I would highly recommend Kuoda Travel for a trip to Peru. They planned the trip, our first to South America, perfectly, and the experience was first-class. We saw so much, but never felt rushed or herded along. Little things like meeting us at the crazy Lima airport and the Cusco airport and train station with a guide and driver made it stress-free. We enjoyed the entire trip – Cusco and area, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Lima – and every day was quite different. Our guide Edward had a great style – very friendly, informative and helpful, but not overbearing. He provided lots of information from his perspective as a native of Cusco, and he made sure we saw a lot on the way, not just at each day’s destination(s).

A private, guided tour for two of us seemed like an extravagance at first, but we later determined it was the only way to go and worth the extra expense. Peru is not an easy country to tour independently like most European and some other South American countries – partly due to transportation – and a tour of some kind is almost a necessity unless you are backpacking. However, group tours are not our thing and this is definitely a huge step up. For the main part of the trip, we had the same guide every day, and a car and driver. The personal attention makes for a great experience. We got to know our guide, and had conversations during the day, not just “tourist information.”

We did meet 9 Kuoda staff at various times during the tour, including the president Mery, and to a person they were outstanding. They even surprised me at the Cusco hotel, after several days in the Sacred Valley, with a birthday cake! There are many tour companies to choose from in Peru and this one is first class.