My 9 Favorite Free Things in Cusco

About a month into Lima's current State of Emergency, there appears to be a lot of show and few results. While we await an official report, some new data shows that homicides have not significantly decreased. Also, there are some big train discounts for travelers planning their trips to Machu Picchu next year all the way though June 30 that you really have to check out. 

Friday morning Peru woke up to its 7th President in the last 9 years with only two actualluy being elected. In this episode I'll explain what has happened and what you can might expect in the coming days, week, and months. When more comes out -- and this is a very fluid situation at the moment -- you can check out the link on the Show Notes page to learn more.

Nothing will ruin a trip for which you may have spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars to visit one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World only to find out you can't get a ticket or your dream of hiking the Inca Trail is not possible because tickets are sold out months in advance. In this episode, I give you advice on how to make sure your once-in-a-lifetime trip actually occurs and that you are not left terribly disappointed because you waited too long to plan ahead. I talk about not only the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu tickets which are generally straight forward processes, but spend a lot of time explaining how to pick the right train which can be quite daunting when looking aty the websites of the two companies with all their options. I close out the episode talking about how last month's crisis at Machu Picchu has been averted, but perhaps only for the moment with the rest of 2025 looking as if things will be smooth. You can find links to everything I talk about (train companies, where to buy official MP tickets, and the Inca Trail companies that I recommend) on the Show Notes page. You can also leave any questions or comments on that page.

No matter how amazing Machu Picchu is, once again incompetence is making it look like a bad choice of places to visit. The possibility of a strike stopping transportation for yourists up and down the mountain in a few days is of great concern as walking is not recommended except for the very strong. In this short, last minute episode, I talk about what's happening there as of today, September 10, and give some background on why it has gotten this bad so quickly. I'll add anything new on The Peru Channel's "News" page with a link in the Show Notes. Hopefully this will all work itself out quickly, but there seems to be so much ill will and, with a LOT of money involved, it's very possible that things will get worse before they get better.

This was a lot of fun and focuses on absolutely free things to see and experience mostly around Cusco's central historical center. Some you can probably guess, but not all.  You can learn more at the Show Notes where I'll include some relevant links and pics of the different places I talk about.

This episode took a long time to prepare as I simply have a LOT of adventures to tell you -- things like dealing with miners and loggers in the rainforest, searching for wild (and even sometimes dangerous) animals, and so much more. It was a lot of fun to prepare, but keeping things fairly organized and trying hard to avoid my tendency to ramble in my storytelling -- epecially when given the backstory and background information -- is hard for me! Yoiu can found some more information in the Show Notes including a link to some of my relevant YouTube videos (or just look for The Peru Channel on Youtube). They're not going to be picked by Netflix, but I think they're still a lot of fun to watch and show what it's REALLY like exploring here as opposed to the fake "adventures" shared by professional influencer on social media.

In this episode I answer questions that I've seen come up the most so far in 2025 from people planning a trip to Peru. I read social media and watch YouTube videos constantly to get a feel for what people are thinking about when they plan a trip to Peru. Sadly, so much of what is shared is simply wrong.  As I mention in this episode, it's frustrating to have someone who spent five days in Peru try to tell people "everything they need to know" and even become angry if someone questions what they say.  For many social media influencers, it's often all about making money instead of helping others. You can visit the Show Notes page here: Podcast Episode 36 - Most Asked Questions About Visiting Peru in 2025. Thank you for listening!

With the new Lima airport opening a couple of days ago, another robbery and kidnapping of tourists near Iquitos, and the death of a U.S. tourist in Huacachina, the past few days have been extremely busy and I thought it would be a good idea to record another episiode a little quicker than usual as ther's so much to share. There's really nothing much in the Show Notes this week to see other than some links that might help you in coming to Peru through the new airport, but you can leave a comment on the page if you have anything to say including any questions that I might be able to answer. ----- YouTube Instagram Our "Explore Peru"  Facebook Group (0ver 5000 people and growing!) 

There's a lot going on Peru as the tourist season really gets underway. The new Lima airport is set to open ina few days and problems with tourism continues to plague the industry based on crime and questionable tourism companies. You can read more about this week's episode with some useful links for travelers at the Show Notes page here: Podcast Episode 34 – Lima Airport to Finally Open and Tourist Terror on the Amazon. 

Learn about the routes from someone who has actually been on every single one. In this episode I give a little description with some comments about each of the 10 routes through Machu Picchu to help you make a decision on which is best for you. You can read the Show Notes here:  Episode 33 - Which Machu Picchu Route to Choose