Should I AVOID the Inti Raymi festival during my trip to Peru???

Question

At first I thought I was lucky to be able to witness the festival. I arrive in Lima on the 19th and was thinking of flying to Cusco the next day. But now I get the impression that Inti Raymi will only make things worse for me: swarms of tourists, a commercialized, mainstream festivity, and prices that are inflated to suck the masses dry.

Instead of flying to Cusco, then, I was thinking maybe it would be better to start my trip backwards by flying from Lima to Arequipa, and then work my way up to Cusco to see Machu Picchu just before leaving. That way, Inti Raymi would be done, I may see a bit of it in Arequipa (maybe more authentic), and it will be easier to do what I want while in Cusco when I finally get there...

Any thoughts? I'm just worried Inti Raymi in Cusco is just like every other cheap, commercialized world tourist draw...

Answer 1

The Inti Raymi is spectacular. You won't regret it if you go but if you don't have reservations for a hotel, you won't find a room in the whole city.

http://gosouthamerica.about.com/od/perar...

Answer 2

It would be a pity for you to miss the Inti Raymi but at the same time it is full of tourists (nationals and internationals) and if you don't like crowds... Anyway, even if you go to Cuzco after the Inti Raymi, you will still go in high peak season so you will face lots of tourists and inflated prices!! So my advice will be this: go and see the Inti raymi!! June/July/August are the peak months in Cuzco so you will face large crowds anyhow and prices will be inflated anyhow. So go and see a beautiful Inca celebration of the Inti Raymi as it will make no difference in quantity of people and high prices.