gragusha

Hi,

I am planning a 10 day trip to Peru (followed by 6-7 days in Bolivia) with my wife and daughter (14 years).

We have travelled/driven extensively across the world and most of our holidays are driving trips. We prefer slightly luxurious/comfortable hotels with charm/local flavor (not necessary top of the line). I am looking for advice on the itinerary, places to eat, stay and some off-the-beaten path sights. I like natural scenery and scenic drives. I am an avid photographer and any interesting photo stops/tips for locations will be greatly appreciated.

Here is my rough itinerary: I have posted questions inline

01. 10-Jun -- Fly into Lima at around 11:00 AM. Pick up rental car drive to hotel, Rest, maybe walk around town a bit in the evening.

02. 11-Jun -- Late morning/early afternoon , start the drive from Lima to Pisco/Paracas. Enjoy scenery on the way
. . . . . . . a. lunch somewhere(?)
. . . . . . . b. Scenic stops/detours?
. . . . . . . c. Hotel suggestion in Paracas (or Pisco?)
. . . . . . . d. Unless there is a strong reason to not hire a car - would prefer to drive own car during this leg - Lima - Paracas - Lima. - any thoughts?

03. 12-Jun -- Take the morning boat tour to Ballestas islands. Afternoon in drive around in Paracas National Park. Late afternoon drive to Huacachino.
. . . . . . . a. Grab a lunch somewhere(?)


04. 13-Jun -- Take a morning flight from Pisco over Nazca/Palpa lines. Drive back to Lima in the afternoon.
. . . . . . . a. Lunch suggestions
. . . . . . . b. Any other activity/detours
. . . . . . . c. Which operator to use for the flights
. . . . . . . d. Best time for the flight

05. 14-Jun -- Take a morning flight to Cusco. Have a pre-arranged car pick us up for a drive to Ollantaytambo for the night stay, via Pisac (Tuesday market).
. . . . . . . a. Places to see on the way.
. . . . . . . b. Is there a time for the Tuesday market in Pisac
. . . . . . . c. Any tips on the routing
. . . . . . . d. Where to pre-arrange a car/guide for the trip to sacred valley (only for the day - pick-up at Cusco and drop-off at Ollantaytambo)
. . . . . . . e. Hotel suggestion in Olly?

06. 15-Jun -- Morning - see the ruins in Olly. Take the 11:15 morning train to AC for Machu Picchu. Stay at Inkaterra.
. . . . . . . a. Enjoy the Inkaterra property and the nature walks in the afternoon
. . . . . . . b. We will be spending the whole of next day at Machu Picchu citadel/mountain hike - so not sure about going up to the citadel in the afternoon on 15th? Any thoughts?

07. 16-Jun -- Take the first bus up to the citadel. We plan to hike up the Huaynapicchu mountain in the 7:00-8:00 am slot. We plan to spend the whole day at the site and come back in the evening. We catch the 7:30 PM train back to Olly.
. . . . . . . a. Order of seeing things (especially from photo lighting perspective) - Sun gate/Mountain hike etc
. . . . . . . b. Guide??
. . . . . . . c. Any other tips


08. 17-Jun -- Morning drive to Cusco via Moray, Maras and Chinchero, Tambo Machay, Q'uenka and Sacsahuaman. Evening in Cusco..
. . . . . . . a. Suggestion on how to plan the day and what to see.
. . . . . . . b. Lunch stop suggestions.
. . . . . . . c. Am wondering that might have had enough of the ruins - so may not want to overdo *similar* ruins. ??
. . . . . . . d. Hotel / restaurant ideas in Cusco
. . . . . . . e. Evening anything interesting to do in Cusco?

09. 18-Jun -- Full day in Cusco. Would have seen Sacsahuaman, the previous day.
. . . . . . . a. Best things to see/do in the day (may not be able to see all in one day)

10. 19-Jun -- Catch the morning flight to LA Paz for the Bolivia leg of the trip



Thank you for reading through this long post and comments /suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

crellston

A few random thoughts.
1. Difficult to recommend hotels without knowing your nightly budget. I find www.booking.com to be the best resource. You may be limited slightly if you want rooms for three
2. In Ollantaytambo I would suggest Apu Lodge, run by a nice Scottish lady. Quiet location and large rooms. Most hotels will arrange transport to pick you up from the airport - I think the going rate is around 150 soles. You could go via Pisac but I think I would go straight to Ollantaytambo acclimatise and explore the village and ruins once the tour buses have departed.
3. I think on day 8 you are trying to pack too much in. I would reran he things to do the sacred valley tour on the way out to Ollantaytambo leaving you free to get a taxi to Pisac ( the market is not what it once was imo). The taxi and drop you at the top car park and you can walk down through the ruins and they will collect you further down or even in the main square. Driving back to Cusco you could get your taxi to either take you to Tmabo Machay, quenka etc or simply drop you at TB and then walk back down along the old inca trails to sacsayhuaman. It is a wonderful walk, all downhill, great views and photo opps . More detail on our blog http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...tpod.htmlentry no. 19
4. You don't really need a guide for the sacred valley and Cusco but, as you are a bit short on time, it may be wise to get one to make the most of your time. Percy Salas seems to get some good reviews. If not, you need to get a good guide book and work out , in detail, what you want to see as there is a huge amount to fit in Cusco alone.
5. I have driven in Argentina, Chile and Ecuador but draw the line at Peru. Too much police corruption and I have read some horrors stories re rental cars. Having taken the bus along the length of that coast from Chile to Lima, I can only recall the scenery being rather tedious - mostly desert and very grey.
6. Have you considered Arequipa? A very photogenic city. You could fly or bus to Cusco from there. Monasterio de Santa Catalina is amazing and you could easily spend half a day there. Also the Colca Canyon is worth considering. Just a thought