wasigan

My husband and I will be in Peru for 2 weeks in early October covering alot of ground. Our itinerary looks like this:

-Fly to Lima, overnight (a few hours) in airport, fly to Cuzco
-rent a car, to Ollanta for 3 nights including MP on 3rd day
-Cuzco for 2 nights
-to Puno and Titicaca islands for 3 nights
-Bus (or fly) to Arequipa for 2 nights
-fly to Lima for 2 nights, then home

We will be staying in mid-range places - we're not backpackers per se, or luxury travelers, but are thinking that a backpack vs. wheeled luggage is a better idea. Does anyone have advice on which might be better?

Also, I'm a photographer and I will want to take my macro/portrait and zoom lens, as well as my point and shoot digital. I would keep my equipment in my backpack mostly when it's not in use, but is it a bad idea to bring an SLR camera with a few lenses? I don't want to attract unwanted attention.

Thanks for any advice - please feel free to comment on the itinerary as well. Thanks to all who have posted such great trip reports. They've been very helpful!!

cmerrell

Bumping this post.

Good questions about luggage and camera equipment, wasigan. I'm also in the planning stages for a Peru trip.

cestgaston

A backpack with all your needs for 12 nights might be a little heavy and it would not be practical when you'll be visiting some sites (altitude and steep hikes!)
I took a wheeled suitcase and a small back pack for the camera gear.By all means,take your photo gear. Peru is absolutely beautiful and safe if you adhere to common sense guidelines...In Cuzco, you must stay at the Hotel Ninos. 20.00US per person/night and you are helping a great cause. Check it out : www.ninoshotel.com/
Don't forget a polarizing filter.Skies are unbelievable at high altitudes.Have fun!

andrys

My trip was in 1997 and we were using film cameras. My travel partner had an SLR with long zoom, and as a result didn't make it up the 500 steps of Taquile Island. At the heights of Lake Titicaca, going up the steps of that island is not easy even for young people as the air's so thin. (I was 59 at the time.) So I took just a camera I could have on my waist, and I had an easy time of it.

Now, since you're also going to be at Machu Picchu, it's a one-time thing usually and you probably want your best lenses there but the vistas are such that you don't really want to use long lenses there much.

You've a real treat ahead of you.

DO keep your backpack with you at ALL times. We were on a boat to Taquile Island with a woman who was very down. Turned out she was a psychiatrist who, while traveling with a friend, answered a question on the train and then discovered her backpack gone. It had her negatives of Machu Picchu, her medicine, her eyeglasses, her books and camera.
I'll not forget that. Her son left his backpack on a cafe seat in Bolivia and never saw it again.
This can be true in any country though.

I have a photodiary that might be of interest, since I went to the places you did - at http://andrys.com/indox.html

Also my Peru photo site in my sig.

- Andrys
--
http://www.pbase.com/andrys/machu
http://www.pbase.com/andrys/peru

suze

My friend borrowed my 22" rolling suitcase for Peru. He said it was perfect (but he didn't have a lot of camera equipment, just his clothes).

DoctorCarrie

We were in Peru last October and I had my digital SLR and zoom lens and never had a problem, nor felt uncomfortable. I even lugged them over the Inca Trail! Peru is a lot of fun to photograph - you're going to have a great time!