To avoid the middle man, I suggest you contact a directly a Peruvian agency. Many are recommended on this forum.

For Travel Hungry : did you make the tour with Kensington? I am planning one with them to Peru in May/June.

We are thinking about using Kensington for a Peru trip in October 2009. How did your trip experience go?

They will most likely be subcontracting out to Peruvian operators.

Why not do as Xochitl recommends and cut out the middle man -- for lower cost & more personalized service.

Lots of agencies recommended here, including Kuoda Tours, Ancient Summit, Pachamama Explorers, Llama Path, Yure Chavez, and Peru for Less.

You are better off using a local travel agency.

Many are recommended on this forum.

We arranged a two week tour of Cusco, Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, Lake Titikaka and Quito and the Galapagos through Kensington Tours out of Toronto, although we purchased our own flights Calgary, LA, Lima, Quito and return. Kensington enlisted the assistance of Canadros Tours in Equador. There was no stress in travelling. We were met and taken to and from the airports and train stations, taken on a private tour of the Sacred Valley, Ollyantaytambo,Moray,Morass and Machu Pichu. We took the Andean Express from Cusco to Puno and our Lake Titikaka tour was arranged as was all our transportation and hotels. Kensignton looked after all the in-country details and absolutely nothing went wrong. The tour guides were great and we did not have to worry about anything. I would highly recommend them, although the tour was pricey, it really was a trip of a lifetime. We dealt with Noraly out of the Toronto office.

My family and I just got back from Peru on June 10th. We used Kensington Tours. Overall I was happy with them. We had considered using a local operator however prior to the trip I felt more comfortable with a known entity. Now that I am back I realize that Kennsington does very little to organize the trips. Once we arrived I learned that they subbed out the tour to Pure Peru (a local company). I had absolutely no contact with Kensinton once I was in Peru. Pure Peru did a good job with one exception. We had a terrible guide while in the highlands (Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu). He was pompous and incompetant. I must say however that Pure Peru addressed our complaints very well.

Good luck. You will have a fabulous time. The country is absolutely amazing. If you have time in Cusco consider mountain biking. It was our greatest experience. It is geared to your abilities, e.g. we had a 9 yo with us who did just fine. We used Eric Adventures and our guide was Carlos.

I used Kensington in Peru. They were good but they do sub you tour out to local operator. Ours was actually ran by a company called "Pure Peru".

You will love Peru. Have a great time!

Also we had a terible guide while in the Sacred Valley. Ask ahead of time what can be done if your guide stinks.

I'm just wondering what they did to address your complaints about the Sacred Valley guide? Are you willing to share your experience?