Moomin
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Firstly, Peru is a fantastic place to travel, so you'll have a blast, but please, please, please (enough?) don't go anywhere long distance by train or bus. It really is worth spending the few extra dollars and getting an internal flight. The bus serice is reliable but slow and quite uncomfortable. The least hofficic of my bus journeys in Peru was sharing a 15 hour trip with a drunken wedding party, and a Spanish dubbed version of “The Ring” played at full volume on repeat.
When you land in Lima, don't be put off, it's just not one of Peru's best cities. Unless you're a real city person, I would recommend flying to Cusco after one full day in Lima (the Aztec museum is very cool). Cusco is brilliant, although it's very high up, so give yourself a few days here to aclimatise and enjoy the town.
I really think you should do the Inca trail. You can get the tourist train from Cuzco to Macu Piccu, but it's very crowded. The 4 day hike will be one of the best the best things you'll ever do. Again, you get what you pay for. I went with SAS Travel who charged about $50 dollars more than the others, but the food was excellent and the porters (who carry food/bags/tents) were treated very well. One of the saddest sights of the Inca Trail is seeing other tour group’s porters sleeping outside or in toilets - pay the extra. Although you'll be shattered, at the end of your day in Machu Picchu try to climb the big triangle shaped mountain behind the ruins. It's a steep climb but the views are amazing. I would book in advance, as the best tours often get booked early, and you do need a permit to get onto the trail (which your company will sort out).
You should try and take in the cool markets at Ollyontambo (Tuesday I think), and you could then head south to Lake Titticacca or the Nazca Lines.
Just on the off-chance, have you considered maybe splitting your time between Peru and Ecuador? Ecuador is very small compared to Peru yet is a thrilling country to visit for both culture and scenery. Unlike Peru, it's much more easy to get from place to place (you can bus from north to south in 10 hours). If you have the time, I would really consider it - it definitely adds to your South American experience.
If you are going soon, pack a jumper and some warm socks – it’s lovely weather but gets quite cold at night. If you’re planning to do the Inca Trail, take a rain jacket – it’ll rain at least once.
Enjoy |
In Testimony Whereof
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so u start in Lima, then ur gonna hop on an early mronign plane to cuzco and spend a couple days acclimating and touring the city, there is so much to do in Cuzco alone; ive been there like 5 times and i still havbnt seen everything. At anytime you can go to any of the 3000 tourism agencies in Cuzco, all of which have employees that speak english. From here you can book your hikes to the inka trail. I dont tink u have to do it 35 days in advacne.you can even book tours thourgh other parts of Peru from Cuzco.
Other good tourist spots in Peru are Nasca, Trujillo,Manu etc. My personal favorite is Saposoa in the jungle. Bus is probably the best way to travel the coast, mountians and jungles respectively. But make sure its a reliable bus service i.e. Cruz del Sur. Good Luck |
Our Man In Bananas
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Hi,
Yes you need to book an organised tour - but it would still be worth it to trek past all those old ruins in the mountains to Machu Piccu.
For better travel advice on Peru, you should ask on the Lonely Planet Thorntree - Peru section (link below) where you will get the best advice.
Plus you should buy or at least read one or more of these guidebooks to get the best out of your trip:
* Trailblazer Guides:
http://trailblazer-guides.com/books/index.html?/books/main.html
* Footprint Guides - Peru:
http://www.footprintbooks.com/sections/guides/book.asp?productid=300
*Footprint Guides - Cuzco & The Inca Heartland:
http://www.footprintbooks.com/sections/guides/book.asp?productid=277
* Lonely Planet - Peru:
http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/findproduct.jsp?exportID=PRD_1466
and here is some useful info on Peru:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/south-america/peru
Hope that helps - enjoy your trip!
Philip |
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