Peru 2027: An Explorer’s Side Quest

Eleven days in Peru, 1 to 11 September 2027. Cusco, the Sacred Valley, the Inca Jungle Trail and Machu Picchu.

Lane leads the journey. Another Planet Peru SRL of Cusco runs it on the ground, under Lane’s own agreement with them. Your agreement is with Lane.

All prices are in US dollars.

Included:

• Your airport pickup and drop-off in Cusco, whenever you arrive and leave
• Ten nights of lodging: the Mountain House near Cusco, then Ollantaytambo, Santa Maria, Santa Teresa, Aguas Calientes, Pisac and Cusco
• Private ground transport, guides and helpers throughout
• The ATV ride and picnic in the Sacred Valley
• The Inca Jungle Trail: the bike descent from Abra Malaga, the trek, rafting (optional), the zip line and the hot springs at Santa Teresa
• Machu Picchu: the bus, the entrance and a guided tour
• The train and bus back to the Sacred Valley
• The day trip to ancient sites near Cusco
• The Wachuma (San Pedro) journey day at the Mountain House
• Most meals, with the group dinners and the last supper

Not included:

• Flights to and from Cusco
• Travel insurance
• Dinner on Day 3, lunch and dinner on Day 7 and lunch on Day 8
• Nights before 1 September or after 11 September
• Personal spending, tips and souvenirs

The price is one package. Every activity is included, so sitting one out changes neither the price nor what comes back to you.

There are three ways to pay.

• In full by card, at checkout.
• The payment plan, by card. A $500 deposit at checkout, then equal monthly payments on the 1st of each month, charged automatically, with the last on 1 August 2027. Your schedule is shown before you pay. The later you join, the fewer and larger the payments.
• By wire or check. Write to Lane from the trip page to arrange it. A $500 deposit holds your spot, and the rest is due by 1 August 2027.

Everything is paid by 1 August 2027.

If a plan payment fails, the card is retried automatically. If it still fails, Lane writes to you and you have seven days to pay. If it is still unpaid after that, it counts as a cancellation on that day, under Section 5.

The $500 deposit holds your spot. It is never refunded as cash.

If you cancel, your deposit becomes a credit toward another Explorer’s Side Quest, good for 24 months from the date you cancel. When you want to use it, let Lane know.

Cancel in writing: reply to your confirmation email, or write to Lane from the trip page. Your cancellation counts from the date of your message.

An example. You paid $3,500 in full and cancel on 15 June. Half of what you paid comes back to you: $1,750. Your $500 deposit also becomes a credit.

On the payment plan, your remaining payments stop when you cancel. A refund is always worked from what you’ve actually paid, so nothing more is ever owed on the way out.

Refunds go back the way you paid. Card payments are refunded to the card. Wire and check payments are refunded by wire. There is no separate fee.

If something serious happens in your life, tell Lane. After 1 August, any refund is at his discretion.

Around June 1 is when the Machu Picchu entrances and the train tickets are bought, in each traveller’s name. That is why the cancellation policy changes there.

Until 1 August 2027, you can pass your spot to someone else, if Machu Picchu entrances can still be bought for them. Finding that person is yours to do, and what passes between the two of you is settled between you.

Non-refundable tickets already bought in your name can’t be moved to another person. The new traveller pays for their own.

If Lane cancels the journey, you get back everything you’ve paid, deposit included.

If events beyond anyone’s control stop the journey (a natural disaster, a border or park closure, a public health order), Lane recovers what he can from what has already been bought and returns it to you, to the best of his ability. A credit toward another trip may be offered, depending on what can be recovered. Travel insurance is the cover for the rest.

Machu Picchu entrances are limited and sell out by time slot and route. From late June they may start to run short. Joining or passing a spot after that depends on whether entrances can still be bought, and Lane will tell you before you pay.

Altitude. Cusco sits at about 3,400 m (11,150 ft). The trail begins at Abra Malaga, 4,350 m (14,271 ft). The first days are set for acclimatizing, and there is oxygen at the Mountain House.

Fitness. The trail days ask for moderate fitness. Our ground team rates the trekking 5 out of 10 in difficulty.

Before you travel, you and Lane have a health conversation. Tell him plainly about any condition, medicine or concern. A preparation guide follows for everyone who joins.

If you take an SSRI or an MAO inhibitor, let Lane know, and you’ll talk through the next steps together.

The Wachuma journey is your choice, at every point. You decide before you travel, at the Mountain House and on the day itself. The price is the same whether or not you take part. If you’d rather not, Lane and the team help you shape the day your way: a tour, rest or whatever suits you.

Travel insurance isn’t required. It is recommended. Good coverage includes:

• emergency medical care and evacuation
• trip cancellation and interruption
• lost or delayed bags

Check that it covers the trail’s biking, rafting and zip line.

Weather, road and rail closures, strikes, holidays and site rules can all change a day. When that happens, Lane and the ground team adjust the plan and keep the journey whole. A change to the plan does not bring a refund.

This journey has real adventure in it: altitude, mountain roads, a bike descent, river rafting, a zip line, jungle trekking and some remote places with limited medical care.

You take part by your own choice and carry the risks that come with it. Lane, Side Quest HQ and Another Planet Peru aren’t responsible for injury, illness, loss of belongings or the acts of other providers along the way.

Follow the guides’ safety instructions, and treat sacred sites, communities and each other with respect. If someone’s behaviour puts the group at risk, Lane may ask them to leave the journey, with no refund.

You book your own flights. Arrive at Cusco (CUZ) on the morning of 1 September 2027 or before, and leave on the afternoon of 11 September or later. Send Lane your arrival and departure details so your pickup and drop-off can be arranged. They are included whichever days you fly. Any extra nights before or after are yours to book, and Lane is happy to help.

If something goes sideways, we address it directly, in conversation, with a shared intent to restore balance and trust. Where a remedy is owed, the one wronged is made whole.

By your free will, you agree to these terms when you pay your deposit or your first payment.