tom_mn

In July, 24 days in Peru not counting travel days. Looking at the following places, but by independent travel via individual bus tickets, or flights when required (Iquitos). Looking for deluxe buses in the daytime from place to place, and recommendations of locations esp neighborhoods on where to stay. Starting out in an AirBnb in Miraflores. First visit to SA but over a year total of independent travel in Asia.

Lima -- Miraflores
Nazca for a lines overflight
Arequipa, just for the town no canyon
Puno for the town and Titicaca, would travel to Bolivia but too onerous for Americans to get visa right now
Sacred Valley and MP
Cusco
Iquitos + jungle lodge stay (want to see Amazon so looking at this area of Peru) [flight via Lima]
Lima overnight near airport before flight home at 10 PM [flight to Lima, same day transit to 10 pm US flight seems unwise?]

Willing to hang out in places for 3-5 days as needed, but how many days each place? Looked at tours and Peru Hop but seemed rushed or overpriced for what you get.

tom_mn

Taking a stab:

Lima 3 nights
Nazca 2 nights
Arequipa 4 nights
Puno 3 nights
Ollantaytambo 6 nights
Cusco 3 nights
Amazon Jungle lodge 3 nights
Iquitos 1 night1
Lima 1 night

tom_mn

Starting the planning for the overland bus part:

Lima to Nazca Cruz del Sur bus @ 11 am from Av. Javier Prado Este, 7.5 hours, 2nd class about $25

Leaves from the east side of Lima to help avoid traffic.

crellston

First thing to do is sit down with Google maps, airline & bus websites, Rome2Rio etc and work out how long it is going to take to get from A to B to C. Second decide how much time you want to allocate to each place in to contact of how long you have in total. As a minimum I would want 3 nights in any one place ( ex Nazca) which gives you two full days to do stuff. Allow most of a day to change locations as distances are vast. To an extent you can mitigate this by taking overnight buses. I know you said daytime buses but most of teh longer journeys are overnight. If you don’t want night buses then flying may be the only option for some journeys.

What you have outlines is a fairly standard itinerary along a well trodden "gringo trail" . Peru Hop is an easy if expensive option but everything is organised for you. Personally, I think, where is the fun is that?

Very easy to DIY in South America. If you managed Asia ok they SA will present no problems.

This is what I would consider as a decent first trip

Nights

LIma 3
Arequipa 3
Puno 3 ( poss 1 night Tacquile)
Cusco 4
Ollantaytambo /Machu Picchu 4
Cusco 1
Puerto Maldonado 4/5
Lima 1

lots of variations on this are possible. You could substitute PM with Iquitos which would mean transiting in Lima, would take longer and be more expensive but a different experience to PM

Many variations on this. Bear in mind tthat much will be at high altitude to do your research and plan accordingly.

July is a great time for the Andes.

I am English but I don’t think getting a visa for Bolivia is anymore onerous to get into for Americans that it ever has been. May be worth exploring that option as Bolivia is an amazing country with a lot to offer. Copacabana is just over the border from Puno and IMO is a much better place for Titicaca than Puno. It is 5 hours from there to La Paz which is one of teh most fascinating cities in South America.

All of these places we covered in our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com just click on the destinations tab to get to the relevant country.

tom_mn

Crellston, thanks, I was just coming to terms with the need for an overnight bus onward from Nazca, that's the only good option other than arriving at midnight and would prefer to not have to deal with a new city after midnight.

It is more onerous, $160 plus bank statements, passport photos, a yellow fever certification, and more. In 2019 there was no visa requirement for US citizens.

2023 https://bo.usembassy.gov/information...-requirements/

2019 https://visaguide.world/south-america/bolivia-visa/

It's a political decision based on a change of government, I read about it previously, this is all I can find now https://resources.envoyglobal.com/gl...eli-nationals/

tom_mn

Adding to above: Bolivia has been on my radar for years and I would have gone and spent $1000. Now I won't go, not sure who wins here? If they think their country is so desirable that I will surpass any inconvenience or roadblock-- well I won't. And who even knows that these requirements are in place, what's the political gain?

crellston

Your choice of course but I think you will find that that it all down to reciprocity rather than them thinking "their country is so desirable". The US charges Bolivians to enter the US so they do the same in return. Entirely understandable IMO.

As a UK citizen I confess I feel a little peeved at the US charging me for an ESTA to enter the US when US citizens get into the UK for free, though it hasn’t stopped me visiting the US.

crellston

Nazca has always been an awkward place. It is on the main Panamerican Highway but night buses are a way of life in Peru. Over the years I have probably taken 50+ overnight buses in Peru and more elsewhere in SA. In Peru the first line bus companies like Cruz de Sur, Ormeño, Movil etc are very comfortable and very reliable. I always opt for Ejecutivo/VIP/ First class as it is not that much more expensive than standard and more eco friendly than flying. The route south from Lima to Arequipa is pretty tedious - a lot of sand and rubbish strewn roads.

Arequipa to Puno is nice by tour bus from Chivay as there is a lot to see but you don’t want to see Colca so there is another normal bus from Arequipa , CDS I think, which does have some nice scenery along the way .
if you are dead set against night buses, then check out teh schedules before going too far into planning your itinerary as that may well have a significant influence.

tom_mn

Noting that the UK charges Bolivians a £115 tourist visa fee. Also the $185 (it's gone up from $160) fee charged for Bolivians to visit the US pays for an interview and the photos are used for a background check. When an American visits Bolivia I assume the photos are just discarded, and the $160 is pocketed as there is no interview or investigation, it's just a stamp at the border. The Israel angle is suspect also.

Committing to night buses. Not really against Colca Canyon but it's out of the way and takes time, and I've seen canyons.

crellston

So don’t go to Bolivia. Your choice, but judging by the number of Americans I have met on our travels there, it is not a problem for too many do seem. I don’t see what Israel has to do with the matter. Different countries have different rules for different countries. Perhaps Bolivia has better relations at governmental level with the UK ran the US?

if it is a political point you are making, fair enough. I would travel to India or China for political and moral reasons, nor did I travel to the US when Trump was president. If an economic one then I would just mention that Bolivia is a way cheaper country in which to travel than Peru so it is highly likely you would recover the cost of a visa

tom_mn

That’s a valid point. I’d have to get spouse buy-in which is unlikely. Reading in the paper today potato smugglers regularly cross Titicaca, so a small tip would get a person into and out of Bolivia visa-free.🫤

Israel matters because the US and Israel were added to the visa waiver program together when the Bolivian government leadership changed in 2019, then taken off together when the government changed back in 2021. So there was approximately an 18 month window when Americans could enter Bolivia free. Also proof that it’s a purely political position.

tom_mn

I didn't find a CDS day bus, but am taken with the Nativa Express so considering them with the overnight at the canyon.

crellston

Not all bus companies in Peru appear online. Sometimes its is easier to enquire with your accommodation or at the local bus station. Never heard of native express. The main tourbus company operating between Chivay and Puno is 4M. I recall they leave Chival around 14:00. If you didn't want an overnight in the canyon then it may be possible to get a half day tour from Arequipa and get them to drop you in Chivay. The tours do leave Arequipa at some ridiculous time (4/5am) which would make for a long day.

tom_mn

Thanks again. Here's the tour company https://www.nativa-express.com/ I realize that Cusco to Lima is the cheaper direction but kind of like saving the best for last, and then getting a yellow fever jab in Lima (with 2 weeks to take effect) makes sense. Right now YF jabs in the US go for the low $200s and only travel clinics.

I know most people take a tour, but they always just rush around, and I don't want to overload. However I am finding all of this planning a little overwhelming. In my younger travel days with unlimited time I just went day by day and didn't plan more than a few days ahead, much less stressful.

Noting that there are day options Puno to Cusco either the train (appears to be every other day) or another culture day bus tour with stops. I think another day bus tour with stops is the way to go. So my limited online research is only showing a night bus ride Nazca to Arequipa as the only essential night bus. The deluxe buses with the full recline look pretty sweet.

I understand your comment about the Iquitos area being more expensive now that I am looking, but realistically this is my only trip to Amazonia and not actually seeing the river doesn't seem right. I have seen other tropical rainforests (Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia) so just rainforest might not be enough for me. Kind of cringing over the native village visits advertised with these lodge stays, I would prefer to not turn indigenous people into performers.

tom_mn

I am wondering if there are any hut-to-hut or lodge-to-lodge overnight hikes in Peru? I am interested in the Choquequirao Trek but I think it involves true backpacking with no toilets.

crellston

There are a number of operators who offer lodge based treks. Mountain Lodges of Peru and Andean Lodges are two of the better known. I imagine that they will be v expensive though. Toilet facilities on many of the treks like the Inca Trail have pit toilets but they are pretty grim as they are re used by a lot of people. When we did the Lares to Ollantaytambo trek we used a private guide who arranged for us to camp near villages where we used their (basic) facilities and sometimes joined the locals for dinner . I am sure if we had asked he could probably have arranged for us to stay in rooms in those settlements.

tom_mn

Thanks Crellston, that's exactly what I was looking for. It is certainly on the pricey end about $3300/person for the 6 night Salkantay trek. But realistically it can get us into a wild setting and good hikes without having to scout out poop locations or sleep on the ground. I could simply never get my wife to agree to that. I am of the age where this kind of splurge makes sense. There are some seasonal discounts offered for pre-booking now.

Mountain Lodges of Peru offers the Salkantay trek and a Lares trek. Andean Lodges has a circuit east of Cusco in a wilder area. The other lodge to lodge trekking I have found is either the Mountain Lodges of Peru tour marked up by another tour operator, or something that parallels the highway in the Sacred Valley which seems kind of silly.

tom_mn

Adding that Salkantay Trekking has a yurt system with toilets and showers.

Moving on from the fairly worthless Lonely Planet “Peru,” ordered Footprint and Rough Guide from library. I’m looking for something more like Rick Steves that can be used to coalesce an itinerary. LP is just a dictionary of places.

mlgb

The visa for US citizens to get into Bolivia is nothing new. I went through it

July can be very cold something to consider for any L Titicaca /Puno overnight stays.

I think the pandemic did a number on 4M bus as well as many tour operators and airlines. Maybe that Nativa Express was more nimble as a start up.

I always recommend 3B in Barranco for first time visitors to Lima.

​​​​​​You can overnight in Ica to break the trip to Nazca.

Best odds are to get to the airport early. Note it's a very short flight. Nazca is a fairly safe town no worries about arriving late.

​​

mlgb

You are following the well trodden Tourist Trail. May as well use the PeruHop website as a starting itinerary. They are probably as up to date as anything. Issue with all guidebooks is that no one buys them anymore and the updating is a big issue. Especially for pre- vs post-pandemic. Peru was hit very hard as Lima locked down and a lot of rural folks brought the virus back to their villages. Plus the political unrest didn't help this year.

TripAdvisor has a few good participants including our own crellston. It's been quite a while since I visited but as far as transfer from Lima Airport I still think I would go with taxidatum. I was one of their very early customers, the owner was my driver! They are also in Cusco now.
https://taxidatum.com/

PS as far as night vs day buses, I tried to take daytime when the scenery would be too good to miss. There are some routes such as along the coast between Lima and Trujillo/Chiclayo where you don't miss much. I think I was able to find day buses going south from Lima but always tried to grab the very early ones even if it meant leaving the hotel before normal breakfast.

I was able to fly into Arequipa so have not done the bus between the coast and there.