Family of 4 with two boys 12 and 14. Great experience on a grade III river (up to grade V during... read more
Family of 4 with two boys 12 and 14. Great experience on a grade III river (up to grade V during... read more
We booked the Jungle tour with Dos Manos tot Machu Picchu. It was a great tour with, biking... read more
Some weeks ago I went to Cusco again - yes I am a liitle bit of a Peru addict :). This time it was time for some adventure and I booked mountain biking and paragliding with Dos Manos. Since I've been in Cusco before and already booked tours with this agency and had a good experience I didn't want to try a different agency. There are many and you never know...All I can say is that I had a wonderful time and as the last time when I visited, all went very well. Just the paragliding was cancelled due to weather conditions, but the local staff did their best to give me a new date (I had a tight schedule) and in the end I enjoyed a beautiful flight in the Sacred Valley. My mountainbiking tour was also great, I had a very nice guide and he stopped wherever I wanted to take some pictures, or simply take a rest.
Next years holidays are alrady planned and I am looking forward to my next Peru - Nazca - Paracas experience!
I went together with my parents on several tours in Cusco. After seeing the Sacsayhuaman ruins on a mountain just behind the city center on our own and visiting some museums we felt it was time to do some guided tours as well. We quickly found the office and were helped out by local staff. Everything went easily and smoothly, we received some useful tips and a lot of information on our booked tours and after just 30 minutes walked out with train tickets to Machu Picchu in our hand and a booked tour to Maras and Moray. All in all, the agency looked very professional, gave lots of information and they worked quick in order to still get places for us on the Backpacker Train. The tours themselves were great, we took many pictures and our guides were professional with a great sense of humor!
We scheduled 2 tours with them. Sacred Valley tour was alright, we ended up getting in over an hour late which screwed up our travel plans later in the night. We then were supposed to do the mountain biking tour. At the last minute the moved the time up two hours to 7am pick up. We were picked up at 650am then made wait in the parking lot until 720am while the guides figured out transportation. One guide then settled on taking us by public bus. It was obvious that it was not organized at all and we felt uncomfortable and unsafe where they took us. We decided not to do the tour and were then told that we could get no refund because everything was already planned. Even though the guides told us they had been told little information before picking us up. Not worth it at all, each tour had extra entrance fees(which were not clearly stated or specified in the voucher), organization was poor, service and guides were just mediocre.
Just returned from fabulous 14-day trip to Peru with lots of sightseeing. The only glitches were thanks to Dos Manos of Peru tour operators. We booked 2 tours and paid up front. The first of the Sacred Valley ran 90 mins over. Not because we were seeing so much, but because they couldn't keep us on time, our bus couldn't go over 45-mph so we got passed up by every other tour bus UP HILL, and because a couple stops were clearly just to 'shop' local merchants. At the second stop we actually left a family BEHIND because they didn't get back to the bus in time.... even though we left that spot 25-min behind schedule. They did catch up by the next stop but had to take a taxi.
The worst thing Dos Manos did, however, was fail to deliver our Christmas Day mountain biking tour in the Sacred Valley. Too many screw ups to mention, however when the tour guides they sent tell you THEY just got booked the night before (we'd booked the trip in September) and tell you THEY don't know how to get us to the starting point 2 hours away.... you KNOW you have a problem!!
We used other companies for other tours that all went off without a hitch. DO NOT use Dos Manos!!!
If I could provide any advice for your trip to Peru, it would be to NOT USE DOS MANOS PERU.
They are one of the most incompetent businesses I have ever encountered.
This travel agency botched almost all of the details of our trip to Machu Picchu, even the most basic.
Bought tickets for the wrong dates? Check.
Forgot to buy tickets for Huayna Picchu (despite deposit four months in advance), and the mountain sold out? Check.
Bought tickets to Machu Picchu for only one day instead of two, which we specifically requested? Check.
In the end, we only went because we made a huge stink and went to the agency director with our complaints, who was able to change our train tickets and entry but not gain access for two days or Huayana Picchu. Furthermore, the agency tried to peg the blame on us for their many mistakes, did not seem very interested in our plight, and were mostly intent on making sure that they could still get our money from us.
We were able to receive a small discount and also bargained a free Sacred Valley trip the next day, but only after many calls and much angry discussion, not what you want to spend your time doing in Peru.
There are many agencies out there for Peru trips, especially Machu Picchu. Save yourself some angst and stress and choose another one than this one.
We hiked the Inca Trail with Dos Manos Travel agency and had a great experience! Our guide, Bernie, was terrific and made sure we learned a lot about the history of the ruins and the trail itself. We took our 8, 13, and 17 year old sons on this adventure and everyone had a fabulous time! The food was delicious and we had plenty to eat and drink. The cook and porters were helpful when my son's sleeping bag got soaked in the rain. If you are planning on visiting MachuPicchu this is the way to go! It is not an easy hike- long and steep, but if you are in shape and take it slow you will make it. The altitude is high so spend several days in Cusco before heading out.