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Fabulous Trip
My husband and I just returned from the Empire of the Incas. We have been on a half dozen Tauck Tours. Our guide, Marcos, was excellent-very efficient, organized, knowledgeable, and a lot of fun. Although many of us came with prescriptions for Diamox, a lot of us did not take it based on the comments about the tingling of extremities, etc. almost everyone had some issue with the altitude at some point. People got up in the middle of the night and went down to the lobby for ten minutes of oxygen. Lots of people had headaches or felt some stomach issues or had shortness of breath. The tour is organized so as to ease you into the adjustment necessary for the higher altitudes with minimal activities that involve a lot of exertion. As other posts have indicated, limiting food, in the evenings, limiting alcohol consumptions, and eating more carbs than other food groups, help with digestion. At night while trying to go to sleep I could feel that my heart was beating more rapidly. When I got up in the mornings I would feel winded until I ate breakfast and drank water. I am not a tea drinker and had just a cup the first day and sucked on a coca candy but I drank a ton of water. One of the local guides said the more you void, the better you will feel, and she was right. This is a trip, not a vacation. The sights, the hotels, the food, the variety of experiences, the information imparted is amazing. Yes, you can feel winded climbing, but the local guides take their time and give you lots of rests to catch your breath. We had 2 collapsible walking sticks and I highly recommend them, I felt it gave me more stability, and also took the pressure off my knees. This was a once in a lifetime trip, I highly recommend it.
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You say some people didn't want to take the medication. I'm wondering how those who did take it fared? I am aware that you have to pitch the dosage very low, as in a little goes a loooonnng way!
Can you tell us a bit more about the trip? This is the one with the train ride towards Lake Titicaca, isn't it? Ah, magic!
So glad you both had a great time. Tell us more, please!
Cheers,
Jan
We had two train rides; the second was the ten hour ride across the Andean plains to Puno on Lake Titicaca. Very interesting scenery with a stop for about 10 minutes at La Raya, at over 14,000 feet, out in the middle of nowhere! But, as is the case, the locals show up and have a little market where you can buy souvenirs.
This was a great trip but the travel in some cases was tiring. Ten hours on a train is a long time, my flight to Lima was less than that. In true Tauck fashion, everything about this trip was first rate. As I said, we have been on many Tauck trips, but I was surprised to find so many Tauck first-timers on this trip. They were blown away by the first-class treatment we received.
As our tour director said, this in not a vacation, it is an adventure.
As for adventures vs. holidays. Yes, I know about those! I've had my fair share of those over the years. You need to take a holiday to get over your holiday! But heck, real adventures are hard to come by. And they make the sort of memories that never leave you. Even if I do have to work harder to get to the top of the hill/ridge/acropolis/whatever than I used to. Sigh.
At least I'll have some pills left for when I do get to Peru. Apparently they come in boxes of 100. I'll have to go now!
Cheers,
Jan
We are going on the Oct 5th 2012 trip and have a question about immunizations. We took the typhoid and Hep A, but have not yet taken yellow fever. The Health Dept rep said that if we are traveling from Peru into Bolivia that yellow fever is REQUIRED by Bolivia. Taulk paper work does not indicate that any immunizations are required and have referred us to our family physician and CDC to get info. Did you get Yellow Fever shots? Where you required to have them before entering Bolivia? Thanks, Cathie H.
We did not take the drug, but did try to improve our aerobic fitness before the trip. Drinking a little more moderately and the coca tea also seemed to help. I actually had more problem with sinus irritation from the dryness and dust at altitude. Normal saline nasal spray provided some relief.
Regarding yellow fever shots, we got them last year for the Amazon. But we were not asked to produce the immunization cards at either the Peru or Bolivian entry points. The Bolivian border crossing was very informal, but I suppose they could have asked for the cards. I'd say get the shots if you are traveling anywhere in SA, Africa or India, and you are covered for 10 years.
I am sorry we could not be of more help to you regarding vaccinations for your trip. Let me see if I can help you a bit more.
These requirements are subject to frequent change as outbreaks occur and subside in different areas, and it is therefore crucial that you obtain the very latest information on entry requirements as you prepare for your journey.
Any decisions relating to your health, of course, should not be based solely on information provided by a website. It is critically important that you consult with your personal physician prior to your journey to obtain any required vaccinations and to review any optional recommendations offered by the CDC or other sources.
For the most current information on Peru:
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/peru.htm
For the most current information on Bolivia:
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/bolivia.htm
Hope this helps,
Emily
My husband and I will be on the same departure as you. We are very excited about this trip. It has been a dream destination for me since I was a little girl.
As for the vaccination requirments, having been in the travel industry in the past, no tour company will provide you with specifics for liability issues, things change too rapidly and they just can't afford to take that risk. That said, if you will just follow the links they provided, they are very helpful. That information, combined with your phyisician's recommendations should help you out. The one thing that is confusing is the yellow fever requirement for Bolivia, it states that you only need the vaccination if you are coming from a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission; Peru does not require yellow fever vaccination. As you can see there are numerous variables, and Tauck certainly does not know the details of where each of has been recently.
I am more concerned with the altitude sickness aspect of the trip. We spoke with our physician and he is researching it for us. Not sure if I want to mess with the medication or not. The highest altitude we have been is Bryce Canyon, and we didn't have any issues there (the rim elevation is between 8 and 9 thousand feet). In fact, we didn't even realize we were at such an altitude, just wondered why we were breathing heavy so quickly on our hike and then realized why. But we drove there, so it was a very gradual change in elevation. But we only noticed it while hiking; otherwise we were fine.
Looking forward to meeting you in just a few short weeks!