⭐☆☆☆☆ 1/5 I rarely leave negative reviews, but I feel obligated to share my experience so other travelers know what to expect. I booked a multi-day Peru package with SAP because I wanted a stress-free, organized experience. Instead, the most important part of the trip—visiting Machu Picchu—became a stressful and frustrating ordeal. The biggest issue was that Machu Picchu tickets were not secured in advance. This was only communicated when options were already becoming limited. As a result, I was forced to change plans and line up at approximately 3:00 AM in an attempt to obtain tickets myself. This is not something a traveler expects to be doing after paying for a guided tour package. Because of the ticket situation, I also missed part of the Sacred Valley itinerary that I had paid for. I had to constantly follow up to find out what was happening, what the plan was, and where I was supposed to be. Communication was often late, unclear, and changed multiple times. At one point I was told I would meet a guide near my hotel, only to later be told to meet elsewhere. Throughout the process, I felt like I was managing the logistics myself rather than being guided by a tour company. What made the situation even more disappointing was the complete lack of communication regarding compensation or any meaningful attempt to make things right. After the itinerary was disrupted, I was essentially told to spend the extra days wandering around Aguas Calientes while waiting for another opportunity to visit Machu Picchu. There was no proactive outreach, no clear plan, no alternative activities offered, and no discussion about reimbursement for the portion of the tour I missed. For long stretches, I was left waiting without updates and had to repeatedly initiate contact myself. When travelers book organized tours, they are paying for convenience, expertise, coordination, and peace of mind. I paid a premium specifically to avoid the stress and uncertainty of handling these logistics on my own. Unfortunately, I received the exact opposite experience. Instead of enjoying my vacation, I spent a significant amount of time chasing updates, worrying about ticket availability, adjusting plans, and trying to figure out what was happening next. To be fair, I was ultimately able to visit Machu Picchu, and Peru itself was absolutely beautiful. However, the amount of stress, confusion, poor communication, and lack of accountability significantly diminished what should have been a highlight of the trip. I believe SAP should provide compensation or a partial refund for the missed portion of the itinerary and the inconvenience caused by the failure to properly manage and communicate the ticket situation. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend this tour company.
First of all, we would like to thank you for taking the time to share your negative experience with us. Although receiving a negative review is never pleasant, we believe that this type of feedback is also valuable because it allows us to identify the areas where we may have fallen short and continue improving our work and service. We sincerely regret that our service did not meet your expectations. We have carefully reviewed how your trip was handled, from the moment your reservation was made until the end of your journey, and we would like to provide some clarification regarding what happened. We acknowledge that our communication was not as constant as you would have preferred, and we apologize for any frustration this may have caused. At the same time, we believe it is important to clarify the circumstances surrounding your Machu Picchu entrance. Your reservation was made with relatively short notice, and from the beginning, you were informed that Machu Picchu entrance tickets were not available at that time. As explained during the booking process, Machu Picchu tickets are entirely subject to the availability released through the official system, which is controlled by Peru's Ministry of Culture. There are no agencies, guides, or individuals who have tickets stored or reserved privately for resale. The system simply does not work that way. As a tour operator, our responsibility is to organize and coordinate your trip according to the circumstances and availability provided by the official system, which can change depending on demand. In your particular case, you were informed in advance that purchasing an entrance ticket directly in Aguas Calientes was the last viable option available to try to secure your visit to Machu Picchu. Unfortunately, this alternative has limited availability and depends on the number of travelers requesting tickets during those dates, particularly during high season in Cusco and Machu Picchu. We are nevertheless glad that you were ultimately able to visit Machu Picchu. Unfortunately, there are travelers who, despite making every possible effort, are not able to obtain an entrance ticket when traveling with very limited advance planning. For this reason, we strongly recommend booking Machu Picchu trips several months in advance whenever possible, especially during high season. This provides travelers with a much better opportunity to secure their preferred entrance, circuit, and schedule. Regarding your concerns about compensation, we would also like to clarify that during your trip we were not informed through our communication channels that you were requesting compensation or that you felt a portion of the service had not been provided as expected. We cannot know when a traveler is dissatisfied unless they communicate this directly with us. Had you contacted us at the time to explain your concerns and request a review of the situation, we would have been more than willing to evaluate the circumstances and determine whether any compensation was appropriate and feasible. We always encourage our guests to communicate with us directly whenever they experience an inconvenience during their trip. Our goal is to have the opportunity to investigate the situation while it is happening and, whenever possible, find a solution immediately rather than learning about the issue only through a public review afterward. Once again, we sincerely apologize for the aspects of your experience that did not meet your expectations, particularly regarding communication. We appreciate your feedback and will take it seriously as we continue improving our service. We are also grateful that you ultimately had the opportunity to visit Machu Picchu and experience Peru, and we hope that, despite these difficulties, you were able to take away positive memories from your trip.
