Peru - MP and ?

[Deleted]

Two weeks in Peru.  Looking at a 5 day MP trek.  How do we spend the rest of our time? Suggested itineraries?

[cheezer]

Are you into food? Lima is such a fantastic food city.

After hiking Machu Picchu I'd recommend staying at the Tambo del Inka. One of my favorite hotels in the world, very relaxing, and such a great base for exploring the area around Cusco.

[sunshinedaydreams]

Definitely spend some time in Cusco - I would suggest before the MP trek so that you're acclimated before the hike. There's a lot more to see in the Inca Sacred Valley besides just MP and you can see it all from Cusco. There are also some nice churches and things in Cusco.

We also went to Puno (Lake Titicaca). It was beautiful, but not much going on there at all. It was nice to relax and unwind there after the Inca Trail. We took a tourist bus from Cusco to Puno, and that was nice because we saw quite a bit of the country and made a few stops at other Inca sites and towns along the way.

I would also suggest at least a day in Lima. That's about all we had and probably could have done more. There is good food there, and we really liked the Museo Larco.

[Deleted]

Great suggestions. I was thinking flying into Lima, spending 1-2 night there (we ARE into food, in a big way), then going to Cusco for 1-2 night to acclimate as recommended, then a 5d/4n hike. That still leaves us with about at least 5 days.

[sillygoosegirl]

We really enjoyed Lake Titicaca. We took a tour out to the floating islands and stayed on one of the real islands. In hindsight, but have preferred to do it independently instead of a tour, but it was a good experience regardless. Unfortunately I had some altitude sickness or I would have enjoyed it even more.

The name is escaping me at the moment, but we'd really wanted to also go to the huge canyon in southern Peru for some backpacking. But we were unable to get bus tickets day of to get there from the white city, and we didn't know to buy our tickets ahead of time. We maybe didn't really have time due to the altitude sickness... but maybe I would have gotten less altitude sickness if we hadn't pressed straight on to Puno (believe the highest place we went) when we couldn't get a bus to the canyon on our second day in the country. Anyway, I was bummed to miss it as it sounded really nice.

We took the tourist bus from Puno to Cusco and it was okay. I wasn't that thrilled by the stops or the guide compared with the rest of our trip though, and in hindsight would have preferred to just fly.

[Deleted]

Oct 18, 2014 9:43:22 GMT -5 sillygoosegirl said:

We really enjoyed Lake Titicaca. We took a tour out to the floating islands and stayed on one of the real islands. In hindsight, but have preferred to do it independently instead of a tour, but it was a good experience regardless. Unfortunately I had some altitude sickness or I would have enjoyed it even more.

The name is escaping me at the moment, but we'd really wanted to also go to the huge canyon in southern Peru for some backpacking. But we were unable to get bus tickets day of to get there from the white city, and we didn't know to buy our tickets ahead of time. We maybe didn't really have time due to the altitude sickness... but maybe I would have gotten less altitude sickness if we hadn't pressed straight on to Puno (believe the highest place we went) when we couldn't get a bus to the canyon on our second day in the country. Anyway, I was bummed to miss it as it sounded really nice.

We took the tourist bus from Puno to Cusco and it was okay. I wasn't that thrilled by the stops or the guide compared with the rest of our trip though, and in hindsight would have preferred to just fly.

Colca Canyon, I believe.  I think I'm going to research that a bit too.

[scout8]

I really liked Lake Titicaca too, but we were on the Bolivian side (Isla del Sol). We also enjoyed Arequipa. If you decide to go to Arequipa, I would go there between Lima and Cusco. It will help you adjust to the altitude. Speaking of altitude, take Excedrin with you(the kind with caffeine). I had trouble with the altitude and would feel so much better after taking an Excedrin.

[emilyinchile]

I think Lima is kind of boring but still totally worth it for food. I'm blogging about our last trip right now, link in sig. You could easily spend 3 days in order to do 3 lunches and 3 dinners (plus see the main sights, of course!). You could also spend more time in Cusco, it's touristy but pretty fun, and there are tons of day trips offered by the various tourist agencies. I personally wouldn't want to go to 4 separate places in only 2 weeks, especially when one of your activities is going to be very physically challenging, but I know that's not true for everyone.

If you're set on going somewhere else as well, I'd look at Lake Titicaca. I really want to go and have heard nothing but good things from people who've gone. It's more of a chill out destination as PP said, but after the Inka Trail that might be just what you want vs. more hiking in Colca Canyon. You could also consider the beach areas around Mancora, depending on the time of year you're going.

A blogger I read went a bunch of places in Peru recently, so her posts might give you some ideas: www.alexinwanderland.com/category/destination/peru/

[Deleted]

Oct 19, 2014 7:13:13 GMT -5 emilyinchile said:

I think Lima is kind of boring but still totally worth it for food. I'm blogging about our last trip right now, link in sig. You could easily spend 3 days in order to do 3 lunches and 3 dinners (plus see the main sights, of course!). You could also spend more time in Cusco, it's touristy but pretty fun, and there are tons of day trips offered by the various tourist agencies. I personally wouldn't want to go to 4 separate places in only 2 weeks, especially when one of your activities is going to be very physically challenging, but I know that's not true for everyone.

If you're set on going somewhere else as well, I'd look at Lake Titicaca. I really want to go and have heard nothing but good things from people who've gone. It's more of a chill out destination as PP said, but after the Inka Trail that might be just what you want vs. more hiking in Colca Canyon. You could also consider the beach areas around Mancora, depending on the time of year you're going.

A blogger I read went a bunch of places in Peru recently, so her posts might give you some ideas: www.alexinwanderland.com/category/destination/peru/

This is good advice.  I wouldn't say I'm dead set on going to a fourth location - I don't love jumping around.  I would probably be content to stay in Cusco and see other parts of the Sacred Valley.  My husband is somewhat less enthusiastic about trekking and ruins (very willing to go with me, but not his dream trip), so I'm looking at ways to diversify, I guess.  For example - when we went to Guatemala, my favorite day was a rainy sunrise hike in Tikal, and his favorite day was when we chartered a boat ride around Lake Atitlan with another couple and some beer.  I'll look into staying longer in Cusco.

As for time of year - we normally do a 2 or 3 week trip over the holidays in December.  However, I know that's rainy season so I think we will do it during a drier month even though it will probably be more crowded.

[jordylee]

Oct 18, 2014 10:20:16 GMT -5 @travelbug1210 said:

Oct 18, 2014 9:43:22 GMT -5 sillygoosegirl said:

We really enjoyed Lake Titicaca. We took a tour out to the floating islands and stayed on one of the real islands. In hindsight, but have preferred to do it independently instead of a tour, but it was a good experience regardless. Unfortunately I had some altitude sickness or I would have enjoyed it even more.

The name is escaping me at the moment, but we'd really wanted to also go to the huge canyon in southern Peru for some backpacking. But we were unable to get bus tickets day of to get there from the white city, and we didn't know to buy our tickets ahead of time. We maybe didn't really have time due to the altitude sickness... but maybe I would have gotten less altitude sickness if we hadn't pressed straight on to Puno (believe the highest place we went) when we couldn't get a bus to the canyon on our second day in the country. Anyway, I was bummed to miss it as it sounded really nice.

We took the tourist bus from Puno to Cusco and it was okay. I wasn't that thrilled by the stops or the guide compared with the rest of our trip though, and in hindsight would have preferred to just fly.

Colca Canyon, I believe.  I think I'm going to research that a bit too.

My DH and I did Colca Canyon. it was quite challenging, but I really liked it. There are a few posts in my blog about it if you're interested.

[librarygirl]

As much as I loved Machu Picchu, I also really adored the many sights in the Sacred Valley that we visited. We stayed in Ollantaytambo for 3 nights which was our base for exploring the Sacred Valley (afterwards we then did 2 nights in Cusco). Personally, I loved being based in the Sacred Valley. Cusco was a very neat city but it's also extremely tourist heavy. In Ollanta it definitely was more of an authentic experience I felt. And don't get me wrong, I love colonial era cathedrals and churches just as much as the next person, but nothing really compares to some of the awe inspiring outdoor sights that I visited.

Ollanta is home to other amazing Inca ruins (it's known as the mini Machu Picchu but I feel that was an understatement). Then there were the salt pools at Salineras (these date from before the Inca, and families still mine them today), and also the agricultural terraces of Moray.

Here are a few blog posts (I was there in late August/September of this year):
www.theredheadedtraveler.com/2014/09/salineras-salt-pools-peru.html
www.theredheadedtraveler.com/2014/09/ollantaytambo-ruins.html
www.theredheadedtraveler.com/2014/09/moray-archaeological-site-peru.html
www.theredheadedtraveler.com/2014/09/5-reasons-stay-ollantaytambo-peru.html

Have fun, it's such a great country and the people are beyond friendly.

[keweenawlove]

Adding on a few questions (hopefully you don't mind OP!). DH and I are hoping to do a similar trip next year.

Has anyone visited the Cordillera Blanca range? It looks beautiful but sounds like it might be hard to get to. Is it worth going for 2-3 days?

Also, one of the guidebooks I read suggested renting a car to tour the Scared Valley but the TripAdvisor regulars said it was a terrible idea (scary roads, break-ins). What did you find to be the best way to get around the area?

[osumelissa]

When we went to Peru in 2013 we started in Lima to visit a former classmate of my ex's. Then we flew to Cusco, did a Sacred Valley day trip, did the Inca Trail hike, flew to Puno for three nights, and then flew back to Lima for a night. Puno/Lake Titicaca is exactly what we wanted and needed after the hike. Also we did a day trip on the lake to visit the floating islands. Touristy, yes, but honestly the boat ride and just being on the water was the highlight for us.

[Captain Serious]

Here's a recent post with lost of restaurant ideas: pandce.proboards.com/thread/364562/peru-leaving-3-weeks

Our first trip to Peru, we did the tourist circuit. We started in Lima, flew to Arequipa, took a bus to Puno and did a homestay on an island in Lake Titicacca. From there, we flew to Cusco and toured Macchu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. We then flew to Puerto Maldonado and did a few days in the rain forest before returning to Lima. We did not go to the Colca Canyon or Nazca, nor did we go up north. It was an amazing trip and gave us a taste of the varying climates and environments.