I would like to visit Peru, South America. Any tips? Lima? Macchu Picchu?

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MSDC

What you do in Lima, depends on what you like. If you're into archeology or architecture, try downtown. the palace of government, the cathedral, the many churches. for archeology, you can try the huacas ( a "huaca" is an old sacred place of the Incas and pre-Incas). There's a restaurant at "Huaca Pucllana" in the district of Miraflores. You could also try the ruins of the old Pachacamac Temple in the outskirts of the city in an area called "Lurin".
If you're into nightlife, try LarcoMar in Miraflores, you'll have plenty of clubs there to choose from. Lima is at sea level, so you should have no oxygen problems.
Cuzco, however, is a different matter. The city of Cuzco is at more than 3,000 meters above sea level (about 10,000 feet), so take it easy there. Try Sacsahuaman and the Coricancha. Machu Picchu is at a lower altitude, but still about 2,000 meters (7,000 feet). Machu Picchu is in the Amazon basin, were the Andes mountains meet the Amazon Jungle, so the views are breathtaking. Since this is jungle, be prepared for some rain.

sanbartolito

Decide when you want to travel. Usually people travel during the dry season (April through October), the rest of the time is extremely rainy.

If you are an American citizen I advise you to log in: http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html which is the page for US Department of State tips for travelers. Don't forget to register your trip.

You have two choices:
1. If you speak and understand Spanish fluently, I would recommend you to just get your airline ticket and after you fly in Peru, get a tour package with a local travel agency.

2. If you don't speak Spanish, then you can ask the US Embassy in Peru (http://lima.usembassy.gov/information_for_travelers.html)
if they can refer you to a reliable travel agency with good reputation. You choose your tour and travel with other tourists and come back safely to Lima.

There are many websites that can help you out with your trip. Check out www.livinginperu.com, where the info is in English only and gives you all what you need to know.

BillB

THere are OK museums in Lima. I recommend if you are limited on time that you head straight for Cuzco. You will like this town as it is very similar to the way it might have looked hundreds of years ago. The food is great. Try the Saltado de Pollo (diced chicken sauteed with onions, tomatoes and french fries over rice). From Cuzco you can decide how much time you want to take to visit Machu Picchu. You can do a walking tour (Inca Trail) that can take over a week to one that starts closer to the site and is a few days. The town nearest Machu Picchu I believe is called Aguas Calientes. You can also stay there overnight, and hike up the stairs in the morning. I did the hike leaving around 4AM but had a great time and arrived before the masses of tourists, so most of my pictures are pristine. I recommend this option if you have limited time, but I regret not having done the Inca Trail, as I hear it is amazing. Pick up a copy of Lonely Planet Peru, as it is probably the best guide out there. Hope that helps.

indie 007

you will love it. Take it easy there, the elevation is murder. I couldn't walk up a small flight of stairs with out feeling like my chest was going to pop.

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