of town
towards the airport. Take a taxi (S3). To get
there on foot, take Av El Sol. After it turns into
Alameda Pachacutec there is a pedestrian lane
in the middle of the road. Straight after the tower
and statue of Pachacutec, turn right, following
the railway lines into a side street, which reaches
the terminal in five minutes.
To get to Bolivia, catch Trans Salvador (%23-
3680), Littoral (%24-8989), Real Turismo
(%24-3540), or San Luis (%22-3647) to La Paz
via Copacabana; all depart at 10pm. Tour Peru
(%24-9977, www.tourperu.com.pe) offers the
best value service to Copacabana, departing at
8am daily. CIAL (%in Lima 01-330-4225) departs
at 10:30pm for La Paz via Desaguadero (S70, 12
hours). This is the quickest way to get to La Paz.
Ormeño (%26-1704; www.grupo-ormeno.
com.pe) travels to most South American
capitals.
LONG DISTANCE
Buses to major cities leave from the terminal
terrestre. Buses for more unusual destinations
leave from elsewhere, so check carefully in
advance.
Ormeño (%26-1704; www.grupo-ormeno.
com.pe) and Cruz del Sur (%24-3621;
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Cuzco & the Sacred Valley 8 C u zC O